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InnControl™ Design Theory

InnControl™ is a high end electronic control system and is the result of a very specific philosophy about how a control system should be designed. First designed as a control retrofit for our own test machines, each level of InnControl’s™ four tiered system was built to optimize the cost/function/flexibility/stability relationship inherent in all closed loop and open loop servo controllers. InnControl™ tiers:

  • The User Interface (UI)
  • The System Interface (SI)
  • The Component Interface (CI)
  • Field Support (FS)

The User Interface is a customized LabVIEW-based interface designed around the operator’s point of reference — the result of ongoing collaboration between Innkeeper and our customers. The InnControl™ user interface offers a simple yet powerful tool to allow any technician to easily run safe and repeatable tests.

The System Interface is the connection between InnControl™ software and hardware — the “data interchange” between the user interface and the controller and hardware. By design, the system interface keeps all loop closure, limits, and safety within the confines of the servo controller/plc and away from the user interface. It also determines which programming sequences are handled by the user interface and which are handled by the controller/plc and called by the user interface.

The Component Interface is a set of individual sub-components that work together as a single control system. Components are mounted on standard DIN railing and designed so that there is no undue reliance on any one component’s reliability or lifespan. All sub-components are readily available high quality devices, manufactured by leading companies and easily replaceable by the same or a similar component.

Field Support from Innkeeper is available in person or remotely by experienced control engineers through a remote desktop application — ideal for training, troubleshooting, system modifications, and when timing is critical. Remote interface is accomplished using ethernet connectivity. This capability allows response times for technical assistance that is orders of magnitude faster than our competitors. InnControl™systems do not require Innkeeper support, however. All sub-component documentation and a full system diagram are supplied to the customer so that any qualified technician can easily isolate and replace any individual component if necessary.