How-to simulate failures?

23 October 2009

ITS PLC Professional Edition allows you to simulate failures in sensors and actuators. These failures can be in open circuit or short-circuit. With this feature you are able to induce malfunctions in the systems, presenting new challenges and increasing the realism of the simulation.

In the Failures Panel you can cause open circuit failures in sensors and actuators.

Click the sensor's button in which you want to cause a failure. The sensor becomes indifferent to the system state, staying OFF. Click the actuator's button in which you want to cause a failure. The actuator becomes indifferent to the PLC state, staying OFF.

Figure 1. Open circuit failures simulation in the failures panel.

In the Inputs/Outputs Panel you can create short-circuit failures in sensors and actuators.

Click the LED that corresponds to the sensor that you want to fail. The sensor becomes indifferent to the system state, staying ON (LED changes to red). Click the button that corresponds to the actuator that you want to fail. The actuator becomes indifferent to the PLC state, staying ON (button changes to blue).

Figure 2. Short-circuit failures simulation in the Inputs/Outputs panel.