Feng Shengbing

（Xiamen Yudian Automation Technology Co., Ltd.  Fujian Xiamen , 361006）

Abstract：Aiming at the problem of inaccurate temperature control in traditional drying rooms and low level of automation,designed a drying room temperature control system based on AI intelligent instrument technology.The system performs temperature monitoring and adjustment through Yudian AI series intelligent temperature controller and switch module,it realizes the intelligent control of temperature and humidity of the drying room, as well as remote monitoring without special personnel on duty, improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Key words：Drying room control system  Temperature and humidity control  Configuration Yudian AI instrument

Introduction

Traditional drying rooms generally rely on manual detection of temperature and humidity for monitoring, with operators manually adjusting parameters such as temperature, humidity, and timing based on their experience. These control systems are functionally simple, with a low degree of automation, resulting in uneven temperatures within the drying room, inaccurate temperature control, and poor performance. This leads to unreliable physical properties of the dried items, significantly affecting the quality of the drying process and increasing costs. To address this situation, a remote temperature control system for drying rooms based on Yudian AI instrument technology was designed. This system is primarily used in applications such as drying clothes and textiles. According to project requirements, the drying room can manually or automatically control temperature, humidity, and airflow circulation during the drying process. It also supports ultraviolet sterilization operations to ensure the quality and speed of drying. Additionally, during system operation, if equipment failure or overheating occurs, the system will automatically stop running and trigger an alarm. Temperature and humidity data, along with alarm information, are recorded and stored for easy access to historical data, enabling unattended operation, remote monitoring, and intelligent automated production.

1 Engineering Implementation Plan

1.1 System Composition and Working Principle

The system consists of an artificial intelligence temperature controller, a PC (or smartphone, tablet), and several input/output points, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

The system is centered around Yudian's artificial intelligence (AI) temperature controller, with temperature and humidity sensors and alarm point acquisition modules providing feedback signals to the AI temperature controller. The AI temperature controller analyzes the acquired data and alarm point information, then intelligently controls solid-state relays via PID algorithms to regulate temperature. It also controls the operating status of different functional fans and ultraviolet sterilization equipment through switch output modules, enabling intelligent control of the entire system. The collected data can be used to generate curves and reports for storage, facilitating subsequent data review.

The AI temperature controller can communicate with an upper-level PC, smartphone, or tablet via a network, enabling remote monitoring and operation from the host computer.

1.2 Products Selected for This Project:

This project selected the following Yudian AI instrument products:

(1) The Yudian AI-516F7GL0L0-Y Artificial Intelligence Temperature Controller, which serves as the core controller for the entire system, enabling automatic control, human-machine interaction for temperature control, and remote monitoring and operation via a PC or smartphone.

(2) The Yudian AI-3011D5 Input Module for collecting switch input signals, and the Yudian AI-3013D5 Output Module for controlling switch outputs.

1.3 Temperature Control

During the drying process, it is ideal to maintain the drying room at a constant temperature between 40°C and 45°C.

The Yudian AI-516F7GL0L0-Y integrates the functions of a temperature controller, paperless recorder, and human-machine interface touchscreen into one device. As an economical temperature controller with 0.3-grade accuracy, it employs advanced AI-PID regulation algorithms that eliminate overshoot and feature self-tuning (AT) functionality. During on-site debugging, after setting the input specifications (Inp), selecting APID as the control method (Ctrl), and confirming the input type (Opt) as SSR, performing self-tuning to obtain suitable PID parameters enables precise temperature control, fully meeting the requirements of the drying room heating system.

To ensure uniform temperature distribution throughout the drying room, the AI-516F7 Touchscreen Temperature Controller controls the load heating via solid-state relays. At the same time, it communicates via RS485 to connect with the AI-3013 Switch Output Module to activate the heating fan, ensuring even heat circulation throughout the drying room.

The AI-3011 and AI-3013 modules communicate with the host computer via the AIBUS protocol. For the AI-3011 Switch Input Module, the lower 10 bits (D0-D9) of parameter data with address 10H indicate the corresponding switch states (0 = open, 1 = closed). For the AI-3013 Switch Output Module, the host writes 0 or 1 to the lower 8 bits (D0-D7) of parameter address 10H to control the relay states (0 = open, 1 = closed).

1.4 Humidity Control

During the drying process, large amounts of water vapor are generated and fill the drying room, causing humidity levels to rise significantly. If this moisture is not promptly removed and humidity is not properly controlled, it will negatively impact both drying speed and quality.

For humidity control, a humidity sensor collects real-time humidity data from the drying room. This sensor supports MODBUS-RTU communication and transmits the real-time humidity value to the Yudian AI-516F7 Touchscreen Temperature Controller. Based on the received data, the AI-516F7 Touchscreen determines whether the humidity exceeds the setpoint and activates the Yudian AI-3013D5 Switch Output Module to turn on the humidity fan. The humidity fan first expels the humid air from the drying room, then recirculates the dehumidified hot air back into the room. This process removes moisture without wasting the existing heat in the drying room while effectively separating and exhausting the moisture. As a result, the drying room’s humidity is quickly reduced, and humidity levels are effectively controlled.

1.5 Circulation Fan and UV Sterilization Control

The Yudian AI-516F7 Touchscreen controls the AI-3013D5 Switch Output Module to manage the activation and deactivation of circulation fans and UV sterilization equipment. These devices can be manually controlled via button clicks or automatically operated under timed settings in automatic mode, enabling unmanned, intelligent control.

2 Paperless Recorder and Touchscreen Functionality of the Temperature Controller

2.1 Function Overview

The Yudian AI-516F7GL0L0-Y integrates the functions of a temperature controller, paperless recorder, and touchscreen human-machine interface into one device.

Supported communication features include:

· Interface types: RS232, RS485, Ethernet port (10/100M auto-adaptive).

· Serial communication baud rates: 1200bps to 19200bps.

· In this system, the RS485 port uses the AIBUS protocol to communicate with the Yudian AI-3011 Switch Input Module and AI-3013 Switch Output Module.

· The RS232 port uses the MODBUS-RTU protocol to communicate with the humidity sensor.

· The Ethernet port connects to the internet, allowing access to the same interface on PCs or smartphones for remote monitoring and operation.

2.2 System Software Interface

The human-machine interface allows switching between manual and automatic modes, system monitoring, data recording, fault detection, and control of I/O output states. When important equipment malfunctions, the system triggers an alarm, records the fault in the alarm information table, and stops operation. This AI temperature controller also supports LAN and WAN remote access via PCs or smartphones for monitoring and operation, enabling convenient real-time monitoring of system status. See Figure 2 below.

Figure 2

The paperless recorder function logs data reports and provides real-time and historical trend graphs for review. The recorded data can be exported as an Excel file or as a complete data package. The data package can then be viewed on a computer using specialized software to analyze temperature and humidity reports and curves (with printable graphs).

2.3 System Operation Logic

The drying room can operate in both manual and automatic modes. In manual mode, the humidity fan, heating fan, UV sterilization, and circulation fan can be flexibly controlled via buttons on the human-machine interface to start or stop their operation.

In automatic mode, the buttons for the humidity fan, heating fan, UV sterilization, and circulation fan cannot be manually clicked; they only display the operational status. The system takes full control automatically. The target temperature and humidity for the drying room are set, and timed control can also be configured. See Figure 3 below.

Figure 3

You can set the drying time, UV sterilization time, and circulation fan operating time.

After starting in automatic mode, clicking the system start button automatically activates the heating fan. The system then automatically controls the temperature and humidity. Once the drying time is reached, the UV sterilization process starts automatically, and the circulation fan is activated simultaneously to expel air from the drying room and introduce fresh air. Both processes stop automatically after reaching their set times, and the drying process is completed, at which point the system stops.

2.4 Mobile Monitoring Interface

A smartphone can access the same interface as the screen via an app, enabling the same monitoring and operational functions as on the touchscreen. See Figure 4 below.

Figure 4

2.5 Computer Monitoring Interface

Access the same interface as on the screen via a dedicated browser, allowing for the same monitoring and operational functions as on the touchscreen. See Figure 5 below.

Figure 5

3 Conclusion

Currently, this system is performing well at the customer’s site, operating stably and reliably. It has helped achieve automatic and efficient drying of clothing and textiles, reducing costs while improving quality. This system can also be applied to other types of drying rooms, such as agricultural product drying rooms, food drying rooms, and high-temperature drying rooms. Thanks to the programmable configuration capabilities of Yudian's artificial intelligence temperature controller, combined with communication integration for other devices such as PLCs, inverters, and more, diverse control functions—such as monitoring and human-machine interaction—can be realized. With its excellent performance, the system has been widely adopted in various scenarios, assisting enterprises in achieving intelligent transformation and upgrading.

Author Introduction: Feng Shengbing (born in 1992), male, from Sanming, Fujian, Han nationality, bachelor's degree, software engineer, mainly engaged in the development of industrial automation control systems.