The master device of Profibus DP according to the present disclosure automatically configures network by performing a communication with a plurality of slave devices connected through Profibus, the device including a Profibus communication module configured to perform a communication with a plurality of slave devices, an imaginary network configuration information storage configured to be stored in advance with imaginary network configuration information, a network configuration information storage configured to be stored with network configuration information, and a Profibus master state machine configured to obtain network configuration information by performing a communication with the plurality of slave devices in response to the imaginary network configuration information stored in the imaginary network configuration information storage, to store the obtained network configuration information in the network configuration information storage, and to perform a communication with the plurality of slave devices in response to the stored network configuration information.

A controller is a controller forming, with another controller, a redundant controller. The controller includes a communication function unit that performs communication with an external device capable of executing control calculation needed for process control for a plant, and a redundancy management unit that switches states of the controller between an active state where a result of the control calculation obtained from the external device via the communication function unit is reflected in the process control and a standby state where the result of the control calculation is not reflected in the process control. The redundancy management unit switches the states of the controller to bring one of the controller and the another controller into the active state.

Implementations are described herein for provisioning a device such as a DCN with configuration data for operation on a process automation network using an “out-of-band” communication channel. In various implementations, a temporary out-of-band communication channel may be established between a first and second DCNs. The out-of-band communication channel may be distinct from a process automation network through which the first DCN is to be communicatively coupled with other process automation nodes of a process automation system. Provisioning data may be transmitted from the second DCN to the first DCN over the temporary out-of-band communication channel. The provisioning data may include: information technology (IT) configuration data and operational technology (OT) configuration data. Subsequent to the transmitting, the temporary out-of-band communication channel may be closed.

A system and method for creating, executing and managing processes of cross-enterprise businesses using nano server architecture, is disclosed herein. A process store tool (e.g., a graphical interface visual tool) at the end-user (such as, a business entity or an individual process developer) provides an open, flexible workflow engine for supporting the creation and enforcement of at least one business process with respect to the end user. A cluster having at least one nano server (also referred as ‘lean server’) configured within a data centre for storing, executing and managing processes with respect to the end user within the cloud environment. The nano servers of the cluster are the micro app servers with a small memory foot print consuming minimal resources. The nano servers are multi-threaded processes which houses the services that is consumed by the end user.

Control systems and methods for securely authenticating and validating a control system. The control system may include a plurality of dependent control nodes and master control nodes. Each dependent control node is communicatively coupled to one or more peripheral devices. Each control node maintains a unit level distributed ledger, where each unit level distributed ledger includes information from corresponding peripheral devices. Each control node may transmit a portion of the unit level distributed ledger to a master control node. Each master control node may maintain a system level distributed ledger that includes information from the corresponding unit level distributed ledgers. Each master node may transmit a portion of the system level distributed ledger to a central node that maintains a separate secure distributed ledger. The master node may authenticate the control system based on the received portion of the system level distributed ledgers and the secure distributed ledgers.

A multi-channel control system includes at least a primary control microprocessor and a back-up control microprocessor operable to control a device. The primary control microprocessor and the back-up control microprocessor assert control over a controlled device according to a locally stored method of controlling a back-up microprocessor assumption of control of a device.

An apparatus for controlling an automated installation has a first controller and a second controller that are connected to one another via a communication network. The first and second controllers each have a local clock and execute control tasks. The first and second controllers each further have a synchronization service that is used to synchronize the respective local clocks to a common reference clock. A timer repeatedly sends a trigger message to the first and second controllers. Each of the two controllers, on receiving the trigger message, determines a local time. The controllers interchange the respective local time and each compute a difference between their own local time and the local time obtained from the other controller. On the basis of the difference, each of the two controllers controls a local actuator.

A board-level assembly that is useful to expand functions of a valve positioner on a valve assembly. The board-level assembly can incorporate a main circuit board and a peripheral “smart” circuit board. The main circuit board may be configured to communicate with the smart circuit board, find a storage memory on the second circuit board, retrieve data from the storage memory, and use the data to configure functions on the first circuit board. In one implementation, the smart circuit board can release and engage the main circuit board. This configuration can allow different configurations of the smart circuit board to swap into the board-level assembly, each of the different configurations providing data the main circuit board can exploit to change the functions of the valve positioner.

The current disclosure provides a method for transmitting encoded information signals through a control system and to a decoder. The encoded information signals are transmitted along with control signals as an encoded message. The information signals are encoded based at least in part on a control-coding capacity of the control system.

A motor control device includes a first control unit and a second control unit. The first control unit includes an issuing unit that issues a command that schedules a next operation of a motor according to an instruction from a controller. The second control unit includes a receiving unit that receives the command, a detecting unit that detects a state of the motor, a determining unit that makes a determination as to whether to drive the motor to perform the operation according to the state detected by the detecting unit, and an executing unit that drives the motor to perform the operation scheduled by the command as determined by the determination.