AUTOMATION

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi

Chapter Three
Introduction to
Automation

Automation
Automation is the technology by which a
process or procedure is accomplished
without human assistance. It is implemented
using a program of instruction combined
with control system that executes the
instructions.

Basic Elements of an
Automated System

Power to operate the process.

Program of Instructions.

Control System to actuate the instructions.

Power

Program of
Instructions

Control
System

Process

Power to Accomplish the

Automated Process
The principal source of automation power is
electricity, that is due to:

Availability.

Moderate cost.

Ease of conversion to other forms of energy ,such as mechanical,

thermal, Pneumatic, and hydraulic.

Electrical power at low level can be used to accomplish functions such

as information processing, communication, data storage and

transmission.

Ability of storage in batteries to be used anywhere.

Power for Automation

Controller Unit (Digital Computers)
Power to Actuate Control Signals
Data Acquisition and information processing

Data Acquisition System

Program for Instructions

It defines the actions performed by an
automated process
Work Cycle Programs:
The simplest example (single step program) is the control of an oven
temperature (process variable/output) at a specified value (process
parameter/input).
More complicated example (multiple steps program):

Load the part into the production machine.

Perform the process(such as cutting ,stamping,.)

Unload the part.

Work Cycle Programs

Work cycle has two features :
1.Number and Sequence of processing
steps.

2.The process parameters change in each

step.

Program for Instructions

Disadvantages of using hardware components to
control work cycles (such as timers, cams, relays,... )

- They often required considerable time to design and

fabricate.
- Making even minor changing in the program was
difficult and time consuming.
- No compatibility with computer data processing and
communication, because the program was in the
physical form.

Decision Making in the

Programmed Work Cycle
Possible Cases of variation in work cycle
Operator interaction with the program of instructions, such as ATM
machine.
Different part or product styles processed by the system; such as a
welding robot dealing with more than one car model at the same

assembly line (batch production or flexible automation ).

Variations in the starting work units; (They are not consistent); such as
sand castings prior to machining, adjustments might be needed for

individual pieces.

Automatic Control System

The automatic control system executes
the program of instructions to accomplish
the defined function.
Automatic Control System
Closed loop (feedback control system)
Open loop control system.

Closed Loop Control System

The output variable is compared with an
input parameter, and any difference
between the two is used to drive the
output into agreement with the input.
Input
parameter
(set point )

Controller

Control element
/Actuator

Feedback
sensor

process

Output
variable

Open Loop Control System

The open loop control system operates
without the feedback loop. In this case, the
controller operates without measuring the
output variable, so no comparison is made
between the actual value of the output and
the desired input parameter.
Input
parameter
(set point )

Controller

Control element
/Actuator

process

Output
variable

Open Loop Control System

Advantages
Less expensive
Less complicated

Disadvantages
Accuracy
Repeatability
Setup

Open Loop Control System

Open loop control system is usually
appropriate when the following conditions
apply:
The actions performed by the control system are
simple.
The actuating function is very reliable
Reaction forces opposing the actuator are small
enough to have no effect on the actuation.

Advanced Automation Functions

In addition to executing work cycle programs,
an automated system may be capable of
executing advanced functions. These functions
are executed by special subroutines included in
the program.
Safety monitoring
Maintenance and repair diagnostics
Error detection and recovery

Safety Monitoring
Reasons for providing an automated
system with safety monitoring capability:
- To protect the human workers in the
vicinity of the system.
- To protect the equipment associated with
the system.

Safety Monitoring
Safety Monitoring in an automated system involves the use of
sensors to track the systems operation, identify/detect
conditions and events that are unsafe, and respond to these
unsafe events.
The safety monitoring system may respond to these
conditions by:
Stopping the automated system.
Sounding an alarm.
Reducing the operation speed.
Taking corrective actions.

Safety Monitoring
Sensors used for safety monitoring include:
limit switches to detect proper positioning of a part in a
workholding device.
Photoelectric sensors triggered by the interruption of a light
beam to detect the presence of human intruder in the work
cell.
Temperature sensor.
Heat and smoke detectors.
Pressure-sensitive floor pads to detect intruders.
Machine vision system for surveillance.

Maintenance and Repair

Diagnostics
Refer to the capabilities of an automated
system to assist in identifying the source of
malfunctions and failures of the system.
They have three modes of operation:
Status monitoring :current system parameters.
Failure diagnostics: detects malfunctions and try
to identify the causes of the failure.
Recommendation of repair procedure using
artificial intelligence to suggest repair steps.

Error Detection and Recovery

Using the computer to diagnose the errors and
automatically take the necessary corrective action to
restore the system to normal operation.
Production operation errors:
Random error: due to the stochastic nature of the
process.
Systematic errors: result from some assignable cause,
such as change in raw material properties.
Aberrations/Gross :deviations resulting from either
equipment failure or human mistake.

All possible errors should be estimated in order to

specify the proper sensors and software to detect
them.

Error Recovery Strategies

Make adjustments at the end of the current work
cycle to solve random errors (low level of urgency).
Make adjustments during the current cycle to solve
systematic errors (high level of urgency).
Stop the process to invoke (call up) corrective action
(automatic action).
Stop the process and call for help, If automation is
not able to fix it (manual action).

Levels of Automation
5

Enterprise level

Plant level

Cell or system level

Machine level

Device level