The present invention can stabilize driving of a motor even if multiple control instructions of driving the motor are acquired through non-real-time communication. A servo driver (10) does not perform processing corresponding to other control commands when acquiring the other control commands from other interfaces through non-real-time communication in a process of performing processing corresponding to a control command acquired via one interface and through non-real-time communication.

A time synchronization system includes a master and slave devices connected to each other via a data bus and a signal line dedicated to transmission of a fixed-period signal. The master device transmits the fixed-period signal through the signal line regularly at a transmission period, and transmits start time information indicating a transmission start time at which transmission of the fixed-period signal is started and transmission period information indicating the transmission period for the fixed-period signal through the data bus. The slave device counts a number of times the fixed-period signal is received and calculates, as a current time in the master device, a transmission time at which the master device transmits the fixed-period signal based on the number of times the fixed-period signal is received. The slave device corrects the time to the calculated current time in the master device.

A preventive switchover from a primary controller to a secondary controller even before the primary controller fails system and method includes a server that collects log files comprising operational parameters of the primary controller from the primary controller in real-time. The server determines abnormal patterns or signatures in the operational parameters of the primary controller by comparing the operational parameters with reference patterns or signatures. The reference patterns or signatures are generated by training one or more Artificial Intelligence (AI) based models. After determining the abnormal patterns or signatures, the server predicts events that will lead to switchover from the primary controller to the secondary controller. Thereafter, the server provides a signal to the primary controller to perform preventive switchover to the secondary controller before the primary controller fails.

A virtual model of an intraoral cavity is provided, wherein this process is initialized by a dental clinic, and the design and manufacture of a suitable dental prosthesis for the intraoral cavity is shared between a dental lab and a service center.

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining or monitoring a process variable having a higher-level unit and a plurality of field devices. The field devices generate data and are connected to one another for communication, and the higher-level unit and the field devices are nodes corresponding to a distributed ledger or blockchain technology comprising transaction creation units. Each field device is assigned a transaction creation unit for creating transactions. A created transaction contains data from the field devices assigned to the transaction creation units. A block creation unit processes a created transaction to form a data block. Validation units check the data block and/or transactions for validity. The data block is valid if at least one predefined number of validation units validates the data block, wherein each node is assigned one of the validation units. The valid data block is stored in a distributed database.

A method for modifying control software of an automation system having a controller and a plurality of subscribers, where the subscribers are connected to the controller via a data bus and communicate via a data exchange, at least one subscriber is a software subscriber for modifying control software of the controller, and the software subscriber comprises a memory unit on which at least one modification instruction for modifying the control software is stored. The controller sends an individual query message to the software subscriber for querying the modification instruction, the software subscriber sends a response to the controller providing the modification instruction, and the controller verifies whether the modification instruction is compatible with the control software, modifying the control software according if the modification instruction is compatible with the control software, and discarding the modification instruction if not compatible with the control software.

A distributed building management system includes a virtual controller and an edge controller for controlling a building control device using a distributed control logic that is distributed between the virtual controller and the edge controller. A programming tool displays a graphical representation of the distributed control logic and identifies which portions of the distributed control logic are considered critical and which portions of the distributed control logic are considered not critical to a fail-safe operation of the building control device should the edge controller stop receiving control commands from the virtual controller. The portions of the distributed control logic that are identified as being critical are assigned to the edge controller for execution and the portions of the distributed control logic that are not identified as being critical are assigned to the virtual controller for execution.

A control system for controlling operation of a plurality of building control devices includes a pool of virtual controllers that are hosted on one or more computing device and are configured to provide control commands for controlling one or more associate building control devices of the plurality of building control devices. Each of a plurality of edge controllers are associated with at least one building control device and are configured to receive and execute control commands from one or more of the virtual controllers to control the associated one or more building control devices. An orchestrator is configured to monitor one or more operational characteristics of each of the virtual controllers and to modify one or more aspects of the pool of virtual controllers when one or more of the operational characteristics of one or more of the virtual controllers meets predetermined characteristics.

A control apparatus that accesses at least one I/O port of one or more I/O ports coupled to one or more control object apparatuses to control operation of a control object apparatus coupled to the I/O port includes a processor unit that executes a plurality of programs, and a storage unit that stores information on the one or more I/O ports and serves as a base of one or more shared areas each of the plurality of programs can access. The plurality of programs include one or more information programs in addition to one or more control programs. Each of the one or more control programs is a program that performs a scan process to output control information on the control object apparatus coupled to the I/O port. Each of the one or more information programs is a program that performs information processing different from scan operation.

A dynamic environment (e.g., an automated industrial process) has multiple conditions in response to which corresponding actions are required, and comprises various equipment, control device(s) to control the equipment, and one or more sensors to generate input signal(s) representing a monitored condition of the environment. A control system for the environment comprises a master processor and one or more co-processors, wherein the master processor configures a given co-processor to evaluate only a first subset of conditions expected to occur in the environment within a specified time period (e.g., less than a response time of the master processor), and to provide first control information representing an action to be taken if a particular condition of the first subset is satisfied. The co-processor receives the input signal(s) representing the monitored condition, processes the input signal(s) so as to determine if the particular condition of the first subset is satisfied, and provides the first control information to the control devices so as to control the equipment. Exemplary applications include dynamic environments in which machine vision techniques and/or equipment are employed.