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Networked Control Systems Group

Welcome

The Networked Control Systems Group develops, advances, and deploys measurement science for sensor networks and control systems used in manufacturing, construction, and other cyber-physical systems applications.  Carries out mission-related measurement science research and services to advance: predict and optimize real-time performance of networks and systems; automation and control system security and safety; and site-wide equipment and process integration.

Staff expertise includes real-time software development for Unix and Microsoft Windows; software tools including UML, XML and EXPRESS; and data acquisition and control.

Programs/Projects

Smart Manufacturing and Construction Systems Program—This program provides the measurement science and standards that enable the plug-and-play sharing of real-time information between manufacturing equipment and applications that monitor, control and …

Factory Equipment Network Testing Framework Project —Real-time production information is needed to optimize manufacturing activities in a factory, but acquiring this information from isolated proprietary equipment is a manual process that takes time …

Factory Performance Measurement and Optimization Project —Optimization is a key technology to increase productivity and improve product quality. To move beyond slow and costly trial-and-error methods requires making actual production measurements, …

Real-Time Factory Information Project —Effectively moving information along the production and assembly processes within a factory is a key aspect of smart manufacturing, but is inefficient due to the lack of standard information …

Cybersecurity for Factory Control Systems Project —Factory control systems need to be protected from vulnerabilities that may arise as a result of their increased connectivity and use of widespread information technology. Scalable, multi-level …

QMD (Quality Measurement Data)—The information incompatibility problem in manufacturing metrology is costly to everyone. The standards solution eliminates these costs, as long as there is end user support and the standard and …

Industrial Ethernet Network Performance (IENetP)—Develop metrics, tests, and tools to determine and report the network performance of industrial Ethernet devices in a standardized way.

I++ DME (Dimensional Measurement Equipment)—The I++ (Inspection plus-plus) group is a loose consortium of European automobile manufacturers: Daimler, Audi, BMW, Opel, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Volvo. I++ DME is one of two current efforts …

eQuipp (Exchange of Quality Measurement Process Plans)—The Exchange of Quality Measurement Process Plans Specification (eQuiPP) is a new specification in progress, which defines all the information required to generate measurement process plans on any …

DML (Dimensional Markup Language) Project—The DML specification defines content and format for measurement nominals and actuals, for single part inspection results, from a coordinate measuring machine. NIST's role is to 1) contribute …

Highlights

NIST Delivers "EtherNet/IP Performance Test Tool" to ODVA

NIST delivered the "EtherNet/IP Performance Test Tool" to the Open Device NetIndustrial EtherNet/IP Performance Vendors Asssociation (ODVA) on December 31st, 2007.  This was the culmination of the 18-month CRADA between NIST and ODVA to develop the tool, and was associated with the USCAR A-TEAM effort.  The test tool is a software package capable of conducting automated testing to determine the network performance of EtherNet/IP devices.  The test tool collects information about the test from the user, generates a set of scripts based on that information, runs those scripts and collects the data, analyzes the data, and reports the results to the user in an XML-based format.  ODVA plans to use this test tool as the main part of their new performance testing lab at their headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI.  The test tool consisted of over 36,000 lines of code, developed largely over the last 18-months by Jim Gilsinn with help from Freemon Johnson. NIST plans on continuing its development work with ODVA on future versions of the test tool to improve the software and test methodologies.

 
Contact

Fred Proctor, Group Leader
Cathy Shupe, Administrative Office Assistant

General Information:
301 975 3425 Telephone
301 990 9688 Facsimile

100 Bureau Drive, M/S 8230
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8230