Control System Software Research Articles

Cyber-Security-Aware Network Design of Industrial Control Systems

The pervasive adoption of traditional information and communication technologies hardware and software in industrial control systems (ICS) has given birth to a unique technological ecosystem encapsulating a variety of objects ranging from sensors and actuators to video surveillance cameras and generic PCs. Despite their invaluable advantages, these advanced ICS create new design challenges, which expose them to significant cyber threats. To address these challenges, an innovative ICS network design technique is proposed in this paper to harmonize the traditional ICS design requirements pertaining to strong architectural determinism and real-time data transfer with security recommendations outlined in the ISA-62443.03.02 standard. The proposed technique accommodates security requirements by partitioning the network into security zones and by provisioning critical communication channels, known as security conduits, between two or more security zones. The ICS network design is formulated as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem that minimizes the cost of the installation. Real-time data transfer limitations and security requirements are included as constraints imposing the selection of specific traffic paths, the selection of routing nodes, and the provisioning of security zones and conduits. The security requirements of cyber assets denoted by traffic and communication endpoints are determined by a cyber attack impact assessment technique proposed in this paper. The sensitivity of the proposed techniques to different parameters is evaluated in a first scenario involving the IEEE 14-bus model and in a second scenario involving a large network topology based on generated data. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of the ILP model.

A magnetic suspension spindle system for small and micro holes EDM

Due to the slow response of the traditional servo system, short circuit and electrode bending often happen in small and micro holes electrical discharge machining (EDM); these issues usually reduce productivity and the machining quality. To address these issues, a magnetic suspension spindle drive method is proposed. The main object of this paper is to introduce the principle of magnetic suspension spindle drive, the hardware solution of the gap discharge state detection system and spindle control system, software design, and control algorithm of the detection and control systems, and the comparative experiments. Test results of the magnetic suspension spindle performance show that the axial response frequency was greater than 150 Hz, which was faster than that of traditional ball screw servo system. By means of the comparative experiments based on different servo system or different response frequency, it was found that compared with the traditional ball screw drive, small and micro holes EDM based on magnetic suspension spindle drive had the advantages of faster machining speed, less electrode loss, and better machining accuracy (size, shape, taper, and recast layer thickness) The reason is that with the increase of axial response speed, the removal of debris and conduction of heat energy would be speeded up by working fluid, and it would help to eliminate short circuit and improve machining speed and quality. The experimental results also demonstrate that the magnetic suspension spindle system based on the real-time detection method and variable integration of incremental proportional integration differentiation (PID) algorithm has better performance than that of the traditional detection system and ball screw servo system.

Upgraded control system designed for SECRAL

To improve the accuracy and usability of the superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source with advanced design in Lanzhou (SECRAL), an upgraded version of the control system was designed and tested. This paper details the architecture of the optimized control system and presents the results of its use in the long-term operation of the accelerator. The control system software, based on Visual C++, was developed following the model-view-controller architecture design pattern. The data acquisition system was based on a field-programmable gate array integrated circuit. In addition, control strategies were optimized for higher operational stability. The upgraded control system was tested with a U33+ ion beam at SECRAL, where it provided a data acquisition time of less than 1 ms. The fast reaction time and high-precision data processing during beam tuning verified the stability and maintainability of the control system.

Software hazard analysis for nuclear digital protection system by Colored Petri Net

The software safety of a nuclear digital protection system is critical for the safety of nuclear power plants as any software defect may result in severe damage. In order to ensure the safety and reliability of safety-critical digital system products and their applications, software hazard analysis is required to be performed during the lifecycle of software development. The dynamic software hazard modeling and analysis method based on Colored Petri Net is proposed and applied to the safety-critical control software of the nuclear digital protection system in this paper. The analysis results show that the proposed method can explain the complex interactions between software and hardware and identify the potential common cause failure in software properly and effectively. Moreover, the method can find the dominant software induced hazard to safety control actions, which aids in increasing software quality.

Software and Hardware Systems in the Safety Control Systems of Nuclear Power Plants

Fundamentally new software and hardware systems for lower level automation in the safety monitoring and control systems of nuclear power plants are examined. More than a hundred software-hardware systems employing software and hardware from different manufacturers have been developed and introduced in this area. Design and functional solutions based on specific software-hardware systems are presented and comparative data on the apparatus and the use of the diversity principle are discussed.

Design of Grain Dryers’ Control System

TMS320F28335 which is a TI high-performance TMS320C28x series 32-bit floating point DSP processor is used as the core of the controller, and the hardware is designed, which includes temperature collection, temperature and humidity collection, moisture detection and motor control. The development environment of the system CCS, and then for the characteristics of grain dryer control system, the control system software modular design, the use of fuzzy control method to achieve food grain motor control, and MATLAB simulation analysis, Fuzzy control is used to control the feasibility of the grain moisture.

Motion Control System of NC Turret Punch Feeding Mechanism Based on Motion Control Card

According to the characteristics and requirements of NC turret punch feeding mechanism, the open NC system architecture is constructed based on the mode of PC and motion control card. The structure of hardware system is built with DMC1410 motion control card. The movement pattern of trapezoidal velocity curve and S velocity curve are analyzed. The flow chart and the software module of motion control system of NC turret punch feeding mechanism are presented. Under the support of MFC provided by VS2015 and movement function library provided by DMC1410 motion control card, the software of motion control system is developed.

Energy Efficient Scheduling Methods for Computational Grids and Clouds

This paper presents an overview of techniques developed to improve energy efficiency of grid and cloud computing. Power consumption models and energy usage proles are presented together with energy efficiency measuring methods. Modeling of computing dynamics is discussed from the viewpoint of system identication theory, indicating basic experiment design problems and challenges. Novel approaches to cluster and network-wide energy usage optimization are surveyed, including multi-level power and software control systems, energy-aware task scheduling, resource allocation algorithms and frameworks for backbone networks management. Software-development techniques and tools are also presented as a new promising way to reduce power consumption at the computing node level. Finally, energy-aware control mechanisms are presented. In addition, this paper introduces the example of batch scheduler based on ETC matrix approach.

Drugstore Control System Design and Realization Based on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)

This paper proposes an intelligent storage and automatic drug delivery system based on PLC. This system can be applied to dispensing work for all type of medicines. Firstly, the essentials of intelligent control system are discussed and then overall scheme of the system design is presented. Secondly, introduction to the software and hardware design of control system, including the selection of PLC and motion control system are described. Lastly, by analysis of E-R diagram, the date is established and communication protocol between systems is customized. This paper also gives the implementations of the multi-threaded system and communication method.

Development of process data capturing, analysis and controlling for thermal spray techniques - SprayTracker

Thermal spraying processes are becoming increasingly important in high-technology areas, such as automotive engineering and medical technology. The method offers the advantage of a local layer application with different materials and high deposition rates. Challenges in the application of thermal spraying result from the complex interaction of different influencing variables, which can be attributed to the properties of different materials, operating equipment supply, electrical parameters, flow mechanics, plasma physics and automation. In addition, spraying systems are subject to constant wear. Due to the process specification and the high demands on the produced coatings, innovative quality assurance tools are necessary. A central aspect, which has not yet been considered, is the data management in relation to the present measured variables, in particular the spraying system, the handling system, working safety devices and additional measuring sensors. Both the recording of all process-characterizing variables, their linking and evaluation as well as the use of the data for the active process control presuppose a novel, innovative control system (hardware and software) that was to be developed within the scope of the research project. In addition, new measurement methods and sensors are to be developed and qualified in order to improve the process reliability of thermal spraying.

High-Speed EMU TCMS Design and LCC Technology Research

Abstract This paper introduces the high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) life cycle, including the design, manufacturing, testing, and maintenance stages. It also presents the train control and monitoring system (TCMS) software development platform, the TCMS testing and verification bench, the EMU driving simulation platform, and the EMU remote data transmittal and maintenance platform. All these platforms and benches combined together make up the EMU life cycle cost (LCC) system. Each platform facilitates EMU LCC management and is an important part of the system.

Commissioning results of CERN HIE-ISOLDE and INFN ALPI cryogenic control systems

The cryogenic systems of both accelerators, namely HIE ISOLDE (High Intensity and Energy Isotope Separator On Line DEvice) at CERN and ALPI (Acceleratore Lineare Per Ioni) at LNL, have been refurbished. HIE ISOLDE is a major upgrade of the existing ISOLDE facilities, which required the construction of a superconducting linear accelerator consisting of six cryomodules, each containing five superconductive RF cavities and superconducting solenoids. The ALPI linear accelerator, similar to HIE ISOLDE, is located at Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL) and became operational in the early 90’s. It is composed of 74 superconducting RF cavities, assembled inside 22 cryostats.The new control systems are equipped with PLC, developed on the CERN UNICOS framework, which include Schneider and Siemens PLCs and various fieldbuses (Profibus DP and PA, WorldFIP). The control systems were developed in synergy between CERN and LNL in order to build, effectively and with an optimized use of resources, control systems allowing to enhance ease of operation, maintainability, and long-term availability.This paper describes (i) the cryogenic systems, with special focus on the design of the control systems hardware and software, (ii) the strategy adopted in order to achieve a synergic approach, and (iii) the commissioning results after the cool-down to 4.5 K of the cryomodules.

Multiversion environment creation for control algorithm execution by autonomous unmanned objects

The article describes one of the approaches to increase resilience of software control systems for autonomous unmanned objects based on the multiversons methodology.

Comparative Study on the Usage of Information Technology (It) On Internal Control Systems (Ics) In Private and Public Secondary Schools in Arumeru District

The main aim of this study was to compare the Usage of Information Technology (IT) on Internal Controls System (ICS) in Private and Public Secondary Schools in Arumeru District of Arusha Region in Tanzania. This research adopted causal research design approach. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents disagreed with application of information technology on internal control systems in their schools. The results from private schools showed that the application of information technology on Internal Control Systems was higher while those of public schools showed that the application of information technology on Internal Control System was lower. The results further revealed that Internal Control System take place among Public and Private Secondary Schools in Arumeru District. The findings revealed that, the independent sample t –test indicates that the Sig. of .000 is less than the critical value (.005) which implies that the difference of mean scores between public and private schools was significant. This implies that private schools are doing better in the application of information technology on internal control system than their public school counterparts. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected and maintained that there is a significant difference in the application of Information Technology on Internal Control System (ICS) in Arumeru District by school stakeholders categorized according to type of schools. The researchers recommend that schools should increase their budget to support information technology in public secondary schools to enhance their IT facilities, qualified personnel in the usage of information technology, and up to date software for internal control system. Further the researchers recommend that future researchers should research on the usage of IT in teaching.

Study on Quality Management of Software Development of Measure and Control System

Based on parameters of software of big complex measure and control system, the layered model of technology and method of quality control are presented here. This technology can be applied into quality control of software development of complex system to solidify the technology state of software. Then, the reliability of software is enhanced. With real applications of command and control system, the feasibility of the method is validated.

Моделирование самообучающейся системы управления инвертором преобразователя частоты для подавления высших гармоник

Simulation of a three-phase frequency converter based on three single-phase full-bridge voltage inverters with a sine-wave output filter is considered. A new self-learning control system for the converter’s inverters is proposed. The previously developed inverter control system uses the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to suppress the output voltage higher harmonic components. Individual regulators are used to control each harmonic component (including the fundamental and higher-order ones). The DFT algorithm produces signals proportional to the amplitudes of the fundamental and a number of higher-order harmonic components, which are applied to the regulators as feedbacks. The main drawback of the existing system is that it poses rather high demand to the microcontroller computation capacities. The newly proposed system is based on the self-learning principle and uses a periodic integrator (a P-integrator) as the output voltage regulator. The P-integrator is represented in discrete form by an array of discrete integrators, each of which operates only in the 1/64 part of the fundamental harmonic component cycle. The new control system's software code is much smaller in size and contains a fewer number of “slow” arithmetic operations, due to which it is easier to implement and less demanding with respect to computation resources. The control system analysis results demonstrate its good performance in terms of suppressing higher harmonic components: the output voltage total harmonic distortion factor does not exceed 5% for the cases of operation on linear and nonlinear loads. The article describes the modernized control system structure and its implementation in MATLAB Simulink software package. Advantages of the self-learning algorithm as compared with the algorithm based on the discrete Fourier transform are demonstrated. The simulation results confirm the applicability of the new control method. The algorithm is implemented in the C language in the MATLAB S-function block and is suitable for being implemented in real-time control systems based on dedicated microcontrollers without the need of significantly modifying the software code.

Research on Worktable Control of the Mask Exposal Forming Machine

In view of the mask projection stereolithography of rapid prototyping technology, the hardware system of the mask exposal forming machine is constructed of a carriage, a resin tank, stepping motor, ball screw and other components. And its working principle is introduced. Based on googol motion control card, software control system is developed in VC6.0 environment, provides a human-computer interactive platform for operators. And the experiments show that the system can run reliably.

Разработка программного обеспечения для управления электроприводом в технологической системе с применением метода модельно-ориентированного программирования

The article considers the development of software for control of electric drive in a process system by applying the model-oriented programming technique. The model-oriented programming technique is based on using computer mathematics and modeling tools to develop and debug the software of microprocessor control systems. Computer models featuring the ability of receiving and transmitting data via the digital I2C and CAN bus serial interfaces and via a serial asynchronous transceiver interface are described. The developed software is used in an electric drive's microprocessor control system for implementing interactive control, for data exchange with a higher-level control system, for adjusting the parameters of corrective and control elements, and for monitoring the motion parameters and control information. It is shown that the tasks that have to be solved for setting up data exchange in elaborating software through the use of the model-oriented programming boil down to shaping data packets in transmitting information and interpreting the data packets in receiving them. The message shaping and interpreting rules are set by the communication protocol. Data packets are shaped by grouping parameters and variables in different numerical formats in a predetermined sequence. The received messages are interpreted by identifying the fields of predetermined numerical formats contained in them. The algorithm governing the use of network resources and the access of devices to it, and the features monitoring the network serviceability are all set up by using the tools available in the model-oriented programming technique. Owing to the above-mentioned circumstances, the design process is simplified to a considerable extent. The proposed graphic form of the software architecture can be used in designing various technical systems.

Scheduling algorithms for automatic control systems for technological processes

Wide use of automatic process control systems and the usage of high-performance systems containing a number of computers (processors) give opportunities for creation of high-quality and fast production that increases competitiveness of an enterprise. Exact and fast calculations, control computation, and processing of the big data arrays – all of this requires the high level of productivity and, at the same time, minimum time of data handling and result receiving. In order to reach the best time, it is necessary not only to use computing resources optimally, but also to design and develop the software so that time gain will be maximal. For this purpose task (jobs or operations), scheduling techniques for the multi-machine/multiprocessor systems are applied. Some of basic task scheduling methods for the multi-machine process control systems are considered in this paper, their advantages and disadvantages come to light, and also some usage considerations, in case of the software for automatic process control systems developing, are made.

Identification Method for Nonlinear Dynamic Models of Gas Turbine Engines on Acceleration Mode

The form and identification method of nonlinear dynamic gas turbine models on acceleration mode on the base of experimental transition processes is proposed. The nonlinear dynamic model of a gas turbine engine is represented as a system of nonlinear differential equations as in the normal form of Cauchy. The parameters of the system of differential equations are presented as a function of the acceleration parameter α, and the identification method is based on the determination of parameter α using numerical optimization method, allowing to simulate an acceleration mode with high accuracy. The experimental data are approximated by cubic splines for reduction of identification errors. The developed fast-calculating real-time nonlinear dynamic model is approved to implement in the software for hardware-in-the-loop test-beds and in the on-board software for automatic control systems of gas turbines.