B&R system software for smooth operation of intelligent transport systems

Intelligent transport systems with individually controllable shuttles pave the way for mass production in batch size 1, but this only works if intelligent system software drastically reduces the programming effort for the shuttle movements, such as the mapp Trak software from B&R Industrial Automation GmbH, based in Eggelsberg, Austria.

Mass-produced products with a personal touch not only amaze consumers, but also awaken in them the must-have desire. In order to fulfil this trend, more and more manufacturers are equipping their productions with intelligent transport systems for the Customised mass production out. However, this is only worthwhile if these so-called tracks can be quickly adapted to product variants or completely new products flexibly and at low cost.

The intelligent transport system fulfils these requirements ACOPOStrak from B&R. The system has a modular structure. Four basic elements including points allow almost any layout, which can be easily added to or customised even after the initial installation. Electromagnetically driven shuttles run on the track, which can be individually controlled even across the points.

Robert Kickinger, Manager of Mechatronic Technologies at B&R, explains that the tracking system, despite its complexity Easy to handle is. The automation company has simplified the engineering of ACOPOStrak so that machine builders and manufacturing companies alike can bring their products to market in a short space of time.

„Thanks to the highly scalable system architecture, layouts with track lengths of more than 100 metres and several hundred shuttles can be created. With the low engineering effort and the associated lower costs, an attractive return on investment (ROI) can also be achieved.

Robert Kickinger, Manager Mechatronic Technologies at B&R.

Collisions excluded

To do this, machine builders or machine operators only need the supplied System software mapp Trak. The mechatronics specialist explains that this software is the result of their masterminds in development.

You have mastered complex mathematical tasks and thus Key functions for ACOPOStrak This enables, for example, collision avoidance, the separation and merging of product flows at full speed or the calculation of optimised routes. This means that an application developer does not have to worry about these tasks, which saves engineering time.

Even with products of different sizes and load capacities, there are No collisionsThe product size is configured or measured with sensors. mapp Trak automatically adjusts the control of the shuttles so that there are no collisions.

Process-orientated programming

A second simplification in engineering is process-orientated programming. In mapp Trak, the software engineer describes rules for how the shuttles should behave on the track. The rules become active when shuttles virtual trigger points happen on the track. This simple methodology, based on state machines, allows movement sequences to be implemented efficiently on the track.

For ACOPOStrak, there is no need to programme axes and movement profiles for each individual shuttle, which would have been impossible with a Number of several hundred shuttles and many possible routes. The process-orientated programming also allows shuttles to be removed from or added to the track. It is not necessary to change the application software.

Simulation for efficient operation

The in mapp Trak Integrated simulation finally makes the smooth process visible. The developer can use it, for example, to test with how many shuttles and at what speed the application has the highest productivity.

„He can play through many things on his PC in the office without having a real system,“ says Davide Migliorisi, Product Manager Trak Systems at B&R.

The software is identical to the system software that is later used on the control system. It is possible to switch between simulation and real operation at any time.

Furthermore, the Scene Viewer visualise how shuttles interact with additional mechanical elements such as screwdrivers, labellers or robots. All that is required is to import a STEP file of the respective machine element and model its movement depending on position and time. This allows the developer to model not only the track, but also the Simulate interaction with additional elements. „It is this practical orientation of mapp Trak's simulation power that our customers appreciate so much,“ confirms Migliorisi.

The interplay with external mechanical elements works so well because „the ACOPOStrak is the genes of the ACOPOS servo drive family is a real challenge,“ as Migliorisi likes to point out. This drive family has sophisticated functions for single or multi-axis operation, including comprehensive options for coupling axes.

The shuttles with axes driven by ACOPOS servo drives can be coordinated using commands from the PLCopen range of functions and displayed in the Scene Viewer as a digital twin represent.

Highest degree of flexibilisation

The fact that ACOPOStrak Easy to handle has already been confirmed by customers: The software engineering effort only took around 15 minutes after an existing machine was extended with additional linear motor segments using ACOPOStrak. After that, the machine was up and running again, reports Mechatronic Manager Kickinger on the experience of one customer. An impressive indication of the strength of ACOPOStrak's programming concept, which is detached from the hardware.

The mapp Trak system software can be used to Clearly link product data to a shuttle, on which the respective product is currently located. „This is the highest degree of flexibilisation,“ Kickinger is certain. For example, a product-specific data record in pharmaceutical production can contain the exact composition of the active ingredient and a unique product ID.

It is also possible to save the day and time at which the product was at which processing station. This means that the application engineer can also FDA-compliant tracking easily realised.

Manageable complexity

With the three safety guarantees, simple programming and integrated simulation, B&R has made the flexible ACOPOStrak transport system very easy for the user to handle. This has also created the possibility of, New products in every batch size in a short time and with little effort. This is a decisive aspect for the acquisition of new production orders at short notice.

Architecture from mapp Trak

The software architecture of mapp Trak is divided into four basic levels. The lowest, the Segment control level, controls the movement of the shuttles located on the respective segment.

In the space above Shuttle control level position setpoints for the shuttles are calculated, for example. If the application engineer wants to couple the shuttles to an external axis or another shuttle via PLC function blocks, for example, this is done at this level. It also maps when a shuttle is removed from the system and returned to the system, as is the case when ACOPOStrak is operated in combination with conveyor belts or when shuttles are removed from the track and replaced by people or robots.

On the third so-called Logistics control level software elements ensure automated routing from processing station to processing station. The fourth level is dedicated to the Process-Control dedicated. This level also represents the programming interface for the process flow description for the software engineer.

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