A Prototype for Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation of a Distributed Control Architecture

This paper presents work with regard to specification of requirement, design, and development of a hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS)-based advance tool for the configuration, validation, and management of a control network (CN). Embedding a simulation scenario within the design domain can improve optimality, validity, reusability, integrability, and productivity. This paper studies the basic infrastructure required to realize the HILS tool for distributed control systems (DCS). HILS for CN (HILS4CN) inherits most of the state-of-the-art attributes of control software including modularity, flexibility, GUI-conformant user-friendliness, and multiuser capability. Besides its virtual boundary, the operational range of HILS4CN has also been extended in terms of incorporating the online management functions such as winking, installation, ad monitoring, etc., in order to achieve online extendibility and scalability. The utility of the developed tool is tested through case studies with two exemplar platforms such as a printed circuit board drilling machine and semiautonomous mobile robotic systems.