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Institute of Software Technology
and Interactive Systems Favoritenstraße 9-11/188 1040 Vienna, Austria cdl.ifs.tuwien.ac.at
AutomationML Hub
Software hub for improving the parallel engineering of industrial systems – using the open standard AutomationML and the software platform Automation Service Bus® In recent times, software tool chains supported by the open and standardised data exchange format AutomationML have found increasingly extensive use in order to bridge technical and conceptual gaps between heterogeneous software tools or incompatible data formats. These chains enable to be passed on data between the tools of different domains in a consistent and traceable manner and thus implement more efficient processes and minimise risks. Despite the thus achievable and significant efficiency gains, there are disadvantages to the use of these tool chains. The simple exchange of data between tools has a series of weaknesses. For example, there is no integrated data available enabling continuous observation of the progress of the project. Gaps in the data exchange between different tools as well as between process and project observations are currently not being closed reliably enough by support implementations and informal communication.
Objectives For existing and traditionally automated systems, an integration of engineering enhances efficiency and is valuable. However, for Industry 4.0 solutions – to which changes are repeatedly made throughout the entire lifespan of the system – this integration is essential. This is because only machine-processable and lifelong documentation of all important system parts enables the stable development of the entire system.
Approach The Christian Doppler research laboratory „Software Engineering Integration for Flexible Automation Systems“ (CDL-Flex) at TU Wien is developing – in collaboration with its company partner logi.cals – the software hub AutomationML Hub (AML Hub) based on the jointly created technical software platform Automation Service Bus® (ASB). The ASB allows the version-controlled storing and integrating of the data along tool chains in order to facilitate observing, automating, and improving engineering processes.
Industry 4.0 merges engineering, production, and IT – the new multi-model dashboard makes complex coordination processes visible and more efficient
The AML Hub provides an intelligent repository that allows the management and linking of AutomationML projects that describe a joint plant from the perspective of different domains. Engineering processes can be simplified, coordinated, automated, and analysed based on the content and processing of this AML project family. The AML Hub provides support for open technologies, such as the standard AutomationML in order to bridge technical and conceptual gaps between planning models in heterogeneous software tools. Common concepts shared by experts at project level are mapped onto local representations in software tools. This enables changes and conflicts to be detected automatically. Further, the mappings enable the continuous observation of project and process parameters during the engineering phase and during plant operation. In particular, the AML Hub enables data consistency management across several parallel tool chains, facilitates round-trip engineering, and provides data for engineering processes at project level, for example for risk management or test automation. In the AML Hub, the data
CD-Research Laboratory „Software Engineering Integration for Flexible Automation Systems“ (CDL- Flex)
is linked across the domains and is processed on an automated basis in order to prevent errors in data use. The evaluation of the concept for the AutomationML Hub from the TU Wien with a representative standard example from industrial production at the University of Magdeburg has confirmed that data from various disciplines can be integrated and efficiently analysed with a standardised query language.
Mechanical CAD
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AutomationML Hub
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The information about engineering objects in the AML Hub is enriched gradually during the course of the project. This overall view allows a quick analysis of the progress and an improvement of the engineering processes in the project for managers and engineers in order to minimise errors and risks in the overall planning.
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PLC program Tool Data
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The new „multi-model dashboard“ approach (cf. image on the front page) is an application of the AML Hub and grants project participants the efficient definition, selection, monitoring, and presentation of critical parameters and constraints – based on the functionality of the Automation Service Bus, which can identify and analyse changes to defined parameters in heterogeneous local engineering models. In automatically generated tables sent to them, users see whether constraints that affect them are fulfilled according to the current status of the underlying data. They can see due to which parameter changes a constraint was violated and with whom they need to coordinate in order to find a solution.
Software Dev. Environment
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Tried-and-tested in Practice The technical software platform ASB used by AML Hub was successfully evaluated and applied, including: • in hydroelectric power plant engineering (ANDRITZ HYDRO) • in steel mill automation – for efficient integration of heterogeneous tools, including in complex tool landscapes by means of EPlan Engineering Center and Probas • in the simulation and operation of supply systems (water Distribution, electricity networks, heat distributon)
Benefits for you • The multi-model dashboard method allows critical project parameters to be monitored during the engineering phase and later, during operation - NEW, presented for the first time at SPS IPC Drives 2014. • AutomationML can be deployed as a common language and as a basis not just for efficient data exchange between heterogeneous engineering tools, but also for the effective and efficient coordi-nation of engineering processes.
___________________________________________ References Biffl S., Kovalenko O., Lüder A., Schmidt N., Rosendahl R.: “Semantic Mapping Support for Mechatronic Objects in AutomationML”, AutomationML User Conference, 2014. Biffl S., Lüder A., Schmidt N., Winkler D.: “Early and Efficient Quality Assurance of Risky Technical Parameters in a Mechatronic Design Process”, IECON, 2014.
Contact: Ao.Univ.Prof. Dr. Stefan Biffl Christian Doppler Research Laboratory CDL-Flex TU Wien - Institute of Software Technology and Interactive Systems Favoritenstraße 9-11/188 1040 Vienna, Austria
[email protected] TU Wien - Research marketing
