The project explores the extensions of existing software tools and paradigm for control of industrial automation applications in context of Industry 4.0. As the starting point, it uses Bechhoff platform for industrial control systems based on distributed set of industrial PCs and interfacing nodes connected through EtherCAT, an industrial proof networking system. Also, as a motivating use case we have a prototype industrial system (PIS) that consists of set of conveyors and workstations made by Festo, available in Embedded Systems and Industrial Informatics lab. The project will first deal with the control of the PIS using solely Beckhoff equipment and tools. The dynamic reconfigurability of PIS will be used as one of the main motivations to extend the Beckhoff tools with a high level concurrent programming language SystemJ and achieve the reconfigurability features in much more straightforward way than when using traditional software tools. Comparisons between two design and implementation approaches will be done to find out advantages of the traditional and new proposed approach to the design of industrial control systems. The project will result in an industrial automation control systems demonstration prototype.
Undergraduate
Establishing the methodology of designing industrial automation applications using traditional tools
Exploring extension of traditional tools with the SystemJ paradigm of design of distributed control systems
Develop two control models based on a) and b) to control a prototype industrial system (PIS) in laboratory setting
Good command of Java and/or C/C++ programming languages and environments.
Lab allocations have not been finalised