Federico Pérez

XML exchange of control programs

The XML interface defined by PLCopen allows software reuse through interoperability between development tools, as it provides the ability to transfer the information that is on the screen to other platforms. This article presented a way to give any development environment that does not yet support the PLCopen interface the ability to import/export XML files following such a format and, thus, making code really exchangeable. However, the profit to be made may be much more than code reuse, as the interface can be used to interoperate with other software tools, such as configuration, documentation, version control, modeling, and simulation tools.

Control communications with DDS using IEC61499 Service Interface Function Blocks

The IEC61499 is an open standard for distributed control and automation. The interface between control software and hardware or communications is achieved by means of the so-called Service Interface Function Blocks (SIFB). This paper presents the guidelines to build communication SIFBs based on the emerging OMG DDS (Data Distribution Service) middleware. This specification implements in a very efficient way the Publisher/Subscriber paradigm providing significant QoS configuration possibilities. These characteristics make DDS suitable for implementing the communications among time-critical devices. By using these DDS-SIFBs within IEC61499 code generation tools, the designers of the distributed applications will be allowed to use this powerful technology in the new distributed applications.

A CPPS Architecture approach for Industry 4.0

New demands, coming from the industry 4.0 concept of the near future production systems have to be fulfilled in the coming years. Seamless integration of current technologies with new ones is mandatory. The concept of Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) is the core of the new control and automation distributed systems. However, it is necessary to provide the global production system with integrated architectures that make it possible. This work analyses the requirements and proposes a model-based architecture and technologies to make the concept a reality.

Supporting a reconfigurable real-time service-oriented middleware with FTT-CORBA

Modern distributed real-time systems (DRTS) are typically formed by several heterogeneous networked devices. Sometimes these devices must adapt to dynamic environments in which devices may join or leave the network and must respond in run-time to changing requirements ensuring certain levels of QoS. These characteristics yield to systems that are intrinsically complex to develop, test and maintain. In this scenario middleware platforms, and particularly Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA), are becoming increasingly popular because they ease the creation of complex distributed applications and reduce the time-to-market. In this paper we show how the recently developed Flexible Time-Triggered CORBA (FTT-CORBA) can be used to support real-time Service-Oriented Architectures that are deterministically and dynamically reconfigurable.

Access to process data with OPC-DA using IEC61499 Service Interface Function Blocks

The need for flexibility in manufacturing systems is continuously growing. This need deals with the establishment of design methodologies for implementing distributed applications. The IEC61499 define a generic architecture for designing distributed applications, based on Functions Block (FB) networks. The interface between the control software and the hardware is achieved by means of the so called Service Interface FB. But guidelines to implement this type of FBs are provided neither by the standard nor by the available tools. On the other hand, one of the most widely used industrial communication standard is OPC that enables the exchange of data between multi-vendor devices and control applications without any proprietary restrictions. Thus, an easy integration of this communication standard within IEC61499 applications may contribute to consolidate such standard. This paper presents the guidelines to use OPC in industrial applications through the definition an implementation of SIFBs to access process data using OPC-DA (OPC Data Access) specification.

Model driven design in industrial automation

Current industrial applications demand the design of more and more complex, safe and trustworthy control systems which exhibit a high degree of flexibility and reutilization. To achieve this, the engineering process has to be improved through the integration of the tools involved in the development process. To achieve this goal the definition of Markup Languages for factory automation has been proposed at different layers of the engineering process. They allow defining the application from different points of view. Each point of view uses a particular syntax and semantics. Applications are defined by means of a set of view models as well as their relationships. This paper proposes a further step as the mechanisms needed for exchanging information among models are analyzed. They are used in the design of a model collaboration prototype for distributed industrial control systems.

Developing CPPS within IEC-61499 based on low cost devices

The adoption of new technologies and automation standards, such as OPC-UA and IEC61499, is essential in order to satisfy the flexibility and reconfiguration needs required at the Factories of the Future. Currently, the Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) are at the core of the new control and automation distributed systems. However, it is necessary to provide the research community with low cost platforms capable of integrating these new technologies and standards for prototyping new products and concepts. This work presents a low-cost embedded architecture capable of providing process data by means of OPC-UA services, integrated as IEC61499 blocks. Thus, IEC61499 provides high-level capabilities by combining easily software components with independence of the hardware platform used.

Towards a modular and scalable design for the communications of electrical protection relays

The present work proposes the use of a combination of standardized middleware technologies, such as CORBA-RT and DDS in order to build electrical protection relays in a modular and scalable way. Both CORBA and DDS follow different approaches, while CORBA is basically a client / server architecture, DDS follows the publisher/subscriber paradigm. However, IEDs generate different types of traffic that could be mapped to either CORBA, or DDS operations, leaving DDS for the most critical ones: the distribution of periodic samples values and substation events. The paper also analyses the behaviour of DDS for these types of operations.

Plant floor communications integration using a low cost CPPS architecture

Currently, factory automation systems need to cope with very different challenges, such as technological advances happening very fast, global and competitive market or product customization. These challenges lead to a new generation of automation systems based on the so-called Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) globally connected to form a flexible System of Cyber-Physical Production Systems (SoCPPS). CPPSs require acquisition of production system data and smart data processing to extract information to improve the overall system performance. To achieve that it is needed to bridge the gap between the control systems and higher layers. This paper discusses an approach to use the IEC 61499 function block concept to exchange data between plant floor and higher layers using an industrial standard like OPC UA. The OPC UA server offers subscription mechanisms, making possible the integration of several resources residing at plant floor. As it runs on embedded devices, the proposal makes possible to acquire plant information at low cost, enabling at the same time, a component-based design for enterprise plant floor control with independence of the hardware platform used.

OPC-UA communications integration using a CPPS architecture

Low Cost Automation promotes cost effective reference architectures and development approaches to increase flexibility and efficiency of production operations. This has led to the adoption of open networking standards for plant floor communications. OPC-UA may help industrial companies to become Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing as it enables remote access to plant information, achieving thus horizontal and vertical integration. The main goal of this work is to make vertical integration a reality by means of a low-cost CPPS architecture that provide access to process data. The use of this architecture along the whole production automation system may certainly reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The paper describes both the hardware platform as well as the software including the proposed configuration file of the OPC-UA server.