CN103425055A - Semi-virtual functional test device and method for control system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a semi-virtual control system function testing device and method, specifically refers to constructing a plurality of virtual slave nodes in the computer real-time operating system to replace the real slave nodes, and communicating with the master of the system to be tested station connection. At the same time, in the general-purpose operating system running in parallel on the computer, the software programming interface provided by the virtual slave station is used to develop programs to realize functions such as bus data monitoring and performance analysis, and simulate user or device input, thereby realizing fully automated testing of the control system. The hardware required by the present invention is only a computer with a specified communication interface, and a general-purpose operating system and a real-time operating system are run in parallel on it. The invention has the characteristics of low cost, high test efficiency, etc., is applicable to test occasions such as control system development, debugging and function test, and has good practical value and application prospect.

Description

A semi-virtual control system function test device and method

technical field

The invention relates to a semi-virtual control system function test device and method, which can be applied to the function test occasions of various bus-type control systems. Specifically, it can be used for the testing of the control system during the development process, the acceptance test of the control system when the control system is completed, and other processes.

Background technique

The control technology of automation equipment is advancing day by day, and the control system is required to have more and more distributed and reconfigurable functions. Therefore, the bus control system has gradually become the primary consideration system for engineers. At present, the bus control system has been successfully applied in rich and mature fields such as process control and motion control, and the structural characteristics of the master-slave distribution of the bus control system have solved many problems that cannot be solved by the integrated control system. A general bus control system is mainly composed of two parts, the master station and the slave station. Action signals, such as sending pulses, analog and switch output, etc., and the sensor information collected at the same time is sent to the master station through the bus for the main program logic analysis. Therefore, the bus control system has the characteristics of good scalability and high openness.

The function and performance test analysis of the control system is one of the main ways to verify whether the control system meets the design requirements. Through the use of test tools and auxiliary equipment, according to the corresponding test cases and test procedures, the function and performance of the system are tested and verified to meet the application requirements of the specific system environment.

The main purpose of the test is: 1. To find the problems and defects in the system development process; 2. To verify the execution effect of the system structure and algorithm; 3. To improve the function and quality of the system; 4. To verify whether it meets the specific application requirements of users. Through multiple testing processes, errors and defects that have not been discovered so far can be found, the cause of errors can be analyzed, the functions of the control system can be guaranteed to be executed reliably, and the processing performance of the control system can be improved.

At present, there are mainly the following kinds of testing methods for the control system: 1. Judging the performance of the control system by testing the quality of the products it generates. 2. Mainly by transforming the analog/digital signal generator and receiver, the signal is divided into two channels, one is connected to the original control system interface, and the other is connected to the test equipment. For example, modify the pulse signal generator, introduce the pulse signal into the test equipment, and realize the performance analysis by recording the pulse signal. This kind of equipment needs to modify the original control system, and can only passively test the performance of the control system, and cannot perform conditional tests on the control system. 3. By designing typical input logic test cases, input them into the system to detect their status, mainly through manual input, professional equipment input, etc. Manual entry is slow and can only cover a small area of control system functionality. The above methods have problems such as high cost, unclear expression of test results, and long testing time.

In the following situations, functional testing of the control system is required: 1. The control system developer constructs the control system prototype in the early stage to verify whether the selection of the slave station equipment meets the required system requirements, and if the control system prototype is constructed incorrectly, then It will lead to problems such as waste of resources and high development investment; 2. When completing the development of the logic program of the control system, it is necessary to verify that the logic program is connected to the slave node to check whether the functional requirements are met when the real system is formed; 3. On-site development Debugging personnel can detect the control system by adding conditional signals to the control system and analyze the cause of the problem in the control system. However, since the on-site equipment is a kind of electromechanical composite equipment, there is a problem of mutual interference between subsystems, and it is difficult to find out the cause of the problem.

The bus control system is composed of the master station as the controller and the slave stations responsible for performing functions, and the master station and the slave stations are connected by the bus. The current testing methods for the control system include 1.) Detecting the generated product of the control system 2.) Using manual or automated equipment to operate the control system to input use cases 3.) Control system logic simulation debugging 4.) Using test equipment to measure the input and output of the control system Signal. However, the above methods have the following problems: 1.) High test cost; 2.) Long test cycle; 3.) The system under test is interfered by other associated electromechanical systems; 4.) The test results are not clearly expressed; 5.) The process of building a test model complex.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a semi-virtual control system function testing device and method, which can realize high-efficiency and low-cost testing of the control system.

A semi-virtual control system function test device includes a computer with a bus communication interface, on which a general operating system and a real-time operating system run in parallel.

If a virtual slave station with functions equivalent to a real slave station is implemented on a computer, it is first necessary to solve the real-time problem of program operation inside the computer, so it is necessary to run a real-time operating system inside the computer. Therefore, the virtual slave station system running on the real-time operating system can realize the functions equivalent to the real slave station by relying on the powerful computing power of the computer. One or more virtual slave nodes can be built in the virtual slave station system to realize the communication data between the slave station system and the master station without delay, and provide the operation interface of the slave station to the outside, which can realize the input signal of operating the virtual slave station , monitor and modify the data sent and received by the virtual slave station system. In the general operating system, use the programming operation interface provided by the virtual slave station system to develop a test program to test the master station of the control system. The real slave station is an embedded system developed with a logic device and a microcontroller. The logic device is responsible for bus protocol analysis. The microcontroller sends the input signal of the slave station node to the master station and receives the command from the master station to execute actions. The system has excellent real-time performance.

Since the virtual slave station and the real slave station have equivalent functions and performances, the master station of the control system thinks that it is connected to the real slave station from the status of the feedback information of the bus interface. This method does not modify the software and hardware of the master station, nor interfere with the operating conditions of the master station, and has the equivalent function and performance of connecting a real slave station. Since the master station is a real master station system, and the slave station is a virtual slave station with equivalent functions, it is a semi-virtual test method.

The performance of one computer is enough to run multiple virtual slave nodes at the same time, and the slave nodes can be connected virtually. Therefore, it is necessary to design a special software to manage the virtual slaves to realize the connection, configuration and data transmission and reception between the slaves. The virtual slave station system is also provided with a virtual slave station management and configuration module for configuring the virtual slave stations to realize connection, configuration and data transmission and reception between virtual slave stations.

The general-purpose operating system here refers to Windows, Linux operating system and various derivative versions of the operating system, which have good user experience and rich programming resources, but lack strong real-time performance.

The real-time system running in parallel mentioned here is essentially a real-time extension of a general-purpose operating system, such as Interval Zero's RTX, Kithara's Kithara Realtime Suite, INtime, etc.

In addition, it can also be an operating system combining the two, taking into account rich programming resources and powerful real-time performance, such as Windows CE operating system.

The testing function and implementation method that can be realized by using the testing equipment of the present invention. By using the operation interface provided by the virtual slave station system to write logic programs, the following functions can be realized:

1. Test the execution performance of the control system by analyzing bus data, such as control algorithm, logic control algorithm of IO output, etc.

2. By modifying the bus to transmit data, judge the operating performance of the system, as well as the stability and safety performance of the bus design, whether the IO response meets the requirements, etc.

3. Write a program through the manipulation interface provided by the virtual slave station to realize input logic such as simulating manual input or device sensor input.

The main advantages of this method are as follows:

1. Low cost, the main usage is as follows:

(1) During the development process, there is no need to purchase or develop and design real slave station modules. The virtual slave station can be directly configured to generate a slave station module with performance equivalent to that of the real slave station, so as to quickly enter the development and development stage.

(2) During the test of the control system, there is no need to modify the original control system or add auxiliary test equipment, just connect the master station bus communication interface of the original control system to the configured virtual slave station computer, then Implement testing of the system.

(3) The virtual slave station can simulate a variety of slave stations, and can be reused, reducing the investment in multiple development costs.

(4) By using the operation interface provided by the slave station system to develop a logic test program, instead of entering use cases manually or related automation equipment, the cost of testing can be reduced.

2. Strong monitoring and testing performance, the main performance is as follows:

(1) In the strong real-time bus, the bus data transmission requires strong real-time performance. If a special device is used to monitor the bus data, it will cause a delay in the transmission of the bus data, which may cause the bus system to fail to operate normally or make errors. The data transmission process of the virtual slave station is inside the real-time system of the computer, which can realize the extraction of bus transmission data without delay.

(2) The development interface provided can modify the bus transmission data in any process, and can test the stability and fault tolerance of the bus system.

(3) By using the logic test program developed by the operation interface provided by the slave station system, complex operation logic can be developed, and it is more efficient than the input method using a real slave station.

(4) Through the monitoring of the bus data, the data is directly entered into the computer, and the complex data analysis can be performed through the powerful computing function of the computer, so that the test results of the control system can be directly obtained intuitively.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 shows the main structure of the semi-virtual control system function test method.

Figure 2. Basic platform structure diagram.

Fig. 3 Design diagram of the virtual slave station system.

Figure 4 control system virtual slave station system structure diagram.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

At present, the bus system can be divided into two types: open source and non-open source. The open source bus system provides a complete code project, allowing users to understand the detailed communication process, and can facilitate porting and development on different platforms. Non-open source systems provide compiled program modules for developers to develop and use in a specified environment. Referring to Figure 1 for the specific implementation, it mainly includes three processes: 1. Constructing the basic software and hardware operating platform; 2. Design and development of the virtual slave station system; 3. The use method of the virtual slave station system, that is, the development of the logic test program .

Here, the open source bus system Ethernet PowerLink is taken as an example to describe in detail how to implement the test of the control system using this bus system.

Build the basic software and hardware operating platform as shown in Figure 2. The specific process is as follows:

The first step is to select a computer with a bus communication physical interface, such as a computer with an X86 architecture or a computer with a high-performance ARM architecture.

The second step is to build a general-purpose operating system and a real-time operating system that run simultaneously on the computer selected in the first step. The general-purpose operating system here can choose the general-purpose Windows or Linux operating system and its derived operating systems. The real-time operating system here is actually a real-time enhancement and expansion of the general-purpose operating system, running in parallel with the general-purpose operating system, such as Interval Zero's RTX, Kithara Software's Kithara Realtime Suite, etc. Data interaction can be performed between two parallel operating systems at runtime.

The design and development process of the virtual slave station system is mainly realized in the real-time operating system of the computer, as shown in Figure 3, and the specific content is as follows:

The first step is to obtain the source code of Ethernet PowerLink, and transplant it to the selected computer platform, and design related resource module configuration functions, such as switch/analog input and output, servo/step drive, etc., to generate the required The virtual slave configuration module. Due to the powerful computing performance of the computer and the excellent real-time performance of the real-time operating system, the virtual slave station can realize the equivalent function and performance of the real slave station.

The second step is to design a virtual slave station configuration management program, which can simulate multiple virtual slave stations on one computer at the same time, so it is necessary to design a virtual slave station configuration management program to realize real-time data forwarding and communication structure transplantation, and to The virtual slave station system operation interface is provided externally for operating the virtual slave station, monitoring bus data and modifying bus data, etc.

The method of using the virtual slave station system is mainly implemented under the general operating system of the computer, as shown in Figure 4, and the specific content is as follows:

The first step is to design and configure the virtual slave station system according to the constructed control system slave station node model, or abstract the prototype design and configure the virtual slave station according to the existing real slave station system, and then replace the real slave station system to access the control system master stand.

The second step is to use the software operation interface provided by the virtual slave station system to monitor the bus data required in the bus transmission, and analyze the content of the monitored data to obtain the functional test results of the control system.

The third step is to use the software operation interface provided by the virtual slave station system to modify the data in the bus transmission and test the stability and safety performance of the bus system of the control system.

The fourth step is to use the software operation interface provided by the virtual slave station system to write a test program to realize the logical operation of the input points of the virtual slave station.

In practical application, the first two processes build the basic software and hardware operating platform and the design and development of the virtual slave station system. For the already supported bus system model, resources can be reused without redesigning and developing.

Although the specific implementation of the present invention has been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it does not limit the protection scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention, those skilled in the art do not need to pay creative work Various modifications or variations that can be made are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

1. the control system device for testing functions of one and half subjunctive moods, it is characterized in that, comprise the parallel running general-purpose operating system and real time operating system, be provided with virtual slave station system in the described general-purpose operating system and real time operating system, described virtual slave station system arranges at least one virtual slave station, virtually from standing in real time operating system, build, by bus communication interface, with the control system main website, be connected, the communication data of virtual slave station system and control system main website is monitored in realization without time delay, and provide the operation-interface of slave station to outside, realize the input signal of the virtual slave station of operation, monitor and revise virtual slave station system transceiving data.

2. the control system device for testing functions of half subjunctive mood as claimed in claim 1, is characterized in that, described virtual slave station has function of equal value and performance with true slave station.

3. the control system device for testing functions of half subjunctive mood as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, also be provided with the management configuration module of virtual slave station in described virtual slave station system, for to virtual slave station configuration, realize connection, configuration and data transmit-receive between virtual slave station.

4. the control system device for testing functions of half subjunctive mood as claimed in claim 1, is characterized in that, the described general-purpose operating system refers to the operating system of Windows, (SuSE) Linux OS and various derived version thereof.

5. the control system device for testing functions of half subjunctive mood as described as claim 1 or 4, is characterized in that, described real time operating system is in the nature a kind of real-time expansion software of the general-purpose operating system.

6. the control system function test method of half subjunctive mood as claimed in claim 1, is characterized in that, by monitoring the bus data on virtual slave station, the execution performance of analysis and Control system.

7. the control system function test method of half subjunctive mood as claimed in claim 1, is characterized in that, by revising the transmission data between virtual slave station and main website and between virtual slave station, analyzes the action situation of main website to Update Table.

8. the control system function test method of half subjunctive mood as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, the virtual slave station operation-interface provided by virtual slave station system, the development logic function program, operated the switching value of virtual slave station/analog input point and sensor.

Images