MODEL RAILROAD, INTERNET A LOGIC CONTROL EDUCATION

HERNYCH, M.; KRÁLOVCOVÁ, J.

Abstract

This contribution describes the practical experience with the realization of railroad model and its exploitation in the education of programmable logic controllers programming, which is one of the main subjects in the first year of bachelor study program on Faculty of Mechatronics of Technical University of Liberec. The railroad model was being assembled in stages during last nine years on the base of donator contributions. Initially it was not designed for control education exploitation. For that purpose, it was required to reconstruct the model and supply the possibility of PLCs control and supplemented sufficient quantity of the appropriate actuators and sensors, which are able to accept and provide logical signals. Important is endurance and reliability this elements also - exploitation any mechanical components in education is very dangerous. During the 2004-2005years the model railroad was completely remade, equipped by a new version of digital control system LENZ. Also new logical components, PLC connections and industry bus (actually distributed in the laboratory) were mounted. The mayor task is definition of the pedagogical target and instrument – students in the first class can manage only elementary tasks with programs for PLC. It was essential to build up user-friendly interface between PLCs and digital control LENZ. This time the model railroad is ready to be used in education and the time of conference act will be possibility also the first experience on "heavy duty" operation.

Coresponding author e-mail: milos[dot]hernych[at]vslib[dot]cz

Session: Control Education