Re-engineering is a most popular topic in industrial circles in the 1990s. The aim of re-engineering is to develop international competitive power. Cost reduction for that purpose requires building high-efficiency production systems with intensive equipment. Integrated control systems attract attention as a means to solve this problem. This paper outlines the required conditions of integrated control systems based on the required conditions of integrated control systems based on the technical trend of information and control systems and the trend of customer needs.

The integrated control system MICREX-IX was developed taking into account applications to the fields of process control and information processing. It basically succeeded to the architecture of the former distributed control system MICREX which was put on the market in 1987 and has been improving toward the next generation on the basis of its hardware and software heritage. This paper describes the architecture of MICREX-IT and its elementary technologies.

In 1992, Fuji Electric put on the market EIC-integrated control systems (MICREX-IX).
When a plant is under monitoring and operation with MICREX-IX, a point contact for the operator and plant is the integrated operator station IOS-2500.The IOS-2500 is a human interface that provides a comfortable monitoring and operating environment for the operator. This paper describes its characteristics such as the high-resolution CRT, multiwindow function, and touch operation function.

In recent years, there have been big streams of "open systems and downsizing" in the field of computers and information processing. In the field of process control, following these streams of the times, Fuji Electric pushed technical development and put on the market integrated control systems MICREX-IX. One of the characteristics of EIC integration, the basic concept of MOCREX-IX, is "computer linkage function," which has been reinforced and enlarged. This paper introduces details of the improvement.

The EI-integrated control station ICS-2500 is a controller that systematically united electric control (E) and instrumentation (I) technologies cultivated during MICREX development and realized real integration of E and I using common hardware, software, and engineering. This paper introduces the features, functions and specifications of the ICS-2500.

Telemeters or telecontrollers are devices that collect remote sensor information or control remote installations through circuits (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone lines, electric power lines, and private lines). As control systems become more widespread, diversified, and distributed, the devices are required to cope with the situation flexibly. To meet the needs, Fuji Electric has developed an advanced telemeter and telecontroller from a general-purpose controller. This paper outlines the device and its functions for MICREX-IX series classified by user requirements.

In order to realize an integrated control system, it is a point to unify conventional process I/O systems provided separately for electric control and instrumentation. In addition, to meet plant operation becoming more efficient and sophisticated, it is important to grasp RAS information and setting information on the I/O devices, sensors, and operating from the operator station. This paper introduces MICREX-IPU as an I/O device intended for the above purposes. It refers to future developments to meet duplex systems and field buses as well.

With the trend of information and control systems toward advanced function and sophistication, the contents of engineering have rapidly become large in scale and complicated, and the engineering work load has rapidly increased. An effective method of saving the situation is the automation of engineering work, and various attempts have been made so far. This paper outlines the engineering environment of current integrated control systems and describes their problems, basic approaches to problem solution, and future prospects.

Fuji Electric has developed a software development support tool for building MICREX-IX man-machine interface (MMI) systems, FPROCES-M. The FPROCES-M in a unified manner supports monitoring and operating functions that are different according to electric control and instrumentation areas. The user interface is easy to be understood using multiwindows and a mouse. This paper describes the support tool for building MICREX-IX MMI systems and features thereof.

The controller support tool FPROCES-C is a software product that supports the designing, testing and maintenance of controller application software and operates on a personal computer. This is an EL-integrated tool that can describe electric and instrumentation control with an optimum expression and operates in a common environment with the MMI support tool. This serves in raising engineering efficiency and the user interface is visual and easy to be understood. This paper introduces the functions and features of the controller support tool.

Fuji Electric has developed a high level of maintenance technology for new MICREX-IX from the one cultivated in the MICREX series. This paper describes maintenance technology realized in the MICREX-IX and introduces an example of the maintenance panel intended for a method of solving problems in maintenance work and the connection to a remote maintenance system.

LPG, one of main energy sources in Japan, is an essential resource closely concerned with people's living and the whole industrial circles. In particular, as protection of environment is a great social subject these days, rapid increase in demand for LPG as clean energy is forecast. Citing an example of a system delivered to Kashima LPG Joint Storage Facility, this paper introduces the instrumentation and control system of an LPG storage facility in which Fuji Electric's original optical system and the latest CPU and DCS are merged.

This paper gives an outline of an integrated control system MICREX-IX supplied to the Tokyo Ariake Incineration Plant. It is worthy of special mention that the electrical and instrumentation system for the general control of the plant is composed of the latest, characteristic equipment (large-capacity molded transformers, an intelligent control center, a highly distributed control system, and so on). In addition, it outlines Japan's largest pneumatic garbage conveyor supplied by Fuji Electric at the same time.