Development of a monitoring and control platform for PLC-based applications

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a platform to remotely monitor and control PLC-based processes over TCP/IP or by using the GSM network. The platform is built using industry-standard off-the-shelf PLCs. Integrated with each PLC are communication processors that can be used for connectivity to the network and to a GSM modem. The communication processor module (Ethernet module) used in this work, provides an industrial compatible protocol over TCP/IP that achieves the same functionality as Profinet but at a much higher bandwidth (10/100 Mbps). Additionally, a mobile-based communication protocol that facilitates remote monitoring and control of PLCs using SMS messages has also been developed. The intent here is to provide system users with a back-up communication mechanism in case of a network failure.