A method for operating an industrial system, an apparatus, a computer program product, a computer-readable medium and method for synchronizing a system model with a real system, wherein a) a system model including at least one device model configured to calculate simulated output values and/or state values from simulated input values using mathematical functions and which is expanded with at least one mathematical function inverse to the at least one mathematical function is provided, b) at least one real output value and/or state value is provided, c) the at least one real output value and/or state value is supplied to the expanded device model, d) via the functions, at least one input value is back-calculated from the at least one real output value and/or state value, and e) the at least one back-calculated input value and/or a derived value is used to synchronize the system model with the real system.

Provided is a control device for performing model prediction control. A position of a virtual obstacle associated with a real obstacle is set based on a position of the real obstacle acquired by a first acquisition part so that the virtual obstacle is positioned substantially symmetrically to the real obstacle with reference to a following target trajectory of a control target. Stage costs calculated by a prescribed evaluation function include: a first stage cost associated with a first probability potential field representing a probability that the real obstacle is present based on the position of the real obstacle; and a second stage cost associated with a second probability potential field representing a probability that the virtual obstacle is present based on the position of the virtual obstacle and having a probability value equal to or greater than that of the first probability potential field.

A simulation device that estimates a behavior of a system including a control device that controls a target includes a program execution module, a three-dimensional virtualization module, a setting module, and a reception module. The program execution module executes a simulation program estimating the behavior. The three-dimensional virtualization module virtually constructs the system in a three-dimensional virtual space. The setting module executes setting generating or updating data referred to during the execution of the simulation program. The reception module receives a user operation to the simulation device. The setting module selectively executes setting based on a position in a three-dimensional virtual space or setting based on an operating condition according to the user operation.

Present embodiments include an automation control system including one or more processors and memories with an application stored on the one or more memories and implemented by the one or more processors. The application includes an interface configured to communicate with automation devices via a communication subsystem. Further, the application includes an operation environment, a programming environment, and an emulation environment. The programming environment is configured to generate device elements corresponding to the automation devices within the operation environment in which the device elements are configured to functionally interact with the automation devices. The emulation environment is configured to automatically host an emulation model of the automation devices based on the device elements generated within the operation environment.

According to one embodiment, a distributed control system comprises a communication network and a plurality of control devices configured to control devices to be controlled, respectively. The control devices each include a simulator to which a program organization unit is allocated in advance, configured to simulate the allocated program organization unit, and a shared memory that stores a simulation result of the program organization unit simulated by the simulator to be shared with another control device. At least one of the control devices includes a simulation table database that can store therein an execution time of each of the program organization units allocated in advance to the control devices, and a simulation commander that stores, in the simulation table database, the execution time of each of the program organization units corresponding to the simulation result.

Examples of techniques for aspect-oriented programming based programmable logic controller (PLC) simulation are provided. An aspect including one of a hardware configuration aspect, an execution semantics aspect, and a communication architecture aspect, may be determined to be applied to a general model of an industrial system, the general model including a PLC model and a system model. The determined aspect may be applied to the general model. The industrial system may be simulated using the general model and the applied aspect.

A computer program, a computer-readable medium and to a system and method for checking an industrial facility formed as an automation facility, wherein real components of a provided real facility and/or data stemming from the real facility and/or simulated components of a provided simulated facility and/or data stemming simulated facility are manipulated using a computer program that includes at least one random algorithm, in particular during ongoing operation, such that random-based fault situations are caused in the real facility and/or the simulated facility.

A method for operating an industrial system, an apparatus, a computer program product, a computer-readable medium and method for synchronizing a system model with a real system, wherein a) a system model including at least one device model configured to calculate simulated output values and/or state values from simulated input values using mathematical functions and which is expanded with at least one mathematical function inverse to the at least one mathematical function is provided, b) at least one real output value and/or state value is provided, c) the at least one real output value and/or state value is supplied to the expanded device model, d) via the functions, at least one input value is back-calculated from the at least one real output value and/or state value, and e) the at least one back-calculated input value and/or a derived value is used to synchronize the system model with the real system.

Provided is a control device for performing model prediction control. A position of a virtual obstacle associated with a real obstacle is set based on a position of the real obstacle acquired by a first acquisition part so that the virtual obstacle is positioned substantially symmetrically to the real obstacle with reference to a following target trajectory of a control target. Stage costs calculated by a prescribed evaluation function include: a first stage cost associated with a first probability potential field representing a probability that the real obstacle is present based on the position of the real obstacle; and a second stage cost associated with a second probability potential field representing a probability that the virtual obstacle is present based on the position of the virtual obstacle and having a probability value equal to or greater than that of the first probability potential field.

An information processing device includes an actuator emulator simulating a behavior of a first drive apparatus that is for driving a first control target, an actuator emulator simulating a behavior of a second drive apparatus that is for driving a second control target, a storage device for storing a PLC program including an instruction group with respect to the actuator emulator and a robot program including an instruction group with respect to the actuator emulator, a timer generating a virtual time, and a PLC emulator for repeatedly executing the instruction group included in the PLC program in each predetermined first control period in accordance with measurement using the virtual time, and a robot controller emulator for sequentially executing the instruction group included in the robot program in a predetermined execution order in accordance with the virtual time.