Abstract: An automation equipment includes a system unit and a driver. The system unit has at least one memory including a real time operating unit and an application program unit that performs monitoring or control functions in an automation application. The driver is directly included in the system unit and is configured to connect to a TCP/IP network without going through a back panel bus. The operating unit of the system unit includes a communications management module configured to communicate to the TCP/IP network, and a control task unit responsible for controlling execution of the communications management module, the control task unit being directly connected to the communications management module to avoid disturbing an operation of the application program unit.

Abstract: A communication system on an IP network between an automation equipment and one or more remote devices. The communication system is based on the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) for the. purpose of providing the remote device with automation equipment supervision, display, control, configuration or programming functions. The automation equipment comprises at least one WEB service and/or one WEB client able to interact with a program of the automation equipment, capable of decoding messages received from the IP network encoded according to the SOAP protocol and capable of encoding messages to be sent according to the SOAP protocol. A service description document, accessible to a remote device describes the capacities of one or more WEB services implanted in an automation equipment. This document may be stored or constructed dynamically by a generator.

Abstract: A method of visualizing or graphically printing an automatism application programmed on a programming station with the aid of a graphic automatism languages on a computer terminal. The method includes storing a source program associated with an application program formulated in one of the graphic automatism languages on the terminal, the source program being translated into a single, hierarchical object oriented language (XML); and storing at least one style sheet associated with a graphic language on the computer in order to generate a graphic vector file containing drawing instructions enabling the automatism application to be displayed graphically on the terminal.

Abstract: This invention is a system for remotely loading and remotely maintaining an electronic card (5) belonging to automation equipment and comprising a minimum of a processing unit (31), an internal bus (30) and a resources controller (10) which has one or more JTAG interface registers (42, 43) accessible for reading/writing by a JTAG server (50) that is external to the automation equipment. The resources controller (10) contains a status engine (11) capable of interpreting and carrying out instructions stored in one or more of the JTAG interface registers (43) and able to use the resources (21a, 21b, 21i) managed by the resources controller (10) and shared with the processing unit (31), without the intervention of the processing unit (31).

Abstract: Communication system on an IP network between automation equipment capable of executing at least one program to provide automation functions and one or more remote items of equipment executing one or several computer applications. The communication system conforms with the WSDL (Web Services Description Language) language and provides monitoring, display, control, configuration or programming functions of the automation equipment to remote equipment. The communication system uses at least one service description document that conforms with the WSDL language accessible through a URL address and that describes capabilities of one or several WEB services capable of interacting with a program on the automation equipment.

Abstract: This invention relates to a communication system between a programmable logic controller (PLC) equipped with an HTTP server and a client machine (C) via a network (B), characterized in that it comprises, in the central processing unit (CPU) of this controller, a means (API 1a) for adding “group sheets” (M1, M2. . . ) in XML format, whereon elements or signals for watching or controlling the process automated by the application of the programmable logic controller are grouped, as well as a means (API 1b) for adding/deleting elements or signals on these sheets, by specifying the type thereof, a means (API 1c, API 1d) for reading or writing these elements, and a means (API 2b, API 2c, API 2d) for reading these sheets and for writing on these sheets upon a query from the HTTP server.

Abstract: This invention relates to a programming station for an automation application that will be executed in an automation equipment. The programming station stores at least one file in an internal memory containing a description grammar for automation applications in text format, for at least one of the graphic automation languages (Ladder, SFC, FBD) using a single, hierarchised and object oriented language. It also contains a set of one or several description files, each description file describing part of the automation application and being expressed in this single language. The single, hierarchised and object oriented language is the XML (eXtended Markup Language) language.

Abstract: The invention relates to a diagnostic system which involves the use of a piece of observed information (5) coming from a process (1) monitored by a programmable automaton (10). The diagnostic system includes: an observation module (30) which collects, at input, the information observed (5) and delivers, at output, a piece of processed information (35) to a learning module (40); and a detection module (20) which collects, at input, the observed information (5) in order to apply a detection process (21) thereto including a diagnostic function (45), which comes from the learning module (40), in order to deliver a diagnostic result (25) at output. The observation module (30) and the detection module (20) are executed by the processing unit (11) of the programmable automaton (10) in the form of function units in accordance with standard IEC1131-3. The learning module (40) elaborates the diagnostic function (45) using an algorithm based on neural networks or on fuzzy logic.

Abstract: Automation equipment executes a real-time program for carrying out monitoring/control in an automation application. The automation equipment includes a USB connector connected via a USB bus driver circuit to an internal bus. The automation equipment also includes a software task in charge of controlling a flow of communications exchanged via the USB connector with remote equipments. The characteristics of the application program are executed in the automation equipment.

Abstract: A communication system for automation equipment on a TCP/IP network. The automation equipment controls an automation application by executing an application program written according to standard IEC1131-3. The communication system includes at least a reception WEB function block integrated into the application program to implement a WEB server function, and/or at least one send WEB function block integrated into the application program to implement a WEB client function, and an HTTP interface capable of routing messages between the TCP/IP network and WEB function blocks identified by a URL address. The contents of HTTP requests may be an XML frame or a UEL encoded frame.

Abstract: A process for programming an automation application program on an automation equipment programming station, including defining several structured type objects each representing an input-output channel of automation equipment, declaring symbolic input-output variables of the program as an instance of a previously defined structured type object, a configuring symbolic input-output variables comprising a definition of the physical location of inputs-outputs of the automation equipment, automatically interpreting the program to execute it on the automation equipment, comprising replacing symbolic variables in the program with the complete topological address of corresponding input-output information.

Abstract: This invention relates to a programming station comprising a memory containing description files, each description file describing part of an automation application and being expressed in a single, hierarchised and object oriented language such as the XML language. The programming station uses a compression program that generates a file in the compacted format stored in a memory on the automation equipment, for each description file. The compression program comprises a step to reduce tags contained in a description file by applying a specific stylesheet and a step to execute a compaction algorithm adapted to XML files.

Abstract: This invention relates to a programming station for an automation application that will be executed in an automation equipment. The programming station stores at least one file in an internal memory containing a description grammar for automation applications in text format, for at least one of the graphic automation languages (Ladder, SFC, FBD) using a single, hierarchised and object oriented language. It also contains a set of one or several description files, each description file describing part of the automation application and being expressed in this single language. The single, hierarchised and object oriented language is the XML (eXtended Markup Language) language.

Abstract: The invention relates to a safety communication system in a automation application (5), comprising a first communication bus (19) on which at least one first safety monitor (12) is connected fitted with several outputs (13), and a second communication bus (29) on which are fitted a second inputs safety module (25), capable of generating a second safety signal, and a second safety monitor (22) receiving said safety signal and fitted with several outputs (23), on the second communication bus (29). Outputs (13) of the first safety monitor (12) are electrically connected to inputs of the second inputs module (25) so as to control at least one output (23) of the second safety monitor (22) as a function of the state of the outputs (13) of the first safety monitor (12).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for accessing a programmable automatism unit (10) based on a WAP architecture, from at least a standalone communicating mobile device (40), such as a portable telephone, which integrates a navigator (41) complying with WAP architecture. This system includes a Web server (20), embedded in a piece of automatism equipment of the automatism unit (10), capable of generating static or dynamic informative data according to the WML language, and a network interface (30), connected to the Web server (20) through a network (25) of the Internet type, which authorizes access to said informative data from a WAP navigator (41) of a mobile device (40) communicating through a wireless network (35), in such a way that a user of such a WAP navigator (41) may access functions for monitoring, viewing and controlling the automatism unit (10).

Abstract: A redundant automation system including a set of redundant PLCs including of a pair of PLCs each equipped with two communication couplers. The first coupler in the first PLC is connected to the first coupler in the second PLC through a first Ethernet network and the second coupler in the first PLC is connected to the second coupler in the second PLC through a second Ethernet network, connecting them to at least one remote equipment. Each of the PLCs has a hardware address and an IP address, the set of redundant PLCs being accessible from outside by a single IP address assigned to a first normal PLC, and a switching mechanism assigns the address related to normal operation to the second PLC, the IP address of the standby operation being assigned to the first PLC.

Abstract: This invention is a system for remotely loading and remotely maintaining an electronic card (5) belonging to automation equipment and comprising a minimum of a processing unit (31), an internal bus (30) and a resources controller (10) which has one or more JTAG interface registers (42, 43) accessible for reading/writing by a JTAG server (50) that is external to the automation equipment. The resources controller (10) contains a status engine (11) capable of interpreting and carrying out instructions stored in one or more of the JTAG interface registers (43) and able to use the resources (21a, 21b, 21i) managed by the resources controller (10) and shared with the processing unit (31), without the intervention of the processing unit (31).

Abstract: A distributed automation system comprising a programmable logic controller connected to programmable logic controllers equipped with a host unit and couplers communicating with the host unit through the back panel bus. One of the couplers is connected through a bus to associated equipment, wherein the coupler can communicate with the associated equipment through a server function using the TCP/IP protocol. The server coupler is provided with a mass memory containing (1) “PLC variables” type software objects that manage access to PLC variables, and (2) “manufacturer” type software objects that transform information from PLC variable objects to manufacturer-type information that can be used by the associated equipment.

Abstract: The invention relates to a piece of automation equipment executing a real-time program (70) for carrying out the monitoring/control of an automation application. It includes a USB type connector (81) connected via a USB bus driver circuit (8) to an internal bus (9) of the automation equipment and a software task (1,31,32,60,61,62,67) in charge of controlling the flow of communications exchanged via the USB connector (81) with remote equipments, with the characteristics of the application program (70) executed in the automation equipment.

Abstract: The invention relates to automation equipment comprising a system unit (1) that has a real time operating system (10) and an application program (20) for monitoring/control of an automation application. The automation equipment comprises a driver (40) for the TCP/IP network (4) that is directly included in the system unit (1) without going through a back panel bus. The operating system (10) of the system unit (1) comprises a management module (30) for communications on the TCP/IP network (4) and a control task (12) responsible for controlling execution of the communications management module (30) to the characteristics of the automation application to avoid disturbing operation of the application program (20).