An automation system includes a first control facility with a first fieldbus connection, a second control facility with a second fieldbus connection, a fieldbus, a peripheral board with at least one I/O peripheral module, wherein the peripheral board has an interface module with a third fieldbus connection, where the interface module has at least one I/O module which stores interconnection information featuring an assignment of input/outputs of the I/O peripheral module(s) to the control facilities, where the interface module additionally has a virtual I/O module, in which an output region is assigned to the first control facility, and furthermore an input region is assigned to the second controller, and where the virtual I/O module is configured such that the output data is copied from the output region of the first control facility into the input region as input data for the second control facility.

A device and a method for interlinking conventional fieldbus-based automatic control system with IoT at a subordinate position are provided. According to the present disclosure, the interlinking system device comprise a fieldbus connection unit connected to an operation device based on a fieldbus protocol and configured to operate as an input-output device, a fieldbus virtual input-output memory configured to memorize input-output information exchanged with the operation device, an IoT connection unit connected to an IoT platform based on an IoT protocol and configured to operate as an IoT device, a message formation unit configured to apply message metadata received from the IoT platform via the IoT connection unit and a message processing unit configured to process an input-output message based on the message metadata and the input-output information.

A method for managing functionality licenses in a closed network is disclosed, wherein at least one subscriber device is connected to the closed network. The method includes operating a server having a license database, wherein the license database includes a plurality of functionality licenses and each functionality license includes a functionality identifier. When the server receives a license request from the at least one subscriber device, the license request including a further functionality identifier, the server compares the further functionality identifier to the functionality identifiers in the license database and assigns a functionality license of the database, which includes a functionality identifier that matches the further functionality identifier to the subscriber device from which the license request was received. Assigning entails storing of the at least one subscriber device from which the license request was received at the server as a licensed subscriber device in the license database.

A method for real-time data communication between subscribers in an automation network is provided. The automation network includes an active subscriber, a plurality of passive subscribers and at least a connecting unit. The method includes the active subscriber arranging n data packets to be transmitted in a transmission order with a total occupancy time duration of the transmission order, performing an optimizing procedure for determining an optimized transmission order with minimum total occupancy time, and transmitting the n data packets in the optimized transmission order to the passive subscribers. An active subscriber for carrying out the method and an automation network comprising an active subscriber are also provided.

An optimal control method for wastewater treatment process (WWTP) based on a self-adjusting multi-task particle swarm optimization (SA-MTPSO) algorithm belongs to the field of WWTP. To balance the relationship between the effluent water quality (EQ) and energy consumption (EC) and achieve optimization online quickly, the invention establishes a data-based multi-task optimization model for WWTP to describe the relationship between the control variables and EQ, EC. Then, the SA-MTPSO algorithm is adopted to solve the optimal set-points of the nitrate nitrogen and dissolved oxygen concentration for WWTP. The PID controller is used to track the optimal set-points, so as to reduce EC while ensuring EQ, and realize the online optimal control of WWTP.

A connecting device (27) has a first connection input (28), a second connection input (29), and a connection output (30). The two connection inputs (28, 29) are configured for connection to a bus coupling device (20, 21). The connection output is configured for connection to a subscriber (13). The first connection input (28) is connected without switches to the connection output (30) via a first connecting branch (31). The second connection input (29) is connected without switches to the connection output (30) via a second connecting branch (32). The connecting device (27) includes a diagnostic unit (39), which generates a diagnostic signal (D) depending on the first input voltage (U1) and/or the first input current (I1) at the first connection input (28) and/or on the second input voltage (U2) and/or the second input current (I2) at the second connection input (29).

An abnormality determination system includes motor control circuitry that controls a motor of a motor-driven machine based on a motor control command, and compares operation data of the motor obtained in controlling the motor with reference data stored in a storage to determine whether the motor driven machine has an operation abnormality, upper-level control circuitry that transmits the motor control command to the motor control circuitry, and data transceiver circuitry that transmits and receives the reference data and the operation data to and from the motor control circuitry.

A method for real-time data communication between subscribers in an automation network is provided. The automation network includes an active subscriber, a plurality of passive subscribers and at least a connecting unit. The method includes the active subscriber arranging n data packets to be transmitted in a transmission order with a total occupancy time duration of the transmission order, performing an optimizing procedure for determining an optimized transmission order with minimum total occupancy time, and transmitting the n data packets in the optimized transmission order to the passive subscribers. An active subscriber for carrying out the method and an automation network comprising an active subscriber are also provided.

A method of determining a configuration state of an I/O module connected to a fieldbus controller is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of receiving from the I/O module a key ID, comparing the key ID with at least one key ID stored on the fieldbus controller, and configuring the I/O module when the received key ID does not correspond to the at least one stored key ID stored. Further, a circuit for configuring a digital input of a fieldbus controller as either a PNP input or an NPN input is provided comprising a control circuit including a reference input, a first selection input, and a control output. The circuit also comprises a data circuit including a second selection input electrically connected to the control output, a data input electrically coupled to the digital input, and a data output.

A method for upgrading a portion of a process control system from a legacy programmable logic controller (PLC) to a non-PLC process controller is disclosed. A mounting rack sized to fit into a space occupied by legacy hardware is assembled and populated with replacement hardware that includes an I/O card, an I/O terminal block, and a custom interface module. The custom interface module is coupled to the I/O card via the I/O terminal block and to a plurality of process control field devices via a legacy wiring mechanism coupled to legacy wiring of the process control system, without requiring modification or re-termination of the legacy wiring. The legacy wiring mechanism is disconnected from the legacy hardware, the rack containing the legacy hardware is removed and replaced with the mounting rack, and the legacy wiring mechanism is coupled to the custom interface module.