IEC 61131-3 control environment is called multiplatform if source programs can be executed by various processors, beginning from 8-bit microcontrollers up to 32/64bit efficient CPUs. This implies that virtual machine (VM), i.e. a software implemented processor, is used as runtime by the host CPU. The VM executes certain intermediate code into which IEC 61131-3 programs are compiled. Environment of this type called CPDev has been gradually developed by the authors over the last decade, beginning with initial report in this journal in 2008 [47]. However, technical implementations of its functionalities have not been described so far. This involves such matters as intermediate language, parametrization of the compiler and VM, multiproject runtime, translators of graphical languages, device-independent HMI, target platform and communication interfacing, which are presented in compact form in this paper. Some characteristic industrial implementations are indicated.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.