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The Automation Framework technology

Microsoft® .NET is the basis of Automation Framework. Microsoft® .NET Framework is an integrated Windows component with which the future generation of software and web services is created and managed and which brings information, people and devices together!
   
 

Advantages of the .NET technology

The concept of .NET opens up many advantages even in control technology, as:

  • .NET is a forward-looking software strategy for the areas of software tools, software platforms and functional engineering.
  • First experiences show that software tools can be realized at least twice as fast than before for parameterization or diagnosis of automation devices.
  • Consistent and homogenous software platforms for optimal support of the products are economically viable.
  • .NET is a standard technology which provides the user with a high degree of individual design opportunities.
  • The .NET platform also provides numerous development opportunities (like for example web services) for the following years.
 
 

 
 

.NET for automation engineering

Automation Framework is an extension of the Microsoft.NET Framework specifically for the automation industry.
 
 

Automation Framework is not a "classical" application that is self-contained, rather a collection of functionalities for handling data sets (e.g. storing, managing, assigning etc.), which can be extended with additional functionalities via PlugIns.
 
 

Basic components of Automation Framework

Automation Framework is based on two basic components: The Automation Framework Class Library and the Automation Framework Base Catalog.

The Automation Framework Class Library forms the conceptional basis of functional engineering and provides objects that form the basis for creation of catalogs, tools or individual automation suites. The Automation Framework Base Catalog, which in turn is based on the Automation Framework Class Library, contains basic objects (like devices, parameters, connections, topology etc.) and objects for integration of tools. These objects are transferred to the project tree via drag & drop and new objects can be added to them or they can be specialized with the Catalog Editor belonging to Automation Framework.
 
 

 [Catalogs in Automation Framework]
 
 

The Automation Framework Object Model

The basic elements in the Base Catalog form the most general level of an automation solution (FDCML). These basic elements are part of the AF Class Library. They are manufacturer-independent, completely object-oriented and are subject to a structure with an inheritance hierarchy. The object model can be extended customer-specifically by taking rules into account.

The project tree represents the AF data management on the interface.
 
   
 

This is how you specify your own objects - example

The example opposite shows a simple 'Motor' object that was derived from the 'Device' basic element. The 'Motor' object was equipped with two basic 'Parameter' elements (also via drag & drop from the Base Catalog), which were renamed 'RotDirection' (rotating direction) and 'rpm' (revs/min). The 'Motor' object can be specified further and then inserted into an own catalog as new object and thus reused.
 
   
 
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