Cyber-Physical Control and Virtual

Instrumentation

Sonal Varshney1 , S S Rohit1 , Sunidhi1 , Anirudh Gururaj Jamkhandi1 , Thanya

D1 , and Meena Parathodiyil1

B.M.S College of Engineering, Bangalore, India1

sonalvrshny@gmail.com, rohitshrothrium.ss1997@gmail.com,
sunidhi.adiga97@gmail.com, anirudhgururaj@gmail.com, thanya97@gmail.com
and pmeena.eee@bmsce.ac.in

Abstract. Over the years, industries have been growing at an enormous

rate and a large percentage of these industries are put up in remote
and isolated areas. Such areas, as compared to urbanized locations, pose
a number of issues. This paper presents a cloud-based remote access
solution integrated with a virtual laboratory to control the processes and
devices in isolated industries. With the use of LoRa as a communication
link, it is possible to send the data acquired by end devices located at
the field to cloud and retrieve that data on an HMI (Human Machine
Interface) which can be controlled from a suitable place for humans. The
major purpose of this technology is to implement a cloud based virtual
machine that would use LoRa as the connectivity protocol to control on-
site equipment without actually being present at locations which prove
to be hazardous.

Keywords: IoT (Internet of Things), LoRa (Long Range), AI (Artificial Intel-

ligence), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)

1 Introduction
In the current scenario, there are several industries that are located in remote,
precarious areas making it inconvenient for employees. The issues posed include
connectivity to the location, deleterious environment, lack of communication
network, etc. Therefore, it becomes necessary to find an efficient method to tackle
these issues. With the advent of AI (Artificial Intelligence), Cloud Computation
and IoT (Internet of Things), an affordable and robust solution is proposed in
this paper. In the current technology, there exists a DCS (Distributed Control
System) that is responsible for the complete control of a process industry. The
industries have a control room where monitoring of the entire process is handled.
Thus, there is a requirement of hardware engineers to be present on the field.
But, due to lack of safety and effective communication, human presence in such
areas is not advisable.
The solution offered in this paper is lucrative, dependable and inexpensive.
To overcome the lack of connectivity, infrastructure expenses and locomotive

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expenses, LoRa gives an ad-hoc solution. A virtual laboratory in a convenient

location is used to control the various industrial processes making it easily ac-
cessible and safe for the employees.
The prototype consists of an end device which can be an actuator or a sensor
that is tethered to the virtual lab via a LoRa-cloud infrastructure. Data acquired
by the sensor can be viewed on the virtual lab through this infrastructure. Con-
trol signals from the virtual lab are sent to actuators located at the plant via
the same framework. The technology proposed will enable industries to auto-
mate their process with the advantage of mobile access to control the industrial
process. There is an added advantage of cost reduction due to the use of LoRa
and reduced labour requirement.

2 Related Work

There exists a virtual lab which provides an HMI through which the controls
engineer can monitor and control the system process. This VM is created on
cloud using IaaS infrastructure. Virtualization is abundantly used in IaaS cloud
in order to integrate physical entities in an ad-hoc manner [1]. Virtual machines
are conventionally used for virtualizing real-world entities and hardware [2][3][4],
which makes them a suitable option for HMI. The virtual lab is developed on
the virtual machine. The emulation of the physical process gives the controls
engineer a better perspective of the operations, making it convenient and easier
to control the industrial process. With the use of this technology, the issues of
safety and employee transportation are solved. The virtual lab is located in a
place appropriate and convenient for the employees to work from. LabVIEW
provides an optimal environment for custom-written software-hardware inter-
facing and GUI (Graphic User Interface), complying to our requirement of HMI
[5]. The GUI presents a logical and visual overview of the essence of the entire
process, makes program development and maintenance effortless, and reduces
programming errors to a large extent. The peripherals of National Instruments
myDAQ proffer input and output streams that are used to acquire data and
reciprocate by sending suitable control signals. This data acquisition device also
caters to our data logging requirements.
LoRa is a long-range transceiver module which can communicate over a range
of 10 to 15 km tested in urbanized locations [6]. It has private network capabili-
ties, hence enabling an ad-hoc network setup [7]. This provides a communication
link between the equipment on site and the controls engineer operating from a
safe and suitable location. LoRa provides a strong 128 bits AES Encryption un-
like other low power long range technologies such as Sigfox [8]. Although there
exist long range technologies such a NB-IoT with high LTE based encryption,
they do not offer private network capability and hence, cannot be setup ad-hoc.
Therefore, LoRa provides a compelling blend of low power, long range, highly
secure and flexible setup as a communication link between the process industry
and the virtual lab. LoRaWAN with repeated stations is deployed to increase the
range of operation. It establishes the networking protocol for LoRa based devices

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[9]. LoRa satisfies the need for communication in Cyber-Physical Systems with
added advantages.
Cyber-Physical System, even in its embryonic stage, has many applications
[10][11]. Its potential to diminish other existing and developed technologies
makes it the center of shifting trends in the field of industrial automation. The
integration of computation and communication proficiency with monitoring and
control of industrial processes makes it a niche architecture for automation based
companies [12]. Computing techniques are integrated with real-time objects in
physical world with the use of sensors and actuators which comprise the end
device present on field [13]. This makes it possible for the virtual lab to emu-
late the industrial process giving the controls engineer a better idea so that an
informed decision can be made regarding the control signals to be transmitted.

3 Existing Technologies
There are various technologies in place viz. SCADA (Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition), DCS and PLC which are generally used for industrial au-
tomation applications. However, these systems lack flexibility which hinders fur-
ther expansion making reconfiguration difficult. SCADA uses complex hardware
units which are expensive and difficult to maintain, thereby decreasing cost-
effectiveness. Also, due to the mission critical nature of SCADA, if one dis-
tributed system fails, all the processes supervised by this system are affected
and there is a considerable probability of loss of sensitive data [14]. Due to the
centralized architecture of SCADA, interoperability is thwarted. Reconfiguration
of the control system is a difficult task and upgrading process is time-consuming.
Often, the customer is confined to a specific hardware manufacturer for legacy
device migration to newer versions. Due to the lack of options, the purchase of
newer equipment is made expensive by the few available manufacturers [15].

4 Framework
4.1 Cyber-Physical Systems
Cyber-Physical System incorporates embedded architecture which obtains data
from the end devices. This data is amplified and fed back to the virtual lab via
LoRa-Cloud infrastructure. The virtual lab responds to this signal by transmit-
ting a suitable control signal via the same communication link.

4.2 Embedded Architecture

Embedded architecture primarily consists of two sides, the first being the field
side and the other being the HMI. The field side architecture comprises of end
devices that can be sensors or actuators. The HMI side has the data acquisition
system which comprehends the data received from the field and reciprocates by
sending a suitable control signal to maintain operation.

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4.3 Communication Architecture

To establish communication between the field devices and HMI, there is a re-
quirement for a robust and secure communication link. A low power, long range
ad-hoc network is established for the aforementioned purpose. LoRa is an inex-
pensive and energy efficient substitute to the present communication techniques.
This technology runs on Chirp Spread Spectrum modulation where a chirp signal
controlled by Spread Factor values generates a spread spectrum that provides
variable frequency [16]. The required data signal is modulated onto this chirp
signal at a higher data rate. This technology provides a simple wireless control
mechanism aiding the communication between controller and end devices.

Fig. 1. Cyber-Physical System implemented using LoRa

4.4 Cloud Architecture

A virtual machine is created using IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and data
acquired from the field is pushed to cloud. Since IaaS is utilized to create the
virtual machine, the cost-effectiveness increases [17]. The abstraction of coupling
in HMI is achieved with the help of virtualization [18].

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Another method of implementation is to utilize SaaS (Software as a Service)

by suitable providers that provide virtual infrastructure along with built-in ap-
plications for data visualization and controls implementation. Data is retrieved
from LoRa gateway and sent to the cloud provider where further processing of
data occurs.

4.5 Virtual Lab

The virtual lab receives signals via LoRa-Cloud infrastructure from the end
devices located on field. It reverts with suitable control signals which are sent
over the same communication link.

4.6 Artificial Intelligence

AI driven approach is generally data intensive. The data that is acquired from
the plant is used to make the plant smarter. Furthermore, to enhance user expe-
rience, chat-bots like GEs digital twin are used [19]. Analysis and monitoring of
on-site equipment can be taken forward using computer vision techniques which
also help in detecting faults and hazards. For a power generation plant, load-side
forecasting can be implemented, thereby ensuring sturdy and reliable working
of the plant [20].

5 Methodology

This prototype consists of two pumps installed at distinct geographical locations

as shown in figure 2. Each end device is located at a distance of 11km and 14km
from the LoRa gateway respectively. Each pump is tethered to an embedded

Fig. 2. Range of LoRa

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system along with multiple sensors collecting necessary data such as electro-
mechanical parameters of the pump, flow and pressure in the pump valves and
water level in the tank. The data acquired by the sensors is processed by the
embedded system and via the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) this data is trans-
ferred to the LoRa transceiver which further sends the data to a LoRa gateway.
Since the setup is in a remote location, it becomes necessary to transmit data
over several kilometers. But since LoRa has a maximum range of 15 km, a Lo-
RaWAN can be setup with repeated stations in order to boost the signal along
the path. The data acquired by the LoRa gateway is then pushed to a cloud in-
frastructure. The cloud platform hosts a virtual machine where various processes
are carried out such as data visualization, data analytics, semantic learning and
data logging operations.
The virtual lab is hosted on the virtual machine. It provides UI (User In-
terface) for a controls engineer to build relevant control logic. This logic is re-
sponsible for the complete control and synchronization of the field devices. The
controls engineer can also analyze various plots on the virtual machine and gain
complete insight to the current parameters of the field equipment. This virtual
machine can be accessed by any person with the credentials for the cloud at any
given time.

Fig. 3. Virtual Instrumentation Implemented on LabView

The feedback mechanism deployed is such that the virtual lab hosted on the
virtual machine sends a signal to trigger the actuators to perform the directed
action. This triggering signal is sent to the actuator via LoRa architecture. Figure

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3 shows a virtual lab implemented on LabView through which the control and
monitoring of the process can be performed real-time. Virtual lab is a software
platform that synchronizes all the field processes.
Any hardware upgrades can be implemented easily by just replacing the end
device as opposed to the replacement of the entire system. Upgrades to the
virtual machine are purely of software domain, making it versatile and allowing
it to be hosted on any machine. It can be migrated from one platform to another
with ease. Put together, it forms a reliable Cyber-Physical System.

6 Results & Conclusion

We tested the prototype proposed for a range of 13 km in remote locations as
shown in figure 2. This setup proved to be cheaper than setting up an internet
connection. Since the end devices function independently, upgrading them be-
comes easier and cost-effective. Cloud services also increase flexibility allowing
users to use the resources as per their requirements. Usage is metered and cus-
tomers pay only for what they use. The capital cost is reduced as the licenses for
the hardware and software do not have to be purchased. As a Cyber-Physical
System is used, interoperability is enhanced. A total of 120 end devices can be
attached to LoRaWAN, increasing the scalability of the Cyber-Physical System.

Fig. 4. (Left) Graph of Water Flow vs Time, (Right) Graph of RPM of the Pump vs
Time

This technology enables an easily accessible remote system which allows con-
trols engineers to supervise a process on site from a location of their choice. As
this replaces the existing expensive and complex mechanism in place, it proves
to be a cost effective and simple solution. Furthermore, it cuts down on labour
due to complete automation in the process industry.
Figure 4, 5 show graphs with water flow, speed (rpm) and current plots
against time with data being logged every 5 minutes. It can be inferred from
the graph that when fault occurs, the current shoots up rapidly due to sudden
increase in rpm. Meanwhile, the water flow in the valve abruptly decreases,
thereby triggering reverse response. Here, the data logging time is shown from

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Fig. 5. Graph of Current vs Time

14:15 and fault occurs at 14:20. This is depicted at 300 seconds on the graphs.
When the fault occurs, the data from the previous 5 minutes is saved and the
fault data begins to log. The virtual lab reciprocates by sending a suitable control
signal to turn off the pump, hence preventing any damage to it. Also, Control
engineers can set the time duration for logging data in order to optimize the usage
of memory. If logging time duration before the fault occurs is more, memory
consumed increases. Therefore, it becomes necessary to find a balance between
the amount of data logged and memory consumption.

7 Future Work

Rapid technological advancement in Cloud Computing, Remote Sensing and

Artificial Intelligence has greatly enhanced Cyber-Physical Systems and Virtual
Instrumentation. Deep reinforcement learning can be modelled and deployed
on the cloud to optimally control sequence of actions taking place on site by
using the acquired data from the site and uploading it onto the cloud. These
systems can be used to track and monitor industrial assets by retrieving real time
data such as location and its ambient conditions. Such technologies can also be
further extended to space research. For various exploration projects, such ad-hoc
networks can be established in order to create a successful communication link
between the exploration rover and the base station.

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