This project first explored various methods of designing a communication and control system for an AGV. It then implemented a SOA based communication system in ROS on the selected AGV. The ROS package created in the project implemented functions of the Aria and ArNetworking libraries from Adept. The next step of the project implemented the functions of teleoperation, mapping and transfer of maps and navigation from Aria into ROS. The packages built implemented these functions in different ways to test the best method to transfer Aria functions into ROS. A generic set of rules were then formulated that aided the conversion of these functions for users unfamiliar with either of the two packages (ROS and Aria).

The development of protype applications with sensors and actuators in the automation industry requires tools that are independent of manufacturer, and are flexible enough to be modified or extended for any specific requirements. Currently, developing prototypes with industrial sensors and actuators is not straightforward. First of all, the exchange of information depends on the industrial protocol that these devices have. Second, a specific configuration and installation is done based on the hardware that is used, such as automation controllers or industrial gateways. This means that the development for a specific industrial protocol, highly depends on the hardware and the software that vendors provide. In this work we propose a rapid-prototyping framework based on Arduino to solve this problem. For this project we have focused to work with the IO-Link protocol. The framework consists of an Arduino shield that acts as the physical layer, and a software that implements the IO-Link Master protocol. The main advantage of such framework is that an application with industrial devices can be rapid-prototyped with ease as its vendor independent, open-source and can be ported easily to other Arduino compatible boards. In comparison, a typical approach requires proprietary hardware, is not easy to port to another system and is closed-source.

Fast paced improvement of Ethernet technology has also received attention in the industry field like it did in other fields and ways of usage have started to be studied. As it is understood that the standard Ethernet protocols cannot be used due to the unsatisfied real time requirements, industrial and academic researchers have started to develop solutions to overcome this deficiency. In this thesis, the real hardware adaptations of Real Time Ethernet and RTXX protocol algorithms are implemented and their behaviors on the hardware are observed. Each parameter that affects the system&rsquo / s real time behavior is individually examined and the solution proposals are discussed.

Currently automation components of large-scale industrial systems are realized with distributed controller devices that use local sensor/actuator events and exchange shared events with communication networks. Fast paced improvement of Ethernet provoked its usage in industrial communication networks. The incompatibility of standard Ethernet protocol with the real-time requirements encouraged industry and academic researchers to provide a resolution for this problem. However, the existing solutions in the literature suggest a static bandwidth allocation for each controller device which usually leads to an inefficient bandwidth use.Dynamic Distributed Dependable Real-time Industrial Communication Protocol (D3RIP) family dynamically updates the necessary bandwidth allocation according to the messages generated by the control application. D3RIP is composed of two protocols / interface layer that provides time-slotted access to the shared medium based on an accurate clock synchronization of the distributed controller devices and coordination layer that decides the ownership of real-time slots. In this thesis, coordination layer protocol of D3RIP family and the IEEE 1588 time synchronization protocol is implemented and tested on the real hardware system that resembles a factory plant floor. In the end, we constructed a system that runs an instance of D3RIP family with 3ms time-slots that guarantees 6.6ms latency for the real-time packets of control application. The results proved that our implementation may be used in distributed controller realizations and encouraged us to further improve the timing constraints.

La conception d’un réseau de communication de sécurité basée sur l’Ethernet temps réel répondant aux exigences de la norme PESSRAL, dérivée de l’IEC 61508, constitue la base de notre travail. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif, nous mettons en oeuvre des mécanismes permettant de réduire la probabilité d’erreur et d’atteindre les niveaux d’intégrité de sécurité (SIL) par l’utilisation d’un système électronique déterministe. Avec un seul canal de communication, notre système doit être capable d’intégrer des fonctions critiques et non critiques sans remettre en cause la certification du système.Lors de cet engagement nous proposons un système de communication industrielle basé sur l’Ethernet temps réel. Les interfaces de communication proposées répondent aux exigences de réactivité, de déterminisme pour garantir les contraintes temporelles imposées par le processus et la norme. Pour assurer la sécurité fonctionnelle des interfaces, nous avons proposé une surcouche de type "safety" qui implémente des fonctions de sécurité selon le concept du canal noir défini dans l’IEC 61508. En nous basant sur ces propriétés, nous avons réussi à classifier les solutions temps réel à base d’Ethernet en trois classes en fonction du temps de cycle. La surcouche "safety", basée sur la redondance de données, a permis de renoncer à la solution de redondance physique. Cette redondance de données duplique le temps de cycle initial du réseau qui satisfait néanmoins aux conditions de sécurité et temporelles de la norme. / The design of a communication network with a real-time Ethernet-based security that meets the requirements of the PESSRAL standard, derived from IEC 61508, is the basis of our work. In order to achieve this goal, we implement mechanisms reducing the residual error probability and achieving Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) via a deterministic electronic system. Through a single communication channel, our system must be able to integrate critical and non-critical functions without compromising the system certification.According to this commitment, we suggest an industrial communication system based on real-time Ethernet. The proposed communication interfaces meet the requirements of responsiveness and determinism in order to guarantee the temporal constraints imposed by the process and the standard. To ensure the functional safety of the interfaces, we have proposed a "safety" overlay that implements security functions according to the concept of the black channel defined in IEC 61508. Based on these properties, we have managed to classify the Ethernet-based real-time solutions into three classes in terms of cycle time. The overlay "safety", based on the redundancy of data, made it possible to give up the solution of physical redundancy. This data redundancy duplicates the initial cycle time of the network, which nonetheless satisfies the security and time conditions of the standard.

This thesis is consisting of three parts. In first part was conducted market research and then start preparation concept of project Graphic indicator units using in industrial environment. Creating a basis for continued in making electronic schemes and board. Then the board was made in external specialization company. Then all components were installed. After testing all of function the device was ready for implementation firmware. Firmware was consist of few parts – communication with RS232 protocol, RS485, web interface and last parts is communication with touch display.

S rostoucím počtem řídicích systémů a jejich distribuovanosti získávájí komunikační sítě na důležitosti a objevují se nové výzkumné trendy. Hlavní problematikou v této oblasti, narozdíl od dřívějších řídicích systémů využívajících dedikovaných komunikačních obvodů, je časově proměnné zpoždění měřicích a řídicích signálů způsobené paketově orientovanými komunikačními prostředky, jako např. Ethernet. Aspekty komunikace v reálném čase byly v těchto sítích již úspěšně vyřešeny. Nicméně, analýzy trendů trhu předpovídají budoucí využití také IP sítí v průmyslové komunikaci pro časově kritickou procesní vyměnu dat. IP komunikace má ovšem pouze omezenou podporu v instrumentaci pro průmyslovou automatizace. Tato výzva byla nedávno technicky vyřešena v rámci projektu Virtual Automation Networks (virtuální automatizační sítě - VAN) zapojením mechanismů kvality služeb (QoS), které jsou schopny zajistit měkkou úroveň komunikace v reálném čase. Předložená dizertační práce se zaměřuje na aspekty výkonnosti reálného času z analytického hlediska a nabízí prostředek pro hodnocení využitelnosti IP komunikace pro budoucí průmyslové aplikace. Hlavním cílem této dizertační práce je vytvoření vhodného modelovacího rámce založeného na network calculus, který pomůže provést worst-case výkonnostní analýzu časového chování IP komunikačních sítí a jejich prvků určených pro budoucí použití v průmyslové automatizaci. V práci byla použita empirická analýza pro určení dominantních faktorů ovlivňujících časového chování síťových zařízení a identifikaci parametrů modelů těchto zařízení. Empirická analýza využívá nástroj TestQoS vyvinutý pro tyto účely. Byla navržena drobná rozšíření rámce network calculus, která byla nutná pro modelování časového chování používaných zařízení. Bylo vytvořeno několik typových modelů zařízení jako výsledek klasifikace různých architektur síťových zařízení a empiricky zjištěných dominantních faktorů. U modelovaných zařízení byla využita nová metoda identifikace parametrů. Práce je zakončena validací časových modelů dvou síťových zařízení (přepínače a směrovače) oproti empirickým pozorováním.

The Dynamic Distributed Dependable Real-Time Industrial communication Protocol (D3RIP) provides service guarantees for Real-Time traffic and integrates the dynamically changing requirements of automation applications in their operation to efficiently utilize the resources. The protocol dynamically allocates the network resources according to the respective system state. To this end, the protocol architecture consists of an Interface Layer that provides time-slotted operation and a Coordination Layer that assigns each time slot to a unique transmitter device based on a distributed computation. In this thesis, a software simulator for D3RIP is developed. Using the D3RIP Simulator, modifications in D3RIP can be easily examined without facing complexities in real implementations and extensive effort in terms of time and cost. The simulator simulates the Interface Layer, the Coordination Layer and additionally, the Shared Medium. Hence, using the simulator, the system-protocol couple can be easily analyzed, tested and further improvements on D3RIP can be achieved with the least amount of effort. The simulator implements the Timed Input Output Automata (TIOA) models of the D3RIP stack components using C++. The resulting code is compiled on GCC (Gnu Compiler Collection). The logs of the simulation runs and the real system with 2 devices connected via cross 100MbE cables are compared. In a 3ms time slot, the simulator and the system incidents differ about 135&micro / s on the average, causing no asynchronousity in their instantaneous operational states. The D3RIP Simulator is useful in keeping track of any variable in the D3RIP system automaton at any instant up to 1&micro / s resolution.

This diploma project summarizes a theoretical introduction regarding the issue of traffic light control. Further there is industrial communication discussed, where they are the Ethernet / IP protocol and the Modbus TCP protocol described more in detail. The following is the description of the Logix series programmable controllers. Then the diploma follows up with market research in order to find the most suitable development kit which is used as a trial prototype. Then it is concerned with a development kit with a communication module from AND-TECH company. Software was developed on them, more specifically a library for processor ports, memory and the Modbus TCP protocol. After verifying the functionality of the software, the hardware design was started. From the first site it is development kit and module and from the second site there are input and output circuits. There must be the assessment of the results found during the test operation. The end of the document describes incorrect steps that were repaired in hardware.

The field buses, and particularly the ‘PROFIBUS’, are currently widely used in automation systems, with the intention to automate industrial applications. It is of the utmost importance that one should understand how these systems operate, because failure to understand may result in improper applications, which can ultimately lead to intense network problems and, consequently, lead to potential catastrophic failures in industrial equipment, as well as compromising the health and safety of the people. This research was the performance evaluation of SAMANCOR PROFIBUS network that controls the chrome manufacturing plant. The problem with the network was that it was failing intermittently. These network failures resulted in loss of production, loss of throughput, compromised quality, downtime due to reworks, high costs in energy used to rework, and equipment damage or failure. One of the OBJECTIVES of the research was to carry out a performance evaluation of the PROFIBUS network in terms of the possible electromagnetic interference (EMI) within the plant’s PLC network. This topic emanated from the network service providers that kept insisting that the network was unstable, due to possible electromagnetic interference caused by possible high voltage cables running next to the plant network cables. This assumption was without fact, and hence the research was conducted. The QUANTITATIVE research method was used to conduct the research, where simulation of the plant network, using external parameters, were used to carry out the research. Furthermore, experiments were conducted and the physical measurements were performed on the network, where parameters derived from these measurements were used to compare the two networks. In essence, the network was tested under known configurations. The manner in which the network was simulated was that of stepping up the electrical current from the external device, and recording the response of the network. A stand-alone network rig was built and used to carry out the tests, and the results were compared with those obtained from the plant network. / Electrical and Mining Engineering / M. Tech. (Electrical Engineering)