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Towards Normalized Connection Elements in Industrial Automation

Authors:
Dirk van der Linden
Herwig Mannaert
Wolfgang Kastner
Herbert Peremans

Keywords: Normalized Systems; Automation control software; IEC 61131-3; ISA88; OPC UA.

Abstract:
There is a tendency to Web-enable automation control systems, with consequently the challenge to propagate and aggregate data and control over the Internet. While classical industrial controller systems are limited to a local network, Web-enabled systems can be coupled in a new dimension. However, this also introduces larger impacts of changes and combinatorial effects. The Normalized Systems theory was recently proposed with the explicit goal of keeping these impacts bounded. It can be applied from the production control level up to the Web-enabled interface. One of the key principles of the Normalized Systems theory is to enforce Separation of Concerns in a multi-technology environment. To this end, this paper introduces Normalized Connection Elements as a stable interface between PLC software and field devices. As a case in point, the IEC 61131-3 code design of an ISA88 Control Module following these principles is discussed.

Pages: 133 to 146

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2011. Used with permission.

Publication date: April 30, 2012

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2652