A Remote Control Project to Enhance Undergraduate Students' Interest and Knowledge in Industrial Automation

The objective of this project is to develop and establish a user-friendly online operation of a remotely controlled Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) unit, utilizing the Internet and the World Wide Web. This effort provides students with valuable hands–on experience in computer-assisted control systems. Also, based on this concept, courses with lab modules within many disciplines of engineering and technology can be offered to local and distance learning students, eliminating a major obstacle to establishing a complete remote education engineering curriculum. The concept is of particular interest to countries with large distances between major educational centers with limited resources and budgets. The described technology can also be applied to general remote instrument control in many areas of research and engineering. The project includes constructing and controlling a system remotely. The system operates by loading parts onto a conveyor belt which then transports parts to a labeling station. The station uses a photoelectric sensor to detect the part, a pneumatic actuator to manipulate the part, and a labeling mechanism to label the part. The process is controlled by programming running on an Allen Bradley PLC. When the photoelectric sensor detects the arrival of the part, the PLC program stops the conveyor and uses a time delay to allow labeling to take place. The actuator then moves the labeled part into a storage area and the process is repeated.