Extension of Control Functionality through the Integration of Container Technologies (ESIC)

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Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are core components of automation technology. When configuring and programming PLCs, the focus is on stability. Compliance with hard real-time criteria and a long service life (15+ years) are the rule. In the course of Industry 4.0, the field of application of PLCs has expanded. Interfaces for data transmission with cloud systems, service-oriented software architectures, the use of artificial intelligence, the integration and use of value-added services have been added. Today, these application scenarios are realized as cloud services using virtualization technologies (e.g. hypervisor or container). Due to the increased communication link between the field level and the cloud, application scenarios, which are directly linked to the process and require hard real-time, cannot be implemented as cloud services. It is therefore necessary to integrate these application scenarios directly into the control system and to be able to realize the short development cycles and high update frequencies. In the cloud environment, this is made possible by the use of container technologies, among other things. There is still a need for research into the use of these technologies in the control environment, especially in the PLC. The executability of containers in compliance with hard real-time criteria, inter-container communication and the isolation of processes on control architectures are open fields of research.