Patent application EP19305835A (EP), filed 2019-06-25
Publication number: EP3758333A1
Title: METHOD FOR CONFIGURING AN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION SYSTEM
Abstract: The invention relates to a method for configuring peer-to-peer communication in an industrial automation system including at least two control devices, each control device being arranged for hosting as separate instances an OPC UA server, an OPC UA subscriber service, and an OPC UA publisher service, the method including retrieving an OPC UA object list for each control device, the object list indicating all OPC UA objects managed by each respective control device, and presenting the OPC UA objects and control devices for user input. The method further including obtaining user input, configuring for each control device publisher and subscriber service parameters in a configuration file for each respective control device, and transferring the configuration file to the publisher and subscriber services of each respective control device. The invention further relates to an industrial automation system and industrial control devices configured to implement the disclosed method.
IPC codes: H04L  29/    08            A I
H04L  67/    12            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: Industrial automation system comprising:
number: 2
text: Method for configuring an industrial automation system comprising at least two control devices (170, 171, 172), each of the at least two control devices is arranged for hosting as separate instances an OPC UA server (223, 233), an OPC UA subscriber service (234), and an OPC UA publisher service (224), the method comprising:
number: 3
text: Method according to claim 2, wherein retrieving (401) the object list for each control device comprises scanning one or more configuration files from each control device for identifying OPC UA objects.
number: 4
text: Method according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising:
number: 5
text: Method according to any of claims 2 - 4, wherein for each OPC UA object presented for user input an object category is indicated, the object category defining the type of variable, validity range of variable value, and/or measuring unit.
number: 6
text: Method according to any of claims 2 - 5, wherein the user input comprises a list of OPC UA objects selected for peer-to-peer communication.
number: 7
text: Method according to any of claims 2 - 6, wherein creating the matched list comprises a check on OPC UA object category correspondence between matched pairs of OPC UA objects.
number: 8
text: Industrial control device, comprising
a controller (221, 231);
wherein the controller is arranged for:
number: 9
text: Industrial control device, comprising
a controller (221, 231);
wherein the controller is arranged for:
number: 10
text: Industrial control device according to claim 9, wherein the controller (221, 231) is further arranged for:
Office action: search_report, dated 2020-12-30
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2018309831A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2008079560A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2016147206A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2008079560
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2016147206
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2018309831
ref_type: patent
severity: background
Final disposition: pending (2020-12-30)