Seppo Kuikka

Model-driven development of industrial process control applications

Abstract: This article presents model-driven development and domain-specific modeling applied to the development of industrial process control applications. The approach is based on established practices of the industrial automation and control domain, a compatible UML profile, and an integrated and standards based tool environment for modeling and transformation execution. The methods provide means for developing applications using domain-specific modeling concepts to increase productivity and enhance platform independent solution reuse. The approach has been implemented to support industrial practices and to be able to utilize existing control system platforms. During demonstrations and an assessment event with industry professionals the methods have been successfully applied to the development of small-scale process control applications. In this paper, attention is also paid on discussion of the practical applicability and benefits of the approach for engineering and development of industrial process control applications.

Roadmap to adopting OPC UA

This paper highlights a roadmap, consisting of three alternative paths, to adopting OPC UA, a new generation OPC specification. The OPC UA specification aims to improve and extend the scope of OPC in system integration. It introduces SOA paradigm and platform independence into OPC world, enabling a wide variety of new applications. It also provides integration from an embedded device up into the ERP level. This paper details ways to adapt existing systems to utilize OPC UA in order to timely take advantage of the new possibilities. Novel key features and application possibilities offered by OPC UA are also discussed. At last a small sample OPC UA application is presented as a proof of concept.

UML Automation Profile: Enhancing the Efficiency of Software Development in the Automation Industry

The development of modern distributed automation applications is challenging. However, high-level modeling potentially increases the efficiency of development. This paper introduces a UML profile for applications in the automation industry. The profile is formed by extending UML V2 with various automation domain specific concepts. The UML profile mechanism and selected existing UML profiles provide a basis for the novel automation profile. Future work will concentrate on integration of the profile to the requirement standards as well as providing tool support for the use of the automation profile.

Assessing the industrial applicability and adoption potential of the AUKOTON model driven control application engineering approach

Challenges in software development for automation and control have increased because of various reasons, including the size of applications and competition within the industry. A potential solution could be the use of a model-driven engineering approach to facilitate the development process and design information flow. Despite the wide interests towards model-based techniques in the automation domain, the authors have not been able to find a complete, tool supported UML based MDE approach, the industrial relevance of which would have been systematically assessed. In this paper, we intend to assess the suitability and usefulness of the AUKOTON development process and tools to development of industrial automation and control applications. To study these questions, we organized a laboratory project, in which industrial professionals used our development process and tools, and used qualitative research methods for gathering the industrial feedback.

Tool Support for the UML Automation Profile - For Domain-Specific Software Development in Manufacturing

The development of modern distributed automation applications is challenging and present development practices contain manual transferring of informal information from one phase to another. Our research aims to overcome some of these challenges by integrating concepts from modern object-oriented design, model-driven development and high-level modeling potential of the UML automation profile into a seamless development path from PI-diagrams to control software. This paper presents a prototype of a control engineering tool that supports the UML automation profile and is intended to cover part of the development chain. The tool was implemented on the Eclipse platform and it utilizes various open source tools and frameworks to enable also usage of UML and SysML in modeling work. The implemented tool can be extended by transformation tools capable of processing requirements of the control system and PIM-model of the designed control software.

Device status information service architecture for condition monitoring using OPC UA

Condition monitoring and maintenance of devices and equipment is an important aspect of operating a production facility affecting the availability of production systems. Modern production environments can consist of thousands of devices that each need to be monitored so that maintenance can be performed when necessary to sustain a cost-effective state of production. Today operation and maintenance (O&M) is typically outsourced, and equipment and device manufacturers have also entered the service business. This brings challenges in managing a multitude of different devices using different protocols as well as in the varying needs for utilizing this information in enterprise functions and services. Based on OPC Unified Architecture (UA) a scalable architecture is developed for providing device status information of heterogeneous field devices and sensors to enterprise level applications and services. A proof of concept implementation of this architecture is presented and its envisioned adoption in a mine environment is discussed.

Semantics enhanced engineering and model reasoning for control application development

Development of advanced systems requires new methods to improve quality and efficiency of engineering processes, and to assist management of complex models encompassing different engineering disciplines. Methods such as model-driven development and domain-specific modeling facilitate development from this perspective but reduce interoperability and other prospects of rationalizing processes, on the other hand. An approach applying Web Ontology Language (OWL) semantics and reasoning to models is presented with examples to support industrial control application engineering. Using the methods, generalized classifications are inferred from instance models and combined with generic engineering knowledge maintained in ontologies. Reasoning allows identifying assemblies and structures outside the scope of traditional modeling to detect specific structures, flaws and error-prone designs. The semantic descriptions of models allow linking of other engineering related information to support engineering tasks during design. The results indicate that OWL semantics and reasoning can be used as a supplement enhancing typical development practices.

Towards fully automated pick and place operations of individual natural fibers

This paper reports automated image-based pick and place procedures for manipulation of individual natural fibers. The developed procedures are part of an effort to develop a fully automated microrobotic-based platform for fiber characterization. The presented procedures are divided into unit operations, which can reused in multiple tasks that the platform must perform. Two different demonstrations: pick and place, and coordinated fiber lifting are presented. In addition, a component-based software that promotes reusability of the developed unit operations is presented.

A Maintenance Demand Analyzer - a Web Service based on a Semantic Plant Model

Modern production plants need novel information and knowledge management approaches and services to support operation and maintenance decision making. With existing solutions, information is at best exposed in a structurally interoperable form but with lacking semantics. Application of semantic web ontologies could provide better means to exploit information in existing information systems. A semantic plant model is a semantically rich representation about a plant that can be accessed by value added services. A particular service, maintenance demand analyzer, gathers individual analyses that are based on various criteria and originated from several systems to produce a maintenance recommendation for devices in specific processes.

Injection Guidance System for Cellular Microinjections

This paper will present a novel injection guidance system which assists an operator in the microinjection of living adherent cells. The system includes a micromanipulator, an injection system, an impedance measurement device and control software. The impedance measurement system detects changes in the impedance of an injection capillary during cell injections. From the measurement signal, the software determines parameters which can be used for detecting several injection events such as cell-capillary contact, capillary breakage and capillary clogging, which are all unavailable in the current microinjection systems