Device and method for checking railway logical software engines for commanding plants, particularly station plants

A method of checking a software logical engine for controlling and commanding a railway plant comprising a plurality of operating units, the method comprising:

• providing a central processing unit generating a command signal of the plurality of operating units, the plurality of operating units receiving the command signal and generating a control signal about an operating condition, the control signal being transmitted to the central processing unit, the central processing unit reading the control signal and processing the command signal according to an operation protocol;
• storing a logical engine, a plant simulation program and a graphic program in one or more memories, the local engine commanding the railway plant, the plant simulation program simulating a railway plant structure and operating modes of the plurality of operating units, the plant simulation program comprising a control and command logical program and a plant component simulation program representing operative functions of one or more plant components, wherein a plant component is an operating unit, structural element, area of the railway plant, or the entire plant;
• causing the logical engine to command and control the simulation program;
• and univocally associating a plant component to a virtual image of the plant component, the virtual image being generated by the graphic program,
• wherein the graphic program generates a different image of each plant component by representing a different graphic aspect condition of the plant component, each aspect condition being associated to a predetermined value of a state variable describing the operating condition of a corresponding plant component, or to a command variable commanding a commutation or a maintenance of an operative state of the plant component,
• wherein the virtual image of the plant component is a schematic reproduction of the plant component, and
• wherein different virtual images corresponding to the different graphic aspect conditions of the plant component are different one from the other and reproduce schematically real modifications of aspects of the plant component in different operating conditions,
• wherein the plant simulation program comprises Boolean algorithms including variables, and wherein the variables are defined to represent control signals of different state and operating conditions of the plurality of operating units as well as command signals for commutating and maintaining the different state and operating conditions of the plurality of operating units.

A device for checking a software engine for controlling and commanding a plant, the device comprising:

• at least a computer having at least a central processing unit and at least a memory for loading and executing programs;
• a logical engine for commanding the plant, the logical engine being loadable in the at least a memory for the execution of the logical engine, the logical engine providing control and command signals;
• a plurality of operating units configured to actuate, detect, measure, and/or signal, the plurality of operating units being further configured to receive command signals and of transmitting control signals about the operating condition of the plant, the logical engine reading the control signals provided by the plurality of operating units and processing the command signals according to an operation protocol of the plant,
• wherein a plant simulation software is stored in the memory,
• wherein the plant simulation software is designed to be controlled and commanded by the logical engine,
• wherein the plant simulation software is loadable and executable by the at least a computer,
• wherein the plant software simulation program simulates the plant structure and the operating modes of the plurality of operating units provided in the plant,
• wherein a plant component is one of the plurality of plant operating units, a predetermined element of the plant, a predetermined area of the plant, or the whole plant, wherein each plant component is univocally associated to a single virtual image, wherein the virtual image is generated by a graphic program loadable and executable by one of the at least a computer,
• wherein the virtual image is associated to the logical engine,
• wherein the graphic program is configured to generate several graphic aspect conditions of each plant component,
• wherein each plant component is associated to a predetermined value of a variable relevant to the operating condition of the plant component and of a command variable for managing the operating state of the plant component,
• further comprising a first program for simulating a relay operation and a second program for simulating a relay network operation,
• further comprising graphic programs for representing relays associated to the first program for simulating relay operation and to the second program for simulating relay network operation,
• wherein an operation of the logical engine is further represented as an equivalent command hardware logic comprising a relay network.

A method for checking a software logical engine for controlling and commanding a plant, the method comprising:

• using at least a central processing unit and at least a memory for loading and executing programs;
• commanding the plant with a logical engine, the logical engine being loadable in said at least a memory for execution of the logical engine, the logical engine providing command and control signals;
• receiving command signals and transmitting control signals related to operating conditions of a plurality of operating units situated in the plant, the plurality of operating units being configured to actuate, detect, measure, and/or signal;
• reading with the logical engine the control signals provided by the plurality of operating units;
• and
• processing the command signals of said plurality of operating units according to an operating protocol of the plant,
• wherein a plant simulation software that is controlled and commanded by the logical engine is loadable in the at least a memory,
• wherein the plant simulation software is designed to be executed by the at least a central processing unit,
• wherein the plant simulation software simulates the plant structure and the operating modes of the plurality of operating units provided in said plant,
• further comprising means for connecting and interfacing with a validation and certification system that is based on a system different from the logical engine for generating command and control signals,
• wherein the validation and certification system comprises an additional separate program for generating control and command logical signals generated and memorized in the validation and certification system,
• wherein the additional program and the plant simulation software each comprise a Boolean equation system, and
• further comprising the steps of:
• comparing the additional program and the plant simulation software by comparing one or more of, the Boolean equation systems of the additional program and of the plant simulation software, or results of simulating tests executed with the additional program and the plant simulation software, and
• verifying that the additional program and the plant simulation software produce identical results.

A method for checking a software logical engine for controlling and commanding a plant, the method comprising:

• using at least a central processing unit and at least a memory for loading and executing programs;
• commanding the plant with a logical engine, the logical engine being loadable in the at least a memory for execution of the logical engine, the logical engine providing command and control signals;
• receiving command signals and transmitting control signals related to operating conditions of a plurality of operating units situated in the plant, the plurality of operating units being configured to actuate, detect, measure, and/or signal;
• reading with the logical engine the control signals provided by the plurality of operating units;
• and
• processing the command signals of the plurality of operating units according to an operating protocol of the plant,
• wherein a plant simulation software that is controlled and commanded by the logical engine is loadable in the at least a memory,
• wherein the plant simulation software is designed to be executed by the at least a central processing unit,
• wherein the plant simulation software simulates the plant structure and the operating modes of the plurality of operating units provided in the plant,
• wherein a virtual image of one of the plurality of operating units and of a plant structure is univocally associated to the plant operating units and the plant structural element,
• wherein the virtual image is generated by a graphic program loadable and executable by the central processing unit, wherein the virtual image is associated to the logical engine;
• wherein the graphic program is configured to generate several graphic aspect conditions of one or more of the plurality of operating units,
• wherein each of the plurality of operating units is associated to a predetermined value of a variable relative to an operating condition of the operating unit and of a variable related to an operating state of the operating unit,
• wherein the operation of the logical engine is configured to be represented in parallel and in the alternate as a relay network, and
• wherein a simulating program of relay operation and a simulating program of relay network operation are provided, as well as graphic programs for representing relays associated to the relay simulation program and the graphic program,
• further comprising the step of displaying the functional behavior of the plant, wherein the display of the functional behavior of the plant is executed according to two modes, the two modes comprising a first mode having a report file that displays values of state variables generated by the plant simulation software, and a second mode having a graphic representation of the operating condition of plurality of operating units, thereby enabling a
• user to check in detail the plurality of operating units, and therefore the physical operation modes thereof both in an analytic way and in a direct visual way,
• further comprising the step of setting specific operating conditions of the plant or anomalous situations in the plant, and of checking plant reactions according to several operating environment,
• further comprising the step of scheduling and configuring images and state and command variables of virtual operating units corresponding to desired operational and state conditions of the plant and a predetermined situation of operation, and the step of executing a visual check of correct operation and an automatic check based on comparing a nominal image and a nominal list of desired state and command variables, and the image and state and command variables really processed during the operation of the logical engine, an error message being sent when the nominal image and the nominal list of the desired state and command variables, are not the same as the image and state and command variables really processed during the operation of the logical engine.