Control and electronics circuits of automation systems

[Jo123]

I am interesting to know about the automation systems (production line) and the machines that manufactures these products: solar cells, thin-film solar modules, display screens like: Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), touch panel and plasma, thin film rechargeable lithium ion batteries, lithium ion batteries for electric car, fuel cells and printed circuit boards (PCB).
Some video links that are related to these issues:
Fuel Cell Manufacturing Plant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhrcHO_qw80
FlexPicker Robots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHuDvVa7mkw
If you know about links videos or texts about automation systems or machines that produce these products, I will glad if you can write them in this thread.
I search any connections that can be between machines and automation systems like there are in the video, or that produce the products that I mention above, and several engineering issues.

I have several questions that are related to the control and electronics circuits of automation systems and machines. If you know any link that is related to these subjects so I will glad if you can write them in this thread.

1. I know that they use controllers like in this link:
http://www.boschrexroth-us.com/count.../pac/index.jsp
1.A. What functions \ requirements the controllers that can be used for applications likes these automation systems and machines need to have?
1.B. I see that the controllers have option to connect to the internet. What can be the applications \ advantages these automation systems and machines can use the internet? 1.C. What communication technology can be use between the different kinds of the controllers in these automation systems and machines?
2.A. I know that there are some standards in motion control hardware, I want to know what are these standard? And how is the organization that is responsible for these standards?
2.B. I search after information and links that have projects that involve control motion for leaser cutting
2.C. What are the control motions that maybe can be use in these automation system and machines?
3.A. What kinds of electronic circuits these automation systems and machines can have? Are these circuit are analogue electronics circuits or digital electronics circuits or both? And why?
3.B. Are these automation systems and machines have power electronics like switches converters? And why these automation systems and machines have or don't have these technologies?
3.C. What is driver? What the drivers do?
4. I am interesting to read links about researches that are doing in the universities labs about the control of these automation systems and machines.

[ftarnogol]

try scholar.google.com you'll find lots of white papers

[beny85]

@ Jo123, Control and automation is actually a whole branch of engineering in which people study for many years doing their bachelors, masters and Ph.Ds. to come up with accurate answers of the questions you just asked. Since I can't sum up years of studies in a few lines, I'll try to give you a basic idea. Control systems normally deal with closed loop feedback systems which are smart enough to know how much work to do, when to stop and when to start again. There are set patterns followed by most industrial automated machines which are repeated over and over again for continuous production. Control systems are designed and simulated on computers first and then they are hardcoded into controllers and processors which then control these machines and that is how everything is made.