MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION SYSTEM COMPONENTS COMPATIBILITY AND PERFORMANCE TESTING WITH INTEGRATED VIRTUAL AND REAL ENVIRONMENT
A system and method for providing an integrated virtual and real emulation environment for a manufacturing process to provide component compatibility testing and system performance prediction. In one embodiment, a real manufacturing system includes one or more real components that are controlled by a programmable logic controller. The real component can be replaced with a virtual component to determine whether it is compatible in the process, where the programmable controller sends signals to and receive signals from the virtual component as if it were the real component. For system performance prediction, a virtual manufacturing process is provided that includes virtual components where the virtual process is controlled by a programmable logic control as if it were a real process to determine the performance of a real system using the virtual process.
1 . A method for providing component compatibility testing, said method comprising:
providing a real world manufacturing system, said real world manufacturing system including real world manufacturing components;
replacing one of the real world components with a virtual world component where the virtual world component represents the replaced real world component, said real world manufacturing system passing a part from component to component in the system where the part is transferred from a real world component to the virtual world component or from the virtual world component to the real world component, wherein the part is either a real part or a virtual part; and
providing signals to the real world components and the virtual world component as if the virtual world component where a real world component to determine the operation of the virtual world component.
2 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising an actuator, a sensor and a part for providing signals between real world components and the virtual world component.
3 . The method according to claim 2 wherein the sensor is attached to the programmable logic controller directly through a network infrastructure.
4 . The method according to claim 2 wherein the sensor is attached directly to a real world component.
5 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the real world components include a real robot and the virtual world component is a virtual robot.
6 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the real world manufacturing system includes a conveyer for transferring the part from component to component.
7 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the real world manufacturing system is an automotive manufacturing system.
8 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising analyzing actuator and sensor coupling methods that couple a real world component to the virtual world component including determining whether an actuator is directly interacting with a sensor, and if so, using a non-part coupling method, and if not, using a part coupling method.
9 . The method according to claim 8 wherein the non-part coupling method includes determining whether duplicated real actuator and real sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing physical coupling without a part, and if not, determining whether duplicated virtual actuators and sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing virtual coupling without a part, and if not, using non-hybrid testing of the virtual world component.
10 . The method according to claim 8 wherein using part coupling includes determining whether duplicated real actuator, part and sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing physical coupling with a part, and if not, determining whether a duplicated virtual actuator, part and sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing virtual coupling with a part, and if not, using non-hybrid testing for the virtual world component.
11 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising analyzing sensor and actuator coupling to determine whether the sensor and actuator coupling is between the virtual component and a real world component or the sensor and actuator coupling is in a pure real world or virtual world component.
12 . The method according to claim 11 wherein if the coupling is determined to be between the virtual world component and a real world component, then determining whether the coupling is from the real world component to the virtual component, and if so, providing physical coupling or virtual coupling, and determining whether the coupling is from the virtual world component to a real world component, and if so, providing physical coupling or virtual coupling.
13 . The method according to claim 11 wherein if the coupling is determined to be only between real or virtual world components, then determining whether the coupling is in the real world or the virtual world, and if the coupling is in the real world, providing direct physical coupling, and if the coupling is in the virtual world, providing direct virtual coupling.
14 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining whether a part will travel from the virtual domain to the real domain or only travel in the virtual domain or the real domain, determining whether the part is a real part or a virtual part and providing physical coupling with a real part if a real part is traveling from the real domain to the virtual domain, providing virtual coupling with a virtual part if a virtual part is traveling from the real domain to the virtual domain, providing virtual coupling with a virtual part if a virtual part is traveling from the virtual domain to the real domain, providing normal coupling processes if a real part is traveling in the real domain, providing virtual coupling with a virtual part if a virtual part is traveling only in the real domain, and providing normal coupling processes if a virtual part is traveling only in the virtual domain.
15 . A method for coupling a virtual machine and a real machine for component compatibility testing, said method comprising:
providing a series of manufacturing cells that work on a part where the part is transferred from cell to cell by a conveyor system, each cell including either a real machine or a virtual machine;
transferring the part as either a real part or a virtual part between a real machine and a virtual machine as the part moves from cell to cell;
analyzing actuator and sensor coupling methods that couple real world machines with virtual world machines including determining whether an actuator is directly interacting with a sensor; and
causing the part to move down the conveyor system from cell to cell as if the virtual machines were real machines.
16 . The method according to claim 15 wherein analyzing actuator and sensor coupling methods includes determining whether an actuator is directly interacting with a sensor, and if so, using a non-part coupling method, and if not, using a part coupling method, and wherein the non-part coupling method includes determining whether duplicated real actuator and real sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing physical coupling without a part, and if not, determining whether duplicated virtual actuators and sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing virtual coupling without a part, and if not, using non-hybrid testing of the virtual world component.
17 . The method according to claim 16 wherein using part coupling includes determining whether duplicated real actuator, real part and real sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing physical coupling with a part, and if not, determining whether a duplicated virtual actuator, part and sensor coupling is available, and if so, providing virtual coupling with a part, and if not, using the non-hybrid testing for the virtual world component.
18 . The method according to claim 15 wherein if the coupling is determined to be between the virtual world component and a real world component, then determining whether the coupling is from the real world component to the virtual component, and if so, providing physical coupling or virtual coupling, and determining whether the coupling is from the virtual world component to a real world component, and if so, providing physical coupling or virtual coupling.
19 . The method according to claim 15 wherein if the coupling is determined to be only between real world components, then determining whether the coupling is in the real world or the virtual world, and if the coupling is in the real world, providing direct physical coupling, and if the coupling is in the virtual world, providing direct virtual coupling.
20 . A hardware-in-the-loop emulation method for providing system performance prediction, said method comprising:
providing a virtual world manufacturing system including at least one virtual world component; and
providing a real world programmable logic controller that operates a real network, said programmable logic controller being programmed to operate the virtual manufacturing system by sending signals to and receiving signals from the virtual world manufacturing system as if it were the real world network.