Verification of Industrial Processes based on Programmable Logic Controllers

 

Objectives:

 

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are the most common devices for integrating and controlling industrial processes. Despite having standard programming languages, it is still time consuming their direct programming. Using higher level programming languages, as IO Petri nets, followed by the translation to the PLC languages, is a convenient way to create PLC programs. Since PLC standard languages do not have all the features of Petri nets, in some cases the PLC implementation may not be exactly the desired one. Using external hardware devices, which monitor the PLC inputs and outputs during a verification stage, is promising way to go.

 

The main objectives of the work are the following:

- Use one digital (binary) interface for logging, along time, the input and output binary signals of the PLC

- Identify simple Discrete Event Systems (observable, described by a small number of states)

- Verify that the identified system corresponds to the system specifications

 

Requirements (grades, required courses, etc):

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Localization:

ISR / IST

 

Observations:

 

Previous works provide good starting points for the thesis. In particular exists the digital binary interface which allows logging the input and output signals of the PLC.

 

This work is conducted in collaboration with the company Inocam, responsible for the engineering design of industrial machines used in the footwear industry.

 

 

More information:

http://users.isr.ist.utl.pt/~jag