Template-Based Generation of PLC Software from Plant Models Using Graph Representation

Digital planning of manufacturing processes becomes standard industrial practice. It implies the creation of detailed digital plant models, providing opportunities for the automated transition from the digital model of a system to a software implementation. This enhances the development efficiency and software quality, helps enforce programming standards, and facilitates reuse of the information from the design phase. The paper introduces a novel technique of software generation using declarative metaprogramming in the template-based approach that interprets both the model and the software as graph structures. It is applied to generate software in the graphical and textual languages of IEC 61131-3 from a plant model and templates that are developed in the native development environment of a programmable logic controller.