Environmentally Conscious Technology in Industrial Fields FEATURED ARTICLES Aiming for a Low-carbon Society
IoT-compatible Equipment and Business Development for the Industrial Sector
In the manufacturing industry around the world, industrial equipment is being made IoT-compatible in a move toward the realization of smart factories that utilize massive amounts of data. Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. provides two industrial IoT solutions that collect and utilize data based on the company’s long experience in supplying products to the industrial sector. The first of these is a lifecycle management service that optimizes the operation and maintenance of facilities and equipment. A service that can monitor the status of equipment through the cloud was launched. The other is a programmable automation controller system that optimizes the operational control of production systems, and provision of the HX Series Industrial Controllers for IoT Applications that forms the core has commenced. The HX Series has been applied to the Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems inverter production line and is accumu- lating know-how on productivity improvement activities. Moving forward, Hitachi will link information between these two industrial IoT solutions to contribute to further optimization.
Atsushi Ito Yoshinori Mochizuki Makiko Naemura Mitsuhiro Imai Nobuhiro Tottori Kazuto Shirane, Dr. Eng Kazuo Sato Masahiro Yamazaki Fumiyuki Tamura
years through technological innovation. Production systems and equipment undergo advanced control 1. Introduction according to large quantities of information, data and various field networks. Recently, information In recent years, the trend in the manufacturing indus- exchange between the supply chain, delivery chain, try has been to utilize huge amounts of data to realize and factory has started, and the importance of data smart factories. This is called the Industrial Internet and information processing technology is increasing. in the USA and Industrie 4.0 in Germany. Both are In one form of smart factory, a large number of busi- aimed at realizing smart factories by collecting data ness establishments and companies mutually interact from the sites and the external environment, and to ultimately provide products and services. These utilizing the data to perform optimization utilizing business establishments and companies are connected operational experience and knowledge. to each other via a network. Furthermore, connecting Production systems and equipment in the manufac- suppliers, factories, logistics, and consumers to this turing industry have become more advanced over the network would enable real-time information sharing,
108. 536 Figure 1 — Industrial IoT Solution by Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems will work on the realization of smart factories via two approaches: optimization of operation and maintenance of facilities and equipment, and optimization of operation and control of production systems.
Optimi ation of operation Optimi ation of operation and maintenance of facilities and equipment and control of production systems Enhances operations and maintenance services based Integration of control and information and enhancement on a core of many years of achievements (know-how) of automation/drive equipment C service monitorin AC System Provides high value-added services according to customer Provides a new ecosystem applying ICT to the optimization needs from the introduction of industrial facilities to of operations in addition to the advancement of production after-sales services. system control
Management/ Hitachi private cloud business planning Mobile network Network DB Internet Dedicated Firewall Analysis/diagnosis Measures planning line Web server OT x IT Know-how Safe and secure Data collection/ Feedback to the site net or environment accumulation Air compressor Think Automation Sales/ Act Replacements AC System maintenance Sense Manufacturing Information eali ation of C includin maintenance and leases linkage
Expansion overseas under consideration
DB: database ICT: information and communication technology IoT: Internet of Things IT: information technology LCM: lifecycle management OT: operational technology PAC: programmable automation controller
the creation of data on human work and know-how, Based on the concept of “can connect, can be con- and the accumulation and application of know-how nected,” Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems prod- and knowledge. As a result, a wide range of decisions ucts contribute to the realization of smart factories can be made quickly in real time in the manufac- through manufactured items and services. turing process and manufacturing can be visualized Specifically, a lifecycle management (LCM) ser- from individual processes to overall production. Based vice and programmable automation controller (PAC) on this, quality and troubleshooting capabilities are system are introduced below as two industrial IoT expected to improve, and furthermore, the benefit of solutions that Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems being able to accumulate human-dependent know- is working on. how as data is expected through utilizing innovative information and communication technology (ICT) Figure 2 — IoT Cloud Monitoring Service in the LCM Service Figure 1 (see ). An outline of the monitoring system configuration is shown. This aggre- gates equipment information on the cloud and makes it available for viewing on the web. This strengthens links between customers and 2. Industrial IoT Solutions of Hitachi maintenance service networks, leading to the provision of added value. Industrial Equipment Systems Hitachi private cloud Confirmation of operation status Mobile on the web network Firewall DB Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. has Internet Network User supplied products to the industrial sector for many Web server Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Service/agent years. Based on these achievements, the company has Distributor/maintenance company Compressor Mobile Ink jet launched initiatives on industrial Internet of Things printer System ima e (IoT) solutions that collect and utilize data and feed Tablet PC back the results in order to respond to expectations PC: personal computer for smart factories.
Hitachi Review Vol. 66, No. 5 536–537 109. The LCM service strengthens operations and main- To realize this LCM service, Hitachi Industrial tenance services based on a core of many years of Equipment Systems launched an IoT cloud monitor- achievements (know-how) with the aim of optimizing ing service. the operation and maintenance of facilities and equip- Air compressors are one of Hitachi Industrial ment (see Figure 2). An IoT cloud monitoring service Equipment Systems’ main product lines. For example, is applied to enhance the LCM service. The concept the application of the IoT cloud monitoring service of the LCM service is to provide high value-added to the LCM service of these air compressors contrib- services according to customer needs from the intro- utes to the realization of one-stop maintenance by duction of industrial facilities to after-sales services. enhanced coordination with the maintenance services The PAC system integrates control and information of retailers and dealers. Data such as discharge tem- to enhance automation and drive equipment in order perature, current value, and power consumption are to optimize the operation and control of production gathered in the cloud from the air compressor using systems. Various solutions cultivated over the years a mobile network, and the data can be monitored on are applied for this purpose. The concept of the PAC a dedicated screen (see Figure 1). system is to provide a system that applies ICT to the Figure 3 shows the monitoring screen of an air com- optimization of operations as well as the advancement pressor. Operation data and graph displays, inspection of production system control. and fault histories, troubleshooting guides, and other Hitachi will mutually link these two IoT solutions information are prepared so that the operating state of to contribute to further optimization. the air compressor can be seen at a glance. In addition
2. 1 Figure 3 — Example of Monitoring Service Screen and Report LCM Service In addition to confirming operation data, inspection histories, and other information, it is also possible to output operation reports. This section describes the LCM service and IoT
cloud monitoring service for equipment at industrial (1) Order online parts from terminals (2) Output forms such as operation Display of compressor operation status facilities. information and monthly reports (3) Status display at a glance (1) (2) The Hitachi Industrial Equipment Group has a (4) Status can be confirmed without (3) going to the site (6) (5) Preventive maintenance and graph (7) full-service network. Using this, the LCM service (4) Alarm display for streamlined early activation investigations of fault causes supports “safe, secure, and stable operations” accord- (6) Registered terminal mail notification in event of trouble ing to the customer’s needs from introduction of (7) Cloud maintenance history management due to information equipment to after-sales service, and provides high sharing (5) (8) (8) Manual support-type added-value through things such as labor reduction, troubleshooting simplification, efficiency, and optimization.
Figure 4 — Conceptual Diagram of PAC System Analysis/diagnosis/determination The PAC system is positioned between the produc- Hetero eneous system lin a e Development of various services Higher-level tion system and the higher-level system, enabling Data accumulation cloud system Visualization a seamless connection between the systems. Therefore, an environment can be quickly con- Visualization structed for data collection, analysis, determina- AC system tion, and so forth. Information network Coe istence of ICT and control Seamless connection Seamless Field network Control execution Data collection EtherCAT*
ield
Servo system, inverter, I/O, etc. Various industrial machinery/ Various field devices equipment
I/O: input/output *EtherCAT is a registered trademark of and licensed by Beckhoff Automation GmbH.
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Figure 5 — Feature Functions of the HX Series to the monitoring screen, operation reports and the The HX Series is compatible with many communication methods and like are also submitted. saves space by integration of control and communication functions.
2. 2 IoT ERP MES PAC System Information system protocol Industrie4.0 FTP Web server Next, this section introduces the PAC system, which OPC UA*1 Simple monitor optimizes the operation and control of production USB memory systems. The system realizes manufacturing and ser- SD memory cards vice innovation through application of the IoT. A Legacy protocol Ethernet×3 ports Featured field network Modbus*2 EtherCAT conceptual diagram of the PAC system is shown in Motion model Motion control Figure 4. At the production site, automation and drive Field network equipment controls the machinery and equipment that constitute the production system. The PAC sys- ERP: enterprise resources planning FTP: File Transfer Protocol MES: manufacturing execution system OPC UA: Object Linking and Embedding tem focuses on the data and control content handled (OLE) for Process Control Unified Architecture USB: Universal Serial Bus SD: Secure Digital by the automation/drive equipment, and seamlessly *1 OPC UA is a registered trademark of OPC Foundation. *2 Modbus is a registered trademark of Schneider Electric USA, Inc. connects the production system to the higher-level systems in the factory or the cloud system. The features of the PAC system are that it enables the production system control and ICT to coexist, This includes Object Linking and Embedding and that it simplifies connection with the host system, (OLE) for Process Control Unified Architecture which was problematic with conventional systems (OPC UA), File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers, and from an information systems perspective. simple monitor functions, all of which support ease These features make it possible to quickly construct of connection with the production system from an an environment for the collection of data and visu- information systems perspective, as well as Modbus alization of the production site; the accumulation of support, which has been used for many years on site, data in higher-level systems; the analysis, diagnosis, the recently popular EtherCAT support, and motion determination, and visualization of the data; and the control that operates above it. execution of control based on the analysis results. This In addition, the HX Series is equipped with enables flexible modifications thereafter. Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory, Secure Digital The accumulated data in the higher system can be (SD) memory, and three Ethernet ports, integrating linked with heterogeneous systems and developed control and communication functions and achieving into various services. space savings.
3. Industrial Controllers for IOT 3. 2 Applications HX Series Application Examples for the HX Series Production System This section introduces the Industrial Controllers for Hitachi has applied the HX Series to one of its pro- IoT Applications HX Series, which were developed duction lines and used information system functions as the core controllers of the PAC system. to commence trials of IoT solutions that support pro- duction improvement activities. 3. 1 The HX Series was applied to a Hitachi inverter PAC System production line, continual improvement processes The main point regarding IoT-compliant communica- were established, and support for continuous pro- tions is the enhancement of communication functions ductivity improvement activities and accumulation of and open access. Figure 5 shows a diagram of this. know-how is being promoted (see Figure 6).
Hitachi Review Vol. 66, No. 5 538–539 111. Figure 6 — Examples of Application to Production Lines The HX Series was applied to a Hitachi inverter production line. Data acquired from the production facility were accumulated on a server. Using these data to visualize the operating status promotes improvement activities at the production site.
Inverter production site PTC* ThingWorx* Higher-level (3) Accumulation Linkage with other system system
Manufacturing Production technology department department Industrial Controllers for (4) Visualization (5) Remote operation (2) Collection IoT Applications
(1) Connection of existing equipment Acquisition of process Automatic assembly production line information from existing PLC
PLC: programmable logic controller *PTC, ThingWorx are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and in other countries.
The HX Series is installed in an automated inverter status was visualized on the computers or mobile production line that has been in operation since 2010. devices of relevant persons in such a way that it could The process information is acquired from an existing be understood at a glance. In addition, monitoring of programmable logic controller (PLC), and data are the detailed status of the HX Series itself has been accumulated on ThingWorx by PTC on the factory- made possible along with remote operation of pro- owned servers. By utilizing these data, the operating grams and setting changes from the office.
Figure 7 — Concept and Features of the HX Series Integrated core control of automatic machinery/ The concept is open/global access, high-perfor- production facilities and communications mance, and simplicity. Communication Motion Sequence control control control
Product concept Integration of control Ethernet×3 ports and communications Global/open access OPC UA Higher-level cloud system Communications Ethernet • International standard programming language (IEC 61131-3) Ethernet • Industrial open network (EtherCAT) • Industrie 4.0 recommended standard communication Ethernet (OPC UA) Motion Sequencing SD memory slots High functionality EtherCAT CODESYS*1 • Equipped with soware PLC (CODESYS) to enable PLCopen*2 PLCopen*2 motion control • Communication functions motion control logic (Ethernet×3 ports, USB 2.0 High Speed) • Equipped with SD card slot (32 GB maximum) Security functions Field networks Simplification Prevention of unauthorized external access PROFIBUS FL-net Access user management *3 • Site control by soware PLC, information Dedicated function library (hidden) DeviceNet communication by IP communication (TCP/IP, Web) Modbus • Integration of communication control, motion control, sequence control • Ethernet×3 ports standard, various field net options
IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission IP: Internet Protocol TCP: Transmission Control Protocol *1 CODESYS is a registered trademark of 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH. *2 PLCopen is a registered trademark of PLCopen. *3 DeviceNet is a trademark of ODVA, Inc.
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Figure 8 — Monitoring by Web Browser onitorin by eb bro ser Example screen creation Function Data in the HX Series can be displayed without using Web Visualization Benefits Bar chart a dedicated display. • Reduction of dedicated terminals for monitoring and operation • Reduction of burden on on-site staff
o dedicated display Generic web browser Trend graph device required • Bar graph by “figure extension/contraction” • Trend graph by “trace” • Operation instruction using “operation button” Ethernet
Equipped with Use of mobile devices* web server function *When combined with a commercially available wireless LAN unit
LAN: local area network
The period for adding and launching the HX Series simplification, the on-site control is made into a soft- was about two months without stoppage of work done ware PLC, information communication can be done at the factory. Thereafter, the system has been continu- through Internet Protocol (IP) communication, each ally used through incorporation into ongoing daily control is integrated, and options for various field improvement activities at the production site. networks are also supported in addition to three inde- A feature of this system is that the existing PLC, pendent Ethernet connections. which controls the whole production line, utilizes Furthermore, control security measures are imple- the control data, thereby making a small start toward mented by means such as prevention of unauthorized productivity improvements. Moving forward, the HX access from the outside, management of user access, Series will be applied to improvement activities for and hidden display functions for dedicated function continuous production activities. libraries. By way of a linking function with the information 3. 3 field, the HX Series has a function for data visual- Features of the HX Series ization. Conventionally, a dedicated display device As shown in Figure 7, the HX Series units collect data such as a PLC is required to display data, but it has in the information management field while conduct- become possible to display graphs and control panel- ing control in the industrial field. The units utilize the like displays as shown in Figure 8 in the browser of a collected data and enable the seamless coordination of handheld personal computer (PC) or mobile device. control based on the analysis results. As a new indus- Concerning the pictures and variables to display in the trial controller that integrates core control and com- HX Series, programming software is provided to enable munications for automatic machinery and production visualization even without a dedicated display unit. facilities, the product integrates communication con- The series is equipped with OPC UA server func- trol, motion control, and sequence control based on tions for connection with a higher-level system. the concept of global/open access, high-performance, OPC UA is a protocol that enables secure and reli- and simplification. able vendor-independent transmission from a sensor Regarding global/open access, the HX Series has or site level to the manufacturing level, production support for international standard programming lan- planning, or enterprise resources planning system. guages, EtherCAT, and OPC UA communication. Conventionally, in the case of constructing a sys- For high performance, the series is equipped with tem using supervisory control and data acquisition functions that enable motion control, communication (SCADA) or a manufacturing execution system control, support for SD cards, and so forth. Regarding (MES), communication software suitable for use
Hitachi Review Vol. 66, No. 5 540–541 113. Figure 9 — Multi-vendor Support by OPC UA The HX Series is equipped with OPC UA server func- Multi-vendor support by OPC UA Built-in OPC UA server tions for connection with higher-level systems. Enables vendor-independent data transmission Enables secure, reliable vendor-independent transmission Benefits from a sensor or site level to the manufacturing-level, when connecting with SCADA, MES, or ERP. production-planning, or ERP system • Improved connectivity such as SCADA or MES (Recommended standard communication protocol of • Multi-vendor, secure communications Industrie 4.0) Conventional system New trend Individual connection for each vendor Connect any vendor
SCADA, OPC DA client MES, etc. OPC UA client
OPC DA server
Company A Company B Company C OPC UA driver driver driver OPC UA server connection
Upper-level communication by international standard OPC UA
DA: data access SCADA: supervisory control and data acquisition
of the PLC was prepared, an OPC server was con- into a file [e.g., a comma-separated value (CSV) file]. structed on a PC or server, and SCADA or MES This file can be retrieved and read out by a PC (see software was executed that carries out screen display Figure 10). It is also possible to retrieve and write files and operation instructions. remotely by FTP operation. SCADA, MES, and a controller supporting OPC At the Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems pro- UA eliminate disjointed communications by various duction line introduced earlier, a CSV file was created companies and enable multi-vendor compatibility from the data collected by the HX Series, the data (see Figure 9). were viewed using the visualization function, and the The HX Series is equipped with functions that system was constructed while ascertaining the situ- make it easier for information engineers to manage, ation in detail. An engineer specializing in parallel and SD memory and FTP servers can be used in information systems created a screen to confirm and addition to visualization functions and OPC UA. display data on a desktop PC by FTP operation. A file can be created in the SD memory by using a Next, the control programming of the HX series function block for turning the data in the HX Series is described (see Figure 11). The HX Series employs
Figure 10 — Data Exchange by SD Memory The HX series is compatible with the SD memory Since a file system is supported, it is easy for information commonly used with PCs and other devices. It can Data e chan e by SD memory engineers to exchange data with the site be used for exchanging data and can temporarily Benefits SD memory and FTP server Operation by information engineer store data when communication is not possible. • Save data when communication is disabled • SD memory operated by a PC, etc. • Easy to understand for information engineers • File exchange by FTP operation Data exchange with higher level by FTP operation Information programming Information engineer • Data files manipulated using file CSV operation function block SD • Possible to save collected data when communication is disabled
T server function T operation Open Close
Various interfaces Field networks Read EtherCAT FL-net DI/DO AI/AO PROFIBUS DeviceNet Write Rename Control data, site data GetSize Production information, operation data GetTime etc.
AI/AO: analog input/output CSV: comma-separated values DI/DO: digital input/output
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Figure 11 — IEC 61131-3 Programming Software The HX Series can be programmed in languages conforming to international standards. Five different languages can be used according to the purpose. Software development efficiency can be improved compared with conventional vendor-specific programming methods.
Vendor specific programming IEC 61131-3 language features Conception Design Programming Debugging Verification • Program visibility (readability) • Optimal language selection according to processing CODESYS IEC 61131-3-compliant programming Shortening of design • Improved program reusability Conception Design to verification • Free design of memory allocation (address assignment of work memory unnecessary) Programming Debugging Verification As machinery and equipment become more complicated Five languages selectable according to skill and purpose and larger in scale, cost reductions and quality improvements depend on soware ST LD 100% Soware
50% Appliance Bit-level processing orientation, such as Mechanical interlock processing of I/O equivalent to 0% a relay circuit Source: PLCopen 1970 1980 1990 2000 IL Main usage conditions LD IL ST FBD SFC C-like structured text language Simple relay sequence processing Ideal for applications where LD is Mathematical calculation processing weak such as conditional branching Sequence restriction based on state FBD Mnemonic correspondence transition (step sequence processing) SFC Continuous analog signal processing Complex information processing Strict program memory constraints Performance at highest speed required Easy-to-understand expression of operation plan and response Flow chart expression suitable Visual check of operations Graphical language good at expressing for limited expression of function-to-function data and signal flow process progress Symbols: : most suitable; : suitable; : sometimes diicult; : not suitable
IL: instruction list LD: ladder diagram FBD: function block diagram SFC: sequential function chart ST: structured text
software called the International Electrotechnical LLC, Everyware Cloud*3 of Eurotech, and others are Commission (IEC) 61131-3 Development System being trialed, enabling flexible support through open CODESYS. There are more than 400 vendors access and expanding the potential of various kinds equipped with CODESYS, and tens of thousands of of connections (see Figure 12). users worldwide. IEC 61131-3 has five different languages which can Figure 12 — Linkage with the IoT Platforms of Each Company be used according to the purpose. Many motion con- The HX Series can connect with the IoT platform provided by each trol libraries are provided together with CODESYS. company. Software development accounts for a large proportion of the cost in system construction, so by adopting IEC 61131-3, software development efficiency for PTC PTC OSIsoft*2 Everyware*3 Axeda*1 *2 ThingWorx PI System Cloud users is enhanced in comparison with vendor-specific Cloud Cloud On premises programming methods. Agent Agent OPC UA MQTT
3. 4 Linkage with IoT Platforms HX series This section describes connections with various infor- MQTT: Message Queuing Telemetry Transport mation system IoT platforms. *1 Axeda is a trademark or registered trademark of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and in other countries. In addition to ThingWorx of PTC described in the *2 OSIsoft and PI System are trademarks or registered trademarks of OSIsoft, LLC. *3 Everyware, Everyware Cloud are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hitachi production system trial above, connection EUROTECH S.p.A. operations with Axeda of PTC, PI System of OSIsoft,
Hitachi Review Vol. 66, No. 5 542–543 115. Yoshinori Mochizuki For Lumada, connection is being promoted for the Infrastructure Systems Research Department, Center operational technology connection part utilizing the for Technology Innovation – Systems Engineering, Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd. HX Series within the Hitachi Group to enable data Current work and research: Research on information and control platforms. Society memberships: The links to various solutions. Society of Instrument and Control Engineers.
Mitsuhiro Imai 4. Conclusions Infrastructure Systems Research Department, Center for Technology Innovation – Systems Engineering, Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd. Current work and research: Research on information This paper described IoT solutions for industrial and control platforms. facilities and IoT-compatible equipment. The LCM Kazuto Shirane, Dr. Eng. service using cloud monitoring for facilities was intro- Information Control Project, R&D Center, Hitachi duced as a solution and the Industrial Controllers for Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Research on information IoT Applications HX Series was explained by way of technologies applied to industrial equipment. Society IoT-compatible equipment. Furthermore, an initia- memberships: The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers, and The Robotics Society of Japan. tive to apply the HX Series to an actual production line and support production improvement activities Masahiro Yamazaki Information Control Project, R&D Center, Hitachi was described. Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Research on information technologies applied to industrial equipment.
Authors Atsushi Ito Internet of Things & Life Cycle Management Development Office, Business Operations Group, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Development of business utilizing industrial IoT solutions.
Makiko Naemura Internet of Things & Life Cycle Management Development Office, Business Operations Group, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Development of business utilizing industrial IoT solutions.
Nobuhiro Tottori Life Cycle Management Center, Service Division, Solution & Service Management Group, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Development of the Life Cycle Management business.
Kazuo Sato Business Planning Department, Drive Systems Division, Business Operations Group, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Planning of business for drive system products.
Fumiyuki Tamura Industrial Control Systems Design Department, Drive Systems Division, Business Operations Group, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. Current work and research: Development of industrial controller for IoT applications.
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