Industrial Automation

Lecture 1
Architecture of Industrial
Automation Systems
Presented y
Dr. Abdallah Mohamed Hamada
 Outline
• Introduction to Industrial Automation

• Architecture of Industrial Automation Systems

• Types of Control Systems

• Trends in Industrial Automation

 Lesson Objectives
❑To describe the various elements of an Industrial
Automation System and how they are organized
hierarchically in levels.
❑To explain how these levels relate to each other in
terms of their functions.
❑To describe the nature of technologies involved in
realizing these functional levels
❑To describe the nature of information processing in
these levels and the information flow among them
 Introduction to Industrial Automation
❖Industrial automation refers to the use of control
systems (such as computers, PLCs, and SCADA
systems) to manage industrial processes and
machinery in factories, boilers, oil refineries, and
other applications that require high levels of
precision and efficiency.
❖The objective is to reduce human intervention and
improve system reliability, productivity, and safety.
 Key Components of an Industrial
Automation System
❖ Sensors: These are used to measure physical
parameters (such as temperature, pressure, level,
and flow) and convert them into electrical signals.

❖ Actuators: Devices that convert control signals into

physical actions, such as opening/closing valves or
adjusting motor speeds.
 Key Components of an Industrial
Automation System
❖ Controllers: These include PLCs (Programmable
Logic Controllers) or DCS (Distributed Control
Systems) that process input from sensors and send
control signals to actuators.

❖Communication Systems: These include networks

and communication protocols like Modbus,
Profibus, or Ethernet used to connect components
and enable data exchange
 Overview of Industries Benefiting
from Automation
❖Industrial automation is widely applied in industries
like automotive manufacturing, oil refining,
chemical processing, energy production, and food
processing, where complex systems need to be
managed reliably and efficiently.
 Architecture of Industrial Automation
Systems
❖Industrial automation systems are typically
structured hierarchically, where various
components operate at different levels to ensure
seamless operation. Each level handles specific
tasks that contribute to the overall functioning of
the system.
• Field Level (Sensors and Actuators) This is the lowest level of the

automation hierarchy. It involves the direct measurement and

manipulation of physical variables in the system, such as

temperature, pressure, and flow rate.

• Control Level (PLCs and Controllers) The control level involves

programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or distributed control systems

(DCS) that take input from sensors and execute control algorithms.

The PLC/DCS makes real-time decisions based on these inputs and

controls the actuators accordingly.

• Supervisory Level (SCADA and HMI) The supervisory level involves

supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and

human-machine interfaces (HMI). This level is responsible for

overseeing the performance of the system, making high-level

decisions, and providing operators with a visual interface to monitor

and control processes.

• Enterprise Level (ERP and MES) The highest level of automation

connects the industrial process to business management. This includes

systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing

Execution Systems (MES), which integrate production data with business

functions such as inventory, logistics, and scheduling.

 Types of Control Systems
There are various control systems that industries use depending
on the complexity and type of the process being managed.
Open-loop Control vs. Closed-Loop Control
❖ Open-Loop Control: This type of system operates without feedback.
The output is not measured or adjusted based on the input. Example:
A simple timer-controlled irrigation system.

❖ Closed-Loop Control: In this system, feedback from the output is

continuously compared to the desired set point, and corrections are
made automatically. This ensures better accuracy and stability.
Example: A temperature control system in a furnace.
 OPEN LOOP CONTROL SYSTEM:

Output does not affect the function of the entire

system.

System
Reference Controller Actuator Output signal
input
 EXAMPLE: Street Lighting System

▪ Commonly a system that uses a timer.

▪ ON and OFF at specific time
( Night = ON and Day = OFF)
▪ Duration within ON and OFF is set up by timer.
System
(street lighting
system)
Time set up Controller Actuator Street Lamp ON @
(timer) (Relay) OFF
 CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL SYSTEM

❖ Also known as Feedback Control System

❖ System Output affects the control function of the
entire system.

comparator
System

controller Actuator
Reference input Output signal

Measurement element
 EXAMPLE: STREET LIGHTING SYSTEM

❖ Commonly a system that uses a sensor as an input

element.
❖ ON and OFF automatically as the light sensor detects the
light regardless of the particular time.
❖ Dark = ON and Bright = OFF)
comparator
System

Reference input controller Actuator (street Output signal

(Light intensity) (relay) lighting (lamp ON@OFF)
system)

Measurement element
(light sensor)
 COMPARISON

Open Loop System (OLS) Close Loop System (CLS)

Easy to design The design is complicated or
Complex.
The accuracy depends on the The system is very accurate.
calibration elements

less instability problem. problems of instability.

Unable to reduce the impact of Non-linearity effects can be

non-linearity. minimized.
 Discrete vs. Continuous Control
Discrete Control: This type of control is used when
the system operates in discrete steps, such as on/off
switching. Example: Conveyor belts in a factory.

Continuous Control: This type of control handles

continuous processes, where outputs need to be
adjusted smoothly over time. Example: Flow rate
control in a chemical reactor.
 Trends in Industrial Automation
• Integration of IoT, AI, and Machine Learning The Internet
of Things (IoT) allows devices in an automation system to
communicate with each other and with the internet,
enabling real-time data collection and remote control. AI
and machine learning algorithms help predict system
failures, optimize production processes, and improve
maintenance schedules.
 Trends in Industrial Automation
• Role of Industry 4.0 Industry 4.0 is the term used to
describe the current trend of automation and data
exchange in manufacturing technologies, including cyber-
physical systems, IoT, cloud computing, and cognitive
computing.
• Future Developments Future industrial automation
systems will likely be more intelligent, adaptable, and
decentralized. Technologies such as digital twins, 5G
networks, and augmented reality are expected to further
enhance automation systems.
 Continuous Control
• This is also often termed as Automatic Control,
Process Control, Feedback Control etc.
• Here the controller objective is to provide such inputs
to the plant such that the output y(t) follows the input
r(t) as closely as possible, in value and over time.
 Continuous Control
• Most industrial control loop command signals are constant
signals that indicate desirable levels of process variables,
such as temperature, pressure, flow, level etc., which
ensure the quality of the product in Continuous Processes.
• In some cases, such as in case of motion control for
machining, the command signal may be continuously
varying according to the dimensions of the product.
Therefore, here deviation of the output from the command
signal results in degradation of product quality.
• It is for this reason that the choice of the feedback signals,
that of the controller algorithm (such as, P, PI or PID), the
choice of the control loop structure (normal feedback loop,
cascade loop or feed-forward) as well as choice of the
controller gains is extremely important for industrial
machines and processes.
 Sequence / Logic Control
• Many control applications do not involve analog process
variables, that is, the ones which can assume a continuous
range of values, but instead variables that are set valued,
that is they only assume values belonging to a finite set. The
simplest examples of such variables are binary variables, that
can have either of two possible values, (such as 1 or 0, on or
off, open or closed etc.).
• These control systems operate by turning on and off
switches, motors, valves, and other devices in response to
operating conditions and as a function of time. Such systems
are referred to as sequence/logic control systems.
• For example, in the operation of transfer lines and
automated assembly machines, sequence control is used to
coordinate the various actions of the production system
(e.g., transfer of parts, changing of the tool, feeding of the
metal cutting tool, etc.).
 Sequence / Logic Control
• Similarly, there are many industrial sensors (such as, Limit
Switch / Pressure Switch/ Photo Switch etc.) which provide
discrete outputs which may be interpreted as the
presence/absence of an object in close proximity, passing of
parts on a conveyor, or a given pressure value being higher or
lower than a set value.
• A modern controller device used extensively for sequence
control today in transfer lines, robotics, process control, and
many other automated systems is the Programmable Logic
Controller (PLC).
• In essence, a PLC is a special purpose industrial
microprocessor based real-time computing system, which
performs the sequential/logical functions in the context of
industrial operations
The Architecture of Elements:
The Automation Pyramid
 The Architecture of Elements: The Automation Pyramid
• Various layers represent the wideness ( in the sense of no. of devices ), and
fastness of components on the time-scale.
• Sensors and Actuators Layer: This layer is closest to the processes and
machines, used to translate signals so that signals can be derived from
processes for analysis and decisions and hence control signals can be applied
to the processes. This forms the base layer of the pyramid also called ‘level 0’
layer.
• Automatic Control Layer: This layer consists of automatic control and
monitoring systems, which drive the actuators using the process information
given by sensors. This is called as ‘level 1’ layer.
• Supervisory Control Layer: This layer drives the automatic control system by
setting target/goal to the controller. Supervisory Control looks after the
equipment, which may consist of several control loops. This is called as ‘level
2’ layer.
• Production Control Layer: This solves the decision problems like production
targets, resource allocation, task allocation to machines, maintenance
management etc. This is called ‘level 3’ layer.
• Enterprise control layer: This deals less technical and more commercial
activities like supply, demand, cash flow, product marketing etc. This is called
as the ‘level 4’ layer.
 Level 2: Supervisory Control
• Supervisory control performs at a hierarchically higher level over the
automatic controllers, which controls smaller subsystems.
• Supervisory control systems perform, typically the following functions:
• Set point computation: Set points for important process variables are
computed depending on factors such as nature of the product,
production volume, mode of processing. This function has a lot of impact
on production volume, energy and quality and efficiency.
• Performance Monitoring / Diagnostics: Process variables are monitored
to check for possible system component failure, control loop detuning,
actuator saturation, process parameter change etc. The results are
displayed and possibly archived for subsequent analysis.
• Start up / Shut down / Emergency Operations : Special discrete and
continuous control modes are initiated to carry out the intended
operation, either in response to operator commands or in response to
diagnostic events such as detected failure modes.
 Level 3: Production Control
• Production control performs at a hierarchically higher level over
the supervisory controllers. Typical functions they perform are:
• Process Scheduling: Depending on the sequence of operations to
be carried on the existing batches of products, processing
resource availability for optimal resource utilization.
• Maintenance Management: Decision processes related to
detection and deployment of maintenance operations.
• Inventory Management: Decision processes related to
monitoring of inventory status of raw material, finished goods etc.
and deployment of operations related to their management.
• Quality Management : Assessment, Documentation and
Management of Quality
• Typically, the algorithms make use of Resource Optimization Technology and
are non-real-time although they may be using production data on-line.