The control system with additional I/O modules. Initially, digital modules are available; relays and analog modules will follow.

© Vipa

The Franconian company Vipa is now breaking new ground: in the past, the company was primarily known as a manufacturer of Siemens-compatible components, but with the introduction of the 300S control system - based on the Speed7-ASIC from subsidiary Profichip - it became a full-range supplier. However, the design of the modules was still based on its big neighbor and market leader in the field of Simatic-compatible control systems. Vipa is now breaking new ground with the Micro control system: the successor to the ageing System 100V has an almost revolutionary design for industrial products. An external industrial designer was brought in to enhance the appearance of the new controller series; the MicroPLC has been entered for the RedDot Award.

Squaring the (PLC) circle

Guenther Heimstädt: "Users will find the same computing power as with the large control systems."

© Vipa

"Building a system that really deserves the name 'micro' was quite a challenge," says project manager Guenther Heimstädt. The design - measuring 72 mm × 87 mm × 75 mm - is indeed compact. In addition, with 18 inputs and 12 outputs, there are more on-board I/Os already integrated into the controller than is usual in this market segment. The developers also wanted to offer users the same computing power as the large CPUs. "The user should be able to use the same program modules on all CPUs in the series." Of course, the compact design also caused problems. Heat dissipation in particular presented the developers with a challenge, but this could be solved with a clever arrangement of the components, a targeted selection of components and the optimization of the circuits in the direction of low power dissipation.

One problem with miniature controllers - due to their small design - is often the assignment of the signal display to the individual channels. The developers therefore decided to integrate optical fibers into the IO connectors in order to be able to display the respective signal status directly on the wire.

STEP7 still programming language

The key technical data of the small control unit

© Image: Computer&AUTOMATION, Source: Vipa

"The new Micro system can be programmed in the Step7 language; the in-house Speed7 Studio can be used as an engineering platform, as can other compatible engineering systems," adds the project manager. Speed7 Studio will be available to users free of charge for the variants of the MicroPLC series. As the ASIC - the chip that processes the commands within the PLC - the manufacturer relies on the PLC7100 from its subsidiary Profichip. The chip processes control commands up to 20 times faster than conventional small controllers on the market. Coupled with the 48 MBit/s backplane bus, the system offers unprecedented performance in the field of small controllers. Just as with the SLIO PLC, the end user can activate required functionalities such as Profibus slave or additional memory via the Vipa Controls activation concept. This means that features can be enabled or activated within seconds. All programming languages such as AWL, KOP, FUP, SCL and Graph7 are supported, and the 2-port switch is already Profinet-ready. By defining a hardware basis for all control systems from SLIO upwards, the end user can use his application programs on all new control systems from Yaskawa Vipa Controls without any adaptations.

Initially, digital modules (DI16, DO16, DIO16) are available as I/O modules. Relays and analog modules will be added at a later stage. However, as is usual in this product area, only a limited number of module variants are planned. "We already cover a wider range of requirements with our SLIO system," explains Guenther Heimstädt. "The Micro PLC is a new product series that will cover a different application area with its compactness and functionality." The controller is suitable both as a high-performance small or micro controller in series and special machine construction and as a self-sufficient and decentralized controller in the field of plant construction or as a central or decentralized controller in the field of building automation.

The Bluetooth solution

Due to the compact design, the developers also had to think about how the service personnel in the control cabinet could evaluate and read out the status of the individual I/O modules. Due to the shrunken design of the modules - each signal module is only 26 mm wide - there is simply no space for a more precise diagnostic or error display. As a solution, the developers opted for Bluetooth - the de facto standard for communication between two or more end devices at close range. With a standard smartphone and the Vipa app, which has also now been introduced, the status of the individual modules or even the CPU can be conveniently read out on a smartphone or tablet in future. "The user can scan a barcode printed on the module with their cell phone and then have read access to the module," explains the project manager. This form of commissioning and service support is also a pointer to the future of upcoming Vipa control systems. While the Bluetooth connection is still optional for the Micro series and can be retrofitted with a corresponding module, which then uses one of the existing Ethernet ports, this functionality will be integrated as standard in future larger control systems.

Further technology functions

In the industrial sector, complete solutions that cover several areas of application are increasingly in demand. As with the SLIO system, the new control system therefore includes additional technology functions, which are gradually being supplemented by further features. Heimstädt: "As the CPU is always the most important component of the control system for a complete solution, we have already integrated several technology functions here. With the new Micro, for example, drive control for the Yaskawa A1000 and V1000 frequency inverters can be implemented."

Author:
Sebastian Baumann is Marketing Specialist at Yaskawa Vipa Controls.

Vipa - The Yaskawa daughter

Vipa from Herzogenaurachhas been part of the European division of the major Japanese group Yaskawasince the end of 2012 and rounds off the automation range in the Controls division of the new parent company.

At SPS/IPC/Drives, the integration of the Franconian automation specialist will also be reflected in the brand image. For the first time, Vipa will be exhibiting as an independent 'Yaskawa Vipa Controls Division' together with the other two divisions, Robotics and Drives & Motion, at the same stand.

For a long time, Vipa's appearance was characterized by a greenish hue, but now the blue of the parent company is in the foreground. "We also want to show that we are a group and that all three divisions, i.e. Drives & Motion, Robotics and Vipa Controls, belong together," says Vipa Managing Director Bob Linkenbach, explaining the color change of his company, which now also has the parent company in its division name. The importance of Vipa as Yaskawa Vipa Controls for the parent company is demonstrated by the fact that the entire future control technology for the global Yaskawa Group will be developed from Herzogenaurach. To this end, the Herzogenaurach site has been defined as a 'Center of Excellence' within the Yaskawa Group.