Industrial control computer is short for industrial control computer.
Industrial PCs are typically used in harsh industrial environments, operating under conditions of high temperature, low temperature, humidity, salt spray, dust, and electromagnetic interference. Therefore, industrial PCs undergo specific reinforcement designs before leaving the factory. They often feature a metal exterior and incorporate rugged, dustproof, and shockproof structural features, with correspondingly enhanced electrical performance and protection specifications. Industrial PCs are the hardware platform for computer-based control in the industrial control field.
Classification of industrial control computers
1. 4U industrial PC
A 4U industrial PC refers to a 19-inch rack-mount industrial PC with a height of 4U and an ATX architecture.
"U" is a unit used to represent the external dimensions of a server; it's an abbreviation for "unit." The detailed dimensions are determined by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA). The reason for specifying server dimensions is to ensure that servers are appropriately sized to fit in iron or aluminum racks. The rack has screw holes for mounting servers, allowing the unit to align with the server's screw holes and be secured with screws, thus accommodating the space required for installing each server.
The specified dimensions are the server's width (48.26cm = 19 inches) and height (multiples of 4.445cm). Because the width is 19 inches, racks meeting this specification are sometimes referred to as "19-inch racks." Thickness is measured in units of 4.445cm. 1U is 4.445cm, and 2U is twice that of 1U, which is 8.89cm.
A "1U PC server" refers to a product whose form factor meets EIA specifications and has a thickness of 4.445cm. Products designed to fit into a 19-inch server rack are generally called rack servers. 4U industrial PCs have wide applications in industrial control.
2. BOX PC (fanless industrial PC)
It is generally referred to as a fanless industrial computer.
Fanless industrial PCs are more widely used due to their small size, lack of fans, and maintenance-free operation. Thanks to advancements in chip manufacturing processes and improvements in CPU performance, small-sized fanless industrial PCs can completely replace 4U industrial PCs in terms of functionality and performance, thus enabling their widespread application in various industrial PC scenarios.
With the development of technology, fanless industrial PCs have also evolved. Traditional industrial control generally does not have high performance requirements; it processes control signals from lower-level machines and sensor information, primarily testing the reliability of the industrial PC rather than its performance. Therefore, many 4U industrial PCs and fanless industrial PCs actually operate in a light-load, low-power mode.
With the rise of edge computing, industrial PCs at the edge need to handle image and video signal processing, and even perform a certain degree of training and inference operations. These machine vision industrial PCs typically push computer performance to its limits, which also significantly increases power consumption. Therefore, fan-cooled industrial PCs with enhanced heat dissipation have emerged.
Unlike 4U industrial PCs, the cooling airflow of this type of industrial PC does not pass through the motherboard (PCBA). Therefore, humid airflow containing conductive particles will not cause short circuits on the motherboard or damage to other electrical components. Furthermore, the modular fans allow for fan replacement without opening the chassis, improving performance while simplifying maintenance.
3. Industrial flat panel (human-machine interface)
Industrial panel PCs are common industrial control computers used in industrial equipment.
Similar to commercial all-in-one PCs with screens, industrial panel PCs place greater emphasis on security and stability in various environments. They provide excellent solutions for human-machine interfaces and production process control.
Unlike general commercial computers, industrial panel PCs are designed for specific environments, featuring robustness, shock resistance, moisture resistance, dust resistance, high-temperature resistance, multiple slots, and easy expansion. They serve as hardware platforms for various applications in industrial control and automation. These industrial panels can be used as industrial dashboards or embedded in automated equipment as human-machine interfaces. Depending on the function, different processors, screen sizes, and industrial software are selected and installed.
4. Rugged industrial PC
Computers designed to withstand various harsh environments are reinforced and strengthened in their design to address factors affecting computer performance, such as system architecture, electrical characteristics, and mechanical and physical structure.
Its characteristics include: strong environmental adaptability, high reliability and maintainability, strong real-time processing capability, serialization, standardization and modularization, and the development of dedicated software is the key to its application.
Classification of industrial control motherboards
Industrial control motherboards are motherboards used in industrial settings and are adopted by industrial computers. Depending on the requirements, they can adapt to harsh environments and can work under high loads for extended periods.
While the components of industrial motherboards are very similar to those of commercial motherboards, there are many differences. The key difference lies in the design and verification philosophy of industrial motherboards. Industrial PCs typically need to operate 24/7 in harsh environments for 5 to 10 years, dealing with complex environments including high temperatures, low temperatures, humidity, smog, and electromagnetic interference. Therefore, industrial PCs undergo specific design modifications before leaving the factory.
Compared to the 0~40 °C operating range of consumer electronics, industrial-grade components need to operate within a wide temperature range of -40 °C to +85 °C, while automotive-grade components have even higher requirements.
1. Industrial formwork (ATX, ITX)
Industrial motherboards are also available in ATX and ITX specifications, and are mainly used for rack-mounted industrial PCs such as 4U industrial PCs. Industrial motherboards eliminate some unnecessary additional components found on commercial motherboards and increase necessary industrial interfaces and expansion space.
Furthermore, due to their design and standard form factor, industrial motherboards have lower overall costs in the long run, making them easier to upgrade and maintain. They are specifically designed for industrial applications, and therefore versatility and durability are taken into account during design and manufacturing, ensuring their reliability and longevity for many years.
2. Embedded single boards such as 3.5-inch boards, 2.5-inch boards, and 5-inch boards.
Small form factor motherboards are available in different sizes to suit a wide range of industrial applications. So, starting with Mini-ITX, there are also 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch boards. Their compact size allows these motherboards to be directly embedded in industrial equipment or installed in fanless industrial PCs.
3. Calculation Module
3.1 COM stands for Computer On Module.
The COM Express specification (also known as COM.0) is a modular computer specification defined by PICMG. COM Express is sometimes abbreviated as COM-E or COME. Motherboards conforming to the COME specification are called COME modules. COMMe has several specifications, including TYPE6, 7, and 10. TYPE6 has two sizes: a compact 95*95mm and a basic 125*95mm. Type 10 is 84*55mm. TYPE7 has the same dimensions as TYPE6, but different interface resources.
3.2 SMARC
SMARC is a general-purpose small computer module definition, targeted at applications requiring low power consumption, low cost, and high performance.
These modules typically use ARM SoCs similar to or the same ARM SoCs used in many familiar devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Other low-power SoCs and CPUs, such as x86 devices for tablets and other RISC CPUs, may also be used. The power consumption of the modules is typically below 6W.
3.3 Qseven
This standard, known as Qseven, is designed for ultra-portable mobile embedded processors. Unlike previous COM standards, Qseven is specifically designed for low-power applications that meet the stringent requirements of mobile and ultra-portable mobile applications.
3.4 CPCI Motherboard
CPCI motherboards are similar to plug-in card motherboards, with the motherboard and function cards inserted parallel to each other into the backplane. However, CPCI motherboards lack gold fingers and use more reliable CPCI connectors to connect to the backplane. The CPCI connectors are crimped to the PCB, and the soldered design offers higher reliability. A 6U motherboard can accommodate up to 5 CPCI connectors, while a 3U motherboard can accommodate up to 2. The relative positions and position numbers of the CPCI connectors are fixed, designated J1 to J5. 3U CPCI supports a 32-bit PCI bus, while 6U CPCI supports a 64-bit PCI bus.
