System to design and/or update programs for the operator interface of machines and/or plants that comprises at least one first calculation device dedicated to the management of a machine and/or plant, which contains at least one application program to manage the human-machine interface (HMI) of the machine and/or plant, and a second calculation device to execute a software, or development environment, to create a project file, wherein on the first calculation device and on the second calculation device respective communication programs are installed, suitable to transfer the project to the first calculation device, where the application program for the management of the HMI interface displays the project by means of a suitable OPC UA standard information model, by means of which it is possible to make modifications to the project dynamically, without interrupting the execution of the human-machine interface program, and so that every modification to the project, and therefore to the human-machine interface program, is immediately displayed and used by the human-machine interface.

The present invention relates to a method for automatic translation of ladder logic to a SMT-based model checker in a network comprising defining (10) the topology of the network as an enriched network topology based on packets exchanged in the network, extracting (20) a program from the packets relating to a PLC in the network and identifying inputs, outputs, variables and a ladder diagram of the PLC, translating (30) the inputs, outputs, variables and ladder diagram into a predefined formal model, wherein the predefined formal model is a circuit-like SMT-based model checker, and wherein the translating (30) comprises translating the set of data types of the program according to a predefined model set of data types of the circuit-like SMT-based model checker, translating the inputs of the PLC as model inputs of the circuit-like SMT-based model checker of the same type, translating the outputs of the PLC as model output latches of the circuit-like SMT-based model checker of the same type, translating the variables of the PLC as model variable latches of the circuit-like SMT-based model checker of the same type, translating comparators and arithmetic operators of the ladder diagram into a plurality of predefined model functions of the circuit-like SMT-based model checker, translating contacts and coils of the ladder diagram according to predefined model recursive procedures relating to the predefined model set of data types, the model inputs, the model output latches, the model variable latches and the plurality of predefined model functions, wherein the contacts are switches that can block or allow the flow of the current in a connection and each of the contacts is controlled by a Boolean input or variable, and wherein the coils are assignments to Boolean variables.

A PLC system construction support program for creating a system configuration diagram depicting a configuration of a PLC system constructed causes a computing terminal to function as: an image acquisition section that acquires image data of an image of the PLC system; a system configuration recognition section that creates system configuration information including arrangement information and selected unit information; a system configuration diagram generation section that creates a system configuration diagram based on the system configuration information; and a system configuration diagram editor section that performs display processing for displaying the system configuration diagram on a display section.

A control system includes plural control devices connected to a network, each of the control devices including a program storage, an operation module, and an arbitration module. The program storage stores a control program including a command to calculate and update a control instruction that is a value related to control of a control target. The operation module operates the control program of the program storage of the control device. The arbitration module disposes plural control programs including a command to calculate and update an identical control instruction in another one of the plural control devices, and arbitrates an operation time between the plural control programs such that updatings of the identical control instruction do not conflict with each other in the plural control programs.

A system and method for detecting a failure in a redundant signal path during operation of the redundant path is disclosed. A test signal is sequentially injected into each signal path while an input signal is conducted by the other signal path not receiving the test signal. The test signal is selected at a frequency to verify operation of a filter connected in series along each path. A processor generates the test signal, injects the test signal at the input of the filter, and receives the output of the filter. The processor then generates a frequency response of the filter in each signal path as a function of the output from the filter and of the original test signal. The frequency response obtained along each of the redundant signal paths is compared to each other to detect a failure of one of the filters present along the respective signal paths.

A method is provided for creating and executing a control program for controlling an automation system having a controller and a web server connected to the controller. The method includes creating a first version of a program code of a control program for the automation system in an input module of a web-based development environment executed in a web browser, in a code creating step; executing a translation module of the web-based development environment on the web server and translating the program code into a program code of a binary language, in a translating step; and executing the program code in the binary language with the aid of the controller of the automation system, in an executing step. An automation system is also provided.

Various embodiments include a knowledge base building method. The method may include: building a first model based on a connection relationship between a controller and a device; building a second model based on a correspondence between an I/O port of the controller and a memory of the controller; and building a knowledge base based on both the first model and the second model. The knowledge base comprises configuration information related to the device.

A programmable logic controller, PLC, comprising: a programmable logic module; a Modbus interface configured to receive one or more Modbus commands, the one or more Modbus commands specifying a configuration for one or more Boolean logic operations; and a programming module operatively coupled to the Modbus interface and the programmable logic module, the programming module being configured to program the programmable logic module in accordance with the configuration for the one or more Boolean logic operations specified by the received one or more Modbus commands.

A system and a method provide an Artificial Intelligence (AI) companion for each Function Block in a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) program to integrate AI in automation systems. Multiple function blocks and system function blocks are grouped into a logic group. A control problem is broken down from a top level into logical partitions as several functions that are programmed as Function Blocks in a PLC program. Each Function Block and the entire PLC program are integrated with an associated AI Companion. A runtime system for the AI Companion provides new runtime capabilities. An approach to implementing the AT Companions is provided. A method of controlling an automation process is also provided.

A PLC system construction support program for creating a system configuration diagram depicting a configuration of a PLC system constructed causes a computing terminal to function as: an image acquisition section that acquires image data of an image of the PLC system; a system configuration recognition section that creates system configuration information including arrangement information and selected unit information; a system configuration diagram generation section that creates a system configuration diagram based on the system configuration information; and a system configuration diagram editor section that performs display processing for displaying the system configuration diagram on a display section.