Manufacturing automation system components compatibility and performance testing with integrated virtual and real environment

Abstract

A system and method for providing an integrated virtual and real emulation environment for a manufacturing process to provide component compatibility testing and system performance prediction. In one embodiment, a real manufacturing system includes one or more real components that are controlled by a programmable logic controller. The real component can be replaced with a virtual component to determine whether it is compatible in the process, where the programmable controller sends signals to and receive signals from the virtual component as if it were the real component. For system performance prediction, a virtual manufacturing process is provided that includes virtual components where the virtual process is controlled by a programmable logic control as if it were a real process to determine the performance of a real system using the virtual process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.