Is is not our usual practice to describe some application before it is finished and used in the real operation. But I think it would be a pity to wait for application finalization in this case. This particular application, and especially its 3D visualization part, is quite impressive and also very well designed and it may be inspiring for industrial automation software developers.

This system is the very good proof of Control Web 5 capability to work as a glue of various information technologies. Application works on several computers connected into the TCP/IP network, it communicates with control PLCs, provides the economic data to company SQL database and runs operator interface and technology visualization. Integration of such complex system without Control Web could be if not impossible, then really complex and expensive task.

The controlled technology is automatic system for cars parking and garaging. The parking house consists of steel supporting frame and parking decks with palettes running in the tracks. Elevators moves the palettes in vertical direction and stores them on the rotating parking decks. All manipulations with parking palettes are solved on mechanical principles only, there are no hydraulic or pressured air pipes. Device works very silently, the noise level does not exceed 40 dB. Also the power consumption is minimal, especially in comparison with cars driven by its own engines. No emissions are produced during car storing and releasing processes. The space saving is important especially in city centers—it is possible to park 126 cars in the place with 26 meters diameter and six floors of parking house.

Another big advantage is the elimination of the possibility of the car rob. The parking process is fully automated and very comfortable for the driver.

Now let us briefly describe the software. The parking system is controlled by cooperating Simatic PLCs and the pair of PC SCADA systems. PLCs control all moves to prevent any collisions and to get the minimal delays of SCADA instructions execution. SCADA system consists from two PCs with identical applications running in Control Web 5 environment. Only one PC workstation runs as master. PC application provides technology visualization, sections mode settings, controlling, database administration, alarm messages administration and also works as a communication center. Also cash boxes, cameras, LED displays and other devices are connected to the PCs. Both PC workstations run as mutual backup.

There is a parking house 3D model rendered on base screen an operator can o modify the displayed content by choosing the set of views and filters. All 3D models are smoothly animated and correspond to real states and positions read from PLCs. This screen is designed to offer the basic overview on whole parking house technology, situation and the state of parking palettes filling. It is also possible to get the detailed information about any car and parking palette.

The computer visualization has a number of other options. Operator can check any floor separately. All graphics elements, blocking the chosen view, are automatically hidden during this action. The 3D model of arrival space can also be viewed from several camera positions. It is possible to toggle the visibility of any displayed object in any viewing mode and any camera position. Images, accompanying this article, provide only static picture, but all 3D models are smoothly animated in the real application. Also the camera position changes are smooth. Animations improves the operator orientation and visualization impression.

This applications is a sample of the incoming generation of industrial automation systems. It combines the process control, communications, database integration and technology visualization in the graceful manner. It uses the power of today computers and graphic adapters and shows the possibilities of the modern object and component oriented programmable systems.

_{RC, rc@mii.cz}

Literature: 1) Safety parking or car damage? Ing. Pavel Kliment, Technický týdeník 35/2003 2) Specifications for parking house, Jakub Kubica, Luboš Krotký

The author of the described software is Ing. Jakub Kubica from Taurid s.r.o., http://www.taurid.cz