1. Introduction
reACTION technology can reduce response time to 1μs in industrial automation applications. B&R has designed this new high-speed control technology using standard hardware, with programming compliant with IEC 61131 standards. This allows for significant performance improvements without incurring additional costs.
In many applications, control speed directly impacts product quality. “For example, in PET bottle manufacturing, pressure must be controlled with extremely high precision,” explains Anton Meindl, manager of B&R Controls. “The higher the control precision, the thinner the bottle walls can be.” Other examples include the high-precision speed and position control required in injection molding applications. High-speed control is also essential in the printing industry. “The edges of the paper are quickly detected as it is fed into the machine,” Meindl says. The applications that can potentially benefit from extremely fast response times are numerous. Traditional I/O technology can achieve a minimum response time of approximately 1 ms. “For some applications, 1 millisecond is no longer fast enough,” Meindl says. “In beverage filling lines, control technology needs to process level sensor signals much faster to achieve optimal filling results.” Response time in traditional solutions is affected by factors such as network performance or the number of nodes on the network, as well as network traffic and controller performance. In conventional signal processing, the input driver in the I/O module reads the input signal and converts it into a logic signal. This signal is then sent to the PLC via the network, processed by the PLC, and sent back to the module. The output driver then converts and sends it out again. Therefore, this method cannot reduce the response time to well below the millisecond range.
2.1μs response time
“When we were developing reACTION technology, our goal was to accelerate signal processing by integrating it directly into the I/O modules as much as possible,” Meindl said. “At the same time, we didn’t want to sacrifice the advantages of integrated software management.” This new B&R solution reduces the time between receiving an input signal and sending a control signal to 1 μs. The technology itself is based on an I/O module with an integrated FPGA chip. “We use FPGA chips because of their ability to process signals quickly and simultaneously,” Meindl explained. The processing time for approximately 10 functional blocks connected to the FPGA is about 0.8 μs.
3. Quick FPGA programming
One of the major challenges faced by B&R developers was FPGA programming. “We’ve found a very good solution,” Meindl said. Machine manufacturers can now manage and program FPGAs within their familiar AutomationStudio development environment. They can develop programs and parameters using IEC 61131 function blocks; handle communication between I/O and CPU tasks by exchanging process variables. Both logical operators such as AND, OR, XOR, and NOT, as well as arithmetic operators such as ADD, SUB, MUL, and DIV, and floating-point operations, PWM, comparator functions, and counters can be used. Connections created through function blocks can be tested like ordinary control code. Simulation can be performed by executing modules on the controller. If everything goes well, the software functions are then assigned to the individual hardware components in the AutomationStudio hardware configuration. “By using the same simple software development methods that B&R customers are already accustomed to, reACTION technology opens up new possibilities for rapid automation,” Meindl said. To make applications as universal as possible, function blocks can be loaded into modules for immediate local execution. The FPGA is programmed using the function block editor in the B&R Automation Studio engineering platform in the corresponding reACTION library, as shown in Figure 1.
4. Advantages
--> Response time 1 microsecond
--> Significantly reduces CPU load
-->Programming conforms to IEC61131 standard
Centralized Management Procedure
-->Integrated parameter management
5. Flexible and fast reACTION technology
reACTION technology integrates signal processing directly into the module, eliminating the need for system buses and central controllers to handle response time issues. “The high-speed performance that reACTION technology provides remains consistent,” Meindl stated. Other solutions on the market either fail to offer the same speed or are unnecessarily limited by machine manufacturers in terms of flexibility and programming. Using reACTION technology for signal processing, the input driver can sample the input signal with a resolution of 20 ns and convert it into a logic signal. The FPGA then processes the signal with a cycle time of 1 μs and sends the result back to the output driver of the I/O module. The module finally converts it and generates a physical signal. In other words, the FPGA takes on some of the control functions and reduces the load on the PLC. B&R offers reACTION technology for its X20 and X67 (Figure 2) series I/O modules and the X20 compact controller.
“Because reACTION technology handles a large portion of the load processing, a smaller PLC can be used,” Meindl said. This means that machine manufacturers can achieve microsecond-level control response using millisecond-level controllers. “Users now decide how large a processor to use based on the average load of the application, rather than the maximum speed required for some specific functions,” Meindl added.
6. High-speed module, high-speed control
The reACTION technology can be used in X20 and X67 I/O modules, as well as the new X20 compact controller. Three modules with different I/O configurations can utilize this technology, including two X20 modules (X20RT8001 and X20RT8201) and one X67 module (X67BC81RT).
Each IP20-rated X20 module features four digital inputs with variable input filters and four additional configurable digital I/O points with physical conversion times of less than 2μs. The X20RT8201 module additionally offers two analog inputs (+/-10V) with 12-bit resolution and a 5μs conversion time. The X67 module, with an IP67 protection rating, provides two 24VDC digital inputs, three 5VDC inputs, and four configurable I/O points. In addition to two analog inputs, it integrates one analog output (+/-10V) with 12-bit resolution. B&R provides reACTION technology for its two compact controllers, the X20CP1381-RT and X20CP1382-RT. These compact controllers can use 200MHz or 400MHz processors. Depending on the application, 256MB RAM and 16kB non-volatile RAM are available. Built-in flash memory provides up to 4GB of application and data storage. All controllers are equipped with Ethernet, USB, and RS232 interfaces. Both performance levels of the controller can utilize integrated POWERLINK and CAN interfaces.
