Hardware/software solution for the automation and real-time control of a wine bottling production line

Factory automation requires smart solutions, especially when a set of equipment, from different vendors, has to be interfaced to enable fast and flexible production. In this paper, a hardware /software (hw/sw) modeling approach and its implementation, in the electronic system, Fill, for the automation and real-time control of a wine bottling production line, is presented. Fill is a sub-system of an intelligent production line. Object Oriented concept is used for system modeling and development. The key novelty of the implementation approach is the use of the bottle, as an active object, for synchronizing the production line. A prototype of Fill has been implemented in an industrial environment, in the northern part of Portugal, boosting productivity. If the market makes it cost-effective, the hw/sw solution can be easily integrated and installed in other production lines and companies.