A method for configuration of a controlled drive application of a logistics system. The logistics system includes parallel conveying paths for piece goods. Each conveying path includes sub-conveying paths which are each accelerated or delayed to merge the piece goods on a single output conveying path with defined spacing. A system model of the logistics system is firstly determined by operating data of the logistics system which include sensor values of the logistics system and changes to control variables. A control function is determined, which includes configuration data for the drives, with at least one control action being performed on the precondition of one or more performance features that are to be achieved in the system model, during which control action the operating data is simulated for a plurality of time steps.

A simulation device that estimates a behavior of a system including a control device that controls a target includes a program execution module, a three-dimensional virtualization module, a setting module, and a reception module. The program execution module executes a simulation program estimating the behavior. The three-dimensional virtualization module virtually constructs the system in a three-dimensional virtual space. The setting module executes setting generating or updating data referred to during the execution of the simulation program. The reception module receives a user operation to the simulation device. The setting module selectively executes setting based on a position in a three-dimensional virtual space or setting based on an operating condition according to the user operation.

A method is disclosed comprising controlling a packaging machine having independently movable objects along a track, moving object volumes of a leading object and a trailing object along a section of a coordinate system, determine a set of minimum separation distances between the object coordinates of the leading and trailing objects over an interval, associating object coordinates of the trailing object and the corresponding minimum separation distances in a first function, and for a selected object coordinate communicated to a selected movable object, determine the corresponding minimum separation distance from the first function, comparing the minimum separation distance from the first function with a resulting separation between said selected object coordinate and an object coordinate of a movable object closest downstream of the selected movable object.

The system behavior is evaluated by checking the position and the orientation of a target processed by a processing device in accordance with a control instruction. A simulator estimates a behavior of a system including a processing device that processes a target. The simulator includes a measurement unit that performs image measurement of an input image including at least a part of a target as a subject of the image, an execution unit that executes a control operation for generating a control instruction directed to the processing device based on a measurement result obtained by the measurement unit, and a reproduction unit that reproduces, in the system, a behavior of a target detected in the input image together with information about a type and an orientation of the target based on time-series data for the control instruction output from the execution unit and the measurement result from the measurement unit.

Provided is a configuration capable of realizing complicated control with a simpler configuration and facilitating program development. A control device for controlling a control target includes: a PLC engine configured to cyclically execute a program including a sequence instruction; a robot control engine configured to control a robot; an image processing engine configured to execute image processing on an image from a camera; and a simulation module configured to simulate at least a part of the control target, the robot, and the camera, the simulation module being constructed according to user setting.

Provided is a configuration which enables behaviors to be comprehensively simulated even for a system where a certain external force is applied to a workpiece. This simulation device includes: a workpiece conveyance simulator that calculates a state of the workpiece conveyance device; a workpiece behavior simulator that calculates an external force applied to the workpiece based on the state of the workpiece conveyance device and calculates the state of the workpiece based on the calculated external force; and an information management part that generates virtual space information that reflects the state of the workpiece conveyance device and the state of the workpiece.

Methods for simulating an object in a manufacturing line, wherein the object is placed on a conveyor in the manufacturing line. In the method, a position of the object is obtained from object data collected by a camera device deployed in the manufacturing line. A movement of the conveyor is determined from a controller of the conveyor. An object position of the object is obtained based on the determined position and an offset of the object caused by the movement of the conveyor. A virtual representation of the object is displayed at the determined object position in a virtual environment. With the virtual environment, the administrator of the manufacturing line may be provided with accurate states of the manufacturing line, based on which operations of a robot system that is to be deployed in the manufacturing line may be estimated.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a conveyance device capable of accurately completing the conveyance device imagined by a customer in a relatively short time. In a method for manufacturing a conveyance device, one or a plurality of operation confirmation devices that visually confirms an operation of the conveyance device is used, the method includes exhibiting a desired operation of the conveyance device in a video by the operation confirmation device and confirming a required operation of the conveyance device in a specification confirmation step, inputting data for realizing the required operation or realizing an operation similar to the required operation to the operation confirmation device, and exhibiting the operation of the conveyance device in a video based on the data that has been input in a virtual operation confirmation step, and inputting the data to an actual individual controller of the conveyance unit in a data input step.

Provided is a configuration which enables behaviors to be comprehensively simulated even for a system where a certain external force is applied to a workpiece. This simulation device includes: a first simulator that calculates behaviors of one or more workpieces disposed in a virtual space; a measurement part that carries out measurement for a virtual image generated by imaging the virtual space by a virtual camera disposed at an arbitrarily-defined viewpoint position in the virtual space; a second simulator that calculates, on the basis of an operation command generated in response to the measuring result of the workpieces by the measurement part, a behavior of a robot for conveying the workpieces disposed in the virtual space; and an image generation part that generates an image in which the virtual space is visualized.

Integrated software systems and methods that can control the design, emulation, testing and production activities of a conveyor based system. In embodiments, the control system implements an object-oriented like environment into a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) system and uses its software to define and control the operation of the PLC dynamically from a computer. In other embodiments, a hot backup method allows the conveyor system to continue to function on failure of one or more PLCs.