A PLC according to an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The PLC according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a master unit; and a plurality of interface units which access the master unit via a system bus. The master unit includes: a control unit for controlling input/output and processing commands; and a plurality of first RJ45 terminals for input/output of data, wherein a maximum of eight signals are arranged via each pin of each of the first RJ45 terminals. Each of the interface units includes a connection means for connecting a signal between a second RJ45 terminal for connecting a signal line from each of the first RJ45 terminals and an external device, wherein the interface units are configured to be expandable by the number of the first RJ45 terminals.

A Personal Computer (PC) includes a setting data generation processor that generates a setting data file referred to by a setting value writing FB of a PLC and a transmission processor that transmits the setting data file to the PLC. The setting value writing FB is a function block that changes an operation setting value of a control object device that is controlled by the PLC based on the setting data file.

The optical measurement apparatus includes an interface unit and a measuring unit. The interface unit is configured to receive a synchronization signal transmitted from a PLC to a fieldbus at a constant communication cycle, and output, in synchronization with the synchronization signal, a result of measurement (a measured value) by the optical measurement apparatus and a synchronization supervisory signal. The measuring unit is configured to execute optical measurement at a measurement cycle irrelevant to the communication cycle and generate a result of the measurement and a synchronization supervisory signal. The measuring unit sets the synchronization supervisory signal into an ON state in synchronization with receipt of the synchronization signal by the interface unit after start of the measurement, and sets the synchronization supervisory signal into an OFF state in synchronization with receipt of the synchronization signal by the interface unit when the interface unit outputs the measurement result.

The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods and devices for assisting with testing automated industrial process routines. The addition of a software automation object to a test execution user interface may be received. The software automation object may be added to the test execution user interface from a software object library comprising a plurality of software objects. Each of the software automation objects may include an automated control device layer, a human machine interface layer, and a testing layer. A request to initiate an operational test of the software automation object in the test execution user interface may be received. Upon receiving the request, the operational test may be executed, and test results for the operational test of the automation software object may be displayed on the test execution user interface.

A screen image generation device for generating a screen image indicating a state of a facility in a production plant is provided which ensures a real-time property of a management screen image needed in actual production plants and reduce required levels of making a network faster in speed and wider in bandwidth. A server functioning as the device performs first acquisition of regularly acquiring first data transmitted from a sensor and concerning the facility at intervals of a first time, second acquisition of regularly acquiring second data transmitted from a controller and concerning the facility at intervals of a second time shorter than the first time, third acquisition of acquiring, in real time, an alert irregularly transmitted from the controller and concerning the facility, and generation of generating the management screen image indicating the state of the facility in accordance with the first data, the second data, and the alert.

A programmable controller allocates times obtained by dividing executable time in one operation cycle to a plurality of paths, executes sequence programs of the paths within the respective allocated times, and measures extra time that is a remainder of each of the allocation times when execution of each of the sequence programs ends. Then, the programmable controller determines whether a predetermined sequence program is to be executed in the measured extra time, and instructs the sequence execution unit to execute the predetermined sequence program in the extra time in accordance with a result of the determination.

A technique for exchanging signals between a control system (200) and at least two field devices (300) is described. One device aspect of the technique comprises a base (102) that comprises a control interface (104) and at least two slots (106). The control interface (104) is configured to connect (108.1) to at least two electrical line channels (108) of the control system (200) and the at least two slots (106) are each configured to detachably mechanically connect (106.1) to a module (110) and to pass (106.2) at least one of the line channels (108) to the respective module (110). Furthermore, the device comprises one or more modules (110), each of which comprises a base-side slot interface (112) and a field-side input and/or output interface, I/O interface, (114) different from the slot interface (112), wherein the slot interface (112) is configured for a detachable mechanical and electrical connection to one of the slots (106) of the base (102), and the I/O interface (114) is configured for a connection (116.1) to signal lines (116) of one of the field devices (300).

Various embodiments of the present technology generally relate to industrial controller firmware. More specifically, some embodiments relate to systems and methods for developing, deploying, and executing loadable embedded software extensions that expand controller functionality beyond that of what is available in a controller's base firmware. Systems and methods described herein provide for a firmware extension development environment, a firmware extension repository, a firmware extension deployment interface, and various firmware extension executions models. During execution of a control program within an industrial controller, when directed by the logic of the control program to perform an external function, industrial controller firmware may call an external component provided by an extension developed in accordance with the present disclosure to perform the external function.

An I/O device includes an I/O base, at least two I/O modules supported on the I/O base, and a duplex terminal block assembly supported on the I/O base. The at least two I/O modules include a first I/O module and a second I/O module coupled to the duplex terminal block assembly in parallel. The duplex terminal block assembly can include connectors for connecting to a field device. The duplex terminal block assembly can include conductive structures for coupling the connectors with each of the first and second I/O modules. The duplex terminal block can be installed in a pair of ports in an I/O base to connect two I/O modules in parallel.

A controller includes: a communication port and a connection port that allow communication with another controller; and a hardware processor coupled to the ports. The hardware processor is configured to: transmit a first state signal indicating a state of the controller of an own device to the other controller from each port; receive a second state signal indicating a state of the other controller from the other controller via each of the ports; and switch, when the own device is in a standby state, the own device from the standby state to an operating state, when a breakdown of the other controller indicated by the received second state signal and an unreceived state in which the second state signal is not received for a predetermined time or more from both the communication and connection ports are monitored and at least one of the breakdown and the unreceived state is detected.