Machinery Remote Diagnosis System

Overview

The globalization of markets is accompanied with increase of the distances to customers. Hence, the reduction of costs for service provision as well as shortening of the down time in case of malfunctions is of a great importance. Therefore plant and machinery manufacturers are using the fast and inexpensive on-site diagnostic tools and/or even more efficient Remote Diagnosis by means of a 3G cellular network to an increasing extent.

Here, some challenges need to be addressed: first, to have remote access to the Ethernet network of the crane, a VPN tunnel should be established. Moreover, to transfer complete data from the machine to the control room lots of devices should be installed in a limited space, which requires considerable financial investments at the same time decreasing the efficiency of the system.

A Crane Manufacturing Company solved all these issues and in addition lowered the total cost of the remote diagnostics system by using Korenix JetBox 8150, which collected the data from the crane through its serial ports and VGA. With the openVPN functionality and 2 LAN ports JetBox 8150 worked as a front-end VPN device while transferring the data to the Korenix JetNet3705 PoE switch. Meanwhile, the PoE switch powered the IP cameras on the crane and sent the collected video streams along with diagnosable data to the crane office.

The rich interface of the JetBox 8150 compact computer, including two USB2.0 ports, one RS-232 and one RS-232/422/485 ports, VGA, and high resolution audio makes it possible to remotely monitor engineering data and control processes on the crane while reducing the total system costs. Administrators can flexibly and easily manage the devices and improve the usability of embedded computers in industrial computing with the dual OS availability. In addition to the web server services, the rugged, dust-resistant, anti-vibration specifications of the computer ensure complete control of loading operations and make it the perfect fit in the industrial network communication environment.

To complete the remote diagnosis of the crane, JetNet 3705 5-port Industrial PoE switch is installed. With an Ethernet port it collects the data from the JetBox8150 and, using 4 PoE ports, it powers the IP cameras and simultaneously collects the captured video images to send all of the stored information to the crane office via an IP modem. It overcomes the unfavorable conditions on the crane and ensures network reliability by its IP 31 grade rugged enclosure and -20 to +70^oC wide operating temperature. It also provides a built-in 2KV power surge protection from over-power and over-voltage occurrences for successfully delivering reliable power. Implementing the IP camera loss alarm function of JetNet 3705, system integrators can quickly respond for preventing sudden port break or power failure, ensuring the reliable system operation.

Using JetBox 8150 and JetNet 3705, administrators at the crane management office are able to diagnose the operation of the machine efficiently and view live video images while reducing the system cost, which proofs that the overall system provided by Korenix is the best solution for the machinery remote diagnostic system.