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Utveckling av ett verktyg för en automatiserad migrering av styrlogik mellan ABB Advant Controllers

Franzén, Gustav LU and Nilsson, Jacob LU (2025) In CODEN:LUTEDX/TEIE EIEL05 20251
Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation
Abstract
The transfer of control logic and system implementations from older to newer control systems is a substantial undertaking that, despite technological advancements, remains largely a manual effort. While there are tools available that perform automatic conversions, these tend to apply a one-to-one conversion strategy. This means that the structure of the logic remains outdated and does not take advantage of modern concepts such as object-oriented programming or the use of Structured Text. Additionally, the process often requires the new implementation to reuse existing signals from installed sensors and motors, necessitating that the new system closely resemble the previous one. These requirements frequently result in engineers and... (More)
The transfer of control logic and system implementations from older to newer control systems is a substantial undertaking that, despite technological advancements, remains largely a manual effort. While there are tools available that perform automatic conversions, these tend to apply a one-to-one conversion strategy. This means that the structure of the logic remains outdated and does not take advantage of modern concepts such as object-oriented programming or the use of Structured Text. Additionally, the process often requires the new implementation to reuse existing signals from installed sensors and motors, necessitating that the new system closely resemble the previous one. These requirements frequently result in engineers and programmers developing the new logic entirely manually, based on the predecessor.
This thesis has therefore focused on the development of an application capable of transferring and migrating automation programs from ABB’s older control systems, such as Advant Controller 400 series, primarily the AC450, to its successor, the Advant Controller 800 Modular. The developed program also utilizes the Control Builder Open Interface, an interface provided by ABB.
The purpose has been to minimize the amount of manual labor typically associated with this type of conversion, as well as to reduce the risk of inconsistencies between the new and existing systems, which could otherwise cause problems when the new implementation is deployed alongside the physical process.
The result of this thesis is an application that reads files downloaded directly from the PLC. After processing the data, it reconstructs the logical connections to fit the new system. The application can also be used to validate input and output configurations, trace logical trees and search for specific blocks. Due to time constraints, some goals remained unfinished, leading to a partial implementation towards Control Builder M. Nevertheless, the proof of concept has demonstrated that the system works as intended.Overall, the thesis shows that it is possible to develop a tool that supports engineers and programmers in reducing the manual workload, while also ensuring logical consistency both in development and in the actual plant environment. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Överföringen av logiska program från äldre styrsystem till nyare är ett omfattande arbete som, oavsett teknisk utveckling, fortfarande är en betydande manuell börda. Visserligen finns det verktyg som kan göra en automat-konvertering, men dessa tenderar att genomföra en 1:1-konvertering, vilket innebär att den nya logiken behåller samma föråldrade struktur och inte drar nytta av moderna funktioner som till exempel objektorienterad programmering eller användning av Structured Text. Arbetet kräver även ofta att den nya implementationen ska återanvända styrsignaler i form av installerade givare och motorer, vilket medför att det nya systemet måste efterlikna det tidigare. Dessa krav resulterar ofta i att ingenjörer och programmerare utvecklar... (More)
Överföringen av logiska program från äldre styrsystem till nyare är ett omfattande arbete som, oavsett teknisk utveckling, fortfarande är en betydande manuell börda. Visserligen finns det verktyg som kan göra en automat-konvertering, men dessa tenderar att genomföra en 1:1-konvertering, vilket innebär att den nya logiken behåller samma föråldrade struktur och inte drar nytta av moderna funktioner som till exempel objektorienterad programmering eller användning av Structured Text. Arbetet kräver även ofta att den nya implementationen ska återanvända styrsignaler i form av installerade givare och motorer, vilket medför att det nya systemet måste efterlikna det tidigare. Dessa krav resulterar ofta i att ingenjörer och programmerare utvecklar den nya logiken helt manuellt baserat på den äldre.
Examensarbetet har därför fokuserat på att utveckla en applikation som kan översätta och migrera automationsprogram från ABB:s äldre styrsystem som Advant Controller 400-serien, framför allt AC450, till det modernare systemet Advant Controller 800 Modular. Arbetet har använt Control Builder Open Interface, ett gränssnitt som ABB själva utvecklat.
Syftet har varit att minimera det manuellt omfattande arbetet som medföljer en sådan systemkonvertering. Samt minska risken att applikationen som skapas inte överensstämmer helt med den nuvarande versionen, vilket skulle kunna skapa problem när den sätts i drift tillsammans med den fysiska processen.
Arbetet mynnade ut i en applikation som läser in filer, direkt nedladdade från PLC:n, och därefter bearbetas datan och logiken struktureras upp för att passa ett nyare system. Applikationen kan exempelvis även användas för att validera konfigurationer gällande inputs och outputs, följa logiska träd och söka efter specifika block. På grund av tidsbrist uppnåddes dock inte alla mål i examensarbetet, vilket resulterade i en ofullständig implementering mot Control Builder M. Trots detta har koncepttest visat att allt fungerar som tänkt. Sammantaget visar examensarbetet att det är möjligt att utveckla ett verktyg som kan stödja ingenjörer och programmerare för att minska det manuella arbetet. Samt att säkerställa att dels den implementerade dels den nya logiken stämmer överens, även på plats i fabrik. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Franzén, Gustav LU and Nilsson, Jacob LU
supervisor
organization
course
EIEL05 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
ABB, AC450, AC800M, Control Builder M, Control Builder Open Interface, Migration tool, Conversion tool.
publication/series
CODEN:LUTEDX/TEIE
report number
3140
language
Swedish
id
9197297
date added to LUP
2025-06-23 16:46:01
date last changed
2025-06-23 16:46:01
@misc{9197297,
  abstract     = {{The transfer of control logic and system implementations from older to newer control systems is a substantial undertaking that, despite technological advancements, remains largely a manual effort. While there are tools available that perform automatic conversions, these tend to apply a one-to-one conversion strategy. This means that the structure of the logic remains outdated and does not take advantage of modern concepts such as object-oriented programming or the use of Structured Text. Additionally, the process often requires the new implementation to reuse existing signals from installed sensors and motors, necessitating that the new system closely resemble the previous one. These requirements frequently result in engineers and programmers developing the new logic entirely manually, based on the predecessor. 
This thesis has therefore focused on the development of an application capable of transferring and migrating automation programs from ABB’s older control systems, such as Advant Controller 400 series, primarily the AC450, to its successor, the Advant Controller 800 Modular. The developed program also utilizes the Control Builder Open Interface, an interface provided by ABB. 
The purpose has been to minimize the amount of manual labor typically associated with this type of conversion, as well as to reduce the risk of inconsistencies between the new and existing systems, which could otherwise cause problems when the new implementation is deployed alongside the physical process.
The result of this thesis is an application that reads files downloaded directly from the PLC. After processing the data, it reconstructs the logical connections to fit the new system. The application can also be used to validate input and output configurations, trace logical trees and search for specific blocks. Due to time constraints, some goals remained unfinished, leading to a partial implementation towards Control Builder M. Nevertheless, the proof of concept has demonstrated that the system works as intended.Overall, the thesis shows that it is possible to develop a tool that supports engineers and programmers in reducing the manual workload, while also ensuring logical consistency both in development and in the actual plant environment.}},
  author       = {{Franzén, Gustav and Nilsson, Jacob}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{CODEN:LUTEDX/TEIE}},
  title        = {{Utveckling av ett verktyg för en automatiserad migrering av styrlogik mellan ABB Advant Controllers}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}