The PLC sails handling system is first of all a product developed in a customized way for each yacht on which it will be installed.
Based on well-proven software modules, every system delivered is different.
In order to satisfy any need, it is possible to write specific software for particular needs.
Thanks to the programming superiority offered by the Codesys development system, our sail handling PLCs have been able to boast improved safety management since 1990, long before the competition could achieve these results.
The greatest strength consists in a series of selective protections, which allow to automatically exclude the control on those parts of the system that are faulty or malfunctioning.
The first safety check is performed when the system is switched on: if one or more control buttons are pressed (due to mechanical failure or water infiltration), they are disabled.
The second security check is performed on the command buttons every time the system switches from shutdown to enable.
The disabling of the buttons is applied to all the buttons related to a single function.
This means, for example, that if the backstay out button is found pressed at power on, all the backstay function will be disabled, i.e. both the 'in direction will be blocked. 'that the' out 'direction, this is to avoid that a careless maneuver can further stretch the backstay without being able to release it.
However, when the same function is controllable by two different pairs of buttons, for example on two different consoles on deck, only the pair of buttons containing the faulty one will be atrophied.
If the fault is located in the right backstay out button, both the right buttons will atrophy, but the left ones will continue to function.
The system is able to acquire, through suitable sensors, the state of the oil sources. Knowing the status of the electric motors, the PTO pumps on the propulsion motor and the pumps on the electric generators, the PLC can independently select the best source of oil present, however leaving the operator the possibility to manually choose not to use or force the use of each pump.
In addition, using other sensors, the system can acquire, manage and display other important parameters, such as oil temperatures at various points, oil level in the case, flow and pressure.
Using the latest technologies, it is possible to increase the performance of the hydraulic system, automatically choking the oil flows, adapting them to the different needs during the use of the yacht.
This new method of managing the hydraulic system is based on the use of proportional pumps and valves, controlled by a sophisticated PLC logic with completely analog controls.
New sensors make it possible to analyze in real time the operation of the generating set to which the PTO is associated, reading the electrical power supplied at the same time as the hydraulic power.
In this way, the analog system can take advantage of all the mechanical energy left, setting the pump for the maximum available power.
Furthermore, it is possible to control the flow available to each individual hydraulic user, varying it according to the needs in relation to the type of use of the boat and the specific time.
A particular setting allows you to use the generator at 60 Hz instead of 50 Hz, allowing you to increase the available hydraulic power by 20%.