3.

6 Sequential Function Chart - SFC

Sequential Function Chart (SFC) is a very powerful language for describing the
structure of a control system. Since SFC is not a full programming language it requires
instructions taken from the other languages to construct a complete application
program. Many experienced programmers consider SFC combined with ST statements
to be the ultimate method for developing structured control applications.
The SFC standard has evolved from Grafcet, a graphical method of describing
sequential behavior. Most European vendors have offered support for Grafcet in their
most advanced programmable controllers since the beginning of the 1990s.

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 3.6 Sequential Function Chart - SFC
One of the most important aspects of SFC is that it gives an overview
of all the main states of a control application, all the possible changes
of states and also the reasons why these changes may occur.

The SFC language can be used to divide the entire control application
into parts that are executed only when needed, providing a method of
optimizing the performance of the programmable controller.

Sequences can also be hierarchical with a main sequence containing

several subsequences. The result is an application program with a
good overview providing detailed information about the controlled
process objects.

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 Construction of SFC

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 Construction of SFC
All SFC sequences must have an initial step identifying
where program execution starts after system initialization.
This step is drawn as a rectangular box with double border
lines. The initial step remains active until the following
transition enables flow to the next step.
Some editors allow the programmer to describe short
transition conditions directly on the SFC, close to the
corresponding bar. However with more complex conditions
it is better to put the code in a separate window. The
program is often written in ST language but many editors
also allow the use of LD, IL, or FBD languages.

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 Construction of SFC
When the sequence has finished, the flow can be terminated
by a step with no associated action. If necessary, the
sequence can also repeat the same behavior cyclically.
Cyclic execution is enabled by a conditional branch
backwards to the first step in the flow. To avoid cluttering
the SFC with crossing lines, branches are drawn with a
starting arrow where the branch begins and a concluding
arrow at the step where the branch ends up. In order to
clarify the flow the transition name is written at both places.

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 Action Descriptions

Steps in an SFC are used to describe the states of a controlled

plant or machine. When the programmable controller executes an
SFC program the state model only works as an internal memory
representation of the control function. In order to get real world
actions each state has one or more action descriptions containing
program code controlling the physical objects.
Action descriptions are normally placed in rectangular boxes that
are attached to the step with a connection line. To avoid
overloading the SFC with too much detailed information the
boxes can be folded in or out. Most editors use a separate
window or another code block for specifying the actions.
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 Action Descriptions
Each action can have one or more action qualifiers that determine
when and how the action is executed. Most editors support the
following three action qualifiers.
The N action qualifier (Non-stored) causes the action code to be executed
continuously as long as the step is active.
The P1 (Pulse rising edge) action qualifier causes the action code to be executed
once when the step becomes active.
The P0 (Pulse falling edge) action qualifier causes the action code to be
executed once when the step becomes inactive.

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 Sequence Selection
In many systems there is a need for two or more branches in the
sequence flow, often referred to as sequence selection. This is
required in many batch process applications.
When either of the transition conditions
Tr2 or Tr3 becomes true, the corresponding
branch is selected and execution continues
along that path. Note that only one branch
can be executed at a time.
If more than one transition condition is true
the leftmost branch has the highest
execution priority. When the last transition
in the selected branch becomes true the
flow converges back to the main flow
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 Simultaneous Sequences
The main sequence is used for primary process control,
while secondary parallel sequences are used to monitor
that the process is running normally. Such parallel
sequences can e.g. check that plant temperatures and
pressures are within required limits, otherwise the control
system may shut down the process.
I.E, all three divergent branches start with a common
transition condition. Execution then continues in parallel
and independently along all three paths until convergence
is reached. Both the divergent and the convergent flow in
simultaneous sequences are drawn with a pair of lines to
distinguish the construct from a sequence selection.
The transition condition that succeeds the simultaneous
sequence structure will not be tested until all the branches
have finished execution, i.e. when the last step of each
branch is active.
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 Subsequence

Some editors provide a method for dividing large SFC programs into
a number of subsequences, each represented by a general symbol. A
subsequence may in turn contain other subsequences which provides a
powerful tool for structuring the overall control function into any
number of hierarchical levels.
This allows attention to be focused on either the overall behavior of
the entire plant or on the detailed operation of the controlled process
objects.

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 Advantages and Disadvantages
Powerful Tool for Design and Structuring
SFC is a very suitable top-level design tool in the early phase of a
project, but can also be used to describe the more detailed behavior of
the plant objects being controlled.
Other Programming Languages are Needed
Even though SFC has many advantages as a design and structuring tool it is
not a complete programming language. Therefore, the transition conditions
and action descriptions have to be programmed with one or more of the other
four IEC programming languages.
Most experienced programmers prefer the ST language as a complement to
SFC. Therefore, the vast majority of programmable controllers use ST as the
default language for detailed descriptions in SFC schemes. Some controllers
also allow programming with FBD or IL.
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 Exercises

Exercise1:
Using SFC design a control program for this technology:

b0
b1

Start B-

a0 B+

A+ A-

a1

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