A device for simulating a controlled machine or installation includes a process simulation apparatus designed to perform simulation steps that simulate a physical process of the machine or installation, and a controller simulation apparatus designed to perform simulation steps that simulate a controller of the machine or installation. The process simulation apparatus and the controller simulation apparatus exchange particular output values so as to simulate the controlled machine or installation in the respective simulation steps. The controller simulation apparatus transmits an item of information to the process simulation apparatus, which item of information describes a result time for an end of a simulation step performed by the controller simulation apparatus, while the process simulation apparatus is designed to adjust a duration of at least one of the simulation steps depending on the result time.

A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.

A configuration management interface system is provided for standardizing communication between an external application and one or more hardware or emulated industrial controllers. The interface system reads one or more industrial control programs and presents available data tags defined by the control programs to a user via an interface screen. The user can select a subset of the available data tags that are to be exposed to the external application for data communication. Based on the selected data tags, controller configuration information read from the control programs, and additional configuration information provided by the user, the interface system generates a control unit file that acts as a communication bridge between the external application and the selected data tags residing on the industrial controllers. The control unit file can be used to interface the application (e.g., an industrial simulation or another type of application) with either hardware controllers or emulated controllers.

A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.

Provided is a system and a simulator for the disengageable simulation of installations or machines within programmable logic controllers, in which control program and simulation program are strictly separate within the same processing environment, wherein the direction of access for the input/output memory area during normal operation and the consistent reversal thereof in the simulation part are ensured, and which involves the simulation program being executed between the program cycles, with a virtual clock being stopped during the simulation. As a result, the test on an unaltered user program in the PLC avoids errors in the startup or test phase through code changes, and a timing response as in the genuine installation, particularly in the event of tests on timers and under race conditions, achieves a higher level of program quality through better test results.

A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.

A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.

A process-engineering plant module is provided including plant components configured to carry out a process-engineering process, wherein a first chemical substance is changed, a sensor, configured to detect a sensor value of a physical quantity of the first chemical substance in a plant component, a simulation unit configured to simulate a chemical reaction, a temperature change and/or a mass transfer for a second chemical substance in a computer-aided manner as a function of the sensor value, wherein the first chemical substance and the second chemical substance are the same or different, and to output a simulated temperature value and a simulated mole fraction of the second chemical substance, and a control unit, which is configured to control actuators of the plant components. A hybrid commissioning of a process-engineering plant, in which a computer-aided simulation of the process-engineering process is carried out in parallel with a cold-commissioning is also provided.

A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.

A simulation program causes a computer to function as a configuration information acquirer that acquires configuration information generated based on a user operation and indicating a configuration of a virtual PLC system to simulate an operation of a PLC system, a builder that builds the virtual PLC system based on the configuration information, an assigner that assigns, to a virtual PLC included in the virtual PLC system indicated by the configuration information, an IP address and a port number of an unoccupied port of the computer, a designation request receiver that receives, from an engineering tool, a designation request designating a virtual PLC included in the virtual PLC system indicated by the configuration information, and a connection information responder that responds to the engineering tool with connection information including the IP address and the port number assigned to the virtual PLC designated in the designation request.