Newsdesk - March 2001

HMI provides internet communications

Remote monitoring and control, email of alarms and reports, and data transfer is now possible over the internet - and intranets - directly from Mitsubishi HMIs. This new development integrates existing TCP/IP capabilities with Web technology to provide comprehensive connectivity with the rest of the world.

An HMI is no longer confined to standalone operation or the limitations of a local or dedicated network. Instead it can have its own Web address and communicate with other devices, such as a PC or a pager. The level of on-line communication can vary between the simple emailing of, say, an alarm, to complete emulation of the HMI's status and functionality on a remote PC.

Mitsubishi E-series HMIs can be remotely controlled via a PC by virtue of functionality built in to the HMI, which comprises a Java object and a standard Internet browser. An emulation of the HMI can be displayed on the PC, enabling control of the HMI remotely in exactly the same way remotely as it would be locally. The display on the PC will also be updated if someone is operating the HMI locally. This is a useful tool for remote diagnostics, maintenance and trouble-shooting.

Alarms and text reports can be also be emailed over the internet. For example, daily production reports and alert information can be automatically emailed to the production manager or the maintenance engineer.

Furthermore, trend-files, recipes and alarm lists can be sent using an FTP file transfer. Again, a standard internet browser is used to access the HMI and upload the files. For the advanced user it is possible to create an HTML page for remote monitoring and manipulation.

• Mitsubishi Electric
  Email a105@industrialnetworking.co.uk