Abstract: A method may include receiving, via a processor, image data associated with a user's surrounding and generating, via the processor, a visualization that may include a virtual industrial automation device. The virtual industrial automation device may depict a virtual object within image data, and the virtual object may correspond to a physical industrial automation device. The method may include displaying, via the processor, the visualization via an electronic display and detecting, via the processor, a gesture in image data that may include the user's surrounding and the visualization. The gesture may be indicative of a request to move the virtual industrial automation device. The method may include tracking, via the processor, a user's movement, generating, via the processor, a visualization that may include an animation of the virtual industrial automation device moving based on the user's movement, and displaying, via the processor, the visualization via the electronic display.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, may cause the at least one processor to retrieve a first training profile of a plurality of training profiles from a database, identify a plurality of index keywords in a respective training content of the first training profile, in which the respective training content includes audio data, video data, or both, and divide the first training profile into a plurality of sections based on the plurality of index keywords. Each of the plurality of sections is selectable for playback.

Abstract: An industrial automation component includes a power source configured to harvest power from an ambient environment surrounding the industrial automation component. The industrial automation component is configured to use the power to operate. The industrial automation component also includes a control system configured to use the power to control one or more operations of the industrial automation component and a display communicatively coupled to the control system and the power source. The control system is configured to use the power the cause the display to present a visualization, and the display is configured to maintain presentation of the visualization in absence of the power.

Abstract: A hybrid data collection and analysis infrastructure combines edge-level and cloud-level computing to perform high-level monitoring and control of industrial systems and processes. Edge devices located on-premise at one or more plant facilities can collect data from multiple industrial devices on the plant floor and perform local edge-level analytics on the collected data. In addition, the edge devices maintain a communication channel to a cloud platform executing cloud-level data collection and analytic services. As necessary, the edge devices can pass selected sets of data to the cloud platform, where the cloud-level analytic services perform higher level analytics on the industrial data. The hybrid architecture operates in a bi-directional manner, allowing the cloud-level and edge-level analytics to send control instructions to industrial devices based on results of the edge-level and cloud-level analytics.

Abstract: A power conversion system includes an inverter and a controller configured to: responsive to startup of the system, measure a motor speed of the IPM motor; responsive to the motor speed being less than a threshold, generate the inverter switching control signals to perform high frequency injection (HFI); during the HFI, determine a measured angle of the IPM motor; during the HFI, generate the inverter switching control signals to provide an injected current to the IPM motor; detect acceleration or deceleration of the IPM motor responsive to the injected current; selectively determine an electrical angle as half the measured angle or as 180 degrees plus half the measured angle based on the detected acceleration or deceleration of the IPM motor; and responsive to determining the electrical angle, generate the inverter switching control signals to drive the IPM motor to a reference frequency in a normal operating mode of the inverter.

Abstract: A system includes an electrical enclosure, an industrial automation component disposed within the electrical enclosure, in which the industrial automation component is configured to receive external power from an external power source to perform an operation, a display configured to maintain presentation of image data in absence of the external power being received by the industrial automation component from the external power source, and a control system communicatively coupled to the industrial automation component and to the display. The control system is configured to perform operations that include receiving an indication that the external power is within a range of a threshold, in which the threshold is associated with an insufficient amount of power for the industrial automation component to operate, identifying an error associated with the industrial automation component in response to receiving the indication, and causing the display to render image data indicative of the error.

Abstract: A trip apparatus has a power terminal, an actuator, a rectifier coupled to the power terminal, a selector, and a processor, the actuator having a pusher member and a coil, the pusher member movable between a first position that does not actuate an actuator interface of a connected circuit breaker and a second position that actuates the actuator interface. The processor has a first input, a second input, and an output, the first input of the processor is coupled to the output of the rectifier, the second input of the processor coupled to an output of the selector, and the output of the processor coupled to the actuator. The processor determines a threshold based on a select signal received at the second input of the processor, and compares a voltage at the first input of the processor to the threshold. The processor controls the coil to selectively control the pusher member in the first or second position based on the comparison of the voltage at the first input of the processor to the threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting a failure in a redundant signal path during operation of the redundant path is disclosed. A test signal is sequentially injected into each signal path while an input signal is conducted by the other signal path not receiving the test signal. The test signal is selected at a frequency to verify operation of a filter connected in series along each path. A processor generates the test signal, injects the test signal at the input of the filter, and receives the output of the filter. The processor then generates a frequency response of the filter in each signal path as a function of the output from the filter and of the original test signal. The frequency response obtained along each of the redundant signal paths is compared to each other to detect a failure of one of the filters present along the respective signal paths.

Abstract: An industrial safety zone configuration system leverages a digital twin of an industrial automation system to assist in configuring safety sensors for accurate monitoring of a desired detection zone. The system renders a graphical representation of the automation system based on the digital twin and allows a user to define a desired detection zone to be monitored as a three-dimensional volume within the virtual industrial environment. Users can define the locations and orientations of respective safety sensors as sensor objects that can be added to the graphical representation. Each sensor object has a set of object attributes representing configuration settings available on the corresponding physical sensor. The system can identify sensor configuration settings that will yield an estimated detection zone that closely conforms to the defined detection zone, and generate sensor configuration data based on these settings that can be used to configure the physical safety sensors.

Abstract: A motor starter has a housing, a contactor portion disposed within the housing, a motor protection system disposed within the housing adjacent to the contactor portion in a vertical direction, and an actuation system disposed within the housing. The contactor portion may switch between an open position and a closed position, in which, in the open position, current does not flow through the motor starter and, in the closed position, current is allowed to flow through the motor starter. The motor protection system includes a plurality of components that may move the contactor portion to the open position based on a current flow, in which the actuation system may move the contactor portion between the closed position and the open position in response to receiving an input.

Abstract: A motor control center includes an enclosure comprising an isolation switch, a main contactor device, and a ground switch device. The isolation switch is selectively manually operable between a connected state and a disconnected state. In the connected state the isolation switch is adapted to conduct electrical power from an associated power source to the main contactor device and wherein the isolation switch in the disconnected state interrupts conduction of electrical power from the associated power source to the main contactor device.

Abstract: A tamper detection apparatus includes a switch and a tamper detection circuit with a non-volatile memory in an industrial product enclosure. In response to the switch detecting a door or panel of an industrial product enclosure being open when an electronic component or system in the enclosure is unpowered, the tamper detection circuit stores a tamper event code in the non-volatile memory. After the electronic component or system is powered, a system processor obtains the tamper event code from the tamper detection circuit and refrains from operating a machine or process pending reset of the industrial product by a user.

Abstract: An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) supports a testing framework that verifies operation of all aspects of the project (e.g., controller code, HMI screens or other visualizations, panel layouts, wiring schedules, etc.). As part of this testing framework, automation objects supported by the industrial IDE include associated test scripts designed to execute one or more test scenarios appropriate to the type of automation object or project being tested. Test scripts can also be associated with portions of the system project. The testing platform applies testing to the automation project as a whole in a holistic manner rather than to specific portions of a control program, verifying linkages across design platforms (e.g., control code, visualization, panel layouts, wiring, piping, etc.) that may otherwise not be tested.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, may cause processor to receive a set of user data associated with a user that is attempting to access an electronic lock, receive a request to actuate a locking mechanism of the electronic lock configured to prevent the user from accessing a machine in an industrial automation system, actuate the locking mechanism in response to the request and the set of user data corresponding to an expected set of data, store a log of the request and the set of user data, and send the log to a cloud-based computing system.

Abstract: A system and method for adjusting the alignment and location of a magnet. A first actuator exerts a first applied force to urge the magnet in a first axial direction and a first biasing device exerts a first opposing force. The first applied force and opposing forces are modulated relative to each other to position the magnet at a lateral location. A second actuator exerts a second applied force to urge the magnet in a first angular direction about a pivot axis and a second biasing device exerts a second opposing force. The second applied and opposing forces are modulated relative to each other to position the magnet at a select angular orientation relative to the magnet holder. The magnet is secured to the magnet holder after positioning. The magnet can also be rotated about its geometric centerline to position its magnetic axis.

Abstract: Techniques to facilitate communication between remote industrial assets are disclosed herein. In at least one implementation, a computing system provides a virtual private network (VPN) service for an industrial automation network of an industrial automation enterprise. The computing system communicates with a first gateway system to establish a first connection between a first industrial asset and the VPN service for the industrial automation network. The computing system also communicates with a second gateway system to establish a second connection between a second industrial asset and the VPN service for the industrial automation network, wherein the second industrial asset is located at a disparate location than the first industrial asset.

Abstract: A method may include receiving, via a first computing node of a cluster of computing nodes in a container orchestration system, a pod from a second computing node in the cluster of computing nodes. The method may also include retrieving an image file comprising one or more containers from a registry, such that the pod may include an indication of a location of the image file in the registry. The one or more containers may include one or more pre-analytic operations for a control system of a plurality of control systems to perform. The method may then involve generating a package based on the one or more containers and storing the package in a filesystem shared with the control system.

Abstract: A motor control center includes an enclosure comprising an isolation switch, a main contactor device, and a ground switch device. The isolation switch is selectively manually operable between a connected state and a disconnected state. In the connected state the isolation switch is adapted to conduct electrical power from an associated power source to the main contactor device and wherein the isolation switch in the disconnected state interrupts conduction of electrical power from the associated power source to the main contactor device.

Abstract: For locking industrial safety guarding, a sensor includes an inductive coil that generates a second sensing field about a second sensing field axis at a second frequency that detects advancement of a locking bolt. The sensor further includes at least two radio frequency identifier (RFID) coils that generate a first sensing field at a first frequency that detects an RFID tag. A second RFID coil of the at least two RFID coils has a second polarity reversed from a first polarity a first RFID coil of the at least two RFID coils and reduces the first sensing field at the second sensing field axis.

Abstract: Systems and methods for estimating electrical component degradation include a processor programmed to: compute a cumulative degradation value for an electrical system component of an electrical system based on an operating parameter of the electrical system component; and to compute a corrosion compensated cumulative degradation value for the electrical system component based on the cumulative degradation value and a corrosion rating of the electrical system.