Abstract: A method for detecting change points, CPs, in a signal of a process automation system, includes, in an offline learning phase, unsupervised, candidate CPs on at least one offline signal using unsupervised detection method are detected, CPs are selected from the candidate CPs; the selected CPs are provided to a supervised process; in the supervised process, an offline machine-learning (ML) system is trained to refine CPs from the selected CPs using a supervised machine learning method; a training data set for an online ML system is created using the offline ML system by projecting the refined CPs on the signal; the online ML system is trained in a supervised manner, using the created training data set; and after the offline learning phase, CPs are detected using the trained online ML system.

Abstract: An assistance system comprises a plant topology repository comprising a representation of the components of the plant and relations between the components; a monitoring subsystem configured for monitoring signals from the components and for monitoring a related event, as a key for the monitored signals; an aggregation subsystem configured for storing a plurality of the monitored signals and the related events, wherein at least one of the events is the abnormal situation; an identification subsystem configured for comparing currently monitored signals to stored monitored signals and the related event; and an evaluation subsystem configured for outputting a predefined action, if the currently monitored signals match to the event that is the abnormal situation.

Abstract: A method for generating and/or augmenting an execution protocol for an SOP in an industrial plant includes providing at least one SOP of the plant, which includes a plurality of steps; providing measurement data; for each step of the SOP, determining from the measurement data a subset of the measurement data that is indicative of actions performed for the purpose of executing this particular step of the SOP; and aggregating the subset of the measurement data determined for each step of the SOP into at least one instruction for executing this particular step of the SOP, wherein this instruction is part of the sought protocol.

Abstract: A method for providing a solution strategy for a current event in industrial process automation includes monitoring a process for events and recording manual user action data, upon occurrence of an event, acquiring the recorded data regarding manual user actions before, during, and after the occurrence of the event, learning a procedure for handling the event based on the acquired data, and applying the learnt procedure to a currently occurring event.

Abstract: A method includes acquiring state variables that characterize an operational state of an industrial plant; acquiring interaction events of a plant operator interacting with the distributed control system via a human-machine interface; determining based on the interaction events, and with state variables as input data, whether one or more interaction events are indicative of the plant operator executing a task that is not sufficiently covered by engineering of the distributed control system. When this determination is positive, mapping the input data to an amendment and/or augmentation for the engineering tool that has generated the application code.

Abstract: A control module is adapted to control technical equipment by processing batch-run data from the technical equipment. The control module operates according to parameters that are obtained by a parameter module. The module receives a reference plurality of multi-variate reference time series with data values from sources that are related to the equipment. There are time series with measurement values and time series with data that describes particular manufacturing operations during a batch-run time interval. The module splits the time interval into phases by determining transitions between the particular manufacturing operations, and divides the time series into particular phase-specific partial series. For each phase separately, and for the phase-specific partial series in combination, the module differentiates phase-specific time series into relevant partial time series or non-relevant partial time series and set the parameters accordingly.

Abstract: A method for controlling a virtual assistant for an industrial plant includes receiving by an input interface an information request, wherein the information request comprises at least one request for receiving information about at least part of the industrial plant; determining by a control unit a model specification using the received information request; determining by a model manager a machine learning model using the model specification; and providing by the control unit a response to the information request using the determined machine learning model.

Abstract: An industrial plant operator intervention system for use in an industrial plant includes a processing unit configured to monitor and analyze industrial plant operation data to detect an anomaly in the industrial plant operation data that warrants initiating an operator intervention, and in response to detecting the anomaly, automatically determine a user interface configuration of a user interface to be presented to a designated operator who is to perform the operator intervention. The user interface configuration is determined on the basis of technical context data, including industrial plant operation data associated with the anomaly, and on the basis of operator data pertaining to the designated operator, in such a manner that an anomaly-related and operator-specific user interface configuration is obtained.

Abstract: A method for generating a process model modeling a manual mode procedure instance of a plant process includes providing log events of operational actions; selecting related sequences of manual mode operational actions from the log events; filtering the related sequences according to an individual plant section; identifying a sequential order from the filtered related sequences; determining statistical properties of values of related process variables and/or statistical properties of values of related set point changes to each sequential ordered manual mode operational action from the filtered related sequences; generating the process model of the manual mode procedure instance by arranging related manual mode operational actions with the sequential order of each operational action assigned with the statistical properties of the values of related process variables and/or assigned with the statistical properties of the values of the related set point changes.

Abstract: A decision support system and method for an industrial plant is configured and operates to: obtain a causal graph modeling causal assumptions relating to conditional dependence between variables in the industrial plant; obtain observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant; and perform causal inference using the causal graph and the observational data to estimate at least one causal effect relevant for making decisions when operating the industrial plant.

Abstract: A control module is adapted to control technical equipment by processing batch-run data from the technical equipment. The control module operates according to parameters that are obtained by a parameter module. The module receives a reference plurality of multi-variate reference time series with data values from sources that are related to the equipment. There are time series with measurement values and time series with data that describes particular manufacturing operations during a batch-run time interval. The module splits the time interval into phases by determining transitions between the particular manufacturing operations, and divides the time series into particular phase-specific partial series. For each phase separately, and for the phase-specific partial series in combination, the module differentiates phase-specific time series into relevant partial time series or non-relevant partial time series and set the parameters accordingly.

Abstract: A computer system for controlling a dialogue between a user and the computer system, the computer system being communicatively coupled with an industrial control system controlling an industrial system, the computer system including: an interface for receiving intent inputs representing a respective desired interaction with the computer system; an intent determination module for determining the desired interactions of received intent inputs; a data storage for storing one or more directed graphs, each graph specifying an industrial control domain specific dialogue, a particular graph defining a dialogue state machine with a plurality of nodes representing states of the dialogue, and with edges representing transitions between the states, each state transition from a first state to a second state depending on at least one precondition, the desired interaction of a received intent input corresponding to a target node to be reached from a current node of the particular graph.

Abstract: A computer system for controlling a dialogue between a user and the computer system, the computer system being communicatively coupled with an industrial control system controlling an industrial system, the computer system including: an interface for receiving intent inputs representing a respective desired interaction with the computer system; an intent determination module for determining the desired interactions of received intent inputs; a data storage for storing one or more directed graphs, each graph specifying an industrial control domain specific dialogue, a particular graph defining a dialogue state machine with a plurality of nodes representing states of the dialogue, and with edges representing transitions between the states, each state transition from a first state to a second state depending on at least one precondition, the desired interaction of a received intent input corresponding to a target node to be reached from a current node of the particular graph.

Abstract: An exemplary system and method for testing the configuration of a computer system includes detecting a function which is executed by the computer system; and testing whether the detected function contravenes a configuration rule of the computer system.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for installing and configuring a computer include stipulating configuration rules and transmitting all programs to be installed to the memories of the computers of the computer system, selecting and executing functions which are intended to be executed by the computer system, in a sequence, and checking to determine whether a running function which is currently being executed contravenes a configuration rule.