Patents by Inventor Mario HOERNICKE

Mario HOERNICKE has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220147039
    Abstract: Systems and methods for event analytics in a modular industrial plant are provided. A method includes: monitoring events in a module of the modular industrial plant during a predetermined time interval; generating a module fingerprint based on the monitored events occurring in the module during the predetermined time interval; and performing module-based event analytics based on the generated module fingerprint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Marcel DIX, Katharina STARK, Roland BRAUN, Michael VACH, Sten GRUENER, Mario HOERNICKE, Nicolai SCHOCH
  • Publication number: 20220147029
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for reverse engineering control logic of a module for a modular industrial plant includes: obtaining module-related data including runtime data relating to prior use of the module during a timeperiod in which at least one piece of equipment of the module transitions from a first equipment state to a second equipment state, the runtime data including tags indicating the equipment state of the equipment at a plurality of timepoints during the timeperiod; and inferring from the module-related data one or more equipment state transition conditions causing the equipment to transition from the first equipment state to the second equipment state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2021
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Mario HOERNICKE, Katharina STARK, Roland BRAUN, Michael VACH, Sten GRUENER, Nicolai SCHOCH, Marcel DIX
  • Publication number: 20220011756
    Abstract: A method of providing a control software configuration for a module of a modular plant, the method including, in a module engineering phase: receiving a user definition for the module; and automatically generating the control software configuration for the module based on the user definition, the automatically generating including: specifying parameters for the module that are not specific to any target system; and providing the control software configuration as a controller-agnostic configuration file for subsequent binding of controller software instantiated according to the controller-agnostic configuration file to a hardware controller of the module when the module is integrated into a target system during a plant engineering phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Ralf Jeske, Joerg Schubert
  • Publication number: 20210397163
    Abstract: An engineering system for orchestration of an industrial plant includes: a modular plant to be orchestrated including at least one processor from a topology having: a process orchestration layer, and a plurality of modules. A portion of the the plurality of modules are formed as at least one combined module. Each combined module of the at least one combined module has at least two different modules of the portion of the plurality of modules. The process orchestration layer controls the plurality of modules. The control by the process orchestration layer includes in-direct control of the portion of the plurality of modules via control of the at least one combined module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Katharina Stark, Mario Hoernicke
  • Publication number: 20210365852
    Abstract: An automated maintenance schedule generation method includes: receiving planning data for designing a modular plant comprising physical modules as received planning data; selecting digital modules, correlating to respective physical modules, from a database, depending on the received planning data as respective correlating physical modules, the digital modules including maintenance information of the respective correlating physical modules; associating the selected digital modules depending on the received planning data; determining an expected maintenance need including an expected maintenance issue and/or an expected maintenance issue date for the selected physical modules depending on the received maintenance information as a determined maintenance need; and generating a maintenance schedule for the modular plant depending on the determined maintenance need.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Dirk Schulz, Mario Hoernicke
  • Publication number: 20210349453
    Abstract: A method for generating a dynamic model of an industrial plant having: a plurality of physical processes that are dependent such that an outcome of at least one first process is fed into at least one second process; a plurality of low-level controllers, each controller acting upon at least one physical process such that at least one process variable of the at least one physical process is controlled to match a set-point of the low-level controller; and a plurality of sensors, each sensor measuring at least one process variable of one of the physical processes, and/or of the plant as a whole, the set-points of the low-level controllers and current values of the process variables measured by the sensors being the inputs of the model, and predicted future values of the process variables that are likely to result from applying the set-points to the low-level controllers being the outputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Jan Christoph Schlake, Mario Hoernicke, Dirk Schulz
  • Publication number: 20210349454
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating a construction plan for a modular plant that is to execute a given industrial process includes: providing a flow chart of the industrial process, the flow chart including a sequence of actions, each action having at least one input for an educt to be processed by the action and at least one output for a product produced by the action, at least one product of one action being an educt for another action; providing at least one catalogue of module descriptions, each module description characterizing at least the educt inputs and the product outputs of at least one physical process module, and physical actions performed within the physical process module; and decomposing the flow chart into functional units with at least one educt input, at least one product output, and one or more actions leading from the one or more educts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Katharina Stark, Dirk Schulz, Raoul Jetley
  • Publication number: 20210318671
    Abstract: A method for determining an interdependency between a plurality of elements in an industrial processing system includes: providing a process flow diagram (PFD) of a topology of the processing system; transforming the PFD into a directed graph, each element of the plurality of elements being transformed into a node and each relation between the plurality of elements being transformed into a directed edge; selecting one node of the plurality of nodes as a starting node; and constructing a subgraph, the subgraph including all the nodes that are forward-connected from the starting node so as to show at least one interdependency between the plurality of elements in the subgraph.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Dennis JANKA, Moncef CHIOUA, Pablo RODRIGUEZ, Mario HOERNICKE, Benedikt SCHMIDT, Benjamin KLOEPPER
  • Publication number: 20210302950
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a method associated with a simulation model of a process module configured to execute at least one module service. The process module is interlinkable or interlinked with further process modules to carry out a technical process in a cascade of module services, and includes Providing a process logic specification of the technical process, a control logic specification of the process module, a state engine of the process module from a configuration of the at least one service, and a process connection information of the technical process; Generating at least a part of the simulation model from a combination thereof, and Linking at least a part of the generated simulation model to a module type package for the process module, or extending a module type package for the process module by at least a part of the generated simulation model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Katharina Stark
  • Publication number: 20210165386
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a process control system; at least one process module; and a process module logic entity associated with the at least one process module. The process control system communicates with the at least one process module via a process module interface. The process module logic entity provides a control logic of the at least one process module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventors: Mario HOERNICKE, Katharina STARK
  • Patent number: 10831748
    Abstract: A method for sorting alarm-messages of a plant having at least one alarm-area each having at least two plant-devices connected by at least one connection, wherein the at least one alarm-area is defined so that the plant-devices and the respective connection provide a directed graph, involves: providing at least one database containing alarm-data and topology-data; wherein the topology-data describe a directed graph having at least one connection with a related flow direction between the respective plant-devices of the respective assigned alarm-area; generating at least one partly complete first alarm-order of the alarm-messages of the at least one alarm-area by sorting the alarm-messages according to the flow direction of the directed graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: ABB SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Martin Hollender, Steve Royston
  • Publication number: 20200218220
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the computer-supported providing of information, available in the form of computer code, for a service of a process module, which can be coupled for forming an automated process section with other process modules, comprising the following steps: providing an operator with a selection option for statuses of the service of the process module from a predefined status diagram with at least two statuses; receiving an input for establishing at least one status from the predefined status diagram for the service; providing a list of those units of the process module which emit first signals and/or receive second signals; for each status of the service, enabling and receiving corresponding inputs for providing first data, which specifies an assignment of possible first and second signals of units from the list as a cause to possible first and second signals of units from the list as an effect; and, based on the first data, determining second data which specifies an assignment of p
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Katharina Stark, Mario Hoernicke
  • Patent number: 10606247
    Abstract: A process module is automatically configured for operation in a plant. During the operation of the process module in a first phase in a first operational environment, operational data that is related to the process module is received by a computer data system. In a second phase, when the process module is connected to a second operational environment, operational data is received again. The computer data system has a reply function that receives and processes a query and provides a response. Processing the query includes processing the operational data that was received during the first and second phases. The process module is then configured by using configuration parameters that are derived from the response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Chaojun Xu, Axel Haller, Rainer Drath
  • Patent number: 10528042
    Abstract: A system for monitoring a modular process plant complex having a plurality of interconnected process modules each of which includes a plurality of interconnected physical control objects. The physical control objects and their interconnections inside a physical process module are displayed together with associated control parameters as stylized control objects on an operator display screen with four different zooming levels: a first zooming level displaying diagrams of aggregated key performance indicators of the plant complex; a second zooming level displaying diagrams of the key performance indicators; a third zooming level displaying process modules associated with a plant area of the second zooming level; and a fourth zooming level displaying one or more physical control objects included in a process module of the third zooming level together with the associated control parameters and interconnections as stylized control objects on the operator screen display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Axel Haller, Chaojun Xu, Mario Hoernicke, Rainer Drath, Ralf Jeske
  • Publication number: 20190303516
    Abstract: A system model creating and simulation device for a process control system obtains description files of process modules including inputs, outputs and process control devices therebetween, where each description file specifies, for the corresponding module, connection terminals in the form of inputs and outputs, the process control devices and the interconnection of process control devices between the connection terminals, analyses of the description files, having determining a connection terminal of a first process module matching a connection terminal of a second process module, determines connections between the process modules based on the analysis, having determining a connection between the matching connection terminals, selecting simulation objects corresponding to the process control devices of the process modules, interconnecting the simulation objects according to data in the description files as well as through the connections determined between the process modules for forming a simulation model, an
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Axel Haller, Chaojun Xu, Mario Hoernicke, Rainer Drath
  • Patent number: 10409248
    Abstract: A configuration system and method for process automation configured to access structural process diagrams representing process components. Each process component includes interconnections between process components. Each interconnection represents a physical connection. The system has at least one processor configured to generate corresponding process object instances for process components wherein a particular component type defines at least an interlock property and/or an operating condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Chaojun Xu, Axel Haller, Rainer Drath, Ralf Jeske
  • Patent number: 10346584
    Abstract: A method for generating model data of a plant having at least one sub-part involves: providing at least one respective diagram of an HMI interface for a respective sub-part, which contains topology information thereof; transferring the respective diagram, if necessary, into a computer readable form; importing the respective transferred diagram into a data storage of a computer and preferably automatically extracting model data of the respective sub-part therefrom, wherein the model data describe at least in part the topology of the respective sub-part; and providing the model data to an interface of the computer, wherein extracting model data from a diagram involves: detection of plant objects; and detection of plant object connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: ABB AG
    Inventor: Mario Hoernicke
  • Patent number: 10317868
    Abstract: A system for testing a distributed control system of an industrial plant is provided. The distributed control system includes at least two industrial control devices and at least one data communication device. The system includes at least one engineering computer that includes an engineering data storage unit for storing engineering data of at least one part of the distributed control system, and at least one human machine interface for manipulating the engineering data. The system also includes at least one remote data processing server connected to the at least one engineering computer via a remote data connection and including an emulating virtual machine on which a soft emulator is installed for emulating one of the at least two industrial control devices and the at least one data communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: ABB SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Ben Schroeter, Fan Dai, Hao Ding, Mario Hoernicke, Nicolas Mauser, Peter Weber
  • Publication number: 20180329398
    Abstract: A process module (110) is automatically configured for operation in a plant (B). During the operation of the process INmodule (110) in a first phase (1) in a first operational environment (A), operational data (DATA) that is related to the process module (110) is received by a computer data system (120). In a second phase (2), when the process module (110) is connected to a N second operational environment (B), operational data (DATA) is received again. The computer data system (120) has a reply function that receives and processes a query (Q.) and provides a response (R). Processing comprises to process the operational data (DATA) that was received during in the first and second phases. The process module (110) is then configured by using configuration parameters (150) that are derived from the response (R).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Chaojun Xu, Axel Haller, Rainer Drath
  • Publication number: 20180314222
    Abstract: A configuration system and method for process automation configured to access structural process diagrams representing process components. Each process component includes interconnections between process components. Each interconnection represents a physical connection. The system has at least one processor configured to generate corresponding process object instances for process components wherein a particular component type defines at least an interlock property and/or an operating condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Mario Hoernicke, Chaojun Xu, Axel Haller, Rainer Drath, Ralf Jeske