Computer Systems for Automation and Control

This book describes the principal aspects of computer use in systems control and particularly in industrial automation, giving emphasis not only to the hardware and software components, but also the integration of the system in the external environment and how it should interface with the human user. The reader does not require specialist knowledge in any particular field, except for some basic knowledge of elementary calculus, some electrical circuit and feedback control theory, and some computer programming. Useful for practising engineers and managers in manufacturing, chemical, power generation and process industries, designers of control automation systems and programmers working on real-time projects, this book provides an overview of process automation projects. The book begins with the basic theory and then explains how to implement such techniques; features integration of computer systems with applications; includes practical examples showing how to build a simple multitasking system and how to develop a control application with it; and contains information on state-of-the-art hardware and software products and techniques, eg VME bus, ISDN, MAP etc.