02-04-2010, 10:51 AM
Introduction
Instrumentation control is a large topic that covers many areas. Broadly speaking it is the control and automation of devices through software, usually via an external standalone computer. Traditionally, instruments have focused on doing a limited number of tasks, such as measuring pre-defined parameters such as temperature, voltages etc., or as motor controller platforms as used by robots and sample preparation equipment. Another common characteristic of instruments is that they have a command language, and the remote computer communicates through a set of messages or text commands. Typical examples of laboratory instruments are those employed in the field of analytic investigation such as X-ray, infrared and mass spectroscopy and chromatography. Instrument control systems are found across a wide range of industry sectors, from automotive (robotic control and non-destructive testing), and industrial analysis (X-ray fluorescence and Infra-red), through to medical (monitoring and drug delivery), the petrochemical industries (chemical analysis) and pharmaceuticals (high throughput screening). In the last few years the pharmaceutical and bioscience industry has seen a huge explosion in the need for instrument control systems as the automation of gene sequencing, DNA synthesis and drug discovery has taken off. The recent completion of such high profile projects as the mapping of the human genome have relied heavily on instrument control and automation.
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