Chapter 12

Programmable Logic Controllers

Every control system may be divided into three general sections: input devices (sensors), controllers,
and output devices (actuators). The input devices sense what is happening in the process, the
controller decides what to do about it, and the output devices manipulate the process to achieve the
desired result.
A programmable logic controller or PLC is a general-purpose controller, applicable to many
different types of process control applications. The word programmable in its name reveals just
why PLCs are so useful: the end-user is able to program, or instruct, the PLC to do virtually any
control function imaginable. Unlike PID loop controllers, which are special-purpose devices intended
to perform a single type of control function, a PLC may be instructed to do almost anything with
the signals it receives from input devices.
PLCs were introduced to industry as electronic replacements for electromechanical relay controls.
In applications where relays typically control the starting and stopping of electric motors and other
discrete output devices, the reliability of an electronic PLC meant fewer system failures and longer
operating life. The re-programmability of a PLC also meant changes could be implemented to the
control system strategy must easier than with relay circuits, where re-wiring was the only way to
alter the systems function. Additionally, the computer-based nature of a PLC meant that process
control data could now be communicated by the PLC over networks, allowing process conditions to
be monitored in distant locations, and by multiple operator stations.
The legacy of PLCs as relay-replacements is probably most evident in their traditional
programming language: a graphical convention known as a Ladder Diagram. Ladder Diagram
PLC programs resemble ladder-style electrical schematics, where vertical power rails convey
control power to a set of parallel rung circuits containing switch contacts and relay coils. A
human being programming a PLC literally draws the diagram on the screen, using relay-contact
symbols to represent instructions to read data bits in the PLCs memory, and relay-coil symbols
to represent instructions writing data bits to the PLCs memory. This style of programming was
developed to make it easier for industrial electricians to adapt to the new technology of PLCs. While
Ladder Diagram programming definitely has limitations compared to other computer programming
languages, it is relatively easy to learn and diagnose, which is why it remains popular as a PLC
programming language today.
Typical devices connecting to a PLCs inputs include hand switches, process switches, sensors,
analog transmitters (4-20 mA), thermocouples, thermistors, and strain gauges. Typical devices
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