OAL Open Automation Language

Concept of operating systems & languages

ANDRAS Steuerungssysteme GmbH, under the management of Reinhard Andras, has developed a concept for the decentralization of intelligence. With this, the objective was achieved to make available a complete and especially transparent automation technology for complex manufacturing processes.

The open architecture of a mutual process-specific job allocation necessary for that - the basic concept of the program technology - could not be applied adequately with traditional PLC systems. ANDRAS Steuerungssysteme GmbH therefore developed its own microprocessor hardware platforms.

The basic concept of ANDRAS-Technology is the clear resolution of functions into their subprocesses (sequences), with autonomous organization and administration. In this way, a Mini-Soft PLC with its own markers, counters and timers is available to the system for every subprocess. This Mini-Soft PLC is involved exclusively in the process assigned to it, however, only in the case where the process is needed at this time. In this way, optimum reaction times of the control process are achieved.

The consistently concurrent process description automatically results during the generation in the formation of a process-control structure. Status interrogations, error reports and processing, diagnostics and maintenance are extended very simply.

1024 inputs, 1024 secondary inputs and 1024 outputs can be addressed by the intelligence of the system, so that an input of e.g. a complete servo-axis or similar, is also represented.

The allocation of the inputs and outputs is not stipulated by the hardware. A completely free mapping is available. As a result, it is especially simple to develop and verify intelligent programs for system modules as standard. Only during the operational startup is their hardware allocation stipulated.

As well as these standards, the special functions of the special operating systems include single solutions for applications, such as e.g. algorithm for job-related palletizing. A similar result can be achieved with usual automation systems only as a result of considerable programming outlay.

Furthermore, it is especially useful that ANDRAS Steuerungssysteme GmbH, as system developer, implements system structures on request, which enable the OEM to program its systems efficiently, however, to simultaneously protect its special know-how

Since the sequence status of every Mini-Soft PLC described in case of the generation/programming can be interrogated and evaluated at any time, the documentation of the overall process is generated almost automatically. This results simultaneously in a complex, event-related fault diagnostics possibility being available in parallel.

Therefore, the following are the result:

• A high level of transparency of the programs and process workflows,
• A simple user guidance and, with that,
• An especially high level of operational security and availability for all of the automation processes.

(c) 2009 Andras Steuerungssysteme GmbH, www.andras.de