A control system for factory automation includes a first unit and a second unit that exchange data with each other, and a synchronization module that synchronizes a control counter included in the first unit and a control counter included in the second unit using a clock. Each of the units includes an information storage that stores information on conversion for calculating a time from a counter value of the counter of the unit, the information being shared between the units.

A system and method for enabling access to information included in a safety requirement specification (SRS) for a process plant, the process plant controlled by a process control system including displaying, in a user interface, a cause and effect matrix (CEM) having a set of elements including a set of causes and a set of effects, wherein each of the set of causes represents a condition within the process plant and each of the set of effects represents an effect to be performed within the process plant, and wherein at least some of the set of causes and the set of effects are related as cause-effect pairs whereby the corresponding effect activates in response to an occurrence of the corresponding condition. The system and method further including receiving, via the user interface, a selection of an element of the set of elements, and, in response to receiving the selection: (i) accessing, from the SRS, a set of information associated with the element of the set of elements, and (ii) displaying the set of information in the 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 device access means for accessing fieldbus components of a fieldbus system is described. The device access means is installed in a host or host environment and includes a frame application as well as, bound into the frame application, at least one driver, which is designed to access at least one fieldbus component. Moreover, the device access means includes a monitoring unit, which is designed to register information concerning resources reserved by drivers and provided by the operating system of the host or host environment, and, upon detecting an abnormal temporal increase of resources reserved by drivers, to initiate at least one predetermined countermeasure.

An ultrasonic device may include an electromechanical system defined by a resonant frequency and further include an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. The device may be composed of two or more components, one of which is reusable and one of which is disposable. A method of detecting a proper installation of the components may include determining a spectroscopy signature of the blade coupled to the transducer, comparing the signature to a reference signature, determining an installation state of the components based on the comparison, and controlling a delivery of power to the transducer based on the comparison. The method may include enabling an operation of the device when the installation state of components is proper. The method may further include disabling the device when the installation state is not proper and generating a warning. The warning may be visible, audible, or tactile.

The disclosure relates to a safety module for an automation system assembly, having a safety component which is configured to implement a safe operation of the automation system assembly, and an adaptation component which is configured to mediate between the safety component and a communication system of the automation system assembly in order to incorporate the safety module into the automation system assembly, wherein the safety component and the adaptation component are constructed on separate circuit carriers and are connected in such a way that they are mechanically detachable and reconnectable.

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.

A technique is desired that can output a warning to a user before a buffer of a controller runs out of a free space. A control apparatus includes a buffer for buffering log data sequentially generated, an interface unit connectable with an external storage device, a writing unit for sequentially reading the log data buffered to the buffer and sequentially writing the log data to the external storage device while the external storage device is connected to the interface unit, a monitoring unit for monitoring a free space of the buffer, and a warning unit for outputting a warning upon the free space falling below a prescribed value.

A construction machine is provided with a control device having an operating panel with operating elements, which can assume numerous switching states/positions, a control and monitoring unit for controlling machine components via control signals signalling the switching state/position of associated operating elements, and a display/signal unit interacting with the control and monitoring unit. The control device provides first and second signal transmission paths for transmitting a first control signal signalling the switching state/position of a first operating element and a second control signal signalling the switching state/position of a second operating element, respectively. The control signals are checked for the existence of a plausibility criterion. If the plausibility criterion is not met, signal transmission over one or the other signal transmission path is deactivated, wherein the functionality of the relevant component is checked. Switching to emergency operation is only possible after confirmation of the functionality of the relevant component.