A Decomposition-Based Development Method for Industrial Control Systems

Abstract

Industrial control systems (ICSs), especially distributed control systems (DCSs), are usually composed of several subsystems. Each subsystem is controlled by a control unit such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a micro-controller and collaborates with other subsystems via the field bus, Ethernet, or other communication links. In the traditional development process, engineers program for each PLC separately and skillfully orchestrate the collaboration among subsystems, which is difficult and errorprone. The larger the scale of the ICS is, the higher the complexity of the collaboration is, and the more errorprone the development process is. In this paper, we propose a decomposition-based development method for distributed ICSs to reduce the difficulty of developing distributed ICSs whose subsystems cooperate with each other. First, we present a general event-triggered specification language named Industrial Modeling Collaboration Language (IMCL) for modeling ICSs; the language allows describing system functions and physical resources in one unified model. Second, we provide an approach for decomposing the complex system model into multiple fine-grained and interactive subsystem models. Specifically, under given resource constraints, we propose an automatic decomposition and collaboration algorithm based on the IMCL model to meet the original functional requirements. In this way, engineers can develop distributed control systems without considering the underlying complex interaction mechanisms. We present a case study to demonstrate it.

Plumbing leakage detection system with water level detector controlled by programmable logic controller type Omron CPM2A

“…In the computing step, the control unit performs some computations such as numerical calculations and conditional judgment, etc. In the output steps, the control unit modifies the values of the variables that are mapped to some output points or control actuators to conduct certain mechanical actions by providing output signals to driver devices [25]. Controllers are generated for random systems with different values of the prediction horizon, the system delay, and the dimensions of the state, control input, and system output.…”

A Model-Driven Alarms Framework (MAF) With Mobile Clients Support for Wide-Ranging Industrial Control Systems

“…Overall, the requirements of 21 alarms are modeled through MAF i.e. Limit 5, Digital (11), RoC (4) and Deviation (1). Subsequently, transformation process is executed to automatically generate alarm server and mobile clients.…”

“…Industrial Control Systems (ICS), a.k.a. Process Control Systems (PCS) are employed along the production line to monitor and control the processes [1]. The ICS is relatively a general term used for hardware and software integration with network connectivity to support critical industrial processes.…”