Apparatus and methods regarding a processing system operable to implement an arbiter. The arbiter receives commands from non-prioritized and prioritized actors, and repeatedly issues an earliest received, non-issued command received from the non-prioritized actor. Execution of an immediately preceding issued command is completed or terminated by a sending actor of the immediately preceding issued command before a subsequent earliest received, non-issued command is issued. The arbiter also issues a command received from the prioritized actor upon receipt of the command received from the prioritized actor. Issuance of the command received from the prioritized actor interrupts issuance and execution of a command received from the non-prioritized actor. The commands from the non-prioritized and prioritized actors are issued to equipment controllers operable to control equipment of a well construction system.

A method of controlling the sequence of program parts has the following steps: initiated by the occurrence of a first event (E1), executing a first program part (P1) on a first arithmetic logic unit (RW1), wherein the first event (E1) and/or the first program part (P1) is/are assigned a first priority (Py1), and initiated by the occurrence of a second event (E2), interrupting the execution of the first program part (P1) and then executing a second program part (P2) on the first arithmetic logic unit (RW1), wherein the second event (E2) and/or the second program part (P2) is/are assigned a second priority (Py2) that is higher than the first priority (Py1), wherein the first and/or the second program part (P1, P2) is/are a function block in the sense of IEC 61499 or a part thereof or a data transmission initiated thereby.

A configuration of control device capable of linking control applications even in a control system that combines a control device with another control device is provided. A first control device includes: a first program execution part outputting a first control command at every first cycle; a parsing part parsing at least a part of a first application program at every second cycle to sequentially generate an internal command; a command calculation part outputting a second control command at every first cycle according to the internal command generated by the parsing part; and an arbitration part managing a parsing process performed by the parsing part. The arbitration part adjusts an output timing of the second control command according to the internal command generated by the parsing part in response to notification of a timing from the second control device.

The present disclosure meets demand to realize control computations according to programs having different execution formats by a single control device. The control device includes a storage unit storing a first program to be scanned as a whole for each execution and a second program that is sequentially executed, an execution processing unit computing a first command value by executing the first program at every predetermined control cycle, an interpreter interpreting at least a part of the second program and generating an intermediate code, a command value computation unit computing a second command value at every control cycle according to the intermediate code generated in advance by the interpreter, and an output unit outputting the first command value computed by the execution processing unit and the second command value computed by the command value computation unit at every control cycle.

A method for managing and configuring field devices of an automation system has a configuration tool designed to physically detect a field device in the automation system, to logically integrate said device in the automation system and to configure it in the automation system, wherein for this purpose the configuration tool draws on a predefined first information package that is specific to the field device and describes at least some of the functions and data of the field device. To simplify communication between the configuration tool and the field devices, FDI-based data packages may be formed from the predefined field device-specific information package and transmitted by one or more FDT-based communications components may be exchanged between the configuration tool and the field device.

A configuration of control device capable of linking control applications even in a control system that combines a control device with another control device is provided. A first control device includes: a first program execution part outputting a first control command at every first cycle; a parsing part parsing at least a part of a first application program at every second cycle to sequentially generate an internal command; a command calculation part outputting a second control command at every first cycle according to the internal command generated by the parsing part; and an arbitration part managing a parsing process performed by the parsing part. The arbitration part adjusts an output timing of the second control command according to the internal command generated by the parsing part in response to notification of a timing from the second control device.

The present disclosure meets demand to realize control computations according to programs having different execution formats by a single control device. The control device includes a storage unit storing a first program to be scanned as a whole for each execution and a second program that is sequentially executed, an execution processing unit computing a first command value by executing the first program at every predetermined control cycle, an interpreter interpreting at least a part of the second program and generating an intermediate code, a command value computation unit computing a second command value at every control cycle according to the intermediate code generated in advance by the interpreter, and an output unit outputting the first command value computed by the execution processing unit and the second command value computed by the command value computation unit at every control cycle.

Apparatus and methods regarding a processing system operable to implement an arbiter. The arbiter receives commands from non-prioritized and prioritized actors, and repeatedly issues an earliest received, non-issued command received from the non-prioritized actor. Execution of an immediately preceding issued command is completed or terminated by a sending actor of the immediately preceding issued command before a subsequent earliest received, non-issued command is issued. The arbiter also issues a command received from the prioritized actor upon receipt of the command received from the prioritized actor. Issuance of the command received from the prioritized actor interrupts issuance and execution of a command received from the non-prioritized actor. The commands from the non-prioritized and prioritized actors are issued to equipment controllers operable to control equipment of a well construction system.

A method for managing and configuring field devices of an automation system has a configuration tool designed to physically detect a field device in the automation system, to logically integrate said device in the automation system and to configure it in the automation system, wherein for this purpose the configuration tool draws on a predefined first information package that is specific to the field device and describes at least some of the functions and data of the field device. To simplify communication between the configuration tool and the field devices, FDI-based data packages may be formed from the predefined field device-specific information package and transmitted by one or more FDT-based communications components may be exchanged between the configuration tool and the field device.