Software displays device logic in diagram form.
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Press Release Summary:
UCOS (User Configurable Open System) v5.0 reduces time to design and implement process control automation projects and reduces risk of inconsistent implementations. Supervisory templates can be used to control behavior of multiple devices within industry-specific projects. Templates can be duplicated, and turning software switches on and off can modify functionality of individual devices. Software also provides run-time tools, diagnostics, and support for open hardware architecture.
Original Press Release:
UCOS® 5.0 Relieves Logic Headaches
LENEXA, Kan. - Control Systems International, Inc. (CSI) has released UCOS 5.0 (User Configurable Open System) with many improved features and benefits. UCOS significantly reduces the time it takes to design and implement process control automation projects and significantly reduces the risk of inconsistent implementations. UCOS 5.0 provides control engineers even more functionality and cost-effective means to upgrade their systems.
In 1998 CSI perfected and patented an object-oriented development technique using templates within our UCOS product. These templates can be used to develop any type of control application in any process industry. The templates can easily be duplicated and their functionality easily modified. Now, UCOS 5.0 makes that process even easier and faster.
Recently, CSI completed testing on supervisory templates that can be used to control the behavior of multiple devices, such as pumps and valves, within an industry-specific project. The supervisory templates can encapsulate basic control functionality that is coordinated among multiple devices, such as sequencing and interlocking, found in any process control application. Each control application can consist of industry specific, pre-configured, pre-tested templates that define the characteristics of a single device or coordinated sequencing and interlocking among multiple devices.
These templates can easily be duplicated and simply turning software switches on and off can modify the functionality of individual devices. This can save thousands of hours of development time, installation time, and it ensures consistent enforcement of design specifications.
With UCOS, in many cases there's no need to replace I/O or rewire. In fact, the City of Phoenix recently installed UCOS at five of its water/wastewater facilities and did not have to replace hardware or I/O subsystems at four of the plants. The fifth plant was greenfield and required new hardware.
All of a project's design specifications are configured in UCOS, and UCOS strictly enforces those specifications for logic, tag definitions, and operator interface components. This improved consistency allows operators to learn the system faster and allows maintenance engineers and operations managers to easily understand the process just by glancing at the screen. Both the process specification and device logic are highly visual, easy-to-read diagrams which document specific control functionality in an unambiguous manner.
UCOS can also monitor and control multiple brands of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and I/O on a single system. In Phoenix, the Cave Creek and Union Hills plants are operated as one facility and can be monitored and controlled from either site. UCOS monitors and controls Modicon I/O and Opto22 I/O in the same system. One UCOS Field Control Unit (FCU) can monitor and control four brands of I/O at one time.
UCOS is known to reduce project development time by more than 50 percent. A few years ago CSI upgraded the automation systems at four Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) fuel distribution terminals. Since CSI engineers installed the original systems, they knew how long it took to develop the original project.
Using industry-specific supervisory templates and new development methods made possible by UCOS, CSI was able to develop and install a far more sophisticated control system at those same four PEMEX sites in 75 percent less time than it took originally.
UCOS provides a full-featured operator interface in a familiar Windows environment. In UCOS 5.0 the Operator Workstation real-time HMI displays can span multiple monitors. The operator can interact with multiple color graphic overviews and pop-up detail screens to monitor any size facility and any process. The screens can be designed to logically represent a process or to visually represent the layout of a facility - or both. Screen devices can move, change color; and change shape to reflect the real-time status of their real-world counterparts.
The City of Phoenix saved even more money because once one plant was designed using the UCOS object-oriented device templates, that same functionality could easily be applied to any similar facility giving each facility the same look and feel. All the plants were standardized, making training and maintenance much easier.
Standard device faceplates provide a consistent control interface to all devices - even those from different manufacturers. The operator can display a standard faceplate for appropriately configured controllers, transmitters, pumps, valves, conveyors, variable frequency drives, and other devices simply by right-clicking the appropriate operator interface graphic. Each faceplate displays relevant details for a single device and allows the operator to issue commands to that device through a familiar, consistent, point-and-click interface. Faceplates are configured automatically by UCOS and can be modified by a developer in a matter of minutes.
UCOS offers rapid specification, configuration, HMI graphic design, and testing. Included with UCOS are comprehensive run-time tools, diagnostics, and support for an open hardware architecture.
Here are more of UCOS 5.0 new features.
o Data quality flags have been around for a while in UCOS. They identify communication failures, provide scan enable/disable status, identify point inactive states, identify points that are out of range, identify faulted RTUs, indicate inhibited alarms, indicate whether a device control is blocked, indicate chain, rack, and module faults, etc.
Now all data quality flags will be accessible to such subsystems as the WMI, data historian, user-configurable calculations and logic, reports, third-party applications, etc.
o UCOS can be configured as an OPC client, server, or both. UCOS 5.0 also supports full hot-standby OPC redundancy. You can choose to deploy your redundant OPC servers or clients in the same location or across your WAN
o UCOS allows you to tune a WAN for optimum efficiency. In UCOS 5.0, the backup network can be tuned separately if it has different data characteristics than the primary network.
o Redundancy and failover have long been a hallmark of every UCOS component. UCOS 5.0 adds a user-configurable switch that allows you to choose either manual or automatic fail back for an Operator Workstation (HMI) once a failed LAN is restored. A button allows you to manually switch between LANs when fail back is in manual mode.
o In the Tag Definition dialog, you can now apply a filter with an adjustable gain value to individual real-time analog inputs.
o Operators can now insert notes into logs. A report containing these notes can be generated.
o A new local tag indicates whether the UCOS Process Historical Archiver is online or offline.
o UCOS has always supported extensive customization of alarm annunciator. Now developers can associate an audio WAV file with each of the 16 alarm priority levels.
The WAV file can be configured to activate once for each alarm or continuously while the alarm is active. An adjustable time delay will help prevent the WAV file from being triggered for each new occurrence of the same alarm. In addition, operators can now silence an active, audible alarm separate from acknowledging it.
o The UCOS Trend utility has always allowed you to view real-time or historical trends. Now the trend display will automatically display historical data when the scroll bar moves past the real-time starting point. Essentially, this provides for the seamless display of both real-time and historical data.
o To further bolster the already-strong UCOS security functionality, failed login attempts are now even harder to circumvent. Every time someone fails to enter a valid username and password, the lockout function will gradually increase the amount of time that passes before the next login attempt is allowed. In addition, all login retries will be logged for each user.
o UCOS administrators can now set passwords to expire on a certain date or never expire.
o UCOS real-time diagnostic utilities have been bolstered with the addition of an offscan tag list.
o Now you can transfer serial Modbus data from a Terminal Server to a UCOS Field Control Unit.
o UCOS has always been able to log events to printers. Now UCOS can log to line printers over the network.
UCOS can save thousands of hours of development time, significantly reduce the number of design engineers per project, ensure consistent specifications and can be configured for any process or SCADA applications. No other single system can match the power, reliability, and flexibility of UCOS.
Some of CSI's UCOS customers are the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline; BP; Bureau of Land Management Yuma Desalting Plant; City of Gardermoen Sewage Treatment Facility, Norway; City of Phoenix Water Services; Chevron Texaco; Hong Kong Airport Authority; Irving Oil; Kinder Morgan Pipeline Co.; Middletown Paperboard; PEMEX; Thai Lam Tunnel; WaterOne Johnson County, Kansas; and the Yuma County Water Users Association.
Control Systems International, Inc. (CSI), is a control and information system supplier to industry since 1968. CSI is headquartered in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa, Kansas, with additional engineering offices in Los Angeles and London, and sales and service representatives around the world. For more information about UCOS visit our Web Site at www.ucos.com.
