The Numina Group brings Smarter, Faster, Better Automation to material handling in all phases of order fulfillment, distribution, and shipping operations. Since 1986, we have supplied conveyor control and automation systems for high volume distribution and shipping operations. Our systems, software and products combine application know-how, innovation and reliability to eliminate “bottlenecks” and excessive labor.  The systems we supply increase efficiency, integrates the plant floor with the enterprise system and providing our clients a competitive advantage in the markets they serve. 

Overview

Real-time Distribution System (RDS) is a multi-function control platform that bridges the gap between enterprise systems and warehouse control devices. RDS is the foundation for the innovative technology and unsurpassed performance of our industry leading technology and automation solutions. RDS is the USA’s #1 Linux based Warehouse Control and Execution platform proven in 100’s of demanding installations. It provides sub mill-second response for control and communication on a Rock Solid Scalable Open System Platform.

Enterprise Systems, such as SAP are the systems of choice to handle customer and order information that is crucial to every business. But few enterprise systems can offer the real-time response and proprietary device connectivity demanded by warehouse automation systems.  RDS is engineered to offer real-time response and to control and manage control devices, PLCs, proprietary device networks, barcode scanners and other serial communication devices found in warehouse and distribution centers.

Control devices such as motor starters, photo-eyes and PLCs can’t effectively handle the many serial connections, host connectivity and data driven rules required in automated warehouses.  RDS can connect to any number of scanners, scales, terminals, and other devices, as well as provide host connectivity to the enterprise systems. In addition, RDS can handle large databases lookup of information without interruption to the real-time control and communication tasks.

The RDS/Trak system is a versatile industrial multi-function control platform used in conveyor control, printer/applicator systems, high-speed sortation, vision capture and analysis, scan/weigh/cube systems, and other material handling applications.

The RDS/Trak system is built from the following components:

• PC type processors, from small industrial hardened computer controllers to large RAID-array rack mount servers
• Linux operating system (currently Red Hat 9, Red Hat Enterprise 4, and Fedora Core 5 are supported)
•  MySQL database
•  Apache HTTP Web server
•  RTAI real-time kernel extensions
•  RDS collection of libraries, utilities, messaging tools, methodologies, and pre-developed application control modules.
• Direct Connect Interface Modules to seamlessly integrate automation directly to SAP (support for direct RFC and XML messaging), IBM with the Java Toolkit, JDBC, ODBC and other WMS / ERP Systems.

 

The core components of any RDS/Trak system are:

Process Applications A collection of interacting process applications are the core of the RDS system.  Following a divide and conquer methodology, each process typically handles one independent part of the system, such as controlling a particular device such as a printer-applicator or a barcode scanner.  This allows a high level of code re-use, a distributed development effort, and a robust and flexible response to changes in requirements.

Trak Engine Based on a real-time extension to the operating system kernel, the Trak Engine performs PLC control at an effective scan time of 200 microseconds.  A broad interface to the application layer side-steps the typical bottleneck of communications and diagnostic development typical of mixed PC-PLC solutions.

SQL Database The MySQL database engine is used to hold all persistent state data on the system.  A full database allows the controller to operate with large lookup datasets and retain historical information for a long time with easy access for many users.

Host Interface The Host Interface is responsible for spooling information up and down between the RDS/Trak and the Host ERP system.  The host interfaces may use ERP-specific libraries (such as IBM’s JT/Open for the AS/400 or Sap’s JCo Java connector for SAP) to greatly reduce the host programming burden during the development of interfaces.  Also, transactions to the Host are regularly queued so that Host system downtime for backups or upgrades does not lead to a loss of data.

Web Interface User interfaces to the RDS/Trak are served out through a Web browser.  These interfaces include operator interactions such as no-read stations or operation start and stop, diagnostic interactions such as graphical annunciation and event logging, configuration interactions such as sort table maintenance, and supervisory interactions such as performance reporting.  Any system on the network with a browser can be used as an interface provided the user as the correct user name and password credentials.

With the exception of the direct serial links from the Process Applications, and the IO link from the Trak Engine, all of the connections between the major components are network transparent.  This means that the system can operate even if the components are hosted on separate machines on the network.

An example is shown below: 

 The above diagram shows the SQL database, the Host Interface and the Web Interface served off a machine that can be located in a controlled environment such as a server room. The Process Applications and Trak Engine execute on a remote system closer to the devices and IO panels. A solid state disk can be supplied with the Trak Controller to extend the temperature and vibration specifications

 This architecture allows for fully distributed control as shown in the diagram below:

 

Above, two separate multi-function controllers operate at different locations remote from the central server.  As all processes share the same database, all three machines act as one system.  Any number of remote systems could be integrated together, giving the benefits of distributed control without losing the simplicity of a single interface and database.

This also provides redundancy and high availability of the multi-function controllers.  Should a primary controller fail, a second controller can be on-line and ready to take over control without loss of data, waiting only for a switchover of the serial breakout cable and the IO cable, followed by the execution of a single script.

Additionally, redundancy is supported at the Server level as shown below:

 

Above, the second server system is not running any of the applications, but is instead actively replicating the database over the connection shown in red in the diagram.

Should the first server suffer a catastrophic failure, a single script executed on the second system would pick up where the failed system left off.  Connections from the remote machines would automatically fail over to the new machine.  Once the first system is repaired, a short process needs to be started that brings the primary system back up to date to allow it to return to its role without loss of data.

Conclusion

RDS provides a versatile, reliable multi-function real-time control and communication platform that integrates warehouse control, executes ERP/WMS business rules and performs data collection/archiving within its’ own SQL Database. With redundancy, easy of use Web based diagnostics, reporting & viewing tools, RDS can satisfy both the needs of operation and Information Management on Plant Floor to Enterprise integration applications.

To immediately learn what Smarter, Faster, Better Automation can do for your operation, contact the sales engineering department at The Numina Group.

Numina Systems is a recognized IBM Business Partner

Downloadable PDF spec sheet