Product/Service

Virgo 2000 HMI

Source: AlterSys Inc.
Virgo 2000 enables supervisory control with a modern, full-featured, high-performance Human Machine Interface

Virgo 2000 enables supervisory control with a modern, full-featured, high-performance Human Machine Interface (HMI) builder and run-time. It shares a common database with the automatic control Workbench, so you never have to enter the same tag twice. The HMI provides an integrated, real-time view of all your control information and resources to operators, engineers, and managers, from any PC on the network. This allows your staff to make faster and more effective decisions, and ultimately, to improve enterprise productivity and profitability.

The Virgo 2000 HMI provides a graphic engine that runs the operator interface screens by which authorized users can interact with and control your plant. Moreover, the HMI architecture allows for on-line modifications and lets you update screens or build new ones without shutting down production. Of course, you can restrict use of the editor with a password to prevent unauthorized modifications.

Configuration features
Virgo 2000 HMI has the following features that allow you rapidly to create real-time, animated operator interface displays:

  • runs on Windows 98 and Windows NT,
  • drag-and-drop editing
  • uses the same open SQL configuration database as the Virgo 2000 workbench, I/O configurator and OPC configurator, so you never have to enter the same data, and power users can import data from other applications,
  • persistent context variables so that the software remembers its settings from session to session,
  • multi-layer displays
  • user configurable security and password protection
  • Visual Basic scripting, so you can create your own COM-compliant animations, reports, macros and even complete applications,
  • ActiveX container, so you can drop in any third-party ActiveX control,

Graphics Features
You can use the Virgo 2000 HMI to build screens using any of the basic graphic symbols: lines, rectangles, rounded rectangles, ellipses, arcs, half-arcs, polylines, polygons, Bezier curves and texts. Advanced symbols include trends (up to 8 pens) and grids (for building tables). For added productivity, basic symbols can be grouped into user-defined reusable objects.

Interface screens can provide a number of means for the operator to enter information and supervise the process. These include popup windows, dialog boxes, buttons, and sliders.

To add animation, you simply link the basic graphic symbol to a real-time variable using the OPC pop-up and then check which animation should be enabled. The symbol's color, text, position, scaling and/or rotation will then change in real-time according to the value of the variable.

Virgo 2000 provides a standard symbol library containing over 3,000 industrial automation symbols, and you can add your own symbols as you go. The standard library includes symbols for:

  • pumps
  • pipes
  • valves
  • tanks
  • mixers
  • motors
  • ducts
  • electrical symbols
  • flow meters
  • material handling
  • sensors
  • PLC's,

Business Benefits

AlterSys knows that technology alone is not enough; you need a business case to justify changing your automation tools. The Virgo 2000 suite provides the following tangible business benefits: Enjoy a fully reliable and fault-tolerant automation system

  • Minimize downtime
  • Reduce waste and process variability

Provide operator, engineers and managers with the information they need to make timely production decisions
  • Respond faster to changing process conditions and market demands
  • Make adjustments to process conditions before problems occur and cost accrue
  • Precisely monitor and control all plant processes, equipment, and resources

Improve the productivity of your automation team
  • Develop and deploy your application faster and easier with powerful development tools
  • Easily integrate plant floor systems with higher level MES and ERP systems
  • Integrate third party complementary applications with "Plug and SolveĀEease
  • Upgrade and maintain applications faster and easier
  • Build your application on-line, without shutting down operations or rebooting
  • Migrate faster and easier to next generation software products

<>Hardware and Software Requirements

To use Virgo 2000 HMI, you need the following minimum hardware and software:

  • PC running Windows 98 or NT (service pack 4 or better)
  • 200 MB free disk space
  • A CD-ROM drive for installation purposes only (external or network drive will do)
  • A serial port or Ethernet adapter for communicating with run-time target

AlterSys Inc., 555, rue d'Auvergne, Longueuil, PQ J4H 4A3. Tel: 450-674-7774; Fax: 450-674-7344.