AUTOMATION SYSTEM INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE FIELD DEVICE AND AT LEAST ONE CONTROL UNIT

Abstract

An automation system includes at least one field device and at least one control unit. The automation system is configured to provide an application interface via which a data transfer of administration data for administration of the at least one field device can be performed from the at least one control unit to the at least one field device.

Claims

1. An automation system, comprising: at least one field device; at least one control unit; and an application interface via which a data transfer of administration data for administration of the at least one field device can be performed from the at least one control unit to the at least one field device.

2. The automation system according to claim 1, wherein the application interface includes an executable computer program on the at least one field device and/or on a processing unit connected to the at least one field device.

3. The automation system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control unit is configured as an external processing unit and/or as a remote distributed processing unit system.

4. The automation system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one field device is configured as a sensor, an actuator, a drive, a probe, a pushbutton, a switch, and/or a controller.

5. A method for operating an automation system including at least one field device, at least one control unit, and an application interface, the method comprising: transferring administration data for administration of the at least one field device from the at least one control unit to the at least one field device using the application interface.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the application interface is provided by a computer program, the method further comprising: executing the computer program on the at least one field device and/or on a processing unit connected to the at least one field device.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: checking whether the transferring of administration data is meant to take place with the application interface, and transferring the administration data if the check indicates that the transferring of administration data is meant to take place.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: configuring the at least one field device with the transferred administration data.

9. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: loading an executable program code from the at least one control unit onto the at least one field device based on the transferred administration data.

10. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: performing an update of the at least one field device based on the transferred administration data.

11. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: parameterizing the at least one field device based on the transferred administration data.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: monitoring the at least one field device based on the transferred administration data.

13. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: performing maintenance of the at least one field device based on the transferred administration data.

14. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: putting the at least one field device into operation based on the transferred administration data.

15. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: licensing the at least one field device based on the transferred administration data.

16. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: transferring the administration data in accordance with IT security mechanisms for protecting confidentiality, integrity and availability.

17. The method according to claim 5, wherein a processing unit is configured to perform the method.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a computer program is configured to cause the processing unit to perform the method when the computer program is executed on the processing unit.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the computer program is stored on a machine-readable storage medium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG. 1 shows schematically a conventional automation system of a machine according to the prior art.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows schematically a preferred embodiment of an automation system according to the disclosure of a machine, which system is configured to perform a preferred embodiment of a method according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] A conventional automation system of a machine according to the prior art is shown schematically in FIG. 1 and denoted by 100.

[0048] The machine is embodied as a web processing machine, for example, which can be used to manufacture workpieces as part of a production process. A conventional automation solution 100 based on the automation pyramid, according to which the machine is organized into different layers, is provided for automated operation of this machine and/or automated implementation of the production process. Different machine components define different layers of the automation pyramid.

[0049] Servo-engineering field devices 110 are provided in a lowest of these layers, known as the field layer. Actuators in the form of servomotors 111 to 115 and sensors 116 are provided as examples of said field devices 110. The servomotors 111 to 115 can be used, for example, to set conveyor belts moving and to control robot arms, which process and/or carry workpieces conveyed on the conveyor belts.

[0050] In addition to the servo-engineering field devices 110, further field devices 120 for input/output or for drive amplification are provided in the field layer. The servomotors 111 to 115 are each connected to a drive amplifier 121 to 125. The sensors 116 are connected to an I/O coupler 126.

[0051] Controllers 130, which are intended for controlling the field devices 110, 120 of the field layer, are provided in a control layer, which is at a higher level than the field layer. For this purpose, the controllers 130 of the control layer exchange field data, for instance sensor data, actual and setpoint values, with the field devices 110, 120 of the field layer. This field data or operating data is generated and exchanged during execution of functions of the field devices 110, 120.

[0052] In order to ensure precise open-loop and/or closed-loop control of the machine 100, real-time communication in particular is needed for exchanging this field data (known as operating-data communication). Therefore real-time communication channels 101, for instance fieldbuses such as Sercos, Profibus, Profinet, etc., are provided for the operating-data communication.

[0053] In the example shown, the field devices 111 to 113 and 121 to 123 are connected to the PLC 131 via a first fieldbus, and the field devices 114 to 116 and 124 to 126 are connected to the PLC 132 via a second fieldbus. In addition, the controllers 131 and 132 are connected together via a further fieldbus.

[0054] For example, a further controller 133 acting as a human-machine interface, for instance for visualizing measurement data, can be provided in the control layer.

[0055] The topmost layer of the automation pyramid is the management layer, which is at a higher level than the control layer and in which organization, planning and management of the entire machine takes place. The management layer characterizes in particular enterprise management of an enterprise, which enterprise management operates the machine and can include in particular both planning the production process specifically, and managing and organizing the resources of the entire enterprise (capital, resources or personnel) in general. In the present example, a PC 141 and a server 142 are shown as the control units 140 in this management layer, which are connected to the controllers 131, 132 of the control layer via an Ethernet connection 102, for example.

[0056] Communication on one layer of the automation pyramid is called horizontal integration and takes place between the components of this layer. Vertical integration refers to communication between components in different layers. In such an automation solution 100 based on a conventional automation pyramid, horizontal and vertical integration are usually possible only to a very limited extent.

[0057] In the automation solution 100, the controllers 130 of the control layer are responsible for communication of the field devices 110, 120 of the field layer with the control units 140 of the management layer. In this solution, the controllers 130 of the control layer usually interact with certain field devices in a specific manner only in accordance with their programming, which was defined a priori. Flexible, spontaneous access from control units 140 of the management layer to any field devices 110, 120 of the field layer is usually not possible here.

[0058] In addition, horizontal integration of the field devices 110 and/or 120 of the field layer between one another is also barely possible, because only communication of the field devices 120 with the corresponding controller 131 or 132 is provided a priori.

[0059] Therefore the disclosure proposes an automation system that facilitates simple and effective interconnection of field devices 110, 120, 130 of the field layer and control layer and control units 140 of the management layer and that facilitates economically both horizontal and vertical integration.

[0060] A preferred embodiment of an automation system according to the disclosure of a machine is shown schematically in FIG. 2 and denoted by 200. Identical reference signs in FIGS. 1 and 2 denote identical or equivalent elements.

[0061] The automation system 200 is configured to provide an application interface 201 between field devices 110, 120, 130 of the field layer and control layer and control units 140 of the management layer. This application interface 201 is embodied in particular as a software interface and is provided, for example, by an executable computer program, which is executed on a processing unit 210 (gateway). This processing unit 210 is connected to the field devices 110, 120, 130 of the field layer and control layer and to the control units 140 of the management layer via a (not necessarily real-time) communication link 220, 230 and 240 respectively.

[0062] A data transfer of administration data for administration of the field devices 110, 120, 130 can be performed from the control units 140 of the management layer via this application interface 201. In this context, such administration data refers in particular to data that instructs the field devices 110, 120, 130 to execute certain functions and/or that can be used to ensure and/or check safe operation of the field devices. The administration data is in particular also called management data. A data transfer of the administration data is advantageously performed as part of what is known as management communication, in the course of which the control units 140 can access the field devices 100, 120, 130 in order to administer these devices and/or their functions.

[0063] In particular, management communication is thereby separated from operating-data communication. Operating-data communication can advantageously take place here, similar to the above description with reference to FIG. 1, using the real-time communication channels 101 between the controllers 130 of the control layer and the field devices 110, 120 of the field layer. Management communication is advantageously implemented not via the controllers 130 of the control layer but using the application interface 201.

[0064] For this purpose, the automation system 200, in particular the processing unit 210, is configured to perform a preferred embodiment of the method according to the disclosure. In this process, the application interface 201 or the processing unit 210 checks at specified time intervals whether a data transfer from one of the control units 140 to one of the field devices 110, 120, 130 is meant to take place. If this is the case, the data transfer is performed accordingly.

[0065] For example, as part of the management communication, the PC 141 can perform maintenance of the servomotors 111 to 115. For this purpose, the PC 141 first takes the servomotors 111 to 115 out of operation by means of a first data transfer of the administration data. Then the checking and/or maintenance is performed by means of a second data transfer of administration data. Then the servomotors 111 to 115 are put back into operation by means of a third data transfer.