PROGRAMMING AUTOMATION SENSOR APPLICATIONS USING SIMULATION

• US 20170053047A1
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: McDaniel, Richard Gary
• Granted Patent: US 10,747,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/17 Mechanical parametric or variational design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of simulating automation applications based on input from a user includes a computer creating a system design in a three-dimensional workspace based on one or more instructions provided by the user. The system design comprises a sensor component representative of a physical sensor controlled by a physical controller, and one or more detectable components representative of objects detectable by the physical sensor. The computer assigns a tag value to each of the one or more detectable components and executes a simulation of the system design in response to a command from the user. The sensor component simulates detection of the one or more detectable components using the tag value assigned to each respective detectable component.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of simulating automation applications based on input from a user, the method comprising:

creating, by a computer, a system design in a three-dimensional workspace based on one or more instructions provided by the user, wherein the system design comprises;

a sensor component representative of a physical sensor controlled by a physical controller, and

one or more detectable components representative of objects detectable by the physical sensor;

assigning, by the computer, a tag value to each of the one or more detectable components;

executing, by the computer, a simulation of the system design in response to a command from the user, wherein the sensor component simulates detection of the one or more detectable components using the tag value assigned to each respective detectable component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the computer, controller-executable code for the physical controller based on the system design.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag value comprises a visually detectable property.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the visually detectable property is a color value.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the visually detectable property is a barcode value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag value is assigned to each of the one or more detectable components during the execution of the simulation of the system design using a dynamically generated tag object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to executing the simulation of the system design, performing a calibration process comprising;

presenting a sensor input interface comprising a sensor image showing a field of view of the sensor component, and

receiving, via the sensor input interface, one or more user-specified locations within the field of view, and

configuring the sensor component to detect the one or more detectable components when located at the one or more user-specified locations.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a real-time video stream from the physical sensor,

wherein the sensor image in the sensor input interface comprises the real-time video stream.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

during execution of the simulation of the system design, identifying a first detectable component at one of the one or more user-specified locations; and

identifying a first tag value associated with the first detectable component; and

using the first tag value to simulate detection of the first detectable component.

10. A system for designing automation applications based on input from a user, the system comprising:

a workspace configured to allow user creation and manipulation of a three-dimensional model of an industrial environment, the three-dimensional model comprising;

a sensor component representative of a physical sensor controlled by a physical controller in the industrial environment,

one or more detectable components representative of physical objects detectable by the physical sensor in the industrial environment, and

a tag value assigned to each of the one or more detectable components and representative of one or more visually detectable properties associated with the physical objects;

a simulation engine configured to;

generate simulation code which uses the sensor component and the tag value assigned to each of the one or more detectable components to simulate detection of the physical objects by the physical sensor, and

execute the simulation code in response to a command from the user; and

a network interface configured to facilitate transfer of data between the system and the industrial environment.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a controller code generation unit configured to generate controller-executable code for the physical controller based on the simulation code.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller code generation unit is further configured to send the controller-executable code to the physical controller using the network interface.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the workspace is further configured to perform a calibration process comprising prior to executing the simulation code, wherein the calibration process comprises:

presenting a sensor input interface comprising a sensor image showing a field of view of the sensor component, and

receiving, via the sensor input interface, one or more user-specified locations within the field of view, and

configuring the sensor component to detect the one or more detectable components when located at the one or more user-specified locations.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a real-time video stream from the physical sensor using the network interface,

wherein the sensor image in the sensor input interface comprises the real-time video stream.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

during execution of the simulation code, identifying a first detectable component at one of the one or more user-specified locations; and

identifying a first tag value associated with the first detectable component; and

using the first tag value to simulate detection of the first detectable component.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical sensor comprises a color checking device.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical sensor comprises a QR code reader.

18. An article of manufacture for simulating automation applications based on input from a user, the article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

creating a system design in a three-dimensional workspace based on one or more instructions provided by the user, wherein the system design comprises;

a sensor component representative of a physical sensor controlled by a physical controller, and

one or more detectable components representative of objects detectable by the physical sensor;

assigning a tag value to each of the one or more detectable components;

executing a simulation of the system design in response to a command from the user, wherein the sensor component simulates detection of the one or more detectable components using the tag value assigned to each respective detectable component.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to executing the simulation of the system design, performing a calibration process comprising;

presenting a sensor input interface comprising a sensor image showing a field of view of the sensor component, and

receiving, via the sensor input interface, one or more user-specified locations within the field of view, and

configuring the sensor component to detect the one or more detectable components when located at the one or more user-specified locations.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

during execution of the simulation of the system design, identifying a first detectable component at one of the one or more user-specified locations; and

identifying a first tag value associated with the first detectable component; and

using the first tag value to simulate detection of the first detectable component.