An approach to open virtual commissioning for component-based automation

Increasing market demands for highly customised products with shorter time-to-market and at lower prices are forcing manufacturing systems to be built and operated in a more efficient ways. In order to overcome some of the limitations in traditional methods of automation system engineering, this thesis focuses on the creation of a new approach to Virtual Commissioning (VC). In current VC approaches, virtual models are driven by pre-programmed PLC control software. These approaches are still time-consuming and heavily control expertise-reliant as the required programming and debugging activities are mainly performed by control engineers. Another current limitation is that virtual models validated during VC are difficult to reuse due to a lack of tool-independent data models. Therefore, in order to maximise the potential of VC, there is a need for new VC approaches and tools to address these limitations. The main contributions of this research are: (1) to develop a new approach and the related engineering tool functionality for directly deploying PLC control software based on component-based VC models and reusable components; and (2) to build tool-independent common data models for describing component-based virtual automation systems in order to enable data reusability. [Continues.

Návrh řídicího systému pomocí virtuálního dvojčete

There is a need of drastic changes in the field of production from traditional manufacturing to smart manufacturing. Digital twin is the concept which is used for digital representation of a physical system. Digital twin is the key asset for smart factory production line. Production control and planning can be made precise with the help of digital twin in manufacturing process. In this project it is detailed more about how a digital twin system is designed as a parallel process in a production factory by doing palletization of products and transporting out on a conveyor using robotic arm and testing it under laboratory conditions and to specify workplace for the design.Je potřeba drastických změn v oblasti výroby od tradiční výroby až po inteligentní výrobu. Digitální dvojče je koncept, který se používá pro digitální reprezentaci fyzického systému. Digitální dvojče je klíčovým aktivem pro inteligentní výrobní linku. Výrobní řízení a plánování lze pomocí digitálního twin ve výrobním procesu zpřesnit. V tomto projektu je podrobně popsáno, jak je digitální dvojitý systém navržen jako paralelní proces ve výrobním závodě tím, že se provádí paletizace výrobků a transportuje se na dopravníku pomocí robotického ramene a testuje se v laboratorních podmínkách a specifikuje pracoviště pro návrh .450 - Katedra kybernetiky a biomedicínského inženýrstvívýborn

Innovative configurable and collaborative approach to automation systems engineering for automotive powertrain assembly

Presently the automotive industry is facing enormous pressure due to global competition and ever changing legislative, economic and customer demands. Both, agility and reconfiguration are widely recognised as important attributes for manufacturing systems to satisfy the needs of competitive global markets. To facilitate and accommodate unforeseen business changes within the automotive industry, a new proactive methodology is urgently required for the design, build, assembly and reconfiguration of automation systems. There is also need for the promotion of new technologies and engineering methods to enable true engineering concurrency between product and process development. Virtual construction and testing of new automation systems prior to build is now identified as a crucial requirement to enable system verification and to allow the investigation of design alternatives prior to building and testing physical systems. The main focus of this research was to design and develop reconfigurable assembly systems within the powertrain sector of the automotive industry by capturing and modelling relevant business and engineering processes. This research has proposed and developed a more process-efficient and robust automation system design, build and implementation approach via new engineering services and a standard library of reusable mechanisms. Existing research at Loughborough had created the basic technology for a component based approach to automation. However, no research had been previously undertaken on the application of this approach in a user engineering and business context. The objective of this research was therefore to utilise this prototype method and associated engineering tools and to devise novel business and engineering processes to enable the component-based approach to be applied in industry. This new approach has been named Configurable and Collaborative Automation Systems (CO AS). In particular this new research has studied the implications of migration to a COAS approach in terms of I) necessary changes to the end-users business processes, 2) potential to improve the robustness of the resultant system and 3) potential for improved efficiency and greater collaboration across the supply chain... cont'

HVAC system simulation: overview, issues and some solutions

Integrated performance simulation of buildings’ heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can help in reducing energy consumption and increasing occupant comfort. Recognizing this fact, in the last forty years many tools have been developed to help achieving this goal. In this paper we introduce a categorization of these tools with respect to which problems they are meant to deal with and summarize current approaches used for modelling (i) HVAC components, (ii) HVAC control and (iii) HVAC systems in general. Further in this paper, we list issues associated with applications of HVAC modelling and simulation. Finally, we present and discuss co-simulation as one of solutions that can alleviate some of the recognized issues