What is an Industrial Control Computer (ICC)?

An ICC, or Industrial Control Computer, is a computer specifically designed for industrial control. It's used to monitor and control machinery, production processes, and data parameters used in production.

What are the differences between an ICC and a regular computer?

Compared to regular computers, ICCs have much higher requirements for expandability. Their interface design needs to accommodate specific external devices; therefore, in most cases, ICCs require custom customization to meet specific needs.

An industrial control system mainly consists of three parts: system software, industrial control application software, and the application software development environment. System software is the foundational core of the other two, thus affecting the quality of its design and development. Industrial control application software is primarily generated based on the user's industrial control and management needs, and therefore has a specialized nature. From the history and current status of industrial control software systems, five main characteristics can well explain what an ICC is:

1. Real-time Performance: 

One of the main characteristics of industrial production processes is real-time performance; therefore, industrial control software systems must have strong real-time capabilities.

2. Openness: 

This is a crucial indicator in modern control systems and engineering design systems. Openness facilitates the interconnection and compatibility of various systems, promoting the formation and implementation of integrated (collective) industrial thinking in design, development, and application. To ensure good system openness, an open architecture, industrial software, and software environment must be chosen.

3. Network Integration: 

High integration is an inevitable trend in computer technology development. High-speed network interfaces make management more convenient, making control operations readily accessible.

4. Multithreading and Multitasking: 

Many modern control software applications deal with industrial objects that are no longer single-tasking systems but rather complex multitasking systems. Therefore, how to effectively control and manage such systems remains a major research focus for industrial control software. To meet this requirement, industrial control software, especially low-level industrial control system software, must possess this characteristic, such as the research and application of multitasking real-time operating systems.

5. More User-Friendly Human-Machine Interface: 

This refers not only to the ease of operation brought by menu-driven systems but also includes both the design and application aspects of the human-machine interface.