API to communicate PLCnext to a mobile phone application
Dear colleagues, one of our customers is asking if we can generate a link from PLCnext to some mobile phone application. My query is as follows:
- Can I do this using the JAVA RSC API?
- What do you recommend us?
Comments
The short answer to the first question is "yes".
The long answer starts with the question "what does the customer want to do?"
For example, there are HMI clients that run on mobile phones. And a quick search reveals this OPC UA client for Android:
https://www.prosysopc.com/products/opc-ua-client-for-android/
This could communicate directly with the OPC UA server running on the PLC, and OPC UA is a good option for data access.
Without more information about the application, it is difficult to give any recommendations.
~ Martin.
In the first instance, what the client is looking for is a system that monitors critical variables in a Riles plant. For these effects we would place a PLCnext in parallel to the plant control system with duplicating amplifiers for the analog signals. On the other hand it would also be good to monitor internal plc status variables and process alarms.
If the phone can access the web server of the PLC, then you could design eHMI pages to fit mobile screens and simply browse to the IP address of the PLC.
If your customer is already using Visu+, then they could consider extending this to mobile devices (link here).
Many other SCADA/HMI software vendors have a mobile offering, so if the customer has a preferred SCADA/HMI vendor, then they can probably offer something that connects via OPC UA or Modbus (for example).
If the customer has no vendor preference, then something like the Prosys OPC UA client might work for simple monitoring and notification (there are many more similar apps).
If the PLC has a route to the Internet, then you could also consider logging data to Proficloud, and building a web-based front-end on the Proficloud database.
It will almost certainly be simpler and cheaper to use an existing mobile or web app, if you can find something suitable, rather than building one from scratch.
Hope this helps.
~ Martin.