Kansai Airport BTS System Empty Tray Storage

Introduction

I finished this project in 2023 with some standard company functions and my special developped functions.

Hardware and software involved in this application are:

• Software:
  • TIA Portal
    • Step7
    • Technology Object
    • StartDrive
    • Step7 Safety
  • MR Configurator
• Hardware:
  • SIMATIC S7-1500
  • SINAMICS G115D
  • MR-J4
  • SIMATIC ET200eco

Sample Video

Challenges

The application requires full redundant emptry tray handling that relies on the two pathways in the video able to move the empty trays on the inbound and outbound directions. This requirement was completely outside of the standard PLC functions’ scope so I had to develop lots of extra functions that could work with the standard functions and achieve the target.

Solutions

The solution includes:

• An Empty Tray Storage management function that controls the overall logics and also cooperates the high level software.
• An bidirectional conveyor function that controls the standard single directional conveyor function.
• A tridirectional transfer fucntion that controls the standard two directional transfer function.
• A vertical sorter control function that controls the standard vertical sorter.
• A special programmed tray magazine function that can work as stacker and destacker upon request and switch in real time.
• An empty tray stack indexing function for storage conveyor conrol.