When you think of an industrial tablet PC, performance and durability come to mind because the device should handle everything thrown at it physically and performance-wise.
The outer shell provides most of the physical protection, so you only need to integrate a powerful and capable embedded hardware platform inside to process the data and run all communication using the relevant protocols. This is where the RK3588J high-performance AI SBC comes in handy. Hold on to that thought.
What Are Industrial Tablet PCs? (Features and Benefits)
Industrial tablet PCs are rugged or semi-rugged tablets designed and built with durability and stability in mind while providing mobile computing solutions.
Features and Benefits of Industrial Tablet PCs
High Processing Power
In this modern industrial age (Industry 4.0), data is king, and these tablets have high processing power to make business sense from the incoming data streams quickly with low latency.
Stable Wireless Communication
Without stable wireless communication, the high processing power will be underutilized. Therefore, these tablets must feature stable, high-speed wireless communication to exchange data with the relevant machines, servers, and devices to enhance workflow efficiency and digitization.
Stable wireless communication using relevant protocols, such as Wi-Fi, 5G, and BLE, ensures the tablets provide real-time communication to enable field workers to make informed decisions quickly.
Multiple I/O Ports
Industrial tablets must have multiple I/O ports to run high-performance solutions for applications like fleet management, retail, warehousing, and logistics.
Weather and Vibration Resistance
The high-performance core of the industrial tablet should be covered in a rugged weather and vibration-resistant case with a high IP rating to prevent dust and water ingress to the electronics inside.
User-Oriented Peripherals
Industrial tablets should be compatible with peripherals like barcode scanners, MSRs, and RFIDs to hasten the data entry/collection process, a shoulder strap to make it easy to carry, a holster for storage, a rugged protective case, and an active stylus pen for more intuitive use.
Smart Battery Design and Charging Station
Smart battery designs that can be removed for charging in a multi-battery charging station and multi-tablet charging stations are critical to allow the tablet to be used in the field for extended periods.
Why the RK3588 SBC Is Recommended for Developing Industrial Tablet PCs
Our focus is on the core of the industrial tablet PC (processing and connectivity aspects), and I recommend the RK3588 SBC to provide this solution because it has the following features.
AMP Multi-Core Heterogeneity
The RK3588 SoC that runs this SBC is an AMP heterogeneous multicore system that features ARM’s big.LITTLE configuration. Its big or more powerful Cortex-A76 quad-core processor is designed to run complicated tasks with low latency. This processor forms the Master Linux system in the tablet to handle NPU-based local edge computing and high-computation video algorithms.
The little processor in this architecture is the Cortex-A55, which is designed to power lightweight functions to maximize energy efficiency. In this configuration, this quad-core processor forms the slave RTOS system that runs high-rate, low-latency industrial protocols, such as Profinet, EIP, and EtherCAT.
These two different systems are used together in the SoC to ensure the industrial tablet combines high processing power and energy efficiency when running various tasks.
Robust CPU for High-Speed Operation and AIoT
Focussing on the big processor in the heterogeneous chip, the 64-bit Cortex-A76 runs at clock speeds of 2.4–3.3 GHz, making it a fast and powerful brain for handling edge computing, graphics processing, and AIoT computation, which has become necessary in Industry 4.0.
On top of that, the RK3588 SoC features an integrated 6 TOPS tri-core NPU that is custom-designed to run independently or collaboratively with the A76 to handle AI acceleration in applications like speech processing and image recognition. This NPU supports deep learning from frameworks like Pytorch, TensorFlow, Caffe, Android NN, MXNet, and Onnx NN.
In this AI era, having a dedicated AI processor increases the complexity, efficiency, and response speed of data processing to meet the high-performance requirements of industrial (AIoT) and commercial applications.
Also read: IoT in manufacturing
These cores can be paired with 4, 8, or 16 GB of RAM, so you can customize the tablet to meet the required specifications for each application.
Powerful Graphic and Video Processing
Industrial tablets also have to visualize the data in graphical form, and the RK3588 features an ARM Mali-G610 GPU for this task. This graphics processor supports low-latency 8K UHD video encoding and decoding, AI-enhanced image quality, 4K video input, and multi-channel 8K video output.
The GPU also supports quad-screen independent display, which makes it possible to split the tablet’s screen when users want to view four video sources simultaneously, such as surveillance camera feeds.
Rich Interfaces
This computer’s rich interfaces provide multiple I/O ports to integrate with other components (peripherals) and machinery in the industrial environment. They include high-speed data interfaces like USB 3.1, PCIe 3.0, USB 2.0, RJ45 (Ethernet), two RS232 for industrial protocol connectivity, camera, and mic input for speech recognition.
Others include HDMI 2.1 and MIPI for connecting to external displays and I2S0–3, SPDIF 1&2, digital audio codec, etc., for audio interfacing.
For wireless communication, you get Wi-Fi 6 and 4G/5G to provide fast and stable data transmission, which enables tasks like real-time, low-latency remote control of industrial machines.
With these rich interfaces, this SBC can connect to surveillance cameras, warning lights, PLCs, printers, emergency stop buttons, barcode readers, DVD players, sensors, microphones, and many other devices.
Wide Temperature Range and Explosion-Proof
To make the RK3588 computer and its impressive set of features industrial-environment-ready, we made sure the board it sits on can withstand extreme temperatures and explosions to maximize durability.
This is evident in other devices in our lineup that run on this SBC, such as the DSGW-380 RK3588 industrial AI edge computing gateway, which can operate at extreme temperatures ranging from -25°C to 75°C. In storage, the SBC can withstand harsher temperatures ranging from -40°C to 85°C.
Overall, the computer is built to bear high dust levels, EMI, heavy oil, static, and vibrations, so you can integrate it with flammable and explosion-proof-certified tablets, such as IECEx and ATEX.
Examples of Using RK3588 Tablet PC in Industrial Scenarios
Visual Inspection
Visual or automated optical inspection systems are critical for detecting defects, and you can leverage the RK3588 tablet’s AI computing power to identify defective products on assembly lines. The tablet can double up as an HMI, instructing a robot in the assembly line to remove the defective products automatically and send reports of the defect rates.
CNC Machine Tools
Industrial tablets can easily integrate the I/Os of traditional CNC machines with the control center functions, providing an HMI, programming interface, and networking communication in one package.
Handheld Explosion-Proof Tablets
The RK3588 SBC has a lithium battery interface, so you can pair it with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery to form a portable explosion-proof tablet. This device can connect to various industrial machines wirelessly to create a central command center for monitoring and control.
Industrial Automation
With an RK3588 computer at its core, you can customize the RK3588 industrial tablet to automate mechanical manufacturing tasks, such as controlling the robots used in SOP signage creation.
Power Cabinets
Power and PLC cabinets contain various electronic components required to run industrial processes and machines. The RK3588 tablet features interfaces like RJ45 that can connect to these devices to provide real-time data and control functions to machine operators on the factory floor.
Integrated Industrial Control Computers
The tablet can be integrated with SCADA systems using its interfaces and standard protocols to enable bidirectional communication for remote supervision, control, and data transfer.
Smart Production Line Workshops
Factory workers manning production lines in workshops can use these tablets when embedded in the assembly line machines to monitor the process, visualize data collected from various points, and analyze it to make production more efficient.
Also read: How does DSGK-062 help local visualize and modernize industrial equipment?
Final Words
The RK3588 SBC is incredibly versatile because it has a powerful SoC with various cores, including GPU and NPU, and multiple connectivity options to interface with factory equipment and peripherals. In fact, it can even be used in other applications, such as AI cameras and AGV/AMR robots.
But let’s stick to industrial applications here. We understand it can be challenging to develop industrial tablets from scratch, which is why we provide a complete suite of SDKs and BSPs to help you reduce the time to market. This support means you don’t have to worry about the low-level drivers. Your only task is to develop the applications for industrial solutions.
So feel free to contact us to collaborate on your project to help you deliver powerful, high-quality, AI industrial tablets to your customers.
