April 18
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omputing
The more distributed systems are installed,
the more OEMs and operators benefit from
a central cloud as it simply provides more
convenience and services at more affordable
prices. When the optional RFID reader for
the display controller is also connected to the
cloud, there are many more benefits. The use
of specific RFID tags can then be authorized or
denied from a central location, which makes
authentication and authorization manage-
ment highly efficient – for example, by grad-
ing into categories of simple users, experts
and maintenance personnel. When RFID tag
usage is tracked, OEMs can also develop com-
pletely new deployment scenarios, such as the
mentioned pay-per-use model. However, the
RFID reader can also be used to simply call
up a by user-preconfigured personal monitor
settings, for example by selecting the desired
settings from a step-by-step questionnaire
via a cloud interface. Such individual settings
are particularly popular in the medical field,
because colour perception differs from per-
son to person, so that one doctor may prefer
a completely different configuration than the
other. It is also easy to activate a DICOM Part
14 compliant display, for example to detect a
carcinoma beyond doubt. When such config-
urations can be managed centrally, it becomes
possible to assign them to specific endoscopic
devices or even diagnostic situations. Being
able to centrally manage and distribute such
settings opens up potential for new services.
So there are many OEM-specific uses for
cloud-connected display controllers. A flat
screen could even be used to log production
data from customer projects, which could
then be visualized via the cloud and passed on
to ERP systems. A cloud-connected flat screen
can be so much more than a touch-based
graphics interface for man-machine com-
munication. Providers of cloud-connected
display controllers are therefore opening
up entirely new, purely software-based sales
opportunities for OEMs.
Version 1.0 of the eCOUNT eCLOUD for flat-
panel controllers supports the 30 most pop-
ular features. These include input selection,
mode, temperature, operating hour counter,
power-on and, of course, all API functions
such as backlight, brightness, contrast and
audio volume as well as panel info and reset.
When the RFID reader is integrated, the scope
of functions expands to include additional
RFID reader specific commands that can be
triggered from the IoT platform. In the future,
the cloud will be extended in version 2.0 and
3.0 to include further functions. Scheduled
for release by the middle or end of 2018, ver-
sion 2.0 will provide full support of all display
controller and RFID reader APIs along with
campaign management for the distribution
of new settings or firmware. 2G/3G/4G inter-
faces will be supported, as well as a software
development kit for the cloud gateway with
integrated rule engine. As a result, this ver-
sion will support all functions required for
first field deployments. Version 3, which will
go into development from the second half
of 2018, will include interfaces to ERP solu-
tions such as SAP or SQL, as well as dedicated
apps for iOS and Android. At that point, the
extended management portal with customiz-
able dashboards and widgets will also become
available.
The new eCLOUD for intelligent display
controllers can be used with private or pub-
lic clouds. Interfaces to all leading common
cloud platforms such as Amazon, Google or
Microsoft Azure are being added step by step.
Upon request, the manufacturer can also
provide additional, customer-specific cloud
interfaces, so OEMs can always use their own
specific cloud environment. The roadmap
already includes solutions from embedded
computing vendors such the WISE-PaaS Edge
Intelligence Platform from Advantech, or the
embedded cloud from S&T and Kontron.
This paves the way for rapid deployment of
these display controllers to the cloud environ-
ments of leading embedded and automation
vendors.
n
Figure 2. The eCOUNT eCLOUD offers comprehensive dashboards and a management system
with which distributed flat screens can be administered centrally.
Figure 3. The first intelligent flat-panel controller with eCLOUD support is the new 4K CRT-
toLCD-91 board.
