KR20140087533A - System and Method for Simulating Manufacturing Facility Using Virtual Device - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a manufacturing facility simulation system using virtual facility is capable of performing various simulations by using the virtual facility in3D virtual space. The simulation system includes a data storage device storing and managing data required for building a virtual factory and performing simulation using the virtual factory; a data processing device converting the data stored in the data storage device into data required for manufacturing the virtual facility by extracting and processing the data; a virtual factory building device generating the virtual facility which is the smallest unit for simulation by using the data converted by the data processing device, building the virtual factory by using the generated virtual facility, and generating a process model for simulation by using the virtual factory; and a simulation device generating a simulation result by simulating the process model generated by the virtual factory building part.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing facility simulation system and method using a virtual facility,

The present invention relates to a simulation system, and more particularly to a manufacturing facility simulation system.

A simulation system is a system in which physical systems and phenomena are represented by computers, models, or other devices, and when a situation or situation is difficult or impossible to test, a model is created and tested.

In particular, in the case of the steel industry, huge equipment industry can be costly and time consuming to develop new products and develop new types of steel products by using actual equipment. In this steel industry, By doing so, it is possible to minimize the frequent design changes occurring at the initial stage of the development through the verification of the design product or the process, and to shorten the development period and reduce the cost remarkably.

Recently, the simulation system is implemented in 3D using 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design). Here, 3D CAD is a computer designed to design a three-dimensional object, which expresses an object as information of a line, a surface, and a grain. The 3D CAD simulation system uses a variety of engineering data sets including 3D CAD data to construct a virtual environment that is a simulation environment.

At this time, since the definition of the engineering data set differs for each of the final target systems (commercial vendor products), there is a disadvantage in that a 3D simulation environment can not be constructed in a different form for each target system. Therefore, it is not easy to construct a simulation system unless it is an expert of each target system, and even if a simulation system is built, the dependence of the target system is very high, so that compatibility of product information between 3D simulation systems required at each step of building a virtual environment is impossible There is a problem that the reusability is also largely limited.

Especially, since most of 3D CAD simulation systems are specialized in assembling industries such as automobile industry, aviation industry, and shipbuilding industry, they do not support virtual environment for continuous process implementation which is essential in steel industry. Therefore, in order to apply a general 3D CAD simulation system to the steel industry, all the data for virtual factory construction through customization must be transformed into a factory unit. Therefore, when one of the virtual factories is replaced, it is not possible to modify only the corresponding virtual equipment when it is desired to perform another simulation. Therefore, there arises a problem that the entire factory needs to be reconfigured, and if not, It is also impossible to constitute it, resulting in a waste of cost and time.

In addition, in order to construct a 3D virtual factory, know-how and knowl- edge of the process being applied at the actual site must be applied to the virtual factory as it is, so know-how and knowledge of the process should be disclosed to experts for constructing the virtual factory. And knowledge is a unique asset of the company, it can not be exposed to the outside, and there is a problem that the limitation of virtual factory construction can not be avoided.

In addition, existing 3D CAD can only express solid-based objects and can not express fluid temperature or movement. Therefore, simulation system based on 3D CAD can not express fluid, so the flow, bending, temperature distribution There is a problem that it is not possible to visualize the same shape and simulation of facilities for a continuous process can not be performed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is a technical object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing facility simulation system and method using a virtual facility capable of performing various simulations using a virtual facility in a 3D virtual space.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing facility simulation system and method using a virtual facility capable of expressing fluidity of a fluid.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing facility simulation system and method using a virtual facility capable of simulating manufacturing facilities performing a continuous process.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing facility simulation system using a virtual facility, comprising: a data storage device for storing and managing data necessary for building a virtual factory and performing a simulation using a virtual factory; A data processing device for extracting and processing data stored in the data storage device and converting the data into data necessary for manufacturing a virtual facility; A virtual facility is created as a minimum unit necessary for simulation using the data converted by the data processing apparatus, a virtual factory is constructed using the generated virtual facility, and a process model for simulation is created using the virtual factory A virtual factory building device for generating the virtual factory; And a simulation apparatus for simulating a process model generated by the virtual factory construction unit to generate a simulation result.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for simulating a manufacturing facility using a virtual facility, the method comprising: acquiring data necessary for building a virtual factory and performing a simulation using a virtual factory; Generating virtual equipment as a minimum unit necessary for simulation using the acquired data; Constructing a virtual factory using the generated virtual facility, and creating a process model for simulation using the virtual factory; And generating a simulation result by simulating the process model.

According to the present invention, various simulation can be performed by facilitating the replacement or addition of virtual facilities by modeling actual facilities with respective virtual facilities and constructing a virtual factory capable of implementing continuous processes by combining respective virtual facilities .

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform various tests using virtual facilities in a 3D virtual space, so that frequent design changes occurring at the beginning of development can be minimized, and development time and development cost can be drastically reduced .

Further, according to the present invention, there is another effect that a technician can accurately grasp a situation that may occur in the field by visually expressing a fluid flow and a temperature distribution in a manufacturing facility.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to model each manufacturing facility that performs a continuous process as a virtual manufacturing facility, so that an optimal manufacturing facility can be designed by simulating a continuous process while changing specifications of a manufacturing facility There is another effect.

According to the present invention, a library can be constructed using modeled virtual facilities, a virtual factory can be constructed using virtual facilities stored in the library, various simulations can be performed using the virtual factory, It has the effect of being able to support related decisions more quickly.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a manufacturing facility simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a view showing an example of the kind of data extracted by the data extraction module;
3 is a diagram showing an example of data necessary for creating a virtual facility;
4A is a view showing an example of an actual facility to be modeled;
FIG. 4B is a view showing an example of a false facility generated by modeling the actual facility shown in FIG. 4A; FIG.
5 is a view showing an example of information necessary for creation of virtual equipment;
6 is a diagram showing an example of a state transition diagram for tracking equipment status.
7 is a diagram showing an example of a decision table;
8 is a diagram showing an example of a state diagram showing control flow information;
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for creating a virtual facility. FIG.
10 is a diagram showing an example of data required for generation of a process design model;

The manufacturing facility simulation system using the virtual facility according to the present invention is a system that enables various simulations in a 3D virtual space by modeling a virtual facility that implements the same movement as a real facility in a system environment called a 3D virtual space.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a manufacturing facility simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a manufacturing facility simulation system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a data storage device 110, a data processing device 120, a virtual factory construction device 130, a simulation device 140, and a result output device 150.

First, the data storage device 110 stores and manages all data necessary for building a virtual factory and performing a simulation using a virtual factory. Data stored and managed by the data storage device 110 means data in an unprocessed form.

In one embodiment, the data storage device 110 includes a first database 112 in which 3D CAD data required for simulation is stored and managed, a second database 114 in which 3D CAE data required for simulation are stored and managed, And a third database 116 in which all data except for 3D CAD data and 3D CAE data are stored and managed among data necessary for simulation such as process operation information and equipment contracts.

First, the first database 112 stores and manages all 3D CAD models created to create virtual facilities constituting a virtual factory. At this time, the first database 112 determines a virtual facility as a minimum unit of operation, and stores and manages a CAD model for each virtual facility in an assembly-type structure for each virtual facility.

The second database 114 stores and manages 3D CAE data. Here, 3D CAE data refers to a result of performing thermal deformation analysis, flow analysis, structural analysis, and the like using a 3D CAD model.

The third database 116 stores and manages all the document data necessary for construction and simulation of the virtual factory.

Next, the data processing apparatus 120 plays a role of extracting data of a form necessary for manufacturing a virtual facility from the data storage apparatus 110 and processing the data. This data processing apparatus 120 includes a data extraction module 122 and a fourth database 124, as shown in FIG.

First, the data extraction module 122 interfaces with the data storage device 110 to extract data necessary for construction and simulation of a virtual factory from the data storage device 110.

In particular, the data extraction module 122 extracts data managed in the form of a document from the data storage device 110 and transfers the extracted data to the fourth database 124 do.

The types of data extracted by the data extraction module 122 are as shown in FIG.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the fourth database 124 stores and manages all the data extracted by the data extraction module 122 as data usable in the virtual facility.

Next, the virtual factory construction apparatus 130 generates a virtual facility, which is a minimum unit necessary for simulation, using data managed in the data processing apparatus 120, and constructs a virtual factory using the generated virtual facility Function.

1, the virtual factory construction apparatus 130 includes a virtual facility creation unit 132, a virtual factory construction unit 134, a verification unit 136, and a fifth database 138.

First, the virtual facility creation unit 132 creates a virtual facility, which is a minimum unit necessary for performing a simulation, using data managed by the data processing apparatus 120. [ At this time, the data necessary for virtual equipment creation is as shown in FIG.

3, the virtual facility creation unit 132 creates a virtual facility by using the virtual facility creation unit 132. The virtual facility creation unit 132 creates a virtual facility by using the virtual facility creation unit 132. [ And adds the kinematic information to the 3D CAD model of each facility by using 3D CAD data and kinematic data among the input data.

Here, adding the kinematic information to the 3D CAD model means linking the motion information of each facility to the input 3D CAD file for the virtual facility construction. This is because the shape of 3D CAD data can be the same, but the data structure is different and various, and therefore, linking information to each 3D CAD data to express it.

Then, the virtual facility creation unit 132 links the control information of each 3D CAD model to the 3D CAD model to which the kinematic information is added, thereby creating the virtual facility. Here, the control information includes a State Chart / Workflow Chart. Linking control information means linking motion information (for example, movement direction) about how the facility is controlled in the state of each facility.

 For example, the virtual facility creation unit 132 as described above creates virtual facilities for each actual facility by modeling the actual facilities as shown in FIG. 4A with the virtual facilities as shown in FIG. 4B.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the actual facilities provide the sensor value obtained by the sensor attached to the actual facility to the application, and the application controls the driver (e.g., motor) for driving the facility based on the sensor value Value is generated and transmitted to the actual facility. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the virtual facility also provides the sensor value acquired by the virtual sensor attached to the virtual facility as a virtual application, and the virtual application provides the sensor value for driving the virtual facility based on the sensor value A control value of a virtual driver (for example, a virtual motor) is generated and transmitted to the virtual facility.

In one embodiment, the virtual facility creation unit 132 may create two types of virtual facilities. One of the two types of virtual facilities is a first type virtual facility corresponding to an actual facility, and the other is a second type virtual facility, which is a conceptual virtual facility for mediating interaction between virtual facilities.

Hereinafter, a method of creating a virtual facility by the virtual facility creation unit 132 will be described in more detail on the basis of generation of the first type virtual facility.

The virtual facility creation unit 132 can create a virtual facility using four kinds of information as shown in FIG. That is, the virtual facility creation unit 132 can create a virtual facility using general and history information, input / output data information, virtual facility operation information, and virtual facility control action information. Herein, general and history information refers to general information of a virtual facility, input / output data information refers to input / output data of a virtual facility, virtual facility activity information refers to information about a virtual facility itself, Means information related to a control action corresponding to the virtual facility.

Also, among the four pieces of information, the virtual facility operation information and the virtual facility control action information further include a plurality of sub information as shown in FIG. That is, the virtual facility activity information includes 3D geometry information, constant and attribute information for virtual facilities, sensor information, driver information, physical phenomenon information, facility state transition and control verification condition information, virtual sensor and driver algorithm interface information . In addition, the virtual facility control action information includes constant and attribute information for facility control, interlock information, control flow information, and control algorithm interface information.

Hereinafter, the above-mentioned four pieces of information will be described in more detail.

First, the general and history information includes general information of the virtual facility and revision history. In the locus, general and historical information includes at least one of the applicable equipment name, applicable process, process information, document creation date, document version, and revision history. Here, the name of the applicable equipment means the name of the actual equipment corresponding to the virtual equipment, and the applicable process means the process information to which the equipment can be used. Process information refers to information on whether the facility is a unit facility or a process (plant) that controls unit facilities. The document generation date means the generation date of the document including general and history information. The document version means the version of the document including general and history information. The modification history means a history of modification of the document including general and history information (E.g., modification date, author, modification content, etc.).

Next, the input / output data information refers to information about input / output data of the virtual facility. The input / output data information includes at least one of a name, an input / output classification, a data type, a unit, a management signal classification, and a description. Here, a name means a name for identifying input / output, and the name must be unique and can be written in English. In this case, if the name consists of a combination of several words, it must be connected using "-" between each word. I / O division is used to distinguish between input and output and must be selected either "Input" or "Output". The data type indicates the type of input / output data. Possible types are "Boolean", "Integer", "Real". When setting "Real", it is necessary to express the number of digits below the valid decimal point together with "Real (3)". A unit is a unit of data. In the case of a "Boolean" type, a unit need not be recorded but must be recorded in the other type. The management signal classification indicates whether input / output data is arbitrarily added for simulation control, and selects either [Y, N]. Finally, the description refers to a description of the input / output data, and is described in natural language.

Next, the virtual facility operation information includes seven pieces of sub information as shown in FIG. First, the 3D geometry information refers to 3D shape information, which defines the link part and joint of the virtual facility, defines the type and scope of the joint, and is used as a guideline of the CAD work for producing the 3D shape, So that the correction of the 3D shape is prevented. Because the information in these 3D geometries has a hierarchical structure of various assemblies and parts, it may not be necessary to include specific information about the 3D geometry in the virtual facility. However, for the purpose of verification of the reference, it is possible to include brief information about the 3D geometry itself and brief information about the motion model. For example, brief information about the 3D geometry itself may include the storage type of the 3D model, the location of the file, and the description. The storage type of the 3D model means the type of the file in which the lightened 3D model is stored, and may have a shape (e.g., JT, CGR, STER file) of the 3D CAD lightening file for movement of the 3D model. Also, the position of the file indicates the location where the actual file is stored, and the description indicates the description of the 3D model and is described in natural language. On the other hand, brief information about the motion model is for verifying the motion model added to or added to the 3D model. The joint name, joint type, related link, moving unit, moving minimum value, moving maximum value, . The joint name refers to the name of the joint used, the type of joint refers to the type of joint used, and the related link refers to the name of the links to the joint. The name of the representative part contained in the 3D model must be used. It should consist of pairs. The moving unit means the unit of the value set as the minimum / maximum value of the joint. The moving minimum value means the minimum value that the 3D model can move in the virtual space. Since the coordinate system of the virtual space is used, have. The moving maximum value means the maximum value that the 3D model can move in virtual space. The description refers to a description of the joint and is described in natural language.

Next, in the constant and attribute information for the virtual facility, the variables that are the attributes for the virtual facility represent the state of the virtual facility and the variables of the virtual facility are the parameters of the object. During the simulation, the values set in the variables can be used as analytical information after the simulation ends. Constant and attribute information for this virtual facility includes name, data type, unit, initial value, maximum value, minimum value, and description.

The name means the name of a variable or a name, and the name must be unique and should be written in English. If you want to define the attributes and constants of a virtual facility by combining several words, you must concatenate each word using "-". Capital letters are used for constants. The data type consists of "Boolean", "Integer", "Real", and if the type is set to "Real", it should display a valid decimal place like "Real (3)". Unit is a unit of data. It does not need to be recorded in case of "Boolean" type but it must be recorded in case of other types except "Boolean" type. The initial value refers to the initial value of the variable and is a parameter if it is a constant. The maximum value means the maximum value that the variable can have, and the minimum value means the minimum value that the variable can have. The maximum and minimum values can be set as needed. The set value is used as "Assertion". The description explains the purpose of a variable or constant.

Next, the sensor information defines the sensors to be generated in the virtual facility. And is reflected in the implementation through the definition of required property values depending on the type and type of sensor, such as, for example, a motion sensor, a moving distance sensor, or a weight sensor. Refers to information about a virtual sensor, and includes second sensor information that tracks the phenomenon of the natural world regardless of first sensor information and motion related to spatial motion. The first sensor information uses the 3D model of the simulation system and the value derived from the three-dimensional space due to the joint defined in the motion model. The second sensor information, for example, is information of the sensor such as a temperature measurement sensor, and is dependent on calculation rather than motion information. This sensor information consists of name, data source, associated algorithm, associated output data, initial value, maximum value, minimum value, and description.

First, the name should be unique as a sensor distinguishing name, and it should be written in English. Each word must start with an uppercase letter and use "_" between words. The data source sets the source of the sensor value that the virtual sensor produces. [Kinematic, Algorithm] can be selected. If you choose Kinematic, you need to create the name of the joint and return signal type (signal or analog value) related to the "Related Algorithm" item. If you choose Algorithm, you can write the class name of the algorithm. The name of the algorithm to be set must be included in the algorithm list. The related algorithm is created according to the value set in the data source. If you choose Kinematic, you need to create the name of the joint and return signal type (signal or analog value) related to the "Related Algorithm" item. If you choose Algorithm, you can write the class name of the algorithm. The name of the algorithm to be set must be included in the algorithm list. The related output data defines the output data to which the value output from the virtual sensor is connected and must be included in the set input / output list. The initial value means the initial value of the sensor, the maximum value means the maximum value that the sensor can output, and the minimum value means the minimum value that the sensor can output. The maximum and minimum values can be set as needed, and the set value is used as "Assertion". The description explains the purpose of the virtual sensor.

Next, the driver information means information on the driver that moves the equipment according to the control value. In order to simulate the operation of the virtual machine by the control, the speed and acceleration set in the joint corresponding to the virtual machine must be initialized to zero. The speed and acceleration of the joint must be calculated each time according to the simulation time based on the control results. If this fact is not confirmed, the equipment may move regardless of the control. This driver information consists of the name, the associated joint, the associated algorithm, the associated input data, the initial value, the maximum value, the minimum value, and the description. The name means the name that distinguishes the virtual driver. It should be unique and should be written in English. Each word must begin with an uppercase letter and use "_" between words. Associated joints are information of joints that are affected by the algorithm connected to the virtual driver, and must be defined in the joint list. Related algorithms are algorithms that calculate the speed and acceleration for moving a virtual driver, and must be set in the algorithm list. The related input data means input data related to the operation of the virtual driver. One or more input data can be set, and the set value should be included in the input / output list. The initial value means the initial value of the virtual driver, and the maximum value means the maximum value that the algorithm set in the virtual driver can have, and the minimum value means the minimum value that the value returned by the algorithm set in the virtual driver can have . The maximum value and the minimum value can be set as needed, and the set value is used as "Assertion ". The setting describes the purpose of the virtual driver.

Next, the physical phenomenon establishes an implementation method for describing the behavior of the sensor and driver. For example, the physical phenomenon may include setting an algorithm (calculation formula) and setting a return value based on the graphic engine.

Next, the facility state transition and control verification condition information sets the state and transition condition of the facility of interest and defines the control fault that must be verified in the defined state. At this time, the control error can be classified according to its state (serious, error, warning, etc.) and can be set using a decision table. In addition, information for verifying a control error that may cause breakage of the equipment, or information for verifying the exception processing method of the control software may be included.

That is, the equipment state transition and the control verification condition information are used for the purpose of verifying abnormality of the control software which can not be visually confirmed in the 3D space. The transition information (trace information) of the equipment state may be constituted by a state transition diagram as shown in Fig. 6, unlike other information. In addition, the control verification condition information is made up of a decision table as shown in FIG. 7, unlike the other information. An error can be defined that can be used when a state is used as a condition in a decision table as shown in FIG. 7 and an event occurs in the corresponding state.

Finally, the virtual sensor and driver algorithm interface information refers to the algorithm bound to the virtual sensor and the driver, and defines return values and parameters of the algorithm required for the pseudo sensor and the driver. Since the algorithms defined are those used to simulate sensors, drivers, and physical phenomena, they must be related to sensors, drivers, and physical phenomena. Various algorithms can be applied to the virtual equipment according to the property change of the equipment such as the change of the profile of the driver. These virtual sensor and driver algorithm interface information consists of class name, parameter, return value, associated variable, and description. The class name means the name of the algorithm, the parameter means the name and type necessary for calling the algorithm, the return value means the type of the value returned by the algorithm calculation result, and the associated variable is the variable It means name. These associative variables must be defined in the attribute. The description means a description of the algorithm.

Referring again to FIG. 5, the virtual facility control action information includes four pieces of sub information as shown in FIG. Among the four sub information, the constant and attribute information for facility control and the information of the control algorithm interface are the same as the contents of the virtual facility action information, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted and only the interlock information and control flow information will be described below Briefly,

First, the interlock information abstractly defines the interlock applied to the control flow of the facility and can be refinement according to the simulation conditions later.

Next, the control flow information is for modeling sequential behavior related to facility control, and can be created by state diagram or activity diagram to model the behavior. An example of such a state diagram is shown in FIG. Interlock conditions can also be specified when switching between states or activities. The interlock conditions used at this time must be included in the "Interlock information" list. The reason for separating the behavior information from the interlock condition is that interlock conditions vary in various ways depending on the simulation environment. Therefore, the interlock declared in the process of preparing the actual simulation only for interlock declaration in the control flow information can be changed to the actual condition.

Such control flow information can be utilized as an alternative component of application software of a real PLC.

A procedure for creating a virtual facility using various information as described above is illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the procedure for creating a virtual facility can be largely divided into a first step and a second step.

In the first step, the detailed information of the virtual facility is recorded through the analysis process of the facility based on the actual facility's specifications and specifications, the FD and the like, and thereafter, the specification is used in the virtual facility based on the virtual facility specification It is possible to simultaneously develop code components corresponding to the algorithms to be generated and to develop 3D models. The specification, 3D model and various code components created through this process are stored and managed in the repository.

In the second step, in the process of preparing the actual simulation, the configuration work for the virtual equipment specification is first preceded in order to identify the virtual equipment used in the simulation. This operation determines the value of the parameter and the type of algorithm. Through the parameterization process, the actual virtual equipment based on the completed virtual equipment specification can be developed. Virtual facility development is divided into the parts related to virtual facilities and the facilities control part. In developing the part related to virtual equipment, 3D model and algorithm to be used for virtual equipment are bound.

The virtual facility generated through the above-described process is stored in the fifth database 138.

Next, the virtual factory construction unit 134 constructs a virtual factory by combining the virtual facilities generated by the virtual facility creation unit 132. [ Specifically, the virtual factory construction unit 134 constructs the layout of the virtual factory based on 2D, and places the virtual facilities at positions where the virtual facilities generated by the virtual facility creation unit 132 on the configured layout are to be mounted, Build a factory and verify the layout of the virtual factory.

Specifically, the virtual factory construction unit 134 first receives the 2D factory layout drawings, extracts the virtual facilities from the fifth database 138, and installs the virtual facilities on the virtual factory layout, And establish a virtual factory by placing it in a position where it should be. At this time, the layout of the virtual factory can be verified by judging whether or not the virtual facilities are normally mounted at the corresponding positions.

Then, the virtual factory construction unit 134 records the coordinate values of the virtual facilities in each virtual factory in the fifth database 138. At this time, information on the constructed virtual factory can be recorded in the fifth database 138.

Next, the verification unit 136 verifies the connection relation between the virtual facilities generated by the virtual facility creation unit 132. [ As described above, since the continuous process is very important in the steel industry, the verification unit 136 performs verification of the connection relation between each virtual facility to perform the continuous process.

Specifically, the verification unit 136 determines whether or not process combinations are abnormal by using the coordinate values on the virtual factory layout verified by the virtual facilities construction unit 134 and the virtual facilities generated by the virtual facility creation unit 132 Verify that there is no.

To this end, the verification unit 136 first extracts the coordinate values of the virtual facility generated by the virtual facility creation unit 132 and the virtual facilities generated by the virtual factory construction unit 134 from the fifth database 138 , And determines whether there is a problem in connection between the subsequent processes between the virtual facilities. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that there is no problem in the connection between the subsequent processes, the verification unit 136 generates a process design model by inputting necessary data for inter-process operation to the virtual factory, (138). At this time, the necessary data for generating the process design model is as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a problem in the connection between the subsequent processes among the virtual facilities, the verification unit 136 can again determine whether there is a problem in connection between the subsequent processes using the new virtual facility or the new coordinate value.

Next, the fifth database 138 stores the coordinate values of the virtual facilities on the virtual facility generated by the virtual facility creation unit 132, the virtual factory generated by the virtual factory construction unit 134 and the virtual factory layout, As well as data such as the process design model generated by module 136, as well as all data generated by virtual plant builder 130.

Next, the simulation apparatus 140 generates a simulation result by simulating the process model generated by the virtual factory construction unit 130. [ 1, the simulation apparatus 140 includes a simulation operation unit 141, a simulator 142, a dummy process control unit 143, a web server 144, and an OPC server 145. [

First, the simulation operation unit 141 sets an initial value necessary for performing a virtual factory simulation. For example, the initial values necessary for performing the virtual factory simulation may include the performance speed, the production amount, the pressure, and the like.

In one embodiment, the simulation operation unit 141 may include an operation panel in the form of an HMI to receive an initial value necessary for performing a virtual factory simulation through the HMI.

Next, the simulator 142 is an engine for performing simulation, and generates simulation results by performing calculation and analysis of data according to various simulation algorithms.

Next, the dummy process control unit 143 plays a role of generating a control code for operating the virtual facilities included in the virtual factory. Generally, in order to operate a real facility in the field, a PLC code is required. Therefore, in order to simulate a virtual facility, a PLC code for operating a virtual facility like a real facility is required. Since this PLC code is composed of a sequential control algorithm and control logic, it is expensive and time-consuming to directly generate PLC code to simulate a virtual facility. Therefore, the present invention uses a programming language (for example, Java source) And generates a control code corresponding to the actual PLC code. At this time, the control logic may be generated in the form of a function and stored in the library in order to increase the user's convenience.

If the PLC code is directly generated for the simulation of the virtual facility, this dummy process control unit 143 may be omitted.

Next, the web server 144 performs a role of transmitting the simulation result generated by the simulator 142 to the web client 152 included in the result output apparatus 150. [

Next, the OPC server 145 manages input / output data between virtual facilities, manages input / output data required for operation between virtual facilities, and performs data synchronization between virtual facilities.

In addition, the OPC server 145 collects all input / output data generated during operation of the virtual facility and generates log data.

Next, the result output device 150 performs a role of reporting the simulation result to the user, and includes a Web client 152 and a local client 154 as shown in FIG.

First, the web client 152 plays a role of reporting a simulation result to a user through a web using various methods such as a graph, a chart, and a formula.

The local client 154 serves to report the simulation results to the user through a local system using various methods such as a graph, a chart, and a formula.

The simulation process performed by the manufacturing facility simulation system as described above may be implemented in a form of a program that can be executed using various computer means. The program for performing the converter control method may be a hard disk, a CD-ROM , A DVD, a ROM, a RAM, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a flash memory.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described above may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

100: Manufacturing facility simulation system 110: Data management device
120: Data processing device 130: Virtual factory building device
132: virtual facility creation part 134: virtual factory construction part
136: Verification section 140: Simulation device
141: Simulation operating section 142: Simulator
143: dummy process control unit 144: web server
145: OPC server 150: Result output device

Claims (12)

A data storage device for storing and managing data necessary for building a virtual factory and performing a simulation using a virtual factory;
A data processing device for extracting and processing data stored in the data storage device and converting the data into data necessary for manufacturing a virtual facility;
A virtual facility is created as a minimum unit necessary for simulation using the data converted by the data processing apparatus, a virtual factory is constructed using the generated virtual facility, and a process model for simulation is created using the virtual factory A virtual factory building device for generating the virtual factory; And
And a simulation apparatus for simulating a process model generated by the virtual factory construction unit to generate a simulation result. The method according to claim 1,
The data storage device includes:
A first database in which 3D CAD data necessary for the simulation is stored and managed;
A second database in which 3D CAE data necessary for the simulation is stored and managed; And
And a third database in which data other than the 3D CAD data and the 3D CAE data is stored and managed among the data necessary for the simulation. The method according to claim 1,
The virtual factory building apparatus comprises:
And a virtual facility creation unit for creating a virtual facility, which is a minimum unit necessary for executing a simulation, using the data converted by the data processing apparatus. The method of claim 3,
The virtual facility creation unit creates the virtual facility using 3D CAD data, 3D CAE data, motion control information of a 3D model defined by the 3D CAD data, and kinematic information of the 3D model. A manufacturing facility simulation system using caustic facilities. The method of claim 3,
The virtual factory building apparatus comprises:
A virtual factory layout is constructed on the basis of the 2D virtual factory layout, a virtual factory is constructed by placing virtual facilities on a layout where each virtual facility created by the virtual facility creating unit is to be mounted, And further comprising a factory building unit. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the virtual factory construction apparatus verifies layout of the virtual factory by judging whether or not each of the virtual facilities is normally mounted at a position where the virtual facilities are to be mounted on the layout, And extracts and stores coordinate values of the virtual facilities in the virtual factory. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the virtual factory construction unit comprises:
And a verifying unit verifying a connection relationship between the virtual facilities generated by the virtual facility creating unit. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the verifying unit comprises:
Determining a connection relationship between the virtual equipments by using the virtual equipments generated by the virtual equipments creating unit and the coordinate values of the virtual equipments, and if the connection between the succeeding processes is normal, And the process model is generated by inputting necessary data for inter-process operation in the manufacturing facility simulation system. Obtaining data necessary for building a virtual factory and performing a simulation using a virtual factory;
Generating virtual equipment as a minimum unit necessary for simulation using the acquired data;
Constructing a virtual factory using the generated virtual facility, and creating a process model for simulation using the virtual factory; And
And simulating the process model to generate a simulation result. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the data necessary for performing the simulation includes 3D CAD data and 3D CAE data. 10. The method of claim 9,
In the step of creating the virtual equipment,
Wherein the virtual equipments are generated by combining the 3D CAD data, the 3D CAE data, the motion control information of the 3D model defined by the 3D CAD data, and the kinematic information of the 3D model. Manufacturing facility simulation method. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the step of generating the process model comprises:
Establishing a virtual factory by locating virtual facilities at a location where each virtual facility is to be mounted on a 2D-based virtual factory layout, and verifying the layout of the virtual factory;
Extracting coordinate values of the virtual facilities in the virtual factory when the virtual facilities are normally mounted on the layout of the virtual confucius; And
Determining connection relationships between the virtual facilities and the virtual facilities using the coordinate values of the virtual facilities and the virtual facilities, and inputting necessary data for inter-process operations to the virtual factory when the connection between the subsequent processes is normal, And generating a process model based on the simulation result.

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