IEC 61499 Tutorial for Industrial Automation | Schneider Electric

Summary

This video offers a comprehensive overview of the IEC 61499 standard, explaining its purpose and capabilities without delving too deeply into technical details. It targets automation technicians and IT managers seeking a general understanding of the standard. By the end, viewers will grasp the basic principles of IEC 61499 and recognize its strengths in various use cases. The video features experts who believe that IEC 61499 is pivotal for industrial digitization, bridging the gap between IT and OT. It highlights the standard’s ability to integrate with modern technologies like AI and cloud computing and attract new engineering talent. The script covers key technical concepts, such as event-driven function blocks and device-independent application models, showcasing IEC 61499's potential to revolutionize industrial automation through a component-based, event-driven approach.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video provides an overview of the IEC 61499 standard, explaining what it is and what it is not, targeting those with knowledge of industrial automation software.
• 👥 It assumes the viewer is a technician or manager in automation or information technology sectors looking for a general understanding of the IEC 61499 standard.
• 💡 By the end of the video, viewers should grasp the basic principles of IEC 61499 and understand where it excels in use cases.
• 🔗 The IEC 61499 standard is considered a missing link for the digitalization of industry, with the potential to bridge the IT and OT (Operational Technology) worlds.
• 🤖 It is a technology that engineers from both IT and OT can understand and work with, which is essential for leveraging technologies like AI, machine learning, and cloud edge architectures.
• 👨‍🎓 The standard is also crucial for attracting young computer engineers to the field of industrial automation.
• 🔧 The IEC 61499 standard builds on some of the same people who wrote the IEC 61131 standard but is not a programming language with finite state machines.
• 🛠️ It is a system-level design language for distributed measurement and control systems, introducing the concept of event-driven function blocks.
• 📈 The behavior of a basic function block is defined as an event-commanded state machine with a control flow graph.
• 🔌 IEC 61499 does not specify the programming language but recommends IEC 61131-3 languages and allows algorithms to be written in any language, encapsulated within the function block.
• 🔄 The standard supports both event-driven and periodic events, making it suitable for interfacing IT systems with OT systems effectively.
• 🌐 It promotes application-independent design by separating the application model from the underlying system model, allowing for application programming independent of control devices and communication infrastructure.
• 🚀 The video includes real-world examples of how IEC 61499 has been applied in various industrial scenarios, showcasing its practical benefits and potential.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video on IEC 61499 standard?

The video aims to provide a general overview of the IEC 61499 standard, explaining what it is and what it is not, and is targeted at technicians or managers in the automation or information technology sector who want a general understanding of the standard.

What is the relationship between IEC 61499 and IEC 61131?

IEC 61499 was written by some of the same people who wrote the IEC 61131 standard. However, IEC 61499 is not a programming language with finite state machines; it is a system-level design language for distributed measurement and control systems, and it is complementary to IEC 61131.

What are Event-Driven Function Blocks (EDFBs) in the context of IEC 61499?

Event-Driven Function Blocks (EDFBs) are a technical concept in IEC 61499 that extends the well-known function block concept of IEC 61131 with event inputs and outputs, allowing for a behavior defined as an event-commanded state machine.

How does the Control Flow Graph (CFG) work in IEC 61499?

The Control Flow Graph (CFG) in IEC 61499 is used to control the execution order of tasks with a single active state at a time. When a transition is triggered, the active state controls task modifications, and when a new state is entered, the corresponding actions are executed.

What is the significance of the application model in IEC 61499?

The application model in IEC 61499 allows for application-centric design by separating the application model from the system model. This enables programming of applications independently of the underlying control devices and communication infrastructure topology.

How does IEC 61499 support the integration of IT and OT worlds?

IEC 61499 supports the integration of IT and OT worlds by providing a technology that engineers from both domains can understand and work with. It is essential for the OT world to leverage IT technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud edge architectures.

What is the potential impact of IEC 61499 on attracting young engineers to the industrial automation field?

IEC 61499 has the potential to attract young engineers to the industrial automation field by combining the worlds of automation and computing, making the industry more appealing and relevant to those with a background in computer science.

How does the event-driven approach in IEC 61499 benefit the automation industry?

The event-driven approach in IEC 61499 benefits the automation industry by providing a powerful method for controlling the execution order and data flow of applications, which can be particularly effective for interfacing IT systems with OT systems.

What is the significance of the 'plug and produce' approach mentioned in the script?

The 'plug and produce' approach signifies a future where instead of programming controllers, complex industries are solved with a proven component-based approach. It allows for downloading from a rich ecosystem of smart developers to create a final application, reducing costs and improving quality.

Can you provide an example of how IEC 61499 has been applied in practice as mentioned in the script?

One example from the script is the distributed automation demonstration at the Komen X Innovation Lab in Italy, which integrated heterogeneous systems from multiple vendors and orchestrated them using the IEC 61499 standard, showcasing its potential in an industrial scenario.

How does the IEC 61499 standard address the need for real-time control and adaptability in process industries?

IEC 61499 addresses the need for real-time control and adaptability by allowing the development of real-time control software that can also connect to external data analysis and optimization tools, leveraging its uniform formalism and interface mechanisms.

What are the advantages of using IEC 61499 for event-driven programming in automation?

IEC 61499 offers advantages such as direct translation of real-world behavior into event-driven programs, significant reduction in computation time by executing less code, and compatibility with web and cloud IT applications, making it suitable for complex automation tasks in a distributed environment.