Patent ID: 8635597

Claim:
A method for determining processing order of modules in a function plan for a sequentially operating automation system, comprising: providing an automation system with modules having a module identifier assigned to each module, wherein the modules are linked via signal inputs and signal outputs, and wherein a module with a plurality of outputs has the plurality of outputs organized in a predefined manner; tracing, in a recursive procedure, a signal path in the function plan in a forward direction starting with a starting module and tracing back the signal path in a reverse direction; providing and using a predefined set of propagation rules as a basis for a propagation in the forward direction and a propagation in the reverse direction, assigning a sequence list with list elements comprising the module identifiers to modules which are reached during the propagation in the forward direction, updating the sequence list during a pass through a recursion loop of the recursive procedure, wherein an order of the list elements of the sequence list is used as a representation of the processing order of the modules after the method has been concluded; wherein the modules are organized according to priorities before performing the recursive procedure, and wherein an organization hierarchy which comprises the following organization and comparison criteria is used as a basis: a) modules having an order number which has already been allocated, b) modules having a start identifier, and c) number of input signals which have been unambiguously determined; wherein each module that has been reached is marked, or wherein each output connection that has already been selected is marked; wherein the list elements in the sequence list are organized in an order corresponding to the processing order in which the modules are reached when tracing the signal path in the forward direction; and wherein a module having a highest priority among the modules and having an order number which has not yet been allocated, is selected as the starting module for the recursive procedure.