Lifecycle engineering of modular automated machines

This paper describes the realisation of an embedded control system and associated engineering environment to support the lifecycle of modular automated machines. An on-going research project named MBODY (modular build for distributed systems) has been undertaken in collaboration with end users, machine builders, and controls and component vendors in the automotive, electronics and warehousing sectors. The external drivers of change affecting industry today are reviewed and the need for a better approach to the design and implementation of control systems is explained in this context. The engineering environment and associated component-based control system architecture aim to support the lifecycle needs of a new generation of agile automated systems; i.e. providing reconfigurable, easily scalable automated machinery, which is not reliant on a centralised PLC or PC based controller and where the control logic is embedded into the modules of the machine. The new system is suitable for a wide range of applications where sequence and interlock control predominates, i.e. typically application domains of conventional PLC based machine control