Abstract: Industrial automation systems are often inflexible, which can result in delays that are costly and inconvenient. In particular, it is recognized herein that the engineering phase of automation system implementation currently represents a significant portion of the overall cost of an automation system. As described herein, automation system configurations can be automatically generated. For example, a discover match use (DMU) system described herein can reduce engineering time while providing design flexibility.

Abstract: An automation system and a method of injecting transactional services in automation is provided. The method performed by the automation system comprises providing a gatekeeper for deployment access control to determine which components can be deployed by an abstraction layer. The method further comprises providing a plugin interface between a consumer plugin associated with a first automation function and a provider plugin associated with a second automation function. The method further comprises injecting an interceptor plugin associated with a transactional service of the transactional services between the consumer plugin and the provider plugin based on an interceptor design pattern.

Abstract: Service interfaces and data topics can be discovered and retrieved so as to bridge different industrial automation ecosystems, programming languages, platforms, and the like, together. For example, nodes of one ecosystem can discover endpoints (e.g., interfaces and topics) across heterogeneous incompatible ecosystems, without changing the ecosystem. Further, endpoint descriptions are managed across heterogeneous incompatible ecosystems. Endpoint descriptions can be automatically generated based on interface and topic description in an interface description file. Such descriptions can also be automatically exported into registries of other ecosystems.

Abstract: A method of monitoring a track using train cars includes collecting first sensor data corresponding to a track location by a first sensor network on a first train car. Based on the first sensor data, a potential track anomaly at the track location is identified by a diagnostics system on the first train car. A message describing the anomaly is transmitted to diagnostics systems located on other train cars. The message is received by a second diagnostics system on a second train car located behind the first train car. The second diagnostics system determines a time at which the second train car will be passing over track location and, at the determined time, collects second sensor data. If the track anomaly is present in both the first sensor data and the second sensor data at the track location, a train control system is notified of the track anomaly.

Abstract: Current approaches to integrating industrial ecosystems, for instance integrating automation functions across different vendors, lack efficiencies and capabilities. For example, system integrators are often required to develop special software that functions as a proxy or adaptor between different systems. In such cases, the proxy or adaptor is often specific to a particular set of equipment or vendors, and which can limit reusability, among other technical drawbacks. Embodiments described herein overcome one or more of the described-herein shortcomings or technical problems by providing methods, systems, and apparatuses for automatically generating connecters that enable interoperability between different ecosystems in automated industrial systems, and that define semantics that are specific to a given ecosystem. Further, such connectors can be re-used by the given ecosystem.

Abstract: Current approaches to integrating industrial ecosystems, for instance integrating automation functions across different vendors of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), lack efficiencies and capabilities. In an example aspect, a consumer, for instance a PLC, can poll PLCs for an automation function. In response to the polling, a first PLC that includes a memory defining a plurality of dedicated memory areas, can retrieve an interface from a registry memory area that stores information concerning available interfaces in a provider memory area of the plurality of dedicated memory areas, such that the consumer discovers the interface. The consumer can bind to the interface so as to establish a connection between the consumer and the first PLC at runtime of the automation function. In some cases, the plurality of dedicated memory areas further defines a consumer memory area.

Abstract: A system for managing physical assets in a manufacturing system includes a plurality of product controllers corresponding to physical assets in the manufacturing system. Each product controller is configured to store a desired product state for a physical asset and collect sensor data received from other digital companions. Furthermore, each product controller determines an actual product state based on the collected sensor data, as well as one or more actions to be performed on one or more physical assets in the manufacture system to yield the desired product state. Once the actions are determined, the product controller transmits control instructions for performing the one or more actions to one or more operation controllers in the manufacturing system.

Abstract: A system for using digital twins to interact with physical objects in an automation system includes a plurality of controller devices, a process image backbone, and a registry comprising a plurality of digital twins. Each respective controller device comprises a volatile computer-readable storage medium comprising a process image area. The process image backbone provides the controllers with uniform access to the process image area of each controller. Each digital twin in the registry corresponds to a physical device controllable via one of the controllers devices via a corresponding process image area.

Abstract: An automation system and a method of injecting transactional services in automation is provided. The method performed by the automation system comprises providing a gatekeeper for deployment access control to determine which components can be deployed by an abstraction layer. The method further comprises providing a plugin interface between a consumer plugin associated with a first automation function and a provider plugin associated with a second automation function. The method further comprises injecting an interceptor plugin associated with a transactional service of the transactional services between the consumer plugin and the provider plugin based on an interceptor design pattern.

Abstract: Current approaches to integrating industrial ecosystems, for instance integrating automation functions across different vendors, lack efficiencies and capabilities. For example, system integrators are often required to develop special software that functions as a proxy or adaptor between different systems. In such cases, the proxy or adaptor is often specific to a particular set of equipment or vendors, and which can limit reusability, among other technical drawbacks. Embodiments described herein overcome e one or more of the described-herein shortcomings or technical problems by providing methods, systems, and apparatuses for automatically generating interfaces, for instance glue code, that enables interoperability between different ecosystems in automated industrial systems.

Abstract: A method for executing a machine learning model with a controller includes a processor within the controller writing input values to a process image within the controller. The term process image refers to a predefined address space within volatile memory of the controller. A co-processor connected to the controller reads the input values from the process image and applies a machine learning model to the input values to generate output values. The co-processor writes output values to the process image and the processor reads those output values from the process image. The process can then execute an application program that utilizes the one or more output values.

Abstract: A method of monitoring a track using train cars includes collecting first sensor data corresponding to a track location by a first sensor network on a first train car. Based on the first sensor data, a potential track anomaly at the track location is identified by a diagnostics system on the first train car. A message describing the anomaly is transmitted to diagnostics systems located on other train cars. The message is received by a second diagnostics system on a second train car located behind the first train car. The second diagnostics system determines a time at which the second train car will be passing over track location and, at the determined time, collects second sensor data. If the track anomaly is present in both the first sensor data and the second sensor data at the track location, a train control system is notified of the track anomaly.

Abstract: A system for implementing automation functions through abstraction layers includes a control application and an automation equipment abstraction framework executable in a runtime environment. The control application is designed to communicate with automation equipment using one or more automation functions. Each automation function comprises one or more equipment-agnostic instructions. During execution of the control application, the automation equipment abstraction framework receives an equipment-agnostic instructions and an indication of a particular unit of automation equipment. The automation equipment abstraction framework translates the equipment-agnostic instructions into equipment-specific automation instructions executable on the particular unit of automation equipment. These equipment-specific automation instructions may then be sent to the particular unit of automation equipment.

Abstract: A system for providing access to locally stored process image data to other devices in an industrial production environment includes a plurality of controller devices and a process image backbone. Each respective controller device comprises the following: a volatile computer-readable storage medium comprising a process image area; a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium; a control program configured to provide operating instructions to a production unit; an input/output component configured to update the process image area during each scan cycle or upon the occurrence of one or more events with process image data items associated with the production unit; and a historian component configured to locally store the process image data items of the process image area as time series data in the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. The process image backbone provides the plurality of controllers with uniform access to the process image data items of each programmable logic device.

Abstract: A system for using digital twins to interact with physical objects in an automation system includes a plurality of controller devices, a process image backbone, and a registry comprising a plurality of digital twins. Each respective controller device comprises a volatile computer-readable storage medium comprising a process image area. The process image backbone provides the controllers with uniform access to the process image area of each controller. Each digital twin in the registry corresponds to a physical device controllable via one of the controllers devices via a corresponding process image area.

Abstract: A system for implementing automation functions through abstraction layers includes a control application and an automation equipment abstraction framework executable in a runtime environment. The control application is designed to communicate with automation equipment using one or more automation functions. Each automation function comprises one or more equipment-agnostic instructions. During execution of the control application, the automation equipment abstraction framework receives an equipment-agnostic instructions and an indication of a particular unit of automation equipment. The automation equipment abstraction framework translates the equipment-agnostic instructions into equipment-specific automation instructions executable on the particular unit of automation equipment. These equipment-specific automation instructions may then be sent to the particular unit of automation equipment.

Abstract: A system for managing physical assets in a manufacturing system includes a plurality of product controllers corresponding to physical assets in the manufacturing system. Each product controller is configured to store a desired product state for a physical asset and collect sensor data received from other digital companions. Furthermore, each product controller determines an actual product state based on the collected sensor data, as well as one or more actions to be performed on one or more physical assets in the manufacture system to yield the desired product state. Once the actions are determined, the product controller transmits control instructions for performing the one or more actions to one or more operation controllers in the manufacturing system.

Abstract: A system for storing data in an industrial production environment includes a distributed database stored on a plurality of intelligent programmable logic controller devices. Each respective intelligent programmable logic controller device includes a volatile computer-readable storage medium containing a process image area; a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium; a control application; an input/output component; a historian component; and a distributed data management component. The control application is configured to provide operating instructions to a production unit. The input/output component is configured to update the process image area during each scan cycle with data associated with the production unit. The historian component is configured to store automation system data including the operating instructions and contents of the process image area on the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium.

Abstract: A method of managing a control system includes: executing a first iteration of a program in a first processor core of a multi-core computer system during a first period (S1501), executing a second iteration of the program in a second processor core of the multi-core system during a second period that overlaps the first period (S1502); and using outputs of the iterations to control the control system (S1503).

Abstract: A method of operating an intelligent programmable logic controller over a plurality of scan cycles includes creating, by the intelligent programmable logic controller, a process image area in a volatile computer-readable storage medium operably coupled to the intelligent programmable logic controller. The intelligent programmable logic controller then updates the process image area during each scan cycle with contents comprising data associated with a production unit. The contents of the process image area are stored by the intelligent programmable logic controller during each scan cycle on a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium operably coupled to the intelligent programmable logic controller. The intelligent programmable logic controller annotates the contents of the process image area with automation system context information to generate contextualized data.