Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Chalmers University of Technology

Fangming Gu

Stephan R Biller

Chengyin Yuan

Chieh-Yi Jerry Yen

Richard C Immers

Magnus Johansson

Bengt Erik Lennartson

Mikael Kjellgren

John Stilianos Agapiou

Roland J Menassa

Pulak Bandyopadhyay

Leandro G Barajas

Jeffrey Morgan Alden

Eric A Steinhilper

Patrick M Hilber

Jerome O Schroeder

Jing Liu

Martin Fabian

Knut Akesson

Petter Falkman

Demet C Wood

Aloysius Anagonye

Daniel B Aufderheide

A method for testing the safety automation logic used in a manufacturing cell includes recording control signals of a safety-related component such as an E-Stop, light curtain, gate lock, or a safety mat using a host machine, and then disconnecting the component from the host machine. The recorded test signals are transmitted to an automation controller in accordance with a test scenario from a test scenario generator module (TSGM) to emulate operation of the component. The automation logic may be certified using the playback of the recorded test signals. A system for testing the safety automation logic includes the controller, host machine, and TSGM. The host machine records the control signals and plays back the test signals on the controller to emulate operation of the component. The automation control logic may be certified using the test signals, e.g., by comparing these to the test specification or standard.

Method and system for testing safety automation logic of a manufacturing cell

A system for generating platform-specific control logic implementation code for execution on a programmable logic controller (PLC) platform includes a plurality of processing layers. A first layer models generic control requirements as a unitary mathematical model (UMM). A second layer translates the UMM into generic control code describing a platform-independent set of generic control functions following an open structured language. A third layer automatically transforms the generic control functions into the platform-specific implementation code executable on different PLC platforms. A method of generating the implementation code includes modeling control requirements as a mathematical model, transforming the model into platform-independent control code describing a predetermined set of generic control functions using Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, and automatically transforming the generic control functions into the implementation code.

Platform-independent method and system for deploying control logic programming

An integrated real and virtual manufacturing automation system that employs a programmable logic controller that controls part flow between a real machine in the real world part of the system and a virtual machine in the virtual world part of the system using virtually coupled sensors and actuators. A real world sensor senses the position of the real world machine and a real world actuator actuates the real world machine. Likewise, a virtual world sensor senses the position of the virtual world machine and a virtual world actuator actuates the virtual world machine. An interface device transfers signals between the virtual world part of the system and the real world part of the system, and an input/output device processes signals sent to the programmable logic controller and signals sent from the programmable logic controller.

Methods of integrating real and virtual world using virtual sensor/actuator

A method of testing a physical manufacturing automation system for manufactured work pieces is provided via a testing system and includes connecting a computer-simulated manufacturing automation system to a controller of the physical manufacturing automation system, wherein the computer-simulated manufacturing automation system is configured to represent a portion of the physical manufacturing automation system, including a simulated work piece. The method then includes concurrently running the physical manufacturing automation system and the computer-simulated manufacturing automation system via the controller, with the physical automation system running in the absence of the physical work pieces.

Integrated testing system and method for validation of a manufacturing automation system

A method for generation of a sequence of operations for a manufacturing process including modeling the manufacturing process through a finite state machine to create a sequence of operations generator operative to generate a list of sequences of operations for the manufacturing process and utilizing the sequence of operations generator to input process information and automatically generate a list of sequences of operations.

Framework for automatic generation of sequence of operations

A method, system, and computer program product for automated root cause identification of a failure of a logic controller have been provided. The method includes receiving logic controller failure information, receiving a logic model of logic code for the logic controller, and mapping the logic controller failure information to the logic model to identify a logic failure model state. The method further includes determining a potential trigger of the failure of the logic controller as a root cause via tracing through at least one path in the logic model to reach the logic failure model state. The method also includes identifying the root cause in the logic code via mapping the root cause from the logic model to the logic code, and outputting the logic code with the identified root cause of the failure of the logic controller.

Automated root cause identification of logic controller failure

A method for generation of a control code set for a manufacturing process includes generating a list of sequences of operations with an automatic sequence of operations generator, selecting an optimized sequence of operations from the list of sequences of operations, and utilizing the optimized sequence of operations to generate the control code set.

Process for generating control sequence of operations

A method for coding an event history is disclosed. Information relating to a real time state of an event is received. For a defined interval of time, it is determined whether the state of the event is in one of two states. In response to the event being in a first state, a data stream is appended with a first characteristic representative of the first state, and in response to the event being in a second different state, the data stream is appended with a second characteristic representative of the second state. The appended data stream is saved, and the process repeated for the next sequential defined interval of time.

Method, product and device for coding event history

A multistage machining process includes a plurality of stations. Workpiece feature quality is predicted based on decomposition of the machining process into sources of variation, reticulation of the machining process into machining stations and error models that account for significant contributions to feature quality including from categorical sources of variation.

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Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Fangming Gu