Dynamic calculation of the reliability of factory automation applications: Industry 4.0 applications

This paper addresses the issues related to reliability of factory automation applications in the context of Industry 4.0 and proposes a method to calculate it. Factory automation application reliability is a crucial aspect that can influence the entire system, hence it deserves special attention. Current existing methods calculate reliability based on empirical data in a static manner. However, Industry 4.0 acquires consideration of system dynamic behavior. Therefore, this paper presents in addition the influencing factors on reliability of the system and consider its dynamic behavior. The proposed approach was evaluated using a prototype which is included in this paper.