Common embedded industrial PCs include box-type and fanless industrial PCs. Embedded industrial PCs are reliable, fanless, compact, and inexpensive, leading to their increasing popularity in industrial PC applications. Especially in recent years, with the development of embedded technology, embedded industrial PCs have also grown rapidly, quickly finding applications in various fields and occupying an increasingly important position.
So, what are the differences between embedded industrial PCs and ordinary industrial PCs? What are the advantages of embedded industrial PCs?
I. Advantages of Embedded Industrial Computers in Product Performance
1. The product has good functional adaptability, almost perfectly matching the functions of the tested and controlled objects. It has some expandability, but expansion is not its primary purpose, thus the product offers excellent cost-effectiveness.
2. Miniaturization is a key feature, manifested in a compact design. Since there are no standard references for structural design, external interfaces and the rational utilization of installation space must be fully considered. 3. High reliability is required. In addition to meeting electrical function reliability design requirements, careful consideration must be given to reliability design aspects such as heat dissipation, electromagnetic compatibility, dust and water resistance, and vibration resistance.
4. Ultra-low power fanless design is the mainstream. Due to the limited heat dissipation capacity after device miniaturization, and the high MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) requirements of embedded systems, especially in unattended applications, ultra-low power fanless design has become a necessity.
II. Differences between Embedded Industrial PCs and Ordinary Industrial PCs
First, embedded industrial control computers are often located at the front end of the entire measurement and control system. The upstream connection of embedded industrial control computers is usually that of ordinary industrial control computers. The computing power, software resources, and database support of ordinary industrial control computers are all beyond the reach of embedded industrial control computers.
Secondly, in the construction of large-scale systems, the system expansion capabilities and network communication capabilities of ordinary industrial control computers are difficult for embedded industrial control computers to replace;
Furthermore, in fields such as visualization design, process monitoring, data statistics, scientific computing, prototype simulation design, and in-loop simulation, ordinary industrial control computers have inherent advantages.
Embedded industrial PCs offer advantages in product performance. As early as the early 1990s, Analog Devices (AD) in the United States launched similar industrial PCs. Due to their reliable performance, fanless design, small size, and low price, embedded industrial PCs are increasingly widely used in industrial PC applications.
