System architecture with a central Control Unit

Electronically coordinated individual drives work together to perform your drive tasks. Higher-level controllers operate the drives to achieve the required coordinated movement. This requires cyclic data exchange between the controller and the drives. This exchange usually took place via a field bus, which required a great deal of time and effort for installation and configuration. SINAMICS S120 takes a different approach: A central Control Unit controls the drives for all connected axes and also establishes the technological links between the drives and/or axes. Since all the required data is stored in the central Control Unit, it does not need to be transferred. Inter-axis connections can be established within a Control Unit and easily configured in the STARTER commissioning tool using a mouse.

• Simple technological tasks can be carried out automatically by the SINAMICS S120 Control Unit
• The CU310‑2 DP or CU310‑2 PN Control Unit is available for single drives.
• The CU320‑2 DP or CU320‑2 PN Control Unit is suitable for multi-axis applications
• Sophisticated Motion Control tasks can be implemented with the support of the more powerful D410‑2, D425‑2, D435‑2, D445‑2 and D455‑2 Control Units of SIMOTION D (graded according to performance)

You can obtain further information about SIMOTION in the Industry Mall and Catalog PM 21.

Each of these Control Units is based on an object-oriented SINAMICS S120 standard firmware that contains all of the most popular control modes and can be scaled to meet even the highest performance requirements.

The drive controls are supplied as ready-to-configure drive objects:

• Infeed Control for line infeed
• Vector Control
  • Variable-speed drives with high speed and torque stability in general machine and plant construction
  • Particularly suitable for induction motors
  • Optimized pulse patterns for efficient motor/converter systems
• Servo Control
  • Drives with highly dynamic motion control
  • Angular synchronism with isochronous PROFIBUS/PROFINET
  • For use in machine tools and clocked production machines

The most commonly used v/f control modes are stored in the "Vector control" drive object and are ideal for implementing even simple applications such as group drives with SIEMOSYN motors.

CompactFlash card

The functions of the SINAMICS S120 drives are stored on a CompactFlash card. This card contains the firmware and parameter settings for all drives in the form of a project. The CompactFlash card can also hold additional projects, which means that the correct project can be accessed immediately when series machines of different types are commissioned. When the Control Unit has booted, the data on the CompactFlash card is read and loaded to the RAM.

The firmware is organized in objects. Drive objects are used to implement open-loop and closed-loop control functions for Line Modules, Motor Modules, Power Modules and other system components connected by DRIVE‑CLiQ.

Drive objects

A drive object is a self-contained software function with its own parameters and, if necessary, its own fault messages and alarms.

Extended technology with SIMOTION

SIMOTION D Control Units support the coordinated motion control of multiple drives. Technology objects are implemented in addition to drive objects on these Control Units. These are grouped to form technology packages and make available extended motion control functions (e.g. synchronous operation, cam disk, path interpolation and others) or technological functions (e.g. a cam controller, a temperature or pressure control). The IEC 61131‑3-compliant PLC integrated in SIMOTION D Control Units means that they are not just capable of controlling sequences of motions, but the entire machine including HMI and I/Os.

You can obtain further information about SIMOTION in the Industry Mall and Catalog PM 21.

Comprehensive package of open-loop and closed-loop control functions

A wide variety of standard functions such as setpoint input, data set changeover, controller optimization and kinetic buffering ensure a high degree of functional reliability and excellent flexibility of application.

Overview of key open-loop and closed-loop control functions

BICO technology

Every drive object contains a large number of input and output variables which can be freely and independently interconnected using Binector Connector Technology (BICO). A binector is a logic signal which can assume the value 0 or 1. A connector is a numerical value, e.g. the actual speed or current setpoint.

Basic positioner (EPos)

The EPos basic positioner provides powerful and precise positioning functions. Due to its flexibility and adaptability, the EPos basic positioner can be used for a wide range of positioning tasks. The functions are easy to use during both commissioning and operation, and the comprehensive monitoring functions are very powerful. Many applications can be implemented without external position control systems.

Additional information about the basic positioner (EPos) is provided in section Technology functions.

Technology controller (PID)

The technology controller is designed as a PID controller. It is suitable for implementing controls for regulating variables such as fill level, temperature, tension, pressure, flow rate and dancer position.

Additional information about the technology controller (PID) is provided in section Firmware functionality.

SINAMICS Drive Control Chart (SINAMICS DCC)

SINAMICS DCC expands the scope of device functions by means of freely available closed-loop control, arithmetic and logic blocks and offers a means by which proprietary technological functions can be graphically configured in the SINAMICS drive system. In addition, local data processing in the drive supports the implementation of modular machine concepts and results in an increase in the overall machine performance.

Additional information about the Drive Control Chart (DCC) is provided in section Engineering tools.

SINAMICS Technology Extensions (SINAMICS TEC)

The SINAMICS TEC are configurable functions or Siemens technologies that can be added to extend firmware functions. These extensions are designed to allow implementation of highly complex, application-specific tasks for various sectors - such as storage and retrieval machines.

Additional information about Technology Extensions (TEC) is provided in section Technology functions.

Integral safety functions (Safety Integrated)

The Control Units support comprehensive safety functions.

The integrated safety functions are the Safety Integrated Basic Functions

• STO = Safe Torque Off
• SBC = Safe Brake Control
• SS1 = Safe Stop 1

And the Safety Integrated Extended Functions that require a license

• SS1 with SBR/SAM = Safe Stop 1 with Safe Brake Ramp/Safe Acceleration Monitor
• SS2 = Safe Stop 2
• SOS = Safe Operating Stop
• SBT = Safe Brake Test
• SLS = Safely Limited Speed
• SSM = Safe Speed Monitor
• SDI = Safe Direction
• SLP = Safely-Limited Position
• SP = Safe Position

(abbreviations in accordance with IEC 61800‑5‑2)

If the integrated safety functions are used, licenses, supplementary system components such as TM54F terminal modules, or suitable safety controls will be necessary.

Additional information about the integrated safety functions is provided in section Safety Integrated.

Diagnostics optimally supported by trace function

The time characteristics of input and output variables associated with drive objects can be measured by the integrated trace function and displayed using the STARTER commissioning tool. The trace can record up to 4 signals simultaneously. A recording can be triggered dependent on freely selectable boundary conditions, e.g. the value of an input or output variable.