Enhancing digital twin performance through simulation of computerized numerical control firmware

摘要

The 4th industrial revolution poses new challenges for industrial software and in particular for the control software of production machines. In order to master the transformation, the machine software must be made more flexible and upgradable. The challenge is that any modification of the software can lead to critical errors. In order to meet the high safety requirements for industrial software, the software must be tested extensively. In this paper, we present a concept of a CNC firmware simulation as part of a digital twin of a physical production machine. The concept allows the virtual representation of the original firmware, which is also operating on the microcontroller of the machine. This is achieved by using a simulator for AVR microcontrollers called SimulAVR and connecting it to a multi-body simulation. The enhanced digital twin of the machine can be used in various applications, such as the extension of the firmware due to new requirements resulting from development in the direction of Industrie 4.0. The requirements on the concept are verified with the help of a prototypical implementation. Finally, an outlook is given on the future work based on the presented concept.