An input/output station is provided. The input/output station is for a fieldbus system with a fieldbus coupler, which has a system bus interface and a fieldbus interface. The input/output station comprising a plurality of slots for pluggable input/output devices. One or more placeholder devices are also pluggable into the plurality of slots besides the input/output devices. An empty slot is also admissible for the plurality of slots. The fieldbus coupler comprises firmware which is configured for a full configuration of the input/output station. The firmware is configured to communicate with a control station in such a way that the fieldbus coupler receives the full configuration of the input/output station as a planned target configuration from the control station. The firmware is configured to confirm a full configuration of the input/output station in an operating mode irrespective of the actual occupancy of the input/output station.

Various systems and methods are provided for implementing a software defined industrial system. In an example, self-descriptive control applications and software modules are provided in the context of orchestratable distributed systems. The self-descriptive control applications may be executed by an orchestrator or like control device, configured to: identify available software modules adapted to perform functional operations in a control system environment; identify operational characteristics that identify characteristics of execution of the available software modules that are available to implement a control system application; select a software module for execution based on the operational configuration and the operational characteristics identified in the manifest; and cause the execution of the selected software module in the control system environment based on an application specification for the control system application.

An industrial controller that integrates execution of a control program on the industrial controller with execution of additional functions on an external processing device is disclosed. Integrating the external processing device provides an improved system for third party development of control functions which may be unique to specific applications. The system manages communication between the industrial controller and the external processing device, manages access to data stored in the industrial controller, and makes the details of the integration transparent to the programmer.

A controller device may connect to one or more expansion modules for capability expansion. The controller device may be configured to automatically detect and identify connected expansions modules. The controller device may be configured to further automatically detect an order in which the expansion modules are connected. A graphical user interface may be provided including a visualization of the system configuration including the order of the expansion modules.

Various embodiments of the present technology comprise systems and methods for testing automated industrial process routines. In some examples, a software object that corresponds to a physical device in an automated industrial environment is integrated into a test routine comprising other software objects that correspond to other physical devices in the automated industrial environment. A test script of the software object is executed to test the compatibility between the software object and the other software objects in the test routine and the performance of the software object in the test routine. Test results are generated that comprise virtual measurements for the software object.

An expansion base unit (10) includes an input connector (101, 102) communicatively connectable with a cable (C11, C12) to a connector in a previous base unit to allow receipt of a signal from the previous base unit, and a plurality of output connectors (111, 112) that each are communicatively connectable with a cable (C21, C22) to a connector of a plurality of connectors in a subsequent expansion base unit to allow transmission of the signal received by the input connector (101, 102) to the subsequent expansion base unit.

An input/output module (100) includes a standard input/output module unit (4) and a safety circuit unit (5). The standard input/output module unit (4) includes an external interface to connect with a control target device, a standard input/output module controller to receive an input signal from the control target device and transmit the input signal to a control module, or transmit a control signal received from the control module to the control target device, and a first connector including a plurality of connection points. The safety circuit unit (5) includes a diagnoser to diagnose operation states of the control target device and the standard input/output module unit, a second connector including a plurality of connection points and removably insertable into the first connector, and a safety circuit controller to control operations of the standard input/output module unit and the diagnoser with the second connector inserted in the first connector.

A flexible map with application data identifiers for PLC communications is described. An example method comprises receiving a first user input indicative of a selection of a parameter from a plurality of parameters associated with an adhesive dispensing system (614). The parameter is subject to data exchange between a controller (616) of the adhesive dispensing system (614) and an associated programmable logic controller (610). A second user input is received that is indicative of a memory space location in a memory space of the controller (616). A custom data map is generated that is indicative of an association between the selected parameter and the memory space location.

A circuit system includes a processing circuit, an accelerator circuit, and a buffer circuit that stores packets of data and that is coupled to the processing circuit and to the accelerator circuit. The buffer circuit functions as a crossbar circuit by allowing each of the accelerator circuit and the processing circuit to access at least one of the packets of data stored in the buffer circuit during access to another one of the packets of data stored in the buffer circuit.

An automated monitoring status indicating node includes a body, a status indicator assembly, a memory and processor operable to activate the status indicator based on the status of a device being monitored. Related methods are disclosed.