Rollercoaster-Control
Table of Contents
Exercise for automation technology - Level : Intermediate
Rollercoasters are one of the best examples for automation systems. Rollercoasters combine a lot of different automation controls with safety being a very important aspect.
Development Exercise
Programming Exercise
Imagine this Rollercoaster Station:
Constraints:
- There can only be one wagon on the track. There are 2 wagons!
- After the wagon has been launched, S3 indicates if the wagon has successfully been sent to the track. (0 means that the wagon passed correctly)
- The Stopper needs to be engaged at any time not being moving the waiting wagon to the loading area for safety reasons.
- The motors that move the wagon are to move them forward and to brake them.
- The operator needs to press T1 and T11 to release a wagon onto the track. Releasing is only possible, if the guest restraints are closed fully! (SGC)
- Loading a wagon from the waiting into the loading area is done automatically if free.
Sensors and Actuators:
Sensors:
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S1 & S2 : Position Sensors - They detects if the wagon is in the correct spot for loading guests
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S3: Sensor detects if sent of wagon has succesfully left the loading area
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S4 & S5: Position Sensors in buffer area - They detect if the wagon is in the correct spot in the buffer area.
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SG1: Sensor that reports if guest gates are successfully closed.
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SG2: Sensor that reports if guest gates are successfully opened.
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SGC: Sensor that reports that the guest restraints in the wagon are all successfully closed and engaged.
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T1: Button to launch the wagon onto the track after its loaded.
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T11: Second button to launch the wagon onto the track after its loaded.
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T2: Button to open and close the guest gates.
Actuators:
- M1: Motor to move and position the wagon into and out of the loading area
- M2: Motor to move and position the wagon into and out of the buffer area
- Stopper: Safety Feature, that stops incoming wagons from crashing into wagons that are waiting in the loading area.
- Gate Motor1 and MotorGate2: Opens and closes the guest gates.
- Guard Releaser: Pneumatic cylinders, that push onto the restraint release mechanism of the wagon. If this one is engaged, guests, can exit the current wagon in the loading area.
Tasks:
- Create a state machine that handles this scenario, give the enumeration suitable names. Feel free to make one big, and two smaller Statemachines if you want to, to control both areas (waiting and loading area)
- Program it in ST