Industrial automation and robotics

Sequential Function Chart

Prof. Paolo Rocco (paolo.rocco@polimi.it)

Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria
 Sequential Function Chart

In the 70s of the last century a graphic language was developed

for specification of logic control system.
This language was called Grafcet
Grafcet gives a formal specification of the evolution and the
input/output behavior of a system, from which it is possible to
obtain unambiguously the executable code for a synchronous
machine interfaced to the outside world (the PLC).
Grafcet is still one of the standard languages for modelling
discrete processes and has been included in IEC 1131-3 under the
name Sequential Function Chart.
Compared to Ladder Diagrams, SFC are not directly usable to
program a PLC, rather to specify the expected behavior of a logic Some of these slides are based on the
system, through simple interconnections of steps and transitions. lectures of Prof. Alberto Leva
(Politecnico di Milano)

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 Sequential Function Chart

The fundamental elements of a SFC are:

 phases or steps or stages (étapes),
 transitions
 oriented arcs connecting steps to transitions or vice versa,
 rules of evolution, which unambiguously define the dynamic behavior of the program in its
capacity as implementation of a DES
 actions associated with the steps
 logical conditions associated with transitions
The state of activation of the steps represents the system state. It is modified by the occurrence of
events, which through transitions bring the system into a new condition (with other active steps).

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 The step

A step in a SFC:
 is symbolized by a square (with a double border if it is an
initial step, i.e. it is active at the beginning of the execution
of the program)
3
 has a label, usually consisting of a number activate pump
 may be active or inactive; when active it contains a marker
(token)
label
 it can have associated actions
The marker is just a graphical representation of a boolean marker action
variable that is associated to the step and contains the
information whether the step is active or not: Step_Name.X

Also a time variable is associated to each step, measuring the time since last activation of
the step: Step_Name.T

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 The transition

A transition in a SFC: logical condition

 is symbolized by a horizontal bar
 has an identifier
T1 button pressed
 can have an associated logical condition
 can be enabled or not, superable or not

transition
identifier

A transition is said to be enabled if all the upstream steps are active.

A transition is said to be superable if it is enabled and the condition associated with it takes on the
“true” value (in this case it is also said that the transition can trigger).

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 The oriented arc

An oriented arc in a SFC:

 is represented by segments connected with 90 deg
angles
 links steps to transitions or vice versa 3
 the directional arrow can be omitted if it is from activate pump
top to bottom.

 An oriented arc can never connect a step oriented

to another step arc T1 button pressed
 An oriented arc can never connect a
transition to a transition

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 The action

Actions in a SFC are characterized by:

qualifier
 The actions are associated with the steps and are
the means with which the SFC scheme acts, on
the variables inside the PLC and/or interacting
3 X activate pump P1
with the outside.
 A step can have multiple actions associated with Y open valve V4
it, in which case they are performed in parallel.
 Actions are equipped with attributes (qualifiers)
to describe unambiguously the temporal trend of T1
the effect they produce.

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 Qualifiers of an action

Actions associated to steps can be of several types depending on the expected temporal behavior.
To clarify this aspect, qualifiers are associated to each action:

N (normal or not-stored)
A continuous action, executed as long as the step is active. It is the default, if the qualifier is not specified
L (time-limited)
A time-limited continuous action executed for a limited (specified) amount of time or for the time when the
step is active (if less than the specified time duration)
D (delayed)
The action is delayed in time, i.e. it is executed after the amount of time indicated, if the step is active

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 Qualifiers of an action

P (pulse)
An action to be executed just once, when the step is active.
S (stored or set)
The action begins when the step is activated and lasts, regardless of how long the step remains active, until it is
reset with an equal action but with a qualifier R
R (reset)
Terminates a stored action
DS (delayed and stored)
The action begins after an assigned time interval since the step has become active, if the step is still active at
that time. If it begins, the action lasts until it is reset with an equal but R-type action.
SL (stored and time-limited)
The action begins when the step becomes active and ends when it is reset with an equal but R-type action or
when an assigned amount of time has elapsed.
Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco
 Rules of evolution of a SFC

As already said:
 A transition is said to be enabled if all the upstream steps are active.
 A transition is said to be superable if it is enabled and the condition associated with it takes on
the “true” value (in this case it is also said that the transition can trigger).

There a couple of important rules to keep in mind:

 Rule 1 When a transition is superabile, it is passed: all upstream steps are deactivated at once
and all downstream steps are activated at once.
 Rule 2 If several transitions are superable at a certain time, they are all passed at the same
time

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 SFC: typical programming structures

if-then-else

Two branch nodes are used:

 a node of choice, i.e. a step followed by A and B are mutually
multiple transitions with mutually exclusive exclusive conditions
conditions
 a convergence node, i.e. multiple transitions
that lead in (that is, by triggering they
activate the) same step

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 SFC: typical programming structures

parallelism and rendezvous

Two branch nodes are used, indicated in this when this transition is passed,
case with double bars: it activates two steps
 a node of parallelism, that is a transition
followed by multiple steps (which are all
activated when the transition is passed)
 a concurrency (rendezvous) node, that is, a
transition preceded by several steps (and
therefore superable only if they are all
this transition is passed if both
active). the above steps are active

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 SFC: typical programming structures

local synchronization

It is a structure in which two sequences

have to wait each other at a given step The sequence to the right has to
wait for the sequence to the left

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 SFC: typical programming errors

choice among sequences followed by synchronization of the sequences

 A and B are mutually exclusive conditions

A B
 as a consequence transition C will never
2 3 be superable

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 SFC: typical programming errors

Parallelism of sequences followed by convergence of the sequences

2 3

C D

4 Step 4 might be activated twice

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 Sequential functional chart: example 1

Start
Consider the automatic drill depicted in the picture:
Up Limit SW
Slow Speed Limit SW
When the operator presses a start button, the drill starts
Bottom Limit SW
approaching the piece at high speed, until it reaches a
Start
switch where the speed has to be lowered.
The drill then moves all the way to the bottom, until a
Up Limit SW
Slow Speed Limit SW
switch is reached that corresponds to the bottom limit.
Bottom Limit SW
The drill then moves upright, until it reaches the upper
Start
limit switch.

Up Limit SW
Slow Speed Limit SW
Bottom Limit SW

Start

Up Limit SW
Slow Speed Limit SW
Bottom Limit SW
Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco
 Sequential functional chart: example 1

Wait

Start Pushbutton Pressed

Lower Fast, drill motor on

Slow Speed Limit SW reached

Lower Slow, drill motor on

Bottom Limit SW reached

Raise Drill, drill motor on

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

Up Limit SW reached
 Sequential functional chart: example 2

Consider the automatic cart depicted in the picture:

When the operator presses a button, the cart has to
move to the right until it reaches the end of a rail, then it
is filled with some material by turning a rotating tank.
The cart has then to move all the way to the left to be
unloaded. Three end of stroke signals (two for the carts:
ER, EL, one for the tank: EOT) and one signal
corresponding to the button pressed (S) are available.
Two commands for moving the cart to the right (MR) and
to the left (ML) and one for turning the tank (TURN) are
available

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 Sequential functional chart: example 2

Wait

S Start button pressed

MR (Move to the right)

ER (End of stroke right reached)

TURN (Load the cart)

EOT (End of turning)

ML (Move to the left)

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco EL (End of stroke left reached)
 Sequential functional chart: example 3

Consider the vending machine in the picture:

When the user inserts a coin, the piston B is moved to
the right through the command SB in order to release a
can and the same for the piston A (command SA) in
order to make a can available for the next user. Only one
can is released for each coin inserted.
The door of the output compartment is unblocked
(command UNBLOCK), the user opens the door to pick
the can, and then the door is blocked again (command
BLOCK) after the user closes it

Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco

 Sequential functional chart: example 3

st1
Block

coin inserted
actions limited in time

parallel

st11 st21
Unblock L 2s SB

st21.t ≥ 2s
open
st22
st12
L 2s SA

st22.t ≥ 2s

st23

synchronization
1
Industrial automation and robotics – Sequential Function Chart – Paolo Rocco