There is described a system and method for managing control performance of a field device receiving variable data. Variable and setpoint references corresponding to a control loop of the field device are identified. A time delay normal period based on expected oscillations of the variable reference and settling limits associated with the setpoint reference are also identified. An offnormal timestamp is generated based on the variable reference relative to one or more second pre-settling limits associated with the setpoint reference. A normal timestamp is generated based on the variable reference relative to the settling limits. A settling time of the control performance is determined based on the normal timestamp, the offnormal timestamp, and the time delay normal period. One or more performance features of the field device are modified based on the determined settling time.

An object of the present subject matter is to appropriately acquire and analyze a camera image for monitoring and to constantly monitor a monitoring target with high accuracy. A programmable logic controller (PLC) includes: an image processing section for sequentially acquiring the image data of the camera image from the camera sensor and generating characteristic amount data indicating a characteristic amount of image data in a preset monitoring region; a time-series data acquisition section for sequentially collecting characteristic amount data from the image processing section and acquiring time-series data of a characteristic amount; and a monitoring section for monitoring time-series data of a current characteristic amount acquired by the time-series data acquisition section in accordance with a monitoring timing defined by the device of the device memory.

An ultrasonic device may include an electromechanical ultrasonic system defined by a predetermined resonant frequency, in which the system may include an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. A method of estimating a state of an end effector of the ultrasonic device may include applying a drive signal defined by a magnitude and a frequency to the ultrasonic transducer, sweeping the frequency of the drive signal from below a first resonance to above the first resonance of the electromagnetic ultrasonic system, measuring and recording, impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.e, G.sub.e, X.sub.e, and B.sub.e, comparing, the measured impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.e, G.sub.e, X.sub.e, and B.sub.e to reference impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.ref, G.sub.ref, X.sub.ref, and B.sub.ref, and determining, a state or condition of the end effector based on the result of the comparison. An electromechanical ultrasonic system may include a control circuit to effect the method.

A flexible monitoring system and corresponding methods of use are provided. The system can include a base containing backplane, and one or more monitoring circuits. The monitoring circuits can be designed with a common architecture that is programmable to perform different predetermined functions. As a result, monitoring circuits can be shared between different implementations of the flexible monitoring system. Multiple bases that can be communicatively coupled in a manner that establishes a common backplane between respective bases that is formed from the individual backplanes of each base. Each monitoring circuit is not limited to sending data to and/or receiving data from the backplane to which it is physically coupled but can instead can communicate along the common backplane. Computational processing capacity can be increased or decreased independently of input signals received by addition or removal of processing circuits from the monitoring system.

An input system and failsafe automation system, wherein the failsafe automation system includes a motion controller connected to multiple failsafe processors that are each respectively associated with a safety level, and wherein the motion controller includes at least one associated drive, where the respective drive is respectively associated with areas and each respective area has an associated safety level that indicates the level of (fail)safety level with which the respective area needs to be established such that the failsafe automation system allows individual areas in spaces such as production halls to be easily equipped with the necessary (fail)safety level.

A method for controlling an automation system having control redundancy is provided. The automation system has at least a first controller, a second controller and a plurality of field devices connected to the first and second controller via a data bus, with the first and second controller configured to cyclically control an automation process of the automation system. The method comprises cyclically controlling the automation process via the first controller, determining a malfunction of the first controller during an (n+x)-th control cycle, where the (n+x)-th control cycle is carried out x control cycles later in time than the n-th control cycle, and sending out an n-th set of output data via a second input-output unit of the second controller to the plurality of field devices in the (n+x)-th control cycle, for controlling the automation process. An automation system is configured to carry out the method.

A system design support apparatus generates new user data on the basis of derived user data including: base user data reference information that is information specifying user data to be referred to; and information on an item changed from the user data specified by the base user data reference information and on changed contents. A system design support method includes a step of selecting user data to be used, a step of generating derived user data including: base user data reference information for specifying the selected user data to be used; and information on an item changed from the user data specified by the base user data reference information and on changed contents, and a step of generating new user data on the basis of the derived user data.

A system is disclosed for automatic retrieval and analysis of PLC code including at least one code disassembler configured to receive, via one or more passive or active scanners connected to an automation network, compiled code configured for execution on one or more devices of the automation network, the at least one code disassembler automatically disassembling the compiled code into program code. The system including an analyzing component configured to receive the program code from the code disassembler and to automatically analyze the program code for errors. The system including an alerting component configured to receive one or more detected errors from the analyzing component and to communicate or store the one or more detected errors.

A system is disclosed for managing a set of electrical/electronic devices for driving fans of a heat exchanger of a refrigeration plant, having a basic control unit adapted to act as interface between a remote control unit/Master unit and a plurality of electrical/electronic devices to be controlled. The basic control unit has a data input to receive inputs from the remote control unit/Master unit and a plurality of data outputs connectable with respective electrical/electronic devices of the electrical/electronic devices. The basic control unit is configured to address the electrical/electronic devices using management signals to program the operating parameters of the electrical/electronic devices, and to directly manage the operation. The management signals include addressing, programming and management commands previously programmed in the memory unit based on specific applications and communication protocols. The basic control unit manages the data outputs independently from the other data outputs, to manage the electrical/electronic devices independently.

Data are sent from an internal data processing system of an industrial plant to an external data processing system of the industrial plant by generating with an industrial edge device data packets from data related to an industrial machine, and generating therefrom signed data packets signed with a first digital signature. While the signed data packet are read, a user-defined data filter is applied, which lets either pass or rejects the signed data packets. The data packets that passed the user-defined data filter are then sent to the external data processing system.