Department of Electrical Engineering

Industrial Instruments III

Semester 2, 2023
Lecturers: Dr. M.E. Migabo & Mr. A.M. Dlamini

Practical Experiment (Assessment 3: )

Issue date: 28/08/2023

Surname Initials Student Number

0. Instructions
- This practical experiment is PLC based and must be simulated using the CODESYS
PLC programming application.
https://www.codesys.com/download.html

- It forms part of the practical assessment mark that counts towards your final mark.
- This is a group practical assessment
- A 24V DC power supply is used to power the controller.
- The same 24V DC power supply is stepped down to 5V DC to power the data
acquisition and actuating circuitries.
- All components must derive their power supply from the PLC (current sourcing).

1. Scenario: PLC-Based Automated Car parking System with Visualization

Design and simulate a PLC-based automated car parking system using CODESYS software.
The system will involve car detection sensors, gate motors, lights, a counter, 7-segment
displays, and a motor-driven mechanism for deploying/retracting tire burst nails. The goal is
to create a functional and user-friendly parking system that handles car entry, exit, and
parking space availability.

2. Aim and objectives.

 Being able to demonstrate the ability to write a functional PLC Ladder Program that
responds to well defined user requirement specifications of real-life problem.
 Demonstrate the ability to work in a team.

3. User Requirements Specifications (URS)

1. Car Entry:
 The system should detect the presence of a car at the entrance.
 After car detection, there should be a minimum 5-second delay before
allowing the car to enter if there are available parking slots.
 During the delay, the tire burst nails should be unhidden by rotating a motor
that holds them by 45 degrees.

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  The gate open by turning a servo motor or DC motor 90 degrees anti-
clockwise and closes by turning the same motor 90 degrees clockwise.

2. Car Exit:
 The system should detect the presence of a car at the exit.
 The exit gate should open promptly to allow the car to exit.
 The gate open by turning a servo motor or DC motor 90 degrees anti-
clockwise and closes by turning the same motor 90 degrees clockwise.
3. Gate Control:
 The entry and exit gates should be controlled by separate motors.
 Gate motors should operate smoothly and safely.
4. Parking Availability:
 The system should display the number of available parking slots.
 Two 7-segment displays should indicate the count of empty slots out of a
total of 10.
5. Tire Burst Nails:
 The system should deploy the tire burst nails after a car enters.
 There should be a limit switch to detect the position of the nails (deployed or
retracted).
6. Counter:
 The system should maintain a count of the total number of cars that have
entered and exited.
7. Visualization Interface:
 The CODESYS visualization interface should be user-friendly.
 It should display the status of gates, lights, and nail mechanism.
 Real-time parking availability information should be visible.
8. Lights:
 Entry and exit lights (Red and Green) should indicate the status of the gates.
 Red light should indicate that the gate is closed, and green light should
indicate that the gate is open.
9. Timers:
 Timers should be implemented to ensure a 5-second delay after car detection
before allowing entry.
 Timers should also control the delay between gate operations and nail
mechanism activation.
10. User Interaction:
 The visualization interface should include virtual buttons for simulating car
entry and exit.
 Users should be able to interact with the system through these buttons.
11. Documentation:
 Clear and comprehensive documentation according to the provided
template should be provided explaining the system's components, operation,
and CODESYS code.
12. Creativity and Innovation:
 The project may include additional features or improvements to enhance the
overall functionality and user experience.

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4. Marking rubric

Criteria Allocated Marks Obtained Marks

Car Entry
- Car Detection 8
- Delayed Entry 8
- Nail Deployment Mechanism 8
- Gate Control 8
Car Exit
- Car Detection 8
- Prompt Exit 8
- Gate Control 8
Gate Control
- Separate Motors 5
- Smooth and Safe Operation 5
Parking Availability
- Display of Available Slots 8
- 7-Segment Display Functionality 8
Tire Burst Nails
- Nail Deployment 8
- Limit Switch Detection 8
Counter
- Accurate Counting 8
Visualization Interface
- User-Friendly Interface 10
- Gate, Lights, and Status Display 10
- Real-Time Parking Availability 5
Lights
- Status Indication (Red and Green) 5
Timers
- 5-Second Entry Delay 7
- Gate and Mechanism Delays 7
User Interaction
- Virtual Buttons 8
- User Interaction Functionality 7
Creativity and Innovation 8
- Additional Features/Improvements 8
Total Marks 100
The documentation will count 50% of the final project mark. The 100% of the functionality is
therefore divided by 2 to count the other 50%.