Automated creation and adaption of a machine or system model

• US 8,855,792 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2007
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Landgraf, Guenther
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNN, DARRIN D
• Application Number:
  US11/950,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,498 Days
• Field of Search: 703 1- 3, 703/13, 700/19, 700/27, 700 28- 29, 700/108
• US Class Current: 700/29
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An automation system for creating and adapting a machine or system model, and for checking a control program of an open-loop control based on a virtual machine or a virtual system has a control system, a data recording unit for recording machine or system data, a data preparation unit for analyzing the data recorded in the data recording unit, and the parameters of the machine or system model that were ascertained via the data analysis are storable, in an automated manner, in the virtual machine or the virtual system, in order to simulate a machine or system behavior of a real machine or system.

Claims

1. An automation system for creating, adapting, or both of a system model of a machine or a virtual machine, or a virtual system for behavior simulation, said automation system comprising:

a control system;

a real machine connected to said control system;

a data recording unit for recording data connected to said control system and connected to a field bus, said recording data selected from the group consisting of machine data and system data, wherein said field bus includes an interface configured to connect input/output modules of the real machine;

a data preparation unit for analyzing the data recorded in said data recording unit, so as to automatically store in said data preparation unit parameters of the machine and system models selected from the group consisting of machine models, system models, and both validated or adapted via a data analysis in the virtual machine or the virtual system in order to simulate a machine or system behavior of a real machine or system, wherein said data preparation unit includes a data memory, a machine model memory and at least one of a machine model generation unit and a machine model adaption unit, wherein said data memory operates to store previously recorded data; and

a cutter arranged in the data preparation unit, wherein the cutter cuts associated output signals out of a long term recording in the data preparation unit, or output sequence for all input signal combinations that occur, with consideration for a time delay;

wherein the cutter is configured to ascertain, from an available measurement and in the machine model generation unit and the machine model adaption unit, for every input signal that was recorded, an associated output value, including a time delay when Boolean functions are involved, and an associated output sequence, including another time delay when non-Boolean functions are involved.

2. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control system includes a stored-program control.

3. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control system includes a control selected from the group consisting of a NC control, a motion control, and a robot control.

4. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control system includes an element selected from the group consisting of a PC and a sufficient memory at a point in time when the data are recorded.

5. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control system includes a SPC, an NC control, and a PC.

6. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control system includes a drive bus which is connectable with the machine or the system.

7. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said data preparation unit is integrated in said control system.

8. An automation system as defined in claim 1, wherein said data preparation unit is linked via an element selected from the group consisting of a network and the Internet for communication with said control system.

9. A method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising using values of elementary functions as the function values.

10. A method as defined in claim 9;

and further comprising using Δ

t values of timer functions as the values of elementary functions.

11. A method as defined in claim 10;

and further comprising registering several ones of the Δ

t values; and

calculating a mean of the Δ

t values.

12. An automation system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a solver for processing cyclically in specified cycles a machine mode, wherein said solver is connected with the real or virtual drive interface or with the real or virtual field bus;

and wherein the output signal sequences are represented as a model of a component and are stored with the associated input signal combinations of the component directly a component model or as a part of the machine model, respectively.

13. A method of simulating a unit selected from the group consisting of a machine and a system that is controlled using a control program and an automation system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a data recording unit;

providing a data preparation unit;

recording data by the data recording unit of the automation system;

analyzing the data recorded by the data recording unit in the data preparation unit and generating functions;

cutting, by cutter arranged in the data preparation unit, a segment including associated output signals out of a long term recording in the data preparation unit, or the output sequence for all input signal combinations that occur, with consideration for a time delay, wherein the cutter ascertains, from an available measurement and in a machine model generation unit and an adaption unit, for every input signal combination that was recorded, an associated output value, including a time delay when Boolean functions are involved, and an associated output signal sequence, including a time delay when non-Boolean functions are involved;

performing automatically a process selected from the group consisting of emulating, adapting and both of a machine or system model using the functions by incorporating function values in the machine or system model; and

simulating the unit selected from the group consisting of a machine and a system as a result of said process of emulating, adapting, or both.

14. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising using coefficients of curves as the function values.

15. A method as defined in claim 14;

and further comprising using polynomials to an nth degree as the coefficients of curves.

16. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising automatically detecting elements selected from the group consisting of measurement points, signal sequences, and both; and

taking them into account when calculating a mean.

17. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising transferring the data between a control system, the data preparation unit, a real machine, a virtual machine or system, and combinations thereof using a drag and drop technique.

18. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising transferring the data between a control system, the data preparation unit, a real machine, a virtual machine or system, and combinations thereof using import/export functions.

19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein said using import/export functions includes using said import/export functions in XML format.

20. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising when a recording ends, automatically transferring the data from a real or virtual control system to the data preparation unit, where they are prepared; and

then automatically transferring them as an optimized machine model to the virtual machine.

21. A method as defined in claim 13, for creating a machine or system model, and further comprising using Boolean data stored in a table using at least one input signal and at least one output signal;

and ascertaining Boolean functions therefrom.

22. A method as defined in claim 21;

and further comprising storing time delay values in the table.

23. A method as defined in claim 13, for creating a machine or system model, comprising the step of using non-Boolean data.

24. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising using the method for simulating dynamics or process of the machine or system.

25. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising incorporating intelligent algorithms for ascertaining the machine or system behavior in an automated manner.

26. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising providing the machine or system model composed of several component models;

describing a portion of the components using functions and associated parameters; and

describing another portion using output signal sequences/output values.

27. A method as defined in claim 13, for checking a machine or system model;

and further comprising recording data from a real control system connected to a real machine;

recording data from a second real control system or virtual control system, which second real control system or virtual control system is connected to a virtual machine or virtual system;

comparing the data from the virtual machine with the data from the real machine;

optimizing the machine or system model based on the data comparison; and

as a result making available to the virtual machine the machine or system model that has been optimized.

28. A method as defined in claim 13;

and further comprising transferring the data at least partially via the Internet.

29. A method as defined in claim 13 for performing a process selected from the group consisting of creating, adapting and both of a unit selected from the group consisting of a machine model, a system model of a virtual machine, and a virtual system for behavior simulation, comprising the following steps:

depending on input signal combinations for a specified component of the machine or system, outputting an associated output signal sequence or an associated output value in a clock-synchronous manner, said output taking place within a cyclic portion of the virtual machine for processing the machine model;

providing a first real control system;

providing a second real control system or virtual control system;

providing a real machine;

recording data from the real control system connected to the real machine;

recording data from the second real control system or virtual control system, wherein said second real control system or virtual control system is connected to a virtual machine or virtual system;

comparing the data from the virtual machine with the data from the real machine;

optimizing the machine or system model based on the data comparison; and

as a result making available to the virtual machine the machine or system model that has been optimized.

30. A method as defined in claim 29;

and further comprising transferring the data at least partially via the Internet.

31. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising the steps of processing cyclically of the machine model in specified cycles via a solver;

outputting the associated output signal sequence or the associated output value in a time-synchronous manner during processing and as a function of the associated input signal combinations for the associated component by the solver; and

storing at least one of output signal sequences represented as a model of a component and output values for the individual components directly as component models which represent a part of the machine model.