Advanced Control System Engineering
Founded in 1994, we have over 20 years experience designing and developing industrial control systems using the QNX real-time operating system (RTOS).
QNX has consistently proven to be a reliable and stable platform for deploying large-scale distributed systems that handle the harsh demands of round-the-clock manufacturing environments. At Edward B. Bell, we have a long established track record of delivering QNX-based solutions world-wide; specializing in high-speed data acquisition and control, advanced inspection systems and distributed computing.
As a member of the QNX Partner Network, we are committed to delivering superior control systems that take full advantage of the technologies inherent in the QNX RTOS. Leveraging our QNX knowledge and experience designing control systems for many industries against those technologies, we are able to shorten development times while delivering systems with longer service lives.
We provide a wide range of QNX consulting and engineering services to our clients, working closely with management and engineering teams to develop requirements, propose alternatives and implement solutions.
Maintenance and Support
Customization and integration have been key architectural principals of the QNX RTOS for more than two decades. Unlike other operating systems, QNX offers users more options when modernization is required. We have extensive experience extending the service life of QNX 2 and QNX 4 systems, regardless of whether we designed the original system. We are skilled at implementing incremental modifications to keep legacy systems fully functioning-even while transitioning to updated hardware and software. We can develop custom device drivers and applications, backup hard drives, re-install operating system and application software and perform a wide range of maintenance tasks to help protect your investment.
Whether you need to maintain a legacy system, port to a newer QNX version or deploy a new system, our experience with all QNX versions can help you meet your goals.
Technical Background
Stretch Forming Equipment
We recently redesigned the control system for an OEM that builds hydraulic stretch forming equipment used in the metal forming industry. The new control system uses commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware throughout and runs on the QNX 6 operating system. Its design is based on a distributed architecture in which remotely mounted I/O modules communicate with the controller-in-charge over a local area network. This architecture has many advantages-especially in large machines like these where it makes field wiring much easier and reduces costs. (Read more...)
Online Inspection System
This online inspection system was developed for the textile industry. The system uses COTS hardware and was originally designed to run on the QNX 4 operating system. The system continuously collects and analyses data from sensors that measure critical manufacturing properties like the relative amount of finish on yarn (FOY) and spinning tension. The system can easily sample one inch at a spinning rate of 5,000 meters per minute. (Read more...)
About The Founder
Edward is an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He holds a Master of Engineering degree from The University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science degree from Lafayette College.
Prior to 1994, Edward held lead engineering and management roles at PACE Control Systems, Inc., Automation Group of Virginia Corp. and Sperry Marine and Aeronautics Corp.
