The invention includes a method and a communication network for preventing impermissible access to software applications implemented in field devices, wherein the field devices are integrated in a communication network of automation technology and wherein each software application exchanges information within the communication network via at least one communication interface. The method includes registering currently activated safety functions of each of the communication interfaces; registering all activatable safety functions of each communication interface; ascertaining at least one shared safety function, which is activatable in each of the communication interfaces; displaying the shared safety functions and selecting at least one displayed, shared safety function; and reconfiguring each of the communication interfaces, wherein currently set safety functions are replaced by the at least one selected, shared safety function, and when no shared safety function was ascertained, each of the communication interfaces is so reconfigured that no safety function is activated.

Various example embodiments for supporting communications management may be configured to support communications management for an operations technology (OT) domain that uses an associated network domain for supporting communications of the OT domain. Various example embodiments for supporting communications management for an OT domain that uses an associated network domain for supporting communications of the OT domain may be configured to support such communications management based on slice management capabilities. Various example embodiments for supporting communications management for an OT domain that uses an associated network domain for supporting communications of the OT domain, based on slice management capabilities, may be configured to support such communications management based on support for slice configuration across the OT domain and the network domain.

A microcontroller unit includes at least one core, a plurality of safety fault management units, with each safety fault management unit including circuitry to detect one or more safety faults and to output an alarm signal in response to detection of one or more safety faults. The microcontroller further includes system control units operating in parallel to the at least one core. Each of the plurality of system control units can be coupled to at least one of the safety fault management units and can include hardware circuitry to generate and output a port emergency stop (PES) signal based on the alarm signals obtained from a safety fault management unit. The microcontroller includes port circuitries coupled to ports and to the system control units. The port circuitries can selectively cause a respectively connected port to enter a non-operational electronic state in response to receiving a PES signal.

An apparatus for monitoring an actuator system, a method for providing an apparatus for monitoring an actuator system, and a method for monitoring an actuator system where the has at least one actuator and at least one data output signal. An anomaly detector detects anomalies. A suppressing engine determines time periods in which a control intervention has been performed. In a resulting monitoring signal, only anomalies are indicated which do not overlap with time periods in which the control intervention has been performed resulting in less irrelevant alerts and false positives output to a human supervisor monitoring the actuator system. The apparatus for monitoring a system may be provided with a plurality of actuators that may affect one another over time. The apparatus may be applied to a system of submersible pumps, or a system of conveyor belts.

A field device having a safe interface is based on two voltage regulators designed to set electrical current between corresponding contacts of the interface. The field device tests via which of the contacts the field device is connected with a superordinate unit and an automatic configuration of the interface can be performed for the appropriate transmission standard. Because the contacting to the superordinated unit is checked repetitively by means of two electrical current regulators it is assured that the field device can determine and automatically react to a change of the contacting at the interface even during measurement operation. This makes the interface safe and thereby increases the safety of the process plant, in which the field device is applied.

A state machine management component that executes on an edge device within an industrial facility is capable of discovering state machines defined on industrial controllers and translating the state machine definitions to information models that allow the state machines to be discovered and utilized by remote client applications. The edge-level information models allow the client applications to render or consume the state machine data generated by the controller, graphically render the state machines, submit commands, or set values, to the controller as state machine commands via the edge device. The edge-level system thus allows client applications with no prior knowledge of the control-level state machines to discover, retrieve, and interact with state machines defined on the industrial controllers.

A vehicle control method of starting and shutting down an engine, in which a processor receives a blockchain update comprising a first transaction with instructions to perform an engine startup or shutdown; the blockchain update is validated; an engine startup or shutdown is performed based on the validated blockchain update; where the engine startup or shutdown is delayed based on validating a predetermined number of subsequent blockchain updates, including a second transaction with instructions to perform the engine startup or shutdown.

A valve driver system for driving a plurality of valves of a valve manifold The system includes a plurality of valve drivers, wherein each valve driver is configured to drive a zone of one or more valves of the manifold; and, a power board that separately powers the respective valve drivers such that the valve drivers are powered separately with a separate power source that can individually power the valve driver. A multiple safety zone valve driver system for driving a plurality of valves of a valve manifold The system includes a plurality of valve drivers; a first safe PM output; and a second safe PM output. The first and second safe PM outputs are configured such that in response to a first type of safety event the first PM output shuts off power to the first one or more valve drivers and the second PM output maintains power to the second one or more valve drivers. A zoning adapter for adapting logical addresses of valve drivers to physical addresses of valves of a valve manifold A conversion portion converts logical addresses to physical addresses

A tool insert for a machine, in particular a cutting, punching and/or folding machine, is disclosed. The tool insert (24) has an identification element (38) comprising tool information about the type of the tool insert (24) and/or about the area of application of the tool insert (24). The identification element (38) is machine-readable such that the tool information is transmitted to the machine when the machine reads out the identification element. Further, a machine, a machine system and a method for operating a machine are disclosed.

A communication device (10) communicates with a communication device (20) in each of time divisions defined by shared time that is shared with the communication device (20). The communication device (10) includes a clocking unit (11) that measures the shared time, an acquirer (13) that acquires, from the communication device (20), error information about a first error of the communication device (20) in measuring the shared time, and a specifier (14) that specifies, to the communication device (20), a suspension duration at least at a start or at an end of each of the time divisions. The suspension duration is a duration for which the communication device (20) suspends data transmission. The suspension duration specified by the specifier (14) is greater than or equal to a greater error of the first error and a second error that is an error of the clocking unit (11) in time measurement.