A control apparatus for controlling a control target is provided. The control apparatus includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a measurement value related to the control target; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the control target is in a predetermined state based on a plurality of measurement values acquired at predetermined points in time, or based on temporal changes in a plurality of measurement values detected during a predetermined period of time; and a delay time adding unit configured to add a predetermined delay time to at least one measurement value out of the plurality of measurement values that are used by the determination unit to perform determination.

A controller includes a control operation unit that cyclically performs a control operation for controlling a control target, a data generator that generates data showing a chronological change in a value associated with a control target, and an analyzer that analyzes the data and outputs an analysis result in a predetermined analysis target period. The analysis target period includes a plurality of sections. The data generator sequentially outputs section data showing a chronological change in a value for each of the plurality of sections in the analysis target period. The analyzer analyzes the sequentially output section data for each section. When an analysis of section data for a section in the analysis target period shows a predefined result, the analyzer eliminates an analysis of section data for one or more sections in the analysis target period that are subsequent to the section for which the analysis shows the predefined result.

A method for upgrading a portion of a process control system from a legacy programmable logic controller (PLC) to a non-PLC process controller is disclosed. A mounting rack sized to fit into a space occupied by legacy hardware is assembled and populated with replacement hardware that includes an I/O card, an I/O terminal block, and a custom interface module. The custom interface module is coupled to the I/O card via the I/O terminal block and to a plurality of process control field devices via a legacy wiring mechanism coupled to legacy wiring of the process control system, without requiring modification or re-termination of the legacy wiring. The legacy wiring mechanism is disconnected from the legacy hardware, the rack containing the legacy hardware is removed and replaced with the mounting rack, and the legacy wiring mechanism is coupled to the custom interface module.

The purpose of the invention is the simplification of a task of changing a control program upon a control device which is in use. A support device comprises: a computing part computing, for each unit program which configures a control program, identification information according to the content of each of the unit programs; a first transferring part transferring the unit programs and the identification information which is associated with the unit programs to a control device; a generating part generating changed unit programs according to a change operation upon any of the unit programs which configure the control program; and a second transferring part transferring the changed unit programs to a control device which is in use on condition that identification information is present on the control device which is identical to the identification information which is associated with the unit programs which configure the control program.

A system and a microservice for monitoring a plant of automation technology, wherein the plant has a plurality of field devices the field devices can communicate via at least a first communication network with one another and with a control unit, comprising: an execution electronics, which can communicate with at least one of the field devices; and a configuration electronics, which is arranged removed from the execution electronics and which can communicate with the execution electronics via a second communication network, wherein the configuration electronics and/or the execution electronics has at least one microservice, which is appropriate for the type of the field device and which is embodied to provide at least one functionality for execution in the execution electronics and/or in the configuration electronics.

A process calibrator is formed with a user interface, which guides to choose the right connection arrangements of the process calibrator according to the function of the process calibrator. The user interface shows in the display of the process calibrator the connection arrangements of the process calibrator and indicates the place of the connection arrangement assigned to the selected function visually compared to other connection arrangements. The connection arrangements shown by the user interface in the display are placed similarly to the physical connection arrangements of the process calibrator. As the user interface indicates the connection arrangement that is assigned to the selected function of the process calibrator, it is easy for the user to make the right connection.

A computer-implemented method for configuring a fieldbus that connects at least two participants of an associated fieldbus system, an associated fieldbus system, a computer program, a computer-readable storage medium, a training data set and a method for training a configuration AI model. The method comprises the following steps: an information collection step comprising collecting one or more fieldbus system information that characterize the associated fieldbus system, a configuration parameter value determination step comprising determining one or more parameter values of one or more configuration parameters for configuring the fieldbus of the fieldbus system. The determination of the one or more parameter values is dependent on at least part of the collected fieldbus system information. A configuration step includes configuring the fieldbus with the one or more parameter values of the one or more configuration parameters determined in the configuration parameter value determination step.

A bus coupler for coupling field devices to a superordinate bus system includes an impedance converter arranged in a series circuit with a terminating resistor between a signal input and a field device output to enable a comprehensive diagnosis option separately for each transmission line and the connected field device, wherein the terminating resistor assumes the function of a line terminating resistor and a current limitation, and where a controllable reference voltage source enables the maximum output current to be defined and the output shut off.

Setup, monitoring and control of various field devices are provided using a general purpose, off-the-shelf mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet computer adapted by an application program to communicate using the Bluetooth communications protocol with communications and control modules attached to the field devices.

A method for managing functionality licenses in a closed network is disclosed, wherein at least one subscriber device is connected to the closed network. The method includes operating a server having a license database, wherein the license database includes a plurality of functionality licenses and each functionality license includes a functionality identifier. When the server receives a license request from the at least one subscriber device, the license request including a further functionality identifier, the server compares the further functionality identifier to the functionality identifiers in the license database and assigns a functionality license of the database, which includes a functionality identifier that matches the further functionality identifier to the subscriber device from which the license request was received. Assigning entails storing of the at least one subscriber device from which the license request was received at the server as a licensed subscriber device in the license database.