Safeguarded Continuous Deployment of Control Containers through Real-Time Simulation
Moritz Walker, Lars Klingel, Stefan Oechsle, Michael Neubauer, Armin Lechler, Alexander W. Verl · 2023
Static configurations and slow adaption to changing requirements characterize today’s production systems. In order to cope with variable external influences, these systems need to become more flexible. One building block towards meeting this requirement from the software perspective is employing quality-preserving processes to develop and update automation applications. While this condition applies to classical automation applications, it is increased if Software-defined Manufacturing (SDM) is applied. Containers can be used to deploy software through orchestration. Orchestration covers initial deployment and the roll-out of new software versions. This makes it in theory possible to deploy automation applications, such as computerized numerical control (CNC) software. However, available tools from information technology cannot be used to orchestrate and update automation applications, as real-time requirements must be considered. This work presents an approach that supports orchestration, specifically the deployment and update process, of real-time containers safeguarded by real-time capable simulation coupled with the control system during the operation phase. It shows how to achieve the right timing for real-time software updates and how to prevent causing damage by observation and safeguarding through information obtained from the real-time simulation. Using real-time simulation in the operating phase, container-based control and real-time orchestration become safer and more applicable in industrial manufacturing systems.