1/25/2020 Programmable logic controller - Wikipedia

Programmable logic controller

A programmable logic controller (PLC) or programmable controller is an industrial digital computer
which has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of manufacturing processes, such as assembly lines, or
robotic devices, or any activity that requires high reliability control and ease of programming and process fault
diagnosis.

PLCs were first developed in the automobile manufacturing industry to provide flexible, ruggedized and easily
programmable controllers to replace hard-wired relays, timers and sequencers. Since then, they have been widely
adopted as high-reliability automation controllers suitable for harsh environments. A PLC is an example of a "hard"
real-time system since output results must be produced in response to input conditions within a limited time,
otherwise unintended operation will result.

Contents
PLC system in a rack, left-
Overview to-right: power supply unit
Invention and early development (PSU), CPU, interface
module (IM) and
Programming communication processor
Control example shown in ladder diagram (CP).
Functionality
Basic functions
Timers and counters
Programmable logic relay (PLR)
PLC topics
Features
Scan time
Process of a scan cycle
System scale
User interface
Communications
Security
Simulation
Redundancy
PLC compared with other control systems
Discrete (digital) and analog signals
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Overview
PLCs can range from small modular devices with tens of inputs and outputs (I/O), in a housing integral with
the processor, to large rack-mounted modular devices with a count of thousands of I/O, and which are often
networked to other PLC and SCADA systems.

They can be designed for multiple arrangements of digital and analog I/O, extended temperature ranges,
immunity to electrical noise, and resistance to vibration and impact. Programs to control machine operation
are typically stored in battery-backed-up or non-volatile memory.

It was from the automotive industry in the USA that the PLC was born. Before the PLC, control, sequencing, Industrial controller for a monitoring
and safety interlock logic for manufacturing automobiles was mainly composed of relays, cam timers, drum system in the pharmaceutical
sequencers, and dedicated closed-loop controllers. Since these could number in the hundreds or even industry
thousands, the process for updating such facilities for the yearly model change-over was very time consuming
and expensive, as electricians needed to individually rewire the relays to change their operational
characteristics.

When digital computers became available, being general-purpose programmable devices, they were soon applied to control sequential and
combinatorial logic in industrial processes. However these early computers required specialist programmers and stringent operating
environmental control for temperature, cleanliness, and power quality. To meet these challenges the PLC was developed with several key
attributes. It would tolerate the shop-floor environment, it would support discrete (bit-form) input and output in an easily extensible manner, it
would not require years of training to use, and it would permit its operation to be monitored. Since many industrial processes have timescales
easily addressed by millisecond response times, modern (fast, small, reliable) electronics greatly facilitate building reliable controllers, and
performance could be traded off for reliability.[1]

Invention and early development

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1/25/2020 Programmable logic controller - Wikipedia

In 1968 GM Hydramatic (the automatic transmission division of General Motors) issued a request for proposals for an electronic replacement for
hard-wired relay systems based on a white paper written by engineer Edward R. Clark. The winning proposal came from Bedford Associates of
Bedford, Massachusetts. The first PLC, designated the 084 because it was Bedford Associates' eighty-fourth project, was the result.[2] Bedford
Associates started a new company dedicated to developing, manufacturing, selling, and servicing this new product: Modicon, which stood for
modular digital controller. One of the people who worked on that project was Dick Morley, who is considered to be the "father" of the PLC.[3] The
Modicon brand was sold in 1977 to Gould Electronics, later acquired by German Company AEG, and then by French Schneider Electric, the
current owner.

One of the very first 084 models built is now on display at Schneider Electric's facility in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was presented to
Modicon by GM, when the unit was retired after nearly twenty years of uninterrupted service. Modicon used the 84 moniker at the end of its
product range until the 984 made its appearance.

The automotive industry is still one of the largest users of PLCs.

In a parallel development Odo Josef Struger is sometimes known as the "father of the programmable logic controller" as well.[4][5] He was
involved in the invention of the Allen-Bradley programmable logic controller (PLC) during 1958 to 1960.[6][7][8] Struger is credited with creating
the PLC acronym.[4] Allen-Bradley (now a brand owned by Rockwell Automation), the manufacturer of the controller, became a major
programmable logic controller device manufacturer in the United States during the tenure of Struger.[9]

Early PLCs were designed to replace relay logic systems. Relay systems were large and bulky and had an assortment of issues. The hard-wired
nature made it difficult for design engineers to alter the process. Even small changes would require rewiring and careful updating of the
documentation. If even one wire were out of place, or one relay failed, the whole system would become faulty. Often times technicians would
spend hours troubleshooting by examining the schematics and comparing them to existing wiring.[10] It was for this reason PLCs were
programmed in "ladder logic", which strongly resembles a schematic diagram of relay logic. This program notation was chosen to reduce training
demands for the existing technicians. Other early PLCs used a form of instruction list programming, based on a stack-based logic solver.

Modern PLCs can be programmed in a variety of ways, from the relay-derived ladder logic to programming languages such as specially adapted
dialects of BASIC and C. Another method is state logic, a very high-level programming language designed to program PLCs based on state
transition diagrams. The majority of PLC systems today adhere to the IEC 61131/3 control systems programming standard that defines 5
languages: Ladder Diagram (LD), Structured Text (ST), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Instruction List (IL) and sequential function chart (SFC).

Many early PLCs did not have accompanying programming terminals that were capable of graphical representation of the logic, and so the logic
was instead represented as a series of logic expressions in some version of Boolean format, similar to Boolean algebra. As programming terminals
evolved, it became more common for ladder logic to be used, for the aforementioned reasons and because it was a familiar format used for
electro-mechanical control panels. Newer formats such as state logic and Function Block (which is similar to the way logic is depicted when using
digital integrated logic circuits) exist, but they are still not as popular as ladder logic. A primary reason for this is that PLCs solve the logic in a
predictable and repeating sequence, and ladder logic allows the programmer (the person writing the logic) to see any issues with the timing of the
logic sequence more easily than would be possible in other formats.

Programming
PLC programs are typically written in a special application on a personal computer, then downloaded by a direct-connection cable or over a
network to the PLC. The program is stored in the PLC either in battery-backed-up RAM or some other non-volatile flash memory. Often, a single
PLC can be programmed to replace thousands of relays.[11]

Early PLCs, up to the mid-1990s, were programmed using proprietary programming panels or special-purpose programming terminals, which
often had dedicated function keys representing the various logical elements of PLC programs.[2] Some proprietary programming terminals
displayed the elements of PLC programs as graphic symbols, but plain ASCII character representations of contacts, coils, and wires were
common. Programs were stored on cassette tape cartridges. Facilities for printing and documentation were minimal due to lack of memory
capacity. The oldest PLCs used non-volatile magnetic core memory.

More recently, PLCs are programmed using application software on personal computers, which now represent the logic in graphic form instead
of character symbols. The computer is connected to the PLC through USB, Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485, or RS-422 cabling. The programming
software allows entry and editing of the ladder-style logic. In some software packages, it is also possible to view and edit the program in function
block diagrams, sequence flow charts and structured text. Generally the software provides functions for debugging and troubleshooting the PLC
software, for example, by highlighting portions of the logic to show current status during operation or via simulation. The software will upload
and download the PLC program, for backup and restoration purposes. In some models of programmable controller, the program is transferred
from a personal computer to the PLC through a programming board which writes the program into a removable chip such as an EPROM.

Under the IEC 61131-3 standard, PLCs can be programmed using standards-based programming languages. The most commonly used
programming language is Ladder diagram (LD) also known as Ladder logic. It uses Contact-Coil logic to make programs like an electrical control
diagram. A graphical programming notation called Sequential Function Charts is available on certain programmable controllers. A model which
emulated electromechanical control panel devices (such as the contact and coils of relays) which PLCs replaced. This model remains common
today.

IEC 61131-3 currently defines four programming languages for programmable control systems: function block diagram (FBD), ladder diagram
(LD), structured text (ST; similar to the Pascal programming language), and sequential function chart (SFC).[12] Instruction list (IL; similar to
assembly language) was deprecated in the third edition of the standard. These techniques emphasize logical organization of operations.[11]

While the fundamental concepts of PLC programming are common to all manufacturers, differences in I/O addressing, memory organization,
and instruction sets mean that PLC programs are never perfectly interchangeable between different makers. Even within the same product line of
a single manufacturer, different models may not be directly compatible.

Control example shown in ladder diagram

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