A machine control system includes a display device to display operation information to operate a machine, an external storage device which stores personal information to identify an operator and a screen of the operation information displayed by the operator on the display device in association with each other, and an authentication unit to authenticate the operator based on the personal information stored in the external storage device. A controller reads out, from the external storage device, the operation information screen displayed on the display device by the operator authenticated by the authentication unit, and displays the same on the display device.

Systems and methods are described for .[.synchronizing an HVAC control system. A method, includes: a synchronization sequence including: reading a base time from an internal clock at a first time and saving the base time; measuring an elapsed time interval, from the first time to a second time, by counting an external clock using a frequency counter; and then resetting the internal clock to the base time plus the elapsed time.]. .Iadd.regulating user access to an interactive user interface of a programmable thermostat, each user identified by a personal identification number associated with a user type, wherein each personal identification number is recognized by the programmable thermostat as belonging to an access level and users identified as building owners or maintenance personnel are granted further system access.Iaddend..

A centralized control system including a centralized control device including a storage unit configured to store biometric information of an operator, and operation authority information indicating a range of authority of an operation by the operator for an operation target device in association with each other, a biometric information acquisition unit configured to acquire the biometric information from the operator, a selection information acquisition unit configured to acquire selection information for selecting the operation target device, a biometric authentication unit configured to authenticate the operation of the operator on the basis of the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit and the biometric information stored in the storage unit whenever the selection information acquisition unit acquires the selection information, a specific operation reception unit configured to receive a specific operation for the operation target device on the basis of the authentication result by the biometric authentication unit, and the operation authority information stored in the storage unit, and an operation information output unit configured to output specific operation information indicating the specific operation received by the specific operation reception unit to an operation target device, and a network configured to connect the centralized control device and the operation target device with each other.

In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, may cause processor to receive a set of user data associated with a user that is attempting to access an electronic lock, receive a request to actuate a locking mechanism of the electronic lock configured to prevent the user from accessing a machine in an industrial automation system, actuate the locking mechanism in response to the request and the set of user data corresponding to an expected set of data, store a log of the request and the set of user data, and send the log to a cloud-based computing system.

In one embodiment, a remote monitoring system includes a monitoring apparatus displaying a screen for monitoring a power plant, a remote monitoring apparatus displaying the screen transferred from the monitoring apparatus, and a management server managing information regarding the remote monitoring apparatus. The management server includes an activation management module to acquire apparatus identification information for identifying the remote monitoring apparatus, and to return activation permission to the remote monitoring apparatus if the apparatus identification information matches apparatus identification information registered previously. The remote monitoring apparatus includes a secret information storing region to store the apparatus identification information, and to limit software accessible to the secret information storing region to BIOS software of the remote monitoring apparatus, and an activation module to acquire the activation permission from the activation management module by providing the apparatus identification information in the secret information storing region to the activation management module.

Physical presence verification by an industrial control system controller is described herein. One industrial control system controller includes a mechanism configured to verify that a user of the industrial control system controller is physically present at a location of the controller, a memory, and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to permit the user to perform industrial control operations using the controller only if the user is physically present at the location of the controller.

A method and a system are provided for switching at least one electrical consumer in a building comprising an elevator system. The switched electrical consumer is, for example, a camera. The camera is activated if when using the elevator system the user does not actuate a building door within an ascertained route time, i.e. the user does not arrive at his/her destination. It is possible using an image recorded by the camera to establish whether the user is possibly in a dangerous situation.

A machine control system includes a display device to display operation information to operate a machine, an external storage device which stores personal information to identify an operator and a screen of the operation information displayed by the operator on the display device in association with each other, and an authentication unit to authenticate the operator based on the personal information stored in the external storage device. A controller reads out, from the external storage device, the operation information screen displayed on the display device by the operator authenticated by the authentication unit, and displays the same on the display device.

Provided is a method and system for creating assembly instructions and using them on a computer system to direct assemblers working in a light-manufacturing environment. The assembly instructions break the assembly process into smaller elemental steps with specific instructions to be performed and verified in sequence during assembly. Each assembly instruction may identify a specific pocket in a matrix tray holding the material to be used in the assembly. Before the assembler begins assembling the manufactured product, in some embodiments, a training history is retrieved with the assembler's experience, If the assembler has fulfilled a prerequisite training sequence or equivalent from the training history, in some embodiments, assembly instructions are provided through the user interface coordinated with multimedia assembly data that guide the assembler to combine materials with the component and complete the assembly.

The invention relates to an operating unit (1) for a production plant (2). The operating unit (1) comprises an authorization receiving module (71) so as to receive authorization identifications (61, 62, 63, 64) which are sent out by operating modules (51, 52, 53, 54) of the operating unit (1), an authorization storage module (72) so as to store in an authorization data storage (8) authorization data including allocations of user identifications (31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42) to the received authorization identifications (61, 62, 63, 64), and an authorization checking module (73) so as to receive at least one authorization identification (61, 62, 63, 64) from the operating modules (51, 52, 53, 54) and to determine at least one user identification (31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42), and to unlock an operating module (51, 52, 53, 54) if in the authorization data storage (8) an allocation of the at least one user identification (31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42) to the at least one authorization identification (61, 62, 63, 64) is stored.