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The article focuses on the processing of simulation models, covering their creation methods and exploring the possibilities of collaboration. The author utilized the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation program developed by Siemens to design a visual representation of a production line and provided a detailed description of the steps involved in its creation. To achieve the objectives of the thesis, the author employed KEPServerEX, a software solution enabling the connection and communication between the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation program and the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). This integration allowed for the successful connection of a CNC device, establishing communication and collaboration with the Plant Simulation program. In summary, the thesis project employed the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation program to create a comprehensive visualization of a production line. The integration of KEPServerEX facilitated seamless communication between the simulation software and the PLC, enabling effective cooperation with a CNC device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmable logic controllers (PLC) with different manufacturers and models have their own dedicated integrated development environments, so they are not compatible with each other, and the program wring and modification ls more abstract and tedious. In response to the above phenomenon, a PLC automat programming system was designed and developed based on the Scratch platform, which was used for secondary development of the Scratch graphical programming platform. The virtual configuration design was completed by dragging and dropping component models and programming building block programs. And then human-computer interaction was performed based on Qt upper computer software. The expected functions were achieved mainly by Scratch resource file paring algorithm, PLC source code automatic generation algorithm and PLC instruction statement format verification algorithm. After verification by an example, it shows that the system can convert the visual expression scheme into executable PLC source code, which effectively improves the efficiency of PLC programming in industrial control field and can be widely used in the design and maintenance of PLC control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this research work is to design and develop an application program for monitoring photovoltaic (PV) systems in real time. In this research, a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system in LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) was simulated for a solar rooftop system of a household with a total installed power of 3.92 kW. The theoretical foundations for SCADA system and PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) have been laid. The implemented LabVIEW program is an automated computer program that enters temperature, voltage, number of solar panels and radiation and gives performance parameters, power parameters, cost of the PV system, annual energy value, daily energy, generated solar energy, and curves for annual and daily energy generation. The system designed in this way enables control of the solar system and overview of the production from the system. Furthermore, this system can be connected to a microcontroller, Arduino, or PLC, which will collect data from sensors and transmit it to the system. Finally, a conceptual solution is proposed for the introduction of a battery system on the already proposed PV system and the introduction of a PLC to control the charging and discharging of the battery, as well as the transmission of electricity from and to the grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Textile Leader is the property of China Textile Information Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Automatisierungstechnik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Developing a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) controller is a complicated task both in the hardware development and software development. To test the control software prior to putting it into use is crucial for the development of a FMS controller. An intelligent testing environment for FMS controllers is under development, the aim of which is to reduce manual work in the testing. To reach this objective the automatic building of a behavioural model of the FMS is demanded. This paper proposes a generic Petri net (GPN) model and approach for the development of control software for FMSs. The principle of this approach is based on checking the control parts of FMSs with the help of temporal relationships between physical operations, and the specification of the FMS controller with GPN. The strategy of GPN modelling is then incorporated with more general problem solving strategies in artificial intelligence. A template is first defined for a GPN model, and then the model for FMS individuals is established in the form of instances of the template. The transitions of the GPN are represented with the proposed general expressions with two syntaxes, 'verb+ noun' and 'verb+ noun+ where', from which the GPN can be formulated. GPN makes it simple to express FMS controls, and procedural language can also be used for information processing. A case study for the testing of FMS controller software is provided to show effectiveness and cost saving over development with conventional methods in which only ordinary Petri net and procedural language are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work a PLC has been used for controlling the home appliances. For that we are using several types of sensor and actuators and some logical operations for controlling the systems. As PLC is a controller which will help us to control and compute the logical operations based on our program. Along with this, also Arduino UNO have been used for this purpose. Tia portal and Arduino software are used for programming. And in addition, a HMI has been used for controlling and monitoring the system and for security purpose. The reason behind using the PLC is that it is durable, flexible, communication and minimum maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of AL-yarmouk Journall is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of the work is to change the current program in the programmable logic controller (PLC) to be as close as possible to the real-world Pick to Light system in the automotive industry for installing individual car components. The change consists in completing the navigation and tutorial mode while preserving the original function of the program, which is to measure the time of each step in assembly of the components and the reading of the pieces from the trays. A simple virtual laboratory model was created which enables to test the program even if the access to the PLC and HMI panel is not possible. The partial goal was to modify the visualization of the program in the operator touch panel Human - Machine Interface (HMI). Another partial goal was to implement a new PLC program. In order to better understand the created program, the flowcharts were created and described for the main parts of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Software-Defined Satellite Networking (SDSN) [ 1 ], similar to Software-Defined Networking (SDN) [ 2 ], has emerged as a new paradigm that offers the programmability required to dynamically configure and control a satellite network. As SDSN is large-scale network, recent proposals have advocated deploying multiple controllers that work cooperatively to enhance performance and scalability [3,4]. Nonetheless, this approach introduces a new problem: how many controllers are needed, and where should they be deployed? We call this controller placement problem, which can be divided into dynamic and static types. The former assumes that the network operator has already placed plenty of back-up controllers throughout the network. By changing the on-off status of them, it realizes adapting the number and location of active controllers with changing network conditions. On the contrary, the latter decides the controller deployment only for once before building SDSN. Related work only focuses on ground network and several important factors affecting the controller placement are not taken into account comprehensively. In this paper, we propose the framework and mechanism of SDSN, define the Dynamic Controller Placement Problem (DCPP) as well as Static Controller Placement Problem (SCPP), and introduce a heuristic method to solve them. Simulation results show that our solution improves the performance of SDSN. Highlights • We propose framework and mechanism of Software-Defined Satellite Networking (SDSN). • We define the dynamic and static controller placement problems of SDSN. • We introduce a heuristic method to solve the controller placement problems of SDSN. • Simulation results show that our solution improves the performance of SDSN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methodology which simplified the Core Protection Calculator System (CPCS) architecture was developed in this work. The current CPCS implemented on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) has been reported a lot of disadvantages such as unintended reactor trip initiation, safety channel communication disruption, and the possibility of the Common Cause Failure (CCF). This work aimed to minimize the complexity of the current system by introducing system engineering methodology to the current CPCS calculation algorithm. To verify the feasibility of CPCS calculation algorithms on FPGA that does not feature calculations, the simplified LPD calculation algorithm has been implemented in this work. The simplified LPD calculation algorithm that replaced current algorithm has been developed by adjusting the input parameters. In addition, the new approach to minimize the possibility of CCF using FPGA based architecture was also discussed in this work. Based on the functional design, the enhanced functional flow block diagram was designed and the timing simulation was performed to demonstrate the reduction of system complexity. To solve the CCF problem of CPCS, the proposed CPCS LPD calculation algorithm was converted into VHDL code, and the simplified LPD calculation algorithm was implemented in the FPGA board. The verification test was performed using LPD calculation algorithm which was a crucial part of development. The performance of the implemented system showed consistent output to the expected results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the new methodology ONTO-PLC to deliver software programs on system-on-chip or single-board computers used to control industrial plants, as substitutes for programmable logic control technologies. The methodology is ontology-driven based on the abstract description of the plant at a level in which the plant itself is viewed as a set of instruments, each instrument being a set of machineries coordinated in functional terms by a control system, formed by sensors and actuators, under the control of an abstract model of behavior delivered by means of an extended finite state machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CyberManufacturing system (CMS) is a concept for next generation manufacturing system where manufacturing components are seamlessly integrated through technologies such as the internet of things, cloud computing, sensors network, machine learning, and new manufacturing processes. A key to realizing the CMS is its ability to handle cyber-attacks. For example, infill malicious defects can be created by cyber-attacks in additive manufacturing processes, resulting in changes in yield load and strain at failure as well as natural frequency. Cyber-attacks on CMS are not just limited to attacks on its computing sphere. Cross-domain attacks over both the physical and the computing spheres become critical. A taxonomy has been developed to specify the nature of the attacks, particularly when they are cross-domain. The taxonomy can help security professionals identify and detect cross-domain attacks in CMS. The taxonomy has been constructed in four dimensions: attack vector, attack impact, attack target, and attack consequence. To illustrate how the taxonomy can be utilized in detecting cross-domain attacks on CMS, infill malicious attacks on 3D printing processes are used as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FBD (function block diagram) has been widely used to implement safety-critical software for PLC (programmable logic controller)-based digital nuclear reactor protection systems. The software should be developed strictly in accordance with safety programming guidelines such as NUREG/CR-6463. Software engineering tools of PLC vendors enable us to present structural analyses using FBD programs, but specific rules pertaining to the guidelines are enclosed within the commercial tools, and specific links to the guidelines are not clearly communicated. This paper proposes a set of rules on the structure of FBD programs in accordance with guidelines, and we develop an automatic analysis tool for FBD programs written in the PLCopen TC6 format. With the proposed tool, any FBD program that is transformed into an open format can be analyzed the PLC platform-independently. We consider a case study on FBD programs obtained from a preliminary version of a Korean nuclear power plant, and we demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of the proposed rules and analysis tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmable logic controllers are typically programmed in one of the five languages defined in the IEC 61131 standard. While the ability to choose the appropriate language for each program unit may be an advantage for the developers, it poses a serious challenge to verification methods. In this paper we analyse and compare these languages to show that the ST programming language can efficiently and conveniently represent all PLC languages for formal verification purposes. Furthermore, we provide a translation method from IL to ST programming languages (for the Siemens implementation), together with a sketch of proof for its correctness. This allows the usage of the ST-based PLCverif model checking method for safety PLC programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some application domains, using a download cable to update the system on a programmable chip (SoPC) is infeasible, which reduces the maintainability and flexibility of the system. Hence the remote system update (RSU) scheme is being studied. In this scheme, the serial configuration (EPCS) device involves a factory mode configuration image, which acts as the baseline, and an application mode configuration image, which is used for some specific functions. Specifically, a new application mode image is delivered through the controller area network (CAN) with the improved application layer protocol. Besides, the data flow and data check for transmitting a new image are constructed to combine the transmission reliability with efficiency. The boot sequence copying hardware configuration code and software configuration code is analyzed, and the advanced boot loader is carried out to specify boot address of the application mode image manually. Experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of updating and running a new application mode image, as well as rolling back into the factory mode image when no application mode image is available. This scheme applies a single CAN bus, which makes the system easy to construct and suitable for the field distributed control system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the performance of the agricultural machinery automatic navigation system, an automatic navigation path searching method of agricultural machinery based on GNSS (global navigation satellite system) was proposed. According to different demands of farm working, the system could generate the straight line or curve path for agricultural machinery automatic navigation according to users setting. In order to get the straight navigation path, the user should drive the tractor and record the current position marked as point A, and then choose the position marked as Point B at least 10 m far away from Point A. The straight line presupposed navigation path could be obtained by connecting Point A and B and extending the segment AB. The way of obtaining the curve presupposed navigation path is similar to the straight path searching method; the curve fits with several segments, and every segment is analyzed with the straight path searching method. When the navigation task began, the system would compare the current position and heading information of the tractor with the presupposed path to get the lateral deviation and heading deviation. In addition, a pure pursuit mode based on preview points research was proposed for steering control. The method didn't involve the complicated control theory, so that it could adapt the navigation system better. In the aspect of turning control, arcuate turning and pyriform turning patterns were selected as the major research objects. The turning path could be generated by the navigation system according to the tractor working width and the minimum turning radius after the users chose the kind of turning pattern, and a series of points could be chosen according to the tractor speed and each point was evenly spaced. When the navigation task began, the searching radius and preview point should be set according to the speed of the tractor. There were several points on the default navigation path falling in the searching circle; the point with the largest ID (identification) number would be selected as the preview point, and then the path of the tractor arriving to the preview point and the control turning angle would be obtained. To verify the path search method and the model of pure tracking performance, a tractor automatic navigation software was designed and implemented. The industrial computer as the carrier of navigation software, processed the GNSS data, IMU (inertial measurement unit) data and PLC (programmable logic controller) data, and then generated the corresponding decisions. A John Deere tractor was used as the platform for experiments, and the straight line / curve navigation experiments based on GNSS positioning technology were designed. The results of experiments were as follows: In the straight line navigation experiments, when the speed of the tractor was 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 m/s, the root-mean-square error was 3.79, 4.28 and 5.39 cm respectively; in the turning navigation experiments, when the speed of the tractor was 0.6 m/s, the root-mean-square error of the arcuate turning navigation was 25.23 cm and the root-mean-square error of the pyriform turning navigation was 14.42 cm; for the comparison experiment, the root-mean-square error using the proposed method and fuzzy control method was 4.30 and 5.95 cm respectively in straight line navigation module, and 13.73 and 21.40 cm respectively in curve navigation module. The path searching method and the pure pursuit mode based on the researching of preview points can satisfy the requirement of the farmland works effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are computers that are hardened for industrial environments and have I/O that are used to monitor and control a physical process. Learning automata specifications from PLCs provides an interface to verification tools that use an automata language, such as Uppaal. This paper introduces the time delay Mealy machine and demonstrates that it is sufficiently expressive to model PLC software. Using the LearnLib library, we implement a custom learning method to learn models from several industrial examples and analyze the efficiency. We show that the method is able to learn from simple PLC software, but the time required to learn increases rapidly with the scale of the software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main issue in controlling safety-critical systems such as nuclear power reactors or railway interlocking systems is to provide high safety and reliability where the risk ratio is at the highest level because small errors might result in hazardous accidents (e.g., death or injury of many people). The N-version programming technique, where N-different modules run in parallel, can be used to improve the reliability and safety of such systems at the desired safety level. Decisions of N-different modules are then evaluated by another component, usually known as the voter, using different voting strategies. In the current study a bitwise voting strategy to evaluate module decisions that are based on safe-states of variables is proposed and possible synchronization problems between the modules are determined. Sequence diagrams and solutions for synchronization problems are also explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In research projects in the field were conceived and developed new equipment for controlling processes in coal mining units. This paperwork describes the results of the research and several details on the implementation of hardware into specific equipment which includes also proper control software. Electrical equipment operating in potentially explosive atmospheres have to be designed in compliance with specific standards, Therefore, equipment programmed for controlling these activities have been designed in compliance with intrinsic safety and positive safety standards. The software of the equipment is specialized software manufactured by Schneider-Telemecanique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial software are specially designed to meet specific process. And sometimes this software can be very expensive. One way to reduce this cost is to develop own algorithm. This paper presents a real-time liquid level control implementation for an industrial process. The implementation of the level control is achieved using a fuzzy-based control algorithm. A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) was used in which the fuzzy control algorithm has been embedded and can withstand against abrupt changes in the outlet flow. In addition, the fuzzy control algorithm is introduced to the system without a fuzzy module or software package. As a consequence, a robust and low cost liquid level control system has been realized. A Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System (MFIS) has been proposed. Membership functions of the input and output variables of the system were obtained and verified using Matlab/Simulink environment. The obtained functions have been used for the construction of fuzzy control algorithm in PLC. A robust fuzzy-based level controller has been achieved and quite satisfactory results were obtained in real-time implementation for different outlet flow rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the implementation of Web-SCADA on the hybrid wind-PV power system. Both the electrical paramaters such as current, voltage, power and the environment parameters such as wind speed, solar irradiation, and PV temperature are monitored remotely via Internet using a web browser. The SCADA system allows the user to control the hybrid power system remotely. The low cost sensor systems, RTUs and PLC are developed for implementing the SCADA system. The IntegraXor SCADA is employed as the Web-SCADA software. It provides the easy way for developing the Web-based SCADA application. The experimental results show that the Web-SCADA works properly in the monitoring and controlling the hybrid power system. The developed sensor systems provides the average error of 2.87%. The developed RTUs are able to acquire the sensor data and communicate with the SCADA server in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around programmable logic controller (PLC) there are many courses in electrical majors, and these courses are all compulsory. PLC is practical device, so it is necessary to employ some equipment for better teaching effects. Owing to the characteristics of PLC controlled object, a great amount of money is needed in the purchase of the equipment, the heavy workload and high cost in equipment maintenance prevent the university from using them in teaching. This paper presents a software-based simulation PLC laboratory building programs which can be applied to the PLC configuration software experimental system through putting a small amount of money to solve the above problem effectively. Then the control system of automatic feeding car is considered as an example, to draw conclusions on the system structure, the configuration interface and the overall operation and integrated test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides detailed information on the developed hardware and software for sun tracking mechanism and shows the effectiveness of utilizing time and date-based sun positioning solar collector system in tropical climate. The sun positioning system is based on the calculated azimuth and altitude at location E100°11′, N6°26′ in Northern Peninsular Malaysia where the climate is categorized as tropical climate. The system has two axes tracking with accuracy of 1° controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). The field test has been done during a sunny and clear day, cloudy day and, heavy overcast and rainy day in which the results show that the improvement in the generated power of 91.97%, 122.71% and 90.42%, respectively, as compared with the fixed horizontal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial automation is largely based on PLC-based control systems. PLCs are today mostly programmed in the languages of the IEC 61131 standard which are not ready to meet the new challenges of widely distributed automation systems. Currently, an extension of IEC 61131 which includes object oriented programming as well as the new standard IEC 61499 are available. Moreover, service-oriented paradigms where autonomous and interoperable resources provide their functionalities in the form of services that can be accessed externally by clients without knowing the underlining implementation have been presented in the literature. In the supervisory control theory, methodologies based on formal models have been developed to improve the coordination of concurrent and distributed systems. In this paper, an event-driven approach is proposed to improve the design of industrial control systems using commercial PLCs. At a lower level, basic sequences are coded in elementary software objects, called function blocks, providing their functionalities as services. At an upper level, a Petri Net (PN) controller forces the execution of such services according to desired sequences, while by a PN supervisor constraints on the sequences are satisfied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a reconfigurable hardware platform for general-purpose video processing. The proposed design is a step towards portable, web-enabled devices which, unlike most existing smart cameras, are to a large degree autonomous and have substantial intelligence embedded. The device is based on programmable logic, microcontrollers, and dedicated communication modules. It is able to acquire an input frame using a built-in camera, process the image in a massively parallel manner, and expose its functionality as a web service compliant with the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm. Thanks to the FPGA technology used for main functionality implementation, the system’s hardware can be locally or remotely reconfigured in order to optimize it on a very low level for user-defined tasks. Moreover, the image processing core is implemented using a C-to-HDL compiler to reduce time to market when deploying new functionalities. We demonstrate the capabilities of our device on two example applications: moving object detection and face recognition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper describes a prototype operator panel, which was designed to operate with the S7-200 family of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC-s) from Siemens. Most of the functionality of the operator panel was implemented in a computer program, which runs on a PC-class computer. The program communicates with a PLC through its communication port configured in the Freeport mode. Two kinds of interface between the PC, and the PLC are supported: wired, and wireless. For wired connection a standard PC/PPI cable supplied by Siemens is used. For wireless connection two communication modules were designed, which operate in the free 433 MHz band. The operator panel program is intuitive, and easy to use. States of PLC inputs and outputs are presented using graphical objects. It is possible to modify states of the outputs, and monitor and edit any variable in the M and V memory in the PLC. The application supports also alarming. The program can be run on any computer with the MS Windows operating system installed. This makes the solution very cost-effective. Providing both wired and wireless communication radically increases flexibility of the proposed solution. The panel can be quickly mounted in areas, where pulling new cables is inconvenient, difficult or expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A fundamental functionality of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is to control and execute a set of operations. But a large part of the program code is more involved in supporting the user with concerns like alarm, HMI, communication, safety and manual control. Code related to these supporting concerns is often tangled with operation execution code, the core concerns, which makes it hard to reuse. This paper describes a method to reuse code and functionality when developing PLC programs and code libraries. The method proposes that core concerns are planned with a software tool called Sequence Planner, and the supporting concerns are integrated into the core concerns with a tool based on aspect-oriented programming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Functional validation is an important task in complex embedded system. The formal modeling of PLC system for verification is a rough task. Good verificationmodel should be faithful and concise. At one hand, themodelmust be consistentwith the system at the other hand, themodelmust have suitable scale because of the state explosion problem of verification. This paper proposes a systemic method for the construction of verification model. PLC system architecture and PLC features are modeled as components. This is universal for all PLC applications. We give an automatic translationmethod for softwaremodeling based on operational semantics. A small example is demonstrated for our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a linear switched reluctance motor (LSRM) with 250 W, 6/4 poles, 3 phases, and 24 V was controlled with a programmable logic controller (PLC). Some parameters of the LSRM were set, and for PC monitoring, software developed by the authors was used. A serial port was used for communication between the PC and the PLC. The software was developed with Visual C#.Net 2008 for monitoring and controlling. This user interference allows for controlling of the motor's travelling distance with a running strategy. The first and second destination can be defined and the system provides that the motor operates between these points continuously. The phase and velocity currents of the motor were shown and curved with the software. The existing position of the motor and the number of pulses were determined and displayed with a linear incremental encoder. The windings of the motor phases were energized depending on their position using a classical bridge converter. This PLC-controlled LSRM study leads industrial practices and the educational sector to highlight the importance of linear motion, which is used in many implementations. Furthermore, all types of LSRMs can be used in the developed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) three-level slow control system has undergone several enhancements during its lifetime, involving essentially the supervisory and medium level, while the lower level is still mainly based on old Westinghouse Numalogic PLCs (Programmable Logic Controller). The legacy PLC controlling the toroidal magnet flywheel generator, named MFG1, is now being replaced with a more modern Siemens Simatic S7 PLC, because of its versatility an the ability to be integrated via standard networking protocol. The upgrade to this family of Siemens PLCs, which in the meantime has been selected as standard by ITER CODAC, has made MFG1 slow control an ideal candidate to deploy ITER CODAC software technologies and architecture to a running plant in an operating tokamak environment. A project has thus been started to port MFG1 control to ITER CODAC I&C architecture using the software package CODAC Core System to interface the PLC with the ITER standard systems for instrumentation and control, Plant System Host (PSH) and Mini-CODAC, developing dedicated HMI (Human–Machine Interface) and realizing the communication layer between MFG1 plant system and FTU supervisor. This paper will give a full account of the project and will report the results that have been obtained up to now, focusing also on the definite advantages provided by a distributed control architecture compared to the supervisor-dependent one still running at FTU, in view of future fusion devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Instrumentation and control (I&C) systems play a vital role in the operation of safety-critical processes. Digital programmable logic controllers (PLC) enable sophisticated control tasks which sets high requirements for system validation and verification methods. Testing and simulation have an important role in the overall verification of a system but are not suitable for comprehensive evaluation because only a limited number of system behaviors can be analyzed due to time limitations. Testing is also performed too late in the development lifecycle and thus the correction of design errors is expensive. This paper discusses the role of formal methods in software development in the area of nuclear engineering. It puts forward model checking, a computer-aided formal method for verifying the correctness of a system design model, as a promising approach to system verification. The main contribution of the paper is the development of systematic methodology for modeling safety critical systems in the nuclear domain. Two case studies are reviewed, in which we have found errors that were previously not detected. We also discuss the actions that should be taken in order to increase confidence in the model checking process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The moisture and the concentration of K in the soil in plant ecological park was accurately controlled based on the SIMATIC S7-300 PLC controller. The hardware of control system based on PLC was set up, at the same time, the control algorithm used in the moisture and concentration of K was analyzed and the software design of control system was also completed. At last, the control system was proved to be practicality and superiority by comparing the quantity and quality of potatoes yield from the two plots, one is controlled by the designed controller and the other is in the natural growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Formal methods for specification and verification are promising in developing programmable logic controller (PLC) programs in manufacturing industry. Particularly this holds for safety PLCs, used to protect humans and equipment from injuries and damages. An important challenge though, is the development of formal specifications, typically a tough task for control engineers. This brief proposes a systematic work procedure that can be used as a first step of developing formal specifications of safety PLC programs in industry. The work procedure intends to facilitate the development of relevant formal properties for safety PLC program components. The formal specifications can be used for automatic formal verification of the components, using model checking techniques. This brief shows how the work procedure has been applied to industrial safety components, resulting in relevant and nontrivial specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current practice of the SRS design is analyzed, and noncompliance with the GOST R IEC 61508-2007 standard is detected. The paper introduces a configuration of a PLC SRS meeting the requirements of the standard of functional safety of electrical/ electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems (GOST R IEC 61508-2007). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, human-computer interaction was applied as the main features. Human-computer interface programs and programmable logic controller (plc) programs were combined application and address matching and the same address communication mode were adopted. Through the buttons of human-computer interface to trigger the read address set. And further corresponding virtual relays of the plc addresses area were activated. In this paper, Li/MnO2 button battery product line control system was introduced as an example. In the system, according to the process route of product line some areas were set including parameter setting area, single working place debugging area, equipment running area and the alarm browsing area. In order to protect the normal operation of the product line, interlock programs were used to ban parameters modification and single station debugging, avoiding the occurrence of malfunction. At the same time, the fault diagnosis technology was used to have designed a more optimal alarm pattern. The control system has been tested in practice to get good results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A set of realistic applications inspired by local industries were integrated in a process control course at UQAR. The course employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating notions from various fields of engineering through theme examples such as wastewater treatment, pulp and paper making, and mineral grinding (mining industry). Laboratories involving these processes were realized using a simulation software designed for process control education. A fourth laboratory comprising the use of an industrial programmable controller was also part of the course. Feedback and comparative appreciation from the students is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Functional Safety is a major concern in the design of automation systems today. Many of those systems are realized using Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) programmed according to IEC 61131-3. PLCopen – as IEC 61131 user organization – semi-formally specified a set of software function blocks to be used in safety applications according to IEC 61508. In the presented work, formal models in the form of timed automata for the safety function blocks (SFBs) are constructed from the semi-formal specifications. The accordance of the formalized blocks to the specification is verified using model checking. Furthermore, their behaviour is validated against specified test cases by simulation. The resulting verified and validated library of formal models is used to build a formal model of a given safety application – built from SFBs – and to verify and validate its properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The monitoring system is conceived as an open system which allows the later development (hardware and software) both in process and operating stations and the communication system level. The facilities of multiprocessing allow the later development of the system capacity without being affected its functioning. A monitoring also means the knowledge and the monitoring of the operation from the operator panel (HMI) of each equipment without moving from the place to see its unfunctionality [1]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verification and validation (V&V) of safety control system quality and performance is required prior to installing control system hardware within nuclear power plants (NPPs). Thus, the objective of the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform introduced in this paper is to verify the functionality of these safety control systems. The developed platform provides a flexible simulated testing environment which enables synchronized coupling between the real and simulated world. Within the platform, National Instruments (NI) data acquisition (DAQ) hardware provides an interface between a programmable electronic system under test (SUT) and a simulation computer. Further, NI LabVIEW resides on this remote DAQ workstation for signal conversion and routing between Ethernet and standard industrial signals as well as for user interface. The platform is applied to the testing of a simplified implementation of Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) shutdown system no. 1 (SDS1) which monitors only the steam generator level of the simulated NPP. CANDU NPP simulation is performed on a Darlington NPP desktop training simulator provided by Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Simplified SDS1 logic is implemented on an Invensys Tricon v9 programmable logic controller (PLC) to test the performance of both the safety controller and the implemented logic. Prior to HIL simulation, platform availability of over 95% is achieved for the configuration used during the V&V of the PLC. Comparison of HIL simulation results to benchmark simulations shows good operational performance of the PLC following a postulated initiating event (PIE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to count the number of impacting of the collision, we adopt PLC to control the electromagnetic valve to achieve counting. According to the flexible expansion capability of PLC, we use I/O card to directly connect in the bus of soft PLC computer, which can make the software and hardware up to combine the controlling of human-machine and the performance of the PLC. It can conveniently expanse the facility and communicate between human and machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of investigation regarding potential capabilities provided by the scaling method (SM), as well as regarding the ways of its practical use for evaluating the adjustment parameters in closed-loop control systems are presented. Specific examples are given to demonstrate applicability of the SM when adjusting controllers for control objects having delayed reaction to control actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A multi-channel gated integrator and PXI based data acquisition system have been developed for nuclear detector arrays with hundreds of detector units. The multi-channel gated integrator can be controlled by a programmable GI controller. The PXI-DAQ system consists of NI PXI-1033 chassis with several PXI-DAQ cards. The system software has a user-friendly GUI which is written in C language using LabWindows/CVI under Windows XP operating system. The performance of the PXI-DAQ system is very reliable and capable of handling event rate up to 40kHz. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Model checking is often applied to verify safety-critical software implemented in programmable logic controller (PLC) language such as a function block diagram (FBD). Counter-examples generated by a model checker are often too lengthy and complex to analyze. This paper describes the FBDVerifier which allows domain experts to perform automated model checking and intuitive visual analysis of counter-examples without having to know technical details on temporal logic or the model checker. Once the FBD program is automatically translated into a semantically equivalent Verilog model and model checking is performed using SMV, users can enter various expressions to investigate why verification of certain properties failed. When applied to FBD programs implementing a shutdown system for a nuclear power plant, domain engineers were able to perform effective FBD verification and detect logical errors in the FBD design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Intel 8751 microcontroller-based system was developed to monitor and control the temperature of an oven. The IN4148 signal diode was used as the temperature sensor and the on-off control algorithm was utilized with the system switching off the heating process whenever it attains the preset value. The system provides a digital readout of the system temperature and a status/blinker indicator showing whether heating is in progress or terminated. The control programs were loaded onto the memory of the microcontroller and the enable the selection of the different temperature values. The system improves accuracy by eliminating human participation and saves operator time. The system is easy to operate, maintain, and upgrade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]