The Future of Industrial Control: Decoding IEC 61499

Eclipse 4diac™ EN presented by Franz Höpfinger

The Future of Industrial Control: Decoding IEC 61499Source: https://github.com/eclipse-4diac/4diac-documentation/blob/main/src/intro/iec61499.adoc"Dive into the evolving landscape of industrial automation with 'The Future of Industrial Control: Decoding IEC 61499.' In this episode, we break down the foundational IEC 61131-3 standard for PLC programming, exploring its graphical and textual languages like Ladder Diagram (LD) and Function Block Diagram (FBD). We'll discuss how a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is a small, specialized computer for industrial use, programmed via an IDE supplied by the vendor.

We then journey beyond traditional PLCs, uncovering the challenges of centralized systems and vendor-specific communication that led to the emergence of IEC 61499. Discover how IEC 61499 revolutionizes industrial control by defining a domain-specific modeling language for distributed industrial control solutions. It extends IEC 61131-3 by improving the encapsulation of software components for increased re-usability, providing a vendor-independent format, and simplifying support for controller-to-controller communication. This standard also provides the required infrastructure for Industry 4.0 and industrial IoT applications.

Learn about the key concepts of IEC 61499, including the event-driven nature of Function Blocks (FBs), where events trigger functionality using available data. We'll explain how an FB's behavior depends on its Event Execution Control, coordinating the execution of encapsulated functionalities and sending output events. You'll understand how applications, created by connecting individual FBs, can be split and deployed across multiple devices (PLCs). We'll also detail the different kinds of Function Blocks: Basic Function Blocks (BFB), which define a state machine using an Execution Control Chart (ECC); Composite Function Blocks (CFB), which contain an internal network of other FBs; and Service Interface Function Blocks (SIFB), which are needed to access specific hardware parts and the platform. Finally, we'll touch on Compliance Profiles, which fill the gaps left by the standard's abstraction, specifying crucial 'things' like communication for proper system execution."