An information displaying device has a display and a display controller. The display controller displays, on the display, statistic information associated with device identification information for identifying a field device. The statistic information is obtained by an information processing device which statistically processes communication quality information over a predetermined period. The communication quality information representing a communication quality between the field device installed in a plant and the information processing device.

A method is provided for exchanging a first programmable logic controller which performs a control function by running through a process cycle including multiple successive process steps. Provision is made for the first programmable logic controller and a further programmable logic controller as network subscribers of a network. Data are transferred between network subscribers of the network in accordance with a communication cycle defined in a communication scheme and including successive time intervals. The communication cycle is additionally synchronized with the process cycle such that transfer information is output to the further programmable logic controller by the first programmable logic controller during a time interval of a first kind of the communication cycle. After the transfer information has been read in by the further programmable logic controller, the control function is performed by the further programmable logic controller instead of the first programmable logic controller.

An input/output device inputting and outputting information to an external device includes a control section for communicating with an external controller. Electric equipment for communicating with the input/output device includes an input/output assignment storing section for storing which port of an input circuit an input from the external device is assigned to, and which port of an output circuit an output is assigned to. The electric equipment also includes an electric-equipment-side input/output control section for operating a function of the electric equipment based on information from the control section, or transmitting, to the control section, the information indicating which port of the output circuit an output of the electric equipment is output to. The electric equipment, using the external controller, stores the information related to the assignment in the input/output assignment storing section, or alters the information related to the assignment stored in the input/output assignment storing section.

Process control systems for operating process plants are disclosed herein. The process control systems include control modules that are decoupled from the I/O architecture of the process plants using signal objects or generic shadow blocks. This decoupling is effected by using the signal objects or generic shadow blocks to manage at least part of the communication between the control modules and the field devices. Signal objects may convert between protocols used by control modules and field devices, thus decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture. Generic shadow blocks may be automatically configured to mimic the operation of field devices within a controller executing the control modules, thus partially decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture by using the shadow blocks to manage communication between the control modules and the field devices.

Process control systems for operating process plants are disclosed herein. The process control systems include control modules that are decoupled from the I/O architecture of the process plants using signal objects or generic shadow blocks. This decoupling is effected by using the signal objects or generic shadow blocks to manage at least part of the communication between the control modules and the field devices. Signal objects may convert between protocols used by control modules and field devices, thus decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture. Generic shadow blocks may be automatically configured to mimic the operation of field devices within a controller executing the control modules, thus partially decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture by using the shadow blocks to manage communication between the control modules and the field devices.

An input/output device inputting and outputting information to an external device includes a control section for communicating with an external controller. Electric equipment for communicating with the input/output device includes an input/output assignment storing section for storing which port of an input circuit an input from the external device is assigned to, and which port of an output circuit an output is assigned to. The electric equipment also includes an electric-equipment-side input/output control section for operating a function of the electric equipment based on information from the control section, or transmitting, to the control section, the information indicating which port of the output circuit an output of the electric equipment is output to. The electric equipment, using the external controller, stores the information related to the assignment in the input/output assignment storing section, or alters the information related to the assignment stored in the input/output assignment storing section.

A control device efficiently performs priority-dependent data transmission through a communication line and a control method aimed at the priority-dependent data transmission. The control device includes a transmitter that transmits data as a frame to another unit through the communication line and a generator that generates the data to be transmitted to another unit. When the higher-priority data to be transmitted is generated in a receiver or a controller while the transmitter transmits a first frame, the transmitter transmits a second frame including the higher-priority data to be transmitted after transmitting a first frame up to a predetermined block.

Process control systems for operating process plants are disclosed herein. The process control systems include control modules that are decoupled from the I/O architecture of the process plants using signal objects or generic shadow blocks. This decoupling is effected by using the signal objects or generic shadow blocks to manage at least part of the communication between the control modules and the field devices. Signal objects may convert between protocols used by control modules and field devices, thus decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture. Generic shadow blocks may be automatically configured to mimic the operation of field devices within a controller executing the control modules, thus partially decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture by using the shadow blocks to manage communication between the control modules and the field devices.

A system includes processing circuitry and a memory, accessible by the processing circuitry, storing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to deploy a first device twin in a first computing environment, wherein the first device twin includes a first interface by which a first application interacts with an industrial automation device of an industrial automation system configured to perform an industrial automation process wherein the industrial automation device is communicatively coupled to an operational technology (OT) network, deploy a second device twin in a second computing environment, wherein the second device twin includes a second interface by which a second application interacts with the industrial automation device, receive updated data corresponding to the industrial automation device, and update the first and second device twins based on the received updated data.

A system includes processing circuitry and a memory, accessible by the processing circuitry, storing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to receive data from a device twin representative of an industrial automation device of an industrial automation system configured to perform an industrial automation process, wherein the industrial automation device is communicatively coupled to an operational technology (OT) network, wherein the device twin includes an interface by which one or more applications may interact with the industrial automation device, determine that the industrial automation device is accessible via a plurality of edge devices, apply one or more policies to select a particular edge device of the plurality of edge devices, and transmit the data to the particular edge device for transmission to the industrial automation device.