Hardware and software system for simulation, control, and communication between industrial automation programs and PLC control used in educational institutions

With the development of social productivity, people's requirements for industrial automation continue to improve, the proportion of industrial automation equipment in the production process is growing. At present, PLC controller has been widely used in various fields and industries. Usually, the core of a complete embedded system is embedded processor and embedded operating system. Embedded processor belongs to chip industry, and the related industry chain has been very mature. Embedded processors can be subdivided into design, wafer manufacturing, packaging and testing. In this paper, a low-cost PLC controller design scheme is proposed. From the aspects of hardware circuit construction, product reliability design and software design, Bing explains in detail the PLC controller hardware and software design and specific implementation.

A newly developed Control Software System (CSS) designed to control and monitor the operation of the magnets and the experiments at the Wuhan High Magnetic Field Center (WHMFC) pulsed high magnetic field facility is described. The CSS implements the functions of status evaluation and experiment process control in real time as well as the functions of system structure configuration and data management off-line. Using software architecture based on component-oriented technology, scenarios about control flow rebuilding, interfacing with local control hardware, synchronous triggering and transfer of the results of measurements are discussed in detail. Hardware simulator design and human machine interface of the CSS are described as well. The test results show that the entire operation process is perfectly handled by the CSS which provides an integrated platform for scientific experiments and research.

An attempt was made to characterize the cellular radio channel from the data transmission point of view and to study the performance of the FSK and GTFM modulation schemes for data transmission. The results were achieved by implementation of hardware and software simulation systems, taking into account the effects of multipath fading, adjacent and cochannel interference, and noise. Several error control techniques were evaluated.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

In this paper, a heuristic method for the optimal placement of monitors in communication networks is proposed. In order to be able to make informed decisions, a first step towards securing a communication network is deploying an adequate sensor infrastructure. However, appropriate monitoring should take into account the priority of the communication links as well as the location of monitors. The goal is to cover the whole network with the minimum investment and impact on performance, i.e., the optimal amount and positions of monitors in the network. In order to be able to counteract dynamic changes in those networks, e.g., link failures, attacks, or entering and leaving nodes, this work focuses on swiftly obtaining results having an acceptable quality. To achieve this goal, an effective hybrid search heuristic is introduced, combining the computational efficiency of a greedy local search method with the robustness of evolution-based heuristics. It is shown that this approach works well on synthetic benchmark instances and real-world network models, having up to millions of nodes, by comparing the performance of a common evolutionary algorithm (EA) to its hybrid search counterparts. It is observed that the hybrid search heuristics produce good solutions on the instances under study in a reasonable amount of time. Regarding the fitness of the solutions found, the hybrid approach outperforms the common EA in all the experiments. Moreover, on all problem instances, the hybrid EA finds the best solutions significantly earlier in the search process, which is key when monitoring a communication infrastructure which is subject to change.

We are announcing the first release of Viptos (Visual Ptolemy and TinyOS), an integrated graphical development and simulation environment for TinyOS-based wireless sensor networks. Viptos allows developers to create block and arrow diagrams to construct TinyOS programs from any standard library of nesC/TinyOS components. The tool automatically transforms the diagram into a nesC program that can be compiled and downloaded from within the graphical environment onto any TinyOS-supported target hardware. In particular, Viptos includes the full capabilities of VisualSense [1], which can model communication channels, networks, and non-TinyOS nodes. This release of Viptos is compatible with nesC 1.2 and includes tools to harvest existing TinyOS components and applications and convert them into a format that can be displayed as block (and arrow) diagrams and simulated.Viptos is based on TOSSIM and Ptolemy II. TOSSIM is an interrupt-level simulator for TinyOS programs. It runs actual TinyOS code but provides software replacements for the simulated hardware and models network interaction at the bit or packet level. Ptolemy II is a graphical software system for modeling, simulation, and design of concurrent, real-time, embedded systems. Ptolemy II focuses on assembly of concurrent components with well-defined models of computation that govern the interaction between components. VisualSense is a Ptolemy II environment for modeling and simulation of wireless sensor networks at the network level.Viptos provides a bridge between VisualSense and TOSSIM by providing interrupt-level simulation of actual TinyOS programs, with packet-level simulation of the network, while allowing the developer to use other models of computation available in Ptolemy II for modeling various parts of the system. While TOSSIM only allows simulation of homogeneous networks where each node runs the same program, Viptos supports simulation of heterogeneous networks where each node may run a different program. Viptos simulations may also include non-TinyOS-based wireless nodes. The developer can easily switch to different channel models and change other parts of the simulated environment, such as creating models to generate simulated traffic on the wireless network.Viptos inherits the actor-oriented modeling environment of Ptolemy II, which allows the developer to use different models of computation at each level of simulation. At the lowest level, Viptos uses the discrete-event scheduler of TOSSIM to model the interaction between the CPU and TinyOS code that runs on it. At the next highest level, Viptos uses the discrete-event scheduler of Ptolemy II to model interaction with mote hardware, such as the radio and sensors. This level is then embedded within VisualSense to allow modeling of the wireless channels to simulate packet loss, corruption, delay, etc. The user can also model and simulate other aspects of the physical environment including those detected by the sensors (e.g., light, temperature, etc.), terrain, etc.At IPSN in April 2005, we demonstrated a pre-release developmental version of Viptos with two simple applications. The first was a single node sensing application that displayed the value of the light sensor on the LEDs. The second was a two node send and receive application that transmitted the value of the light sensor on the first node to the second node. This release version of Viptos supports more sophisticated applications, such as multi-node routing, and demonstrates some of the more advanced features described in this abstract.

Regarding high precision and automatic control requirements for management and control system of oil depot, this paper applied RF technology in in-out oil management and automatic control theory in automatic control system of oil depot. Thus, a novel oil depot automatic in-out control system based on three level structure and RF technology was designed. In the system, the three level structures are composed of on-site control level, site management level and remote management level. A mode of combining control instruments with PLC controller was adopted in on-site control level and VB .Net was used as software for upper computer. The designed non-contact IC card management software for oil access and in-out oil control system will simplify the operation process of employees; approve levels of safe management and data accuracy for oil access in oil depot. Field tests show that this system has advantage of high control accuracy achieved 0.2 magnitude, high precision of data acquisition and easy operation for control management. The system provides an efficient technology approach for raising the level of automation and management in the oil industry.

This article demonstrates the modeling of a real engine-generator set (genset) based on manufacturer data for use in controller-hardware-in-the-loop testing of microgrid control systems. The simulation environment used is RTDS Technologies' real time digital simulator using PB5 cards. In addition, this article provides detail on integration of a commercially available controller with the simulator analog and digital inputs and outputs for control of the simulated genset. Testing of the developed model is performed to validate the standard parameters of the synchronous generator and the dynamic performance of the genset during starting, load acceptance, and load sharing between multiple gensets. By integrating controller hardware, time spent on modeling the genset frequency, voltage, and load sharing controls is avoided and valuable simulator processing capacity is saved. The result of this investigation is a genset model that exhibits the characteristics of real equipment and may be used in the validation of controller hardware and software for the derisking of microgrid control systems.

This project aims to design and develop an automatic induction motor star/delta starter using a timer with overvoltage and undervoltage protection system. The system will ensure efficient and safe operation of induction motors by automatically switching between star and delta connections based on the motor's operating conditions. The inclusion of overvoltage and undervoltage protection enhances the system's reliability and prevents motor damage due to voltage fluctuations, which are common in industrial settings. The project will involve a comprehensive literature review, design and development of the system's hardware and software components, simulation and testing of the prototype, and performance evaluation. The expected outcome is a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective automatic induction motor star/delta starter system that can be readily deployed in various industrial applications to improve motor performance and longevity. The system incorporates advanced features including real- time voltage monitoring, fault indication through LED displays, emergency stop capabilities, and provisions for remote monitoring integration. Testing results validate the system's effectiveness in protecting three-phase induction motors ranging from 5 HP to 50 HP across various industrial applications. The economic analysis reveals significant benefits including reduced maintenance costs, improved motor lifespan, enhanced operational reliability, and decreased downtime. The payback period for the investment is estimated at 18-24 months for typical industrial installations. This research contributes to the field of industrial automation by providing a comprehensive solution that addresses multiple challenges in motor starting and protection. The system's modular design allows for easy customization and scalability, making it suitable for diverse industrial applications from manufacturing plants to water treatment facilities.

Rocket flight tests invariably serve a purpose, one of which involves area monitoring or aerial photography. Consequently, the rocket necessitates the installation of a camera that remains consistently oriented toward the Earth's surface throughout its trajectory. Thus, ensuring the rocket's stability and preventing any rotation becomes imperative. To achieve this, the Onboard Attitude Determination Control System (OADCS) was researched and developed, fully controlled by NI myRIO with Labview as the programming language, ensures the rocket's attitude control and maintains a rolling angle of 0 degrees during flight. The MyRIO oversees the retrieval of attitude and position data from the X-Plane flight simulator, offering feedback through actuator control. The development of the OADCS proceeded incrementally through stages utilizing the Software in the Loop Simulation (SILS) and Hardware in the Loop Simulation (HILS) techniques, to ensure the verification of the system's functionality before its application to the rocket for real flight testing. In the OADCS control scheme, Model Predictive Control (MPC) is chosen, and it is compared with a PID controller to serve as a benchmark for processing speed. Because the rocket's flight time is short and its speeds of up to Mach 4. The simulation results indicate that MPC can halt the rocket's rotation 12 times more rapidly than PID control. Additionally, the MPC's ability to maintain a zero-degree rotation can persist throughout the rocket's flight time. Employing SILS and HILS enhances the OADCS rocket development process by incorporating MPC, which holds promise for application in real rockets.

Testing PLC and DCS control logic in industrial automation is laborious and challenging since appropriate test cases are often complex and difficult to formulate. Researchers have previously proposed several automated test case generation approaches for PLC software applying symbolic execution and search-based techniques. Often requiring formal specifications and performing a mechanical analysis of programs, these approaches may uncover specific programming errors but some-times suffer from state space explosion and cannot process rather informal specifications. We proposed a novel approach for the automatic generation of PLC test cases that queries a Large Language Model (LLM) to synthesize test cases for code provided in a prompt. Experiments with ten open-source function blocks from the OSCAT automation library showed that the approach is fast, easy to use, and can yield test cases with high statement coverage for low-to-medium complex programs. However, we also found that LLM-generated test cases suffer from erroneous assertions in many cases, which still require manual adaption.

Multi-agent networked linear dynamic systems have attracted the attention of researchers in power systems, intelligent transportation, and industrial automation. The agents might cooperatively optimize a global performance objective, resulting in social optimization, or try to satisfy their own selfish objectives using a noncooperative differential game. However, in these solutions, large volumes of data must be sent from system states to possibly distant control inputs, thus resulting in high cost of the underlying communication network. To enable economically viable communication, a game-theoretic framework is proposed under the communication cost, or sparsity, constraint, given by the number of communicating state/control input pairs. As this constraint tightens, the system transitions from dense to sparse communication, providing the tradeoff between dynamic system performance and information exchange. Moreover, using the proposed sparsity-constrained distributed social optimization and noncooperative game algorithms, we develop a method to allocate the costs of the communication infrastructure fairly and according to the agents' diverse needs for feedback and cooperation. Numerical results illustrate utilization of the proposed algorithms to enable and ensure economic fairness of wide-area control among power companies.

With advanced communication technologies, cyber-physical systems such as networked industrial control systems can be monitored and controlled by a remote control center via communication networks. While lots of benefits can be achieved with such a configuration, it also brings the concern of cyber attacks to the industrial control systems, such as networked manipulators that are widely adopted in industrial automation. For such systems, a false data injection attack on a control-center-to-manipulator (CC-M) communication channel is undesirable, and has negative effects on the manufacture quality. In this paper, we propose a resilient remote kinematic control method for serial manipulators undergoing a false data injection attack by leveraging the kinematic model. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed method can guarantee asymptotic convergence of the regulation error to zero in the presence of a type of false data injection attack. The efficacy of the proposed method is validated via simulations.

Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) combine human-machine interaction, the physical world around us, and software aspects by integrating physical systems with communication networks. Opportunities and research challenges are largely interconnected with the three core sub-domains of CPS m computation, communication and control. The current state of the art of the legacy communication technology is one of the major hindrances limiting the evolution of CPS. Most specifically, innovation in communication is restricted with existing routing and switching technologies leaving no practical methods for researchers to test their new ideas. Software Defined Networking (SDN), through the realization of OpenFlow, separates network control logic from the underlying physical routers and switches. This phenomenon allows researchers to write high-level control programs specifying the behavior of the core networks used to implement CPS and thus, enable innovation in next generation communication architectures for CPS. In this paper, we propose a SDN architecture for industrial automation. Network design requirements are extracted from formal component specifications which support the generation of automatic network configurations. The proposed SDN architecture aims to leverage Industry 4.0 and Smart Factories, to bring together industrial automation installations with networking and Internet technologies.

Control over network is a concept that is widely accepted and used in industrial automation. Therefore, the stability, safety, and robustness of the distributed and control systems are of key importance for their correct performance. The search for solutions of remote control problems like variable time-delay, data-loss, equipment malfunctions, and susceptibility to noise is thus essential and ever important. This paper gives an overview of basic problems in networked control system with special focus on the noise effects, and presents an experimental example of the effect of electrostatic discharge on the communication network in a typical industrial networked control system.

Natural and man - made disasters often result in the loss of critical data and the disruption of communication networks. This paper presents the design and implementation of an android - based disaster recovery system that uses hardware controls to facilitate emergency data recovery and communication. The system is designed to operate under adverse conditions, ensuring that essential data can be retrieved, and emergency calls or messages can be sent even when the primary communication networks are down. The architecture integrates secure data storage, hardware - triggered data recovery, and emergency communication protocols, thereby providing a robust solution for disaster scenarios. The effectiveness of the system was evaluated through a series of tests that simulated various disaster conditions, focusing on its reliability, usability, and performance.