Exploiting multicore processors in PLCs using libraries for IEC 61131-3

Abstract

This paper presents an approach for exploiting multicore hardware architectures on coding level for the IEC 61131-3. An interface between the IEC 61131-3 code and software of a different programming language outsources the actual parallel workload. For validation purpose, an embedded multicore hardware is used as a controlling device, which executes software for the use case of model based condition monitoring. The case study results show an explicit benefit of the multicore exploiting software in comparison to its singlecore counterpart, which is reflected with a faster processing of up to a factor of 3. Overall, this approach can be used for developing high performance applications or for accelerating existing applications in industry.