Extending Automation Technology with Auto-ID Functions - TAGpilot is OPC Compatible
OPC (OLE for Process Control) is a standardized software interface between components in automation technology. The goal is to standardize data exchange between automation components from different manufacturers to minimize integration efforts. Today, the included objects are no longer classic OLE objects, so it is simply referred to as OPC.
Why does TAGpilot need to communicate with OPC systems?
In industrial production, automation components are used for transport and production control. In conjunction with RFID / Auto ID processes, it is increasingly important to integrate transport and production control systems to enable tracking and tracing of products and containers.
RFID / Auto ID systems are moving away from the role of passive observing and monitoring and are increasingly taking on the role of controlling units.
Data exchange between the RFID / Auto ID infrastructure TAGpilot and the automation components takes place via OPC, allowing both worlds to play to their strengths.
Examples
- OPC-controlled systems feed products and report their presence via OPC. TAGpilot captures these products and automatically links them with an RFID tag to enable product identification in transport logistics later on.
- TAGpilot recognizes the next activities for a product based on its status and informs the conveyor system via OPC which route to switch for the upcoming product. The logic of what happens to the product is stored in TAGpilot, while the logic of how the conveyor system needs to be switched is handled by the control system.
- In conjunction with SCADA systems (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), TAGpilot provides the ability, through OPC communication, to determine data for monitoring, visualization, and control from moving products via RFID, and then pass this data to the SCADA system.
- In combination with MES (Manufacturing Execution System), a similar approach applies as with SCADA systems, with MES being further removed from the field level and closer to the ERP level in the automation pyramid.
