Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

Doc ID PIDE-GR001B-EN-P

ii Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

Contacting Technical Support Telephone 440-646-7800 Rockwell Software Technical Support Fax 440-646-7801 World Wide Webwww.software.rockwell.com Copyright Notice 2000-2002 Rockwell Software Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Portions copyrighted by Allen-Bradley Company, Inc., and used with permission. This manual and any accompanying Rockwell Software products are copyrighted by Rockwell Software Inc. Any reproduction and/or distribution without prior written consent from Rockwell Software Inc. is strictly prohibited. Please refer to the license agreement for details. Trademark Notices RSLinx, RSLinx Gateway, RSLogix, RSLogix 5, RSLogix 500, RSLogix 5000, RSLogix Frameworks, RSLogix SL5, RSView32, RSView, RSWire, RSWire Designer, RSWire Detailer, RSWire I/O Builder, RSWire Docx, and View Wizard are trademarks of Rockwell Software Inc. ProcessLogix, PLC, PLC-2, PLC-3 and PLC-5 are registered trademarks, and PanelBuilder, PanelView, PLC-5/250, PLC-5/20E, PLC-5/40E, PLC-5/80E, SLC, SLC 5/01, SLC 5/02, SLC 5/ 03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05, SLC 500, and SoftLogix are trademarks of the Allen-Bradley Company, Inc. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, ActiveX, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual J++, and Visio are registered trademarks, and Microsoft Access and Visual SourceSafe are trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. ControlNet is a trademark of ControlNet International. DeviceNet is a trademark of the Open DeviceNet Vendors Association. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel, and Xerox Corporation. Pentium is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation. Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. AIX, PowerPC, Power Series, RISC System/6000 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged Warranty This Rockwell Software product is warranted in accord with the product license. The product's performance will be affected by system configuration, the application being performed, operator control and other related factors. The product's implementation may vary among users. This manual is as up-to-date as possible at the time of printing; however, the accompanying software may have changed since that time. Rockwell Software reserves the right to change any information contained in this manual or the software at any time without prior notice. The instructions in this manual do not claim to cover all the details or variations in the equipment, procedure, or process described, nor to provide directions for meeting every possible contingency during installation, operation, or maintenance.

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

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iii

iv Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

CONTENTS ..................................................
Introducing the PIDE Autotuner 1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Whats New? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 New Data Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Enhanced PID (PIDE) Property Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 PIDE Block Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 New PIDE_AUTOTUNE Structure Status Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Terms and Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Getting Started

The Autotune Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The PIDE Autotune Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Autotune Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Using the PIDE Autotuner

15

Configuring the Autotuner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PIDE Technical Information

19

PIDE User Tag Acquisition Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

PIDE Autotuner Tips and Tricks

21

Using the PIDE Autotuner with Slow Temperature Loops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner v

CONTENTS

vi Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

I. NTRODUCING PIDE A.UTOTUNER . . . . . . . . . . .THE .... ..... .............

The RSLogix 5000 PIDE Autotuner provides a simple, open-loop autotuner built into the PIDE instruction used in the Function Block Diagramming language. Because PIDE Auto-tuning is built into the controller, you can perform autotuning from PanelViews or any other operator interface devices, as well as RSLogix 5000. The PIDE block has been designed to use a second tag whose data structure is defined for the Autotuner. This allows the users to create tune tags only for the loops (PIDE blocks) they wish to auto-tune. These tune tags can also be accessed by any device, which will allow PanelViews, etc., to perform auto-tuning by setting and reading the appropriate values in the Autotune data structure in the controller. The user can choose to share these tune tags between different PIDE blocks to save memory if desired.

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INSTALLATION

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The PIDE Autotune feature is installed with the rest of the RSLogix 5000 software but must be activated with an activation disk, which is purchased separately. If Autotune is not activated, some of the Autotune-related fields and buttons on dialogs boxes will be visible but disabled. In addition, if the PIDE Autotune feature is not activated:

You can run the Autotuner from an operator interface for any PIDE blocks that have already been configured for autotuning, but you cannot configure additional PIDE blocks for autotuning. You cannot associate or change the association of an Autotune tag with a PIDE block You can delete an association between the PIDE block and a tune tag. You can also undo this operation. You can import and export projects with tags of type PIDE_AUTOTUNE and PIDE blocks with an associated tune tag. You can drag-and-drop or paste programs or routines that contain PIDE blocks with associated Autotune tags. A Cut/Copy/Paste and Drag/Drop operation is allowed for a PIDE block, but the associated Autotune tag will not be copied.

REQUIREMENTS

.........................................................
The requirements for using the Autotuner feature are:

RSLogix 5000, release 10 or later

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

INTRODUCING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Whats New?

WHATS NEW?

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There have been some changes and enhancements to the RSLogix 5000 software to support the Autotune function. The following sections explain in more detail.

NEW DATA TYPE

A data type, PIDE_AUTOTUNE, was added to support the Autotuning algorithm. Tags of this type are used to define the parameters for auto-tuning a PIDE block. This data type is available everywhere tags are created, whether the PIDE Autotune feature is activated or not. The Tag Editor and the Create Tag and Tag Properties dialog boxes provide access to the PIDE_AUTOTUNE data type. Each PIDE block needs to reference a PIDE_AUTOTUNE tag in order to be tuned; for maximum flexibility, assign a different PIDE_AUTOTUNE tag to each PIDE block. This will allow you to tune multiple loops at the same time. If you wish to save memory you can assign the same PIDE_AUTOTUNE tag to multiple PIDE blocks. In this case, however, you will only be able to tune one loop at a time. Each tag of type PIDE_AUTOTUNE uses just over 1Kb (kilobyte) of memory.

ENHANCED PID (PIDE) PROPERTY DIALOG BOX

The Enhanced PID Property dialog box has been updated with a new Autotune tab (see example on page 5). The Autotune tab will allow you to configure and acquire the PIDE_AUTOTUNE tag for the Autotune algorithm. A new Autotune dialog box handles starting the Autotune algorithm, monitoring outputs and loading the tuned gains. The other tabs in the PIDE Property dialog box have not changed. Once the Autotune tag is associated and the code is downloaded to the controller, you would generally go Online and begin auto-tuning for the PIDE. But in some cases, you may want to configure all of your PIDE blocks for auto-tuning before you go back online. To accommodate this scenario, you are allowed to update the Process Type, PV Change Limit and CV Step Size while offline. If you do this to an Autotune tag that has been acquired by another PIDE, when you try to go back online you will be told that you must either download changes or upload what is in the controller. For more information on the Autotune tab and auto-tuning operations, please see Using the PIDE Autotuner on page 15.

PIDE BLOCK ADDITION

The association of the Autotune tag will be available for editing at the bottom of the PIDE block. Select the tag using the same Tag Browser used throughout the FBD editor. If an Autotune tag has not been associated with this PIDE or if you request that this association be cleared, a question mark (?) will be displayed in this entry. If the Autotune feature key is not present and no Autotune tag is associated with this PIDE then the tag name text (in this situation it is ?) will appear grayed out and the inline editor is disabled. If an Autotune tag has been associated with this PIDE then the inline editor is fully operational, but the checking is done when the inline editor is closed. You are allowed to delete the association by simply deleting the tag name, but if you try to select another tag name, the action is canceled. A

2 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

INTRODUCING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Whats New?

message is displayed in the status bar informing you that you cannot do this operation because the feature key is not present, and the previous tag name remains in this field.

Autotune tag

PIDE Block

I mpor t/ Expo rt Fo rma t U pda te A statement was added to the BLOCK import/export format. This optional statement contains the tag name of the associated AUTOTUNE tag for a PIDE block and is only valid for PIDE blocks.

Example:
PIDE_BLOCK (ID := 0; X := 180, Y := 20, Operand := PIDE_01, VisiblePins := "PV,) AutotuneTag := <AutotuneTag> END_PIDE_BLOCK

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

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3

INTRODUCING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Whats New?

NEW PIDE_AUTOTUNE STRUCTURE STATUS BITS

When you use the PIDE Autotune feature, it is possible to set up a tuning environment in which the autotune procedure successfully completes but the results are unusable. To provide an indication that this occurred, the AtuneStatus member of the PIDE_AUTOTUNE structure contains five new status bits.
To see if: Observed PV change was too small Check .Atune data structure member .PVChangeTooSmall or Check .AtuneStatus member bit 27

Resolution: The PV change seen as a result of the CV step change was very small. You might try filtering your PV to eliminate excessive noise which could have caused the Autotuner to mistake a noise spike for an actual PV response. You also should verify that the PIDE instruction is executing at an appropriate rate for your process. For example, if your process is a slow temperature loop, run your PIDE instruction in a slow (0.5 sec. to 2 sec.) periodic task. A too-fast execution rate can cause the Autotuner to mistake a noise spike right after the Autotuner starts for an actual PV response. .StepSizeTooSmall 28

Step size is too small

Resolution: The CV step size that you configured for the Autotuner was very small. You might obtain better results if you autotune the loop again using a larger step size. Process gain is too large .GainTooLarge 29

Resolution: The Autotuner identified your process as having a very large process gain. In other words, a small step change in CV output caused a very large change in PV. You should check to make sure that your control actuator is properly sized for this application. Process gain is too small .GainTooSmall 30

Resolution: The Autotuner identified a very small process gain for the process; in other words, a step change in CV output caused only a very small change in PV. You might try filtering your PV to eliminate excessive noise which could have caused the Autotuner to mistake a noise spike for an actual PV response. You also should verify that the PIDE instruction is executing at an appropriate rate for your process. For example, if your process is a slow temperature loop, run your PIDE instruction in a slow (0.5 sec. to 2 sec.) periodic task. A too-fast execution rate can cause the Autotuner to mistake a noise spike right after the Autotuner starts for an actual PV response. You also should verify that your control actuator is properly sized for this application. Dead time is too long .LongDeadTime 31

Resolution: The Autotuner identified your process as having a long deadtime; in other words, it takes a long time between when the output of the loop changes and the PV starts to respond as a result of that change. This is often a result of having the sensor for your PV physically located far away from your actuator controlling the process. The Autotuner suggests a set of tuning constants, but standard PID control may have a difficult time controlling this process effectively.

4 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

INTRODUCING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Terms and Acronyms

TERMS
FBD

. . . . . . . .A . .N.D. . A . .C. R . .O.N. Y . .M. S ..................................

Function Block Diagram Associate Tag The act of selecting an autotune tag to be used by a PIDE block, more than one PIDE can associate the same autotune tag. Acquire Tag The act of a PIDE block taking control of this autotune tag, once a tag is acquired no other PIDE block can use it for tuning. Release Tag The act of canceling an acquired tag, any PIDE block can release an autotune tag. This act takes precedence over all other autotune actions.

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

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5

INTRODUCING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Terms and Acronyms

6 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

G . .ETTING . . . . . .S . TARTED ..........................

The user interface for the PIDE Autotuner consists mainly of the new Autotune tab that was added to the PIDE Properties dialog box. The Autotune functionality, a simple, open-loop Autotuner, is built right into the PIDE instruction. The following sections describe the Autotune tab on the PIDE Properties dialog box and the PIDE Autotune dialog box.

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THE AUTOTUNE TAB

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The Autotune tab allows you to configure and acquire the PIDE_AUTOTUNE tag for the Autotune algorithm. The associated Autotune dialog box handles starting the Autotune algorithm, monitoring outputs and loading the tuned gains. The other tabs in the PIDE Property dialog box have not changed from the previous release of RSLogix 5000.

The following table describes the fields and buttons on the Autotune tab of the PIDE Properties dialog box.

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

G E T T I N G ST A R T E D

The Autotune Tab

......................................................
Feature Description Tag: Name Tag Status Displays the name of the Autotune tag associated with this PIDE block. If no tag is associated, it displays ? Displays one of three possible states: Available: The Autotune tag has not been acquired by any other PIDE block. This is also indicated in the database when Autotune.AtuneAcquired is FALSE Acquired: The Autotune tag has been acquired by this PIDE block and can be used for autotuning. This is also indicated in the database when Autotune.AtuneAcquired is TRUE and PIDE.AtudneReady is TRUE Acquired by Another PIDE: The Autotune tag has been acquired by another PIDE block and must be released before it can be acquired by this PIDE block and used for autotuning. This is also indicated in the database when Autotune.AtuneAcquired is TRUE and PIDE.AtuneReady is FALSE

Acquire Tag button

Sets PIDE.AtuneAcquire to TRUE acquires the Autotune tag for this PIDE block. When the tag is already acquired by this PIDE, the button is disabled. This is also indicated in the database when PIDE.AtuneReady and Autotune.AtuneAcquired are TRUE. If the tag name is ?, the button is disabled. If the Autotune tag has been acquired by another PIDE this button is also disabled. Sets PIDE.AtuneUnacquire to TRUE releases a tag that has been acquired by any PIDE block. This button is enabled if any PIDE block has acquired this tag. It will release the tag from this and any other PIDE block that acquired it. If the Autotune tag was acquired by another PIDE block, clicking this button displays a message indicating that this action will abort an existing Autotune already in progress.

Release Tag button

8 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

G E T T IN G ST A R T E D

The Autotune Tab

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Feature Description Process Type Sets the value of the Autotune parameter ProcessType. Available types (integrating or self-regulating) are: Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Level, Position, Velocity, Integrating, Non-integrating, or Unknown. A process is called an integrating process if a step change in loop output causes the PV to linearly increase until it reaches a process limit. A level loop is an example of an integrating process. If level is controlled by opening and closing an inlet valve, and if the inlet valve is opened, the level will rise until the tank is filled. A process is called a non-integrating process if a step change in loop output causes the PV to change in response and level out at a new value. A flow loop is an example of a nonintegrating process.
PV

Integrating

Output

PV

Non-integrating PV Change Limit

Output

Sets the value of the Autotune parameter PVTuneLimit. If the CV step change causes the PV to change beyond the PV Change Limit, the Autotune will abort. You can use this feature to make sure that an autotune does not cause your PV to increase or decrease beyond the limit. Sets the amount that the CV will change when autotuning is started. When autotuning is complete, the CV will return to its original value. You can enter either a positive (step up) or negative (step down) value. Ready, In Progress, Complete, Aborted Displays the value of the PIDE parameter, PGain. Displays the value of the PIDE parameter, IGain. Displays the value of the PIDE parameter, DGain Opens the Autotune dialog box. It is enabled only if the PIDE.AtuneReady = TRUE, Autotune.AtuneAcquired = TRUE, and PIDE.AtuneDataInv = FALSE

CV Step Size

Execution State Proportional Integral Derivative Autotune button

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

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G E T T I N G ST A R T E D

The PIDE Autotune Dialog Box

THE PIDE AUTOTUNE DIALOG BOX

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Once you have configured an Autotune tag, click the Autotune button to open the PIDE Autotune dialog box. The PIDE Autotune dialog box allows you to Autotune and load the gains for the acquired PIDE. If data from a previous Autotune is still valid then you can immediately select and load the gains. When you click the Start button the Autotune algorithm will begin to run. At any point during this operation you can abort the Autotune process by clicking the Abort button. If the Autotune algorithm fails, the reason for the failure displays in the Autotune status box. When the Autotune algorithm has completed successfully you can select which gains to load into the PIDE block. The selection process is accomplished via the radio buttons next to the different Response speeds. You can manually update any of the gains by selecting Current and typing new values in the boxes. The boxes are only enabled when Current is selected. You can now load these gains into the PIDE block by clicking the Set Gains in PIDE button.

The following table describes the fields and buttons on the PIDE Autotune dialog box.

10 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

G E T T IN G ST A R T E D

The PIDE Autotune Dialog Box

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Feature Description Start button Allows you to start Autotune. It is enabled when the PIDE.AtuneReady parameter is TRUE and is disabled when the PIDE.AtuneOn parameter is TRUE. In order to start autotuning, the PIDE loop must be in Manual mode (either Operator Manual or Program Manual). Requests Autotune abort. It is enabled when the PIDE.AtuneOn parameter is TRUE. Sets PIDE.AtuneAbort to TRUE. Sets the PIDE current gains with the selected tuned gains. The tuned gains loaded are based on the currently selected gains. This button is enabled when the PIDE.AtuneDone parameter is TRUE. Sets PIDE.AtuneUseGains to TRUE. Determine which set of gains will be downloaded to the controller when Set Gains in PIDE is clicked. If Slow, Medium or Fast Response is selected then the Autotune parameter ResponseSpeed will be updated to reflect the selection. If Current is selected then the Current Integral, Derivative and Proportional Gains boxes are enabled. You can then adjust these values prior to clicking Set Gains in PIDE. The default value is the value contained in the ResponseSpeed in the PIDE. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, PGainTunedSlow. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, IGainTunedSlow. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, DGainTunedSlow. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, PGainTunedMed. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, IGainTunedMed. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, DGainTunedMed. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, PGainTunedFast. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, IGainTunedFast. Displays the value of the Autotune parameter, DGainTunedFast.

Abort button

Set Gains in PIDE button

Autotune Gains radio buttons

Slow Response Proportional Slow Response - Integral Slow Response Derivative Medium Response Proportional Medium Response Integral Medium Response Derivative Fast Response Proportional Fast Response - Integral Fast Response Derivative

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G E T T I N G ST A R T E D

The PIDE Autotune Dialog Box

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Feature Description Current - Proportional Current - Integral Current - Derivative Time Constant, Deadtime and Gain Displays the value of the PIDE parameter, PGain. When enabled these values can be changed by the user. Displays the value of the PIDE parameter, IGain. When enabled these values can be changed by the user. Displays the value of the PIDE parameter, DGain. When enabled these values can be changed by the user. Used to estimate the validity of the gains found by the Autotuner. If the process model represented by the Time Constant, Deadtime, and Gain is similar to how you know your process actually runs, then the resulting gains should give good results. Displays the execution state: Ready, In Progress, Complete, Aborted Displays OK or Detailed Fault status information (see Autotune Faults table). The faults will be displayed one after another with a comma as a separator. If there are more than two lines of text, there will be a vertical scrollbar.

Execution State Autotune Status

AUTOTUNE FAULTS
The following table defines the possible faults generated by Autotune:

.......................................................
Autotune Faults AtuneFault PVOutOfLimit ModeInv Description Autotune has generated any of the following faults. Either PV or the deadtime-step ahead prediction of PV exceeds PVTuneLimit during Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is aborted. The PIDE mode was not Manual at start of Autotuning or the PIDE mode was changed from Manual during Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is not started or is aborted. WindupHIn or WindupLIn is True at start of Autotuning or during Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is not started or is aborted. StepSizeUsed=0 at start of Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is not started. CVLimitsInv and CVManLimiting are True at start of Autotuning or during Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is not started or is aborted.

CVWindupFault StepSizeZero CVLimitsFault

12 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

G E T T IN G ST A R T E D

The PIDE Autotune Dialog Box

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Autotune Faults CVInitFault EUSpanChanged CVChanged Description CVInitializing is True at start of Autotuning or during Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is not started or is aborted. CVEUSpan or PVEUSpan change during Autotuning. When True, Autotuning is aborted. CVOper is changed when in Operator control or CVProg is changed when in Program control or CV becomes high/low or ROC limited during Autotuning.When True, Autotuning is aborted. Elapsed time is greater than TestLength since step test is started. When True, Autotuning is aborted. The PV is changing too much to Autotune. When True, Autotuning is aborted. Wait until PV is more stable before autotuning. The acquired tag was released by another PIDE block The acquired tag is not of the correct data type

AtuneTimedOut PVNotSettled TagReleased TagInvalid

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

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G E T T I N G ST A R T E D

The PIDE Autotune Dialog Box

14 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

U . .SING . . . . THE . . . .PIDE . . . . .A . UTOTUNER ...................

Beginning with Release 10 of ControlLogix, Autotune is configured from RSLogix 5000; the control algorithm resides in the Logix controller firmware. It provides a simple, open-loop Autotuner built right into the PIDE instruction.

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CONFIGURING

...............T . .H.E. . A . .U. T. O . .T.U. N . .E.R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Create the Autotune Program Tag for the loop by right-clicking on Program Tags and selecting New Tag. 2. Name the tag and select PIDE_AUTOTUNE as the Data Type. Click OK.

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

15

USING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Configuring the Autotuner

3. Assign the Autotune tag to the loop (see example below.

Browse button

4. View Block Properties for the PIDE tag by clicking the browse button (its the little blue button with three dots on it; see the example shown in step 3). The PIDE Properties dialog box opens.

5. Click the Acquire Tag button if the Autotune tag is not yet acquired. If another PIDE loop has acquired the Autotune tag, you can click Release Tag to force the other loop to release the Autotune tag and allow this loop to acquire it.
NOTE: If the other loop is in the middle of an autotune, the autotune will be aborted.

16 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

USING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Configuring the Autotuner

6. Select the type of process.

7. Configure the Autotune parameters: PV Change Limit and CV Step Size. If the PV reaches the PV Change Limit while an autotune is in progress, the autotune will abort. For autotuning to complete successfully, set the PV Change Limit far enough above or below the current PV so that the CV Step Size will not cause the PV to go beyond the PV Change Limit (depending on how the process will respond to the CV Step). CV Step Size is the amount that you want the output to step when autotuning is started. When the autotuning completes, the output is returned to its previous value. CV Step Size can be positive (step up) or negative (step down). 8. Click the Autotune button. 9. Place the loop in Manual mode and wait for the PV to settle to a steady state value. 10. Click Start and the Autotuner will start collecting data and will step the CV by the amount specified in the CV Step Size box.

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

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17

USING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER

Configuring the Autotuner

11. Once the Autotuner has collected enough data, it will reset the CV to the original value and display the calculated values. 12. Select type of process response that is required by your control Loop:

Slow - Slow response, no overshoot Medium - Faster response with typically minimal overshoot Fast - Fastest response with potential for more overshoot
SP

Fast Medium Slow

Process Response Types

13. Click Set Gains in PIDE and set your loop to Automatic mode and you are done. You have tuned your loop in record time!

18 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

PIDE ECHNICAL NFORMATION .....T .. . . . . . . . .I. ...................

PIDE USER TAG ACQUISITION FLOW
The following diagram shows the steps in the Autotune flow:

.........................................................
Begin

.....

Is tag acquired by this PIDE?

Yes

Update the Process Type, PV, and CV parameters

No

Is tag acquired by another PIDE?

No

Is Autotune ready?

No

Yes Yes

Request release of tag

PIDE in Manual mode?

Yes

No

No

Is tag released?

Enter Manual mode in PIDE

Yes

Start Autotune

Request to acquire tag

Exit

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19

P I D E TE C H N I C A L I N F O R M A T I O N

PIDE User Tag Acquisition Flow

20 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

PIDE .....A . .UTOTUNER . . . . . . . . .T.IPS . . .AND . . . .T .RICKS ..........

This chapter provides tips and tricks for using the PIDE Autotuner. Additional tips and tricks will be added from time to time, so be sure to check the Rockwell Extranet at http://www.software.rockwell.com/extranet/ for updated documentation every now and then.

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USING THE PIDE AUTOTUNER TEMPERATURE LOOPS

WITH

SLOW

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You may find the following items useful if you are using the Autotuner and have slow temperature loops.

Make sure that the update time for your temperature loop is appropriate for your process. Most temperature loops only need to execute once every second or two since the process response is so slow. A too-fast execution rate can cause the Autotuner to mistake a noise spike right after the Autotuner starts for an actual PV response. If you have slow temperature loops, it is recommended that the PIDE instructions be executed in a slow periodic task. Temperature loops often require large derivative gains to obtain the best control. Because the derivative term of a loop works on change in PV or change in error, loops with large derivative gains are very sensitive to noise on the PV signal. If the PV for your loop is noisy, you should use filtering on the analog input module or use a filter function block to filter the PV signal before it is wired into the PIDE instruction. This will stop the noise signal from causing the CV output to bounce in response to the noisy PV. If the temperature loop takes a long time to rise to a new steady state value after a CV step change, the PIDE Autotuner will try to tune the loop as an integrating loop in order to provide a faster result, even though you chose Temperature as the process type. This will sometimes give less than optimal results. If this is the case, try setting the process type to NonIntegrating and run the Autotuner again. This will force the Autotuner to wait for the PV to begin to settle into a new steady state value and will sometimes give better results for this type of loop. If you are controlling a temperature loop with a pulsed output, and are typically using the Split-Range Time-Proportioning (SRTP) block, make sure that the SRTP block or similar output pulsing logic executes in a much faster task. For these types of loops, you should generally execute the PIDE instructions in a slow (one or two second) periodic task, but the SRTP instructions should execute every 10-50 milliseconds in a faster periodic task. This will allow the pulsed output to have the resolution necessary to effectively control the heating or cooling elements. You can use a controller-scoped tag to pass the CV output from the PIDE instruction to the input of the SRTP instruction.

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

21

P I D E A U T O T U N E R T I P S A N D TR I C K S

Using the PIDE Autotuner with Slow Temperature Loops

22 Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

INDEX ...........................................................
A
Acquire Tag 5 activation disk 1 Associate Tag 5

R
Release Tag 5 requirements 1 RSLogix 5000 whats new in 2

D
data types PIDE_AUTOTUNE 2

S
slow temperature loops 21 status bits 4

E
Enhanced PID Property (modal) dialog box 2

T
technical information 19 terms and acronyms 5 tips and tricks 21 FBD 5

F U

I
Import/Export format update 3 installation 1

using the PIDE Autotuner 15

P
PIDE Autotuner 1 activation disk 1 installing 1 tips and tricks 21 using 15 using with slow temperature loops 21 PIDE block 2 sample block glyph 19 PIDE Property dialog box 2 PIDE user tag acquisition flow diagram 19 PIDE_AUTOTUNE 2

Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner

vii

viii Getting Results with the PIDE Autotuner