The invention relates to a process and a system for generating an operating program in the form of a mobile application (MAPP) that is capable of operating on a mobile device (MD) for interactions such as operation, monitoring, configuration and/or diagnosis with an application program (DA) of an automation device (D) for the control and/or monitoring of a machine (M) or installation. In order to permit a cost and time-effective generation of a mobile application for the operation, control and diagnosis of an automation device, with there being a requirement for special knowledge of the automation device as well as of the development of the mobile applications, it is foreseen that the mobile application (MAPP) is generated out of an application description (DAD) of the application program (DA) of the automation device.

The present disclosure resides in a method for monitoring an automated facility, wherein a plurality of field devices are integrated in the facility, comprising: connecting a cloud gateway with a first communication network of the facility; ascertaining field devices connected to the first communication network; testing whether device descriptions corresponding to the field devices are present in a server connected with the cloud gateway via a second communication network; downloading from the server device descriptions corresponding to the field devices and installing the device descriptions in the cloud gateway; creating a configuration plan, wherein the configuration plan defines at least one field device to be queried, the type of queried data, and the frequency of the querying; transmitting the configuration plan to the cloud gateway; querying data from the queried field devices according to the configuration plan; transmitting queried data to the server; and collecting and evaluating transmitted data.

The present disclosure resides in a method for monitoring an automated facility, wherein a plurality of field devices are integrated in the facility, comprising: connecting a cloud gateway with a first communication network of the facility; ascertaining field devices connected to the first communication network; testing whether device descriptions corresponding to the field devices are present in a server connected with the cloud gateway via a second communication network; downloading from the server device descriptions corresponding to the field devices and installing the device descriptions in the cloud gateway; creating a configuration plan, wherein the configuration plan defines at least one field device to be queried, the type of queried data, and the frequency of the querying; transmitting the configuration plan to the cloud gateway; querying data from the queried field devices according to the configuration plan; transmitting queried data to the server; and collecting and evaluating transmitted data.

The present disclosure relates to a framework application for device access software. The framework application can be installed on a host. At least one driver can be integrated into the framework application, said driver being designed for access to an associated field bus component of a field bus network. For each integrated driver, the framework application has a standard interface, via which data can be exchanged between the driver and the framework application. For at least some of the integrated drivers, the framework application has one or more proprietary interfaces in addition to the standard interface, via which proprietary interfaces data can be exchanged between the respective drivers and the framework application. Information regarding additional functionalities that are supported by the driver or by an associated field bus component can be transferred from the driver to the framework application via at least one of the proprietary interfaces.

The invention enables a device type manager (DTM) to implement through a field device tool (FDT) frame application, field device management capabilities that are outside the defined operating capabilities of the FDT frame application. The enables controlling a field device, through a device type manager (DTM) configured to control a field device based on control instructions received from a field device tool (FDT) frame application. The FDT frame application and the DTM and/or a DTM wrapper within the DTM may be implemented based on a first runtime environment and a first set of specifications that defines a first set of operating capabilities for the FDT frame application. The DTM wrapper may be configured to communicate with the FDT frame application based on one or more messaging protocols defined by the first set of specifications and further to communicate through inter-process communication, with (i) a DTM framework controller configured to implement the communication and control instructions that enable the DTM to communicate with or control the field device, wherein the DTM framework controller is configured for implementation based on a second runtime environment that is different from the first runtime environment, and (ii) a DTM user interface controller configured to implement one or more user interface controls for controlling the field device.

An intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool includes a controller, a process communication module, and a display. The process communication module is configured to communicate with a field device using a process communication protocol. The display is coupled to the controller. A user interface module is also coupled to the controller and is configured to receive user input. The controller is configured to detect a user input help request and provide a video output on the display in response to the user input help request.

A method/device for managing and configuring field devices in an automation installation with a configuration tool designed to physically identify a field device in the automation installation and logically identify its field device type, to logically incorporate and configure it into the automation installation, the tool to this end resorting to a prescribed field-device-type-specific information package at least partially describing functions and data of the field device type. Parameterizing a plurality of field devices of the same type may be achieved by forming a first individual field-device-specific information package for a first field device from the field-device-type-specific information package, and a further individual field-device-specific information package for each further field device of the same type from the first individual field-device-specific information package, by first of all duplicating the first individual field-device-specific information package, then individualizing it for the further field device.

The present disclosure relates to a framework application for device access software. The framework application can be installed on a host. At least one driver can be integrated into the framework application, said driver being designed for access to an associated field bus component of a field bus network. For each integrated driver, the framework application has a standard interface, via which data can be exchanged between the driver and the framework application. For at least some of the integrated drivers, the framework application has one or more proprietary interfaces in addition to the standard interface, via which proprietary interfaces data can be exchanged between the respective drivers and the framework application. Information regarding additional functionalities that are supported by the driver or by an associated field bus component can be transferred from the driver to the framework application via at least one of the proprietary interfaces.

A method and system configures a Device Description Language (DDL) interface on a DDL-based host system in a process plant. Using a device description identification, the system and method updates the host system with the device description for a selected process control device. The device description includes menus for the selected process control device. The method and system expose the DDL menu constructs from the device description to the host system, such that the host system is able to present the DDL constructs as user-selectable elements in a configuration interface, where DDL constructs may be added, deleted and/or modified to create a DDL interface independent of the menu for the process control device as provided in the device description.

A system design supporting device includes a file specification receiving unit, a file acquiring unit, and a parameter setting unit. The file specification receiving unit receives specification of a unique device information definition file from a plurality of unique device information definition files stored in the server. The file acquiring unit acquires, from the server, the unique device information definition file whose specification is received by the file specification receiving unit. The parameter setting unit sets a parameter for controlling operation of a unit, on the basis of the unique device information definition file.