METHOD FOR INTEGRATING AN AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY FIELD DEVICE IN A DISTRIBUTED LEDGER

Abstract

An automation technology field device includes operating electronics and a plurality of parameters. The operating electronics are designed to operate the field device based on the parameters and obtain and process data based on the parameters. A firmware is a software container allocated to the operating electronics. The software container is designed to execute the installed code to establish, using the code, a communication connection to a distributed ledger via at least one of the outputs is a higher-level communication network, to integrate the field device in the distributed ledger-and to process and/or combine at least one part of the obtained and processed data into result data and to transmit the result data to the distributed ledger.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A field device of automation technology, with operating electronics and a plurality of parameters, wherein the operating electronics are configured to operate the field device on the basis of the parameters and to gather or process data on the basis of the parameters, wherein firmware with a software container is assigned to the operating electronics, wherein the software container comprises: a finite quantity of inputs for acquiring the data gathered or processed according to the parameters of the field device; a finite number of outputs which correspond to communication channels of the measuring device, wherein the communication channels are designed for connecting the field device to a higher-level communication network; a specific amount of reserved memory space in the operation electronics in order to install code; a specific amount of reserved main memory in the operation electronics that is required for executing the installed code; a specific amount of processor runtime of the operating electronics that is reserved for executing the installed code; wherein the software container is designed to execute the installed code and, by means of the code, to establish a communication link to a distributed ledger via at least one of the outputs via the higher-level communication network, to integrate the field device into the distributed ledger, and to process and/or combine at least a portion of the gathered or processed data into result data, and to transmit the result data to the distributed ledger.

11. The field device according to claim 10, wherein the field device is a measuring device with at least one sensor unit for acquiring a physical raw measurement variable of a process-engineering process, a network device, in particular a gateway, a remote I/O, a switch or an edge device, or a control unit.

12. The field device according to claim 10, wherein data gathered or processed according to the parameters are at least one of the following: raw measurement variables acquired by the sensor unit; measured values formed from the raw measurement variables; status information, in particular corresponding to the NAMUR recommendation; and diagnostic data, in particular heartbeat data.

13. The field device according to claim 10, wherein the code has a network address of the distributed ledger and a login routine for the distributed ledger.

14. A method for incorporating a field device according to claim 10 into a distributed ledger, in accordance with blockchain, blockDAG or TDAG, comprising: installing a code loaded into the field device in the software container; processing or combining data from at least one of the inputs into result data; establishing a communication link to the distributed ledger via at least one of the outputs via a higher-level communication network; and transmitting the result data to the distributed ledger via at least one of the outputs.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the field device is integrated into the distributed ledger following the first-time establishment of the communication connection with the distributed ledger according to the code.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, after integration into the distributed ledger, the field device functions as a participant node.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the code is created by a user and loaded into the field device.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the field device downloads the code from a database via the Internet or the higher-level communication network.

Description

[0036] The invention is explained in greater detail with reference to the following figure. The following is shown:

[0037] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a field device FG of automation technology, in this example a flowmeter. However, the invention can be applied to any type of field device FG. In addition to the measurement sensor system, the field device FG has operating electronics BE which comprises a non-volatile memory, a main memory and a microprocessor. The operation of the field device FG via the operating electronics BE is controlled via firmware FW. In the present invention, the field device FG has special firmware FW which has a software container. The software container reserves a part of the resources of the operating electronics BE, i.e., a certain amount of reserved memory space SP in order to install code CD, a specific amount of reserved main memory AS of the operating electronics BE which is required for the execution of the installed code CD, and a certain amount of processor runtime for executing the code CD. This special firmware FW is either initially loaded during manufacture of the field device FG, or the operator overwrites the initial firmware of the field device FG with the special firmware FW at a later time.

[0039] The field device can be incorporated into a distributed ledger DL by means of the special firmware FW, to put it more precisely, by means of the software container CT.

[0040] Firstly, the code CD is loaded into the software container CT on the field device FG. The code CD serves for the later connection of the field device FG to the distributed ledger DL as well as for the pre-processing and the transmission of data to the distributed ledger DL. In a first step 1.a), the field device FG downloads the code from a database DB, for example a cloud-based database of the device manufacturer. For this purpose, the operator BD selects from the database DB the code appropriate for the distributed ledger DL. Alternatively, the operator BD generates the code CD in method step 1.b) itself. In method step 2.), the code is loaded into the dedicated memory SP of the software container CT.

[0041] The field device FG has a plurality of parameters PA1, PA2, PA3, . . . , PAn. These parameters PA1, PA2, PA3, . . . , PAn define which data the field device FG gathers or processes. The data are, in particular, process values, status information or diagnostic data. The software container CT provides a set of finite inputs IN. A subset of the parameters PA1, PA2, PA3, . . . , PAn is mapped onto the inputs IN. The assignment takes place via a configuration menu available in the FG. The code CD here defines which data are read in on the basis of which parameters PA1, PA2, PA3, . . . , PAn. In a third method step, data of the field device FG are read in via the respective assigned inputs IN on the basis of the parameters PA1 and PA3. The code CD cannot access parameters PA1, PA2, PA3, . . . , PAn directly here, but only the inputs IN. These are then processed or combined with one another in a method step 4.) to form result data.

[0042] After execution of the code CD, the field device FG establishes a connection to the distributed ledger DL via the higher-level communication network, for example the Internet or a local area network. The field device FG has a plurality of interfaces or outputs OP1, OP2. In the present case, the output OP1 is provided for the connection to a fieldbus network via which the field device regularly transmits its data. The connection to the distributed ledger DL via the higher-level communication network is established by means of the output OP2. For this purpose, the code CD has login information and the address of the distributed ledger DL. It can be provided that the distributed ledger

[0043] DL then transmits further software components to the field device FG, for example when the field device FG continues to function as a light node in the distributed ledger DL. These additional software components are likewise stored in the dedicated memory SP and executed by the software container.

[0044] In a method step 5.), the result data are routed to the output OP2. The result data are then transmitted to the distributed ledger DL, verified according to the standard of the distributed ledger DL, and stored in the distributed ledger DL.

[0045] If the operator BD wishes to use a different distributed ledger DL, he can load new code CD in accordance with method steps 1.) and 2.), replacing the old code. It is also optionally possible to load a plurality of codes CD, so that the field device FG functions via various additional outputs as participant nodes of various distributed ledgers DL.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0046] 1.), . . . , 6.) Method steps [0047] AS Reserved main memory [0048] BE Operating electronics [0049] BN User [0050] CD Code [0051] CT Software container [0052] DB Further database [0053] DL Distributed ledger [0054] FG Field device [0055] FW Firmware [0056] IN Inputs [0057] OP1, OP2 Outputs [0058] PA1, PA2, PA3, . . . , PAn Parameters [0059] PL Reserved processor runtime [0060] SP Reserved memory space