Automation system and method for investigating performance of wireless communication network in automation system

Abstract

An automation system (10) comprising an automation function environment (12) comprising at least one automation function (14A, 14B, 14n), a first performance check function (16) and a hardware distribution function (18) and hardware (62A, 62B, 62n, 64A, 64B, 64n, 66A, 66B, 66n) for the at least one automation function (14A, 14B, 14n) and the first performance check function (16), wherein the first automation function (14A) controls automation devices (32, 34) in the first automation equipment environment (24A) via the wireless communication network (22) using hardware (62A, 64A, 66A) that has been assigned to the first automation function (14A) in the automation function environment (12) by means of the hardware assignment function (18), and a first performance checking function (16) checks the performance of the wireless communication network (22), and performing a first performance fault handling activity in the automation function environment (12) if the performance does not meet the corresponding performance criteria.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automation system and a method for investigating the performance of a wireless communication network in an automation system. Background Art

[0002] With the introduction of cloud and edge computing, automation functions such as motor and robot control functions can be placed in the cloud or in edge nodes. The automation function can then communicate with automation devices in the automation equipment environment where the function is performed via a wireless communication network.

[0003] One type of cloud-enabled automation functionality for controlling automation equipment was disclosed in “Intelligent Edge Controlwith Deterministic-IP based Industrial Communication in Process Automation,” presented by Amjad Badar et al. at the 15th International Conference on Network and Service Management (CNSM) in October 2019, where a virtual controller in the cloud was used to control a bioreactor via a cellular network.

[0004] However, in order for some automated functions to work, low latency in the wireless communication network is required in many cases.

[0005] One document that takes latency into account is US2021 / 0229272. In this document, a robot cell controller in a cloud computing domain controls a robot device in a robot cell via a wireless access domain. In addition, if a control command is not received as expected due to a delay associated with the wireless access domain, the robot device continues autonomous operation of the robot device.

[0006] Another document that considers wireless communication network issues is US2021 / 0323159. This document discusses terminal devices, such as robots, controlled by edge servers via wireless networks. If there is a failure in the wireless connection status with the edge server, the terminal device can suspend its operation through unreceived signals or too low reception strength.

[0007] In view of the foregoing, there is a need to address issues associated with wireless communication networks for automation functions in an automation control environment that communicates with automation devices in an automation equipment environment via a wireless communication network. Summary of the invention

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to address the problem of a wireless communication network for automation functions in an automation control environment which communicates with automation devices in an automation equipment environment via a wireless communication network.

[0009] According to a first aspect, a method for investigating the performance of a wireless communication network in an automation system is proposed, the automation system comprising an automation function environment in contact with a first automation device environment via the wireless communication network, wherein a first automation function in the automation function environment controls automation devices in the first automation device environment using hardware that has been assigned to the first automation function in the automation function environment by a hardware assignment function, the method comprising:

[0010] - Check the performance of wireless communication networks in an automated functional environment, and

[0011] - In case the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance standard, performing a first performance fault handling activity in the automated functional environment.

[0012] According to a second aspect, an automation system is provided, the automation system comprising

[0013] an automation function environment, comprising at least one automation function, a first performance check function, and a hardware allocation function and hardware for the at least one automation function and the first performance check function, wherein a first automation function in the automation function environment controls an automation device in a first automation device environment via a wireless communication network using the hardware in the automation function environment that has been allocated to the first automation function by the hardware allocation function; and

[0014] A first automation environment comprising an automation device, wherein

[0015] The first performance check function is configured to check the performance of the wireless communication network and, if the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance criteria, perform a first performance troubleshooting activity in the automation function environment.

[0016] Furthermore, the performance check performed in the automation function environment may be a check of the performance of the wireless communication network and the performance of the hardware assigned to the first automation function.

[0017] The performance check may additionally concern latency and / or reliability and possibly also statistics of the latency and / or reliability.

[0018] The performance check may also include checking time-critical messages exchanged between the first automation device environment and the automation function environment.

[0019] The hardware of the automation functional environment may include two or more processing entities, two or more memory entities, and possibly also two or more wireless communication entities. There may also be additionally hardware for implementing hardware allocation functions in the automation functional environment.

[0020] The hardware in the automation function environment running the hardware allocation function may be considered to form a hardware allocation unit.

[0021] In addition, the hardware allocation unit may also allocate hardware to the first performance check function, or provide the first performance check function through a first performance check unit including dedicated hardware that implements the first performance check function.

[0022] The automation function environment may be a virtual cloud-based automation function environment, wherein the first automation function is a virtual controller and the hardware allocation function is a virtualization layer, and the first automation device environment may be a real automation environment, wherein the automation device is a real automation device. Alternatively, the automation function environment and the first automation function may be provided in an edge node that communicates with the first automation device environment.

[0023] The wireless communication network may be part of the automation system or external to the automation system.

[0024] The automated device may include an electric machine such as an electric motor and a drive for the electric machine. The load may in turn include a pump, a crane, a robot arm, a conveyor belt, a grinder, a roller, a compressor or a generator. In the case of a robot arm, at least one joint of the robot arm may be operated by the electric machine.

[0025] The first performance fault handling activity may be an error handling activity in or for the first automation function and / or may include a change in allocated hardware of the first automation function.

[0026] According to the first aspect, the method may further include

[0027] - checking the performance of the wireless communication network in the first automation device environment, and

[0028] - performing a second performance fault handling activity in the first automation device environment in the event that the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance standard.

[0029] According to a second aspect, the first automation device environment may additionally include a performance check unit implementing a second performance check function, wherein the second performance check function is configured to: check the performance of the wireless communication network and perform a second performance fault handling activity in the first automation device environment if the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance standard.

[0030] Thus, the performance criteria may be the same in the context of the automation function and in the context of the first automation device.

[0031] The performance check performed in the context of the automation function can additionally be coordinated with the performance check performed in the context of the first automation device.

[0032] Furthermore, the performance check performed in the first automation device environment may be a check of the performance of the wireless communication network and the performance of the hardware assigned to the first automation function.

[0033] The second performance fault handling activity may be a safety activity in the first automation device environment.

[0034] The performance check performed by the first performance check function in the automation function environment and by the second performance check function in the first automation device environment may involve latency and / or reliability, wherein reliability may be reliability that supports a certain degree of determinism or latency. The performance check may additionally or alternatively involve statistics of latency and / or reliability.

[0035] The first automation equipment environment may include at least one sensor that senses at least one physical characteristic in the first automation equipment environment.

[0036] Additionally, time-critical messages can be exchanged between the first automation device environment and the automation function environment. The time-critical messages can include sensor messages from at least one sensor to the first automation function and control messages from the first automation function to the automation device.

[0037] The performance checks performed in the automation function environment and in the first automation device environment may include checking one-way times, round-trip times and / or message delivery rates of time-critical messages.

[0038] The performance check may additionally include checking a time of sending a first message and a time of receiving an associated second message, wherein one message is a sensor measurement and the other message is a control command affecting a physical characteristic reflected in the sensor measurement. The first message may be sent before receiving the second message. In the case of a performance check performed by a first performance check function, the first message may be a control command and the second message may be a sensor measurement of a physical characteristic that has been changed by the control command. In the case of a performance check performed by a second performance check function, the first message may be a sensor measurement and the second message may be a control command determined based on the sensor measurement.

[0039] Additionally, a unique identifier may be present for the automation device or the first automation system environment.

[0040] In this case, the method may additionally include obtaining a unique identifier from the first automation device environment in the automation function environment, comparing the obtained identifier with an identifier provided for the automation device or the first automation device environment in the authentication system, and allowing the first automation function to operate in the first automation device environment if the identifiers match, otherwise not allowing the operation.

[0041] In this case, the first performance check function can be additionally configured to obtain a unique identifier from the first automation device environment, compare the obtained identifier with an identifier provided for the automation device or the first automation device environment in the verification system, and allow the first automation function to operate in the first automation device environment if the identifiers match, otherwise not allow operation.

[0042] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless otherwise explicitly defined herein. All references to "a / an / the element, device, component, step, etc.", unless otherwise explicitly stated, are to be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, device, component, step, etc. Unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Various aspects and embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0044] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an automation system including an automation functional environment and a plurality of automation device environments connected to the automation functional environment via a wireless communication network;

[0045] Figure 2 is a diagram schematically showing hardware units in an automation function environment;

[0046] Figure 3 is a diagram schematically showing one implementation of a first performance inspection unit in an automated functional environment implementing a first inspection investigation function;

[0047] Figure 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating one implementation of a second performance check unit in a first automation device environment and implementing a second performance check function;

[0048] Figure 5 is a flow chart schematically illustrating a plurality of method steps for investigating integrity in an automation system and performed by a first performance check function; and

[0049] Figure 6is a flow chart of a plurality of method steps in a method of investigating the reliability of an automation system and performed by first and second performance check functions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments are shown.

[0051] However, these aspects can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as limiting; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and the scope of all aspects of the invention will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0052] Figure 1 Schematically shows an automation system AS10, which includes: an automation function environment AFE12, a plurality of automation equipment environments including a first automation equipment environment AEE1 24A and an n-th automation equipment environment AEEn 24n. The automation system 10 also includes a control as a service (CaaS) platform CaaSP44 and an infrastructure management system ISMS54. In addition, the automation function environment 12 is connected to the automation equipment environments 24A, 24n via a wireless communication network 22, which can be an external wireless communication network (such as a public wireless communication network) or an internal wireless communication network (i.e., a wireless communication network that is part of the automation system 10). In addition, the wireless communication network 22 can be a deterministic network, i.e., a network that limits delays or latency by ensuring that messages are transmitted within a set time period.

[0053] The automation functional environment 12 communicates with the CaaS platform 44 and the infrastructure management system 54 via a computer network CN52, which may be an external computer network such as the Internet or an internal computer network such as an intranet.

[0054] The automation function environment 12 includes a computing infrastructure CIS 20 and a hardware allocation function HAF 18. As an example, the automation function environment 12 may be a virtual cloud-based automation function environment, while the automation equipment environment is a real automation environment, in which the automation devices are real or physical automation devices. In this case, the computing infrastructure CIS 20 may be a cloud computing infrastructure, and the hardware allocation function HAF 18 may be a virtualization layer for virtualizing cloud functions. The hardware allocation function 18 may be implemented or run on dedicated hardware of the computing infrastructure 20. The hardware in the automation function environment running the hardware allocation function may be considered to form a hardware allocation unit.

[0055] Since the environment is an automation function environment, the environment also includes a plurality of automation functions. In this case, it includes a first automation function AFA14A, a second automation function AFB14B and an nth automation function AFn14n, in which case these automation functions may be implemented as virtual controllers implemented using the computing infrastructure 20 based on a mapping to the hardware of the computing infrastructure 20 made by the hardware allocation function 18. Alternatively, the automation function environment 12 and the automation functions 14A, 14B, 14n may be provided in an edge node that communicates with the automation device environment. The automation function may control one or more automation devices in the corresponding automation device environment. The automation function environment also includes a first performance check function PIF1 16.

[0056] Also shown are exemplary elements of a first automation device environment 24A. The first automation device environment 24A includes a wireless communication network interface WCNI26 for connecting to the wireless communication network 22. It also includes at least one sensor for sensing at least one physical characteristic in the first automation device environment 24A. In this example, there is a first group of sensors SA30 and a second group of sensors SB38. The first automation device environment 24A also includes an automation device connected to a load L36. For example, the automation device includes an electric machine EM34 and a driver DR32 for the electric machine 34. There is also a power supply PS40 for supplying power to the driver 32 and a human-machine interface HMI42 connected to the driver 32. There is also a second performance check unit PIU28 connected to the wireless communication network interface 26 and the driver 32, and the second performance check unit 28 implements a second performance check function PIF2 80, see Figure 4 The second performance checking unit 28 may additionally be connected to the first set of sensors 30 and / or the second set of sensors 38 .

[0057] The second set of sensors 38 is connected to the electric machine 34 and the load 36. The electric machine 34 drives the load 36, which affects the second set of sensors 38. Thus, the second set of sensors is able to detect changes in the electric machine 34 and the load 36. The first and second sets of sensors 30 and 38 are connected to the wireless communication network interface 26 for sending sensor measurements to the automation function environment 12, more specifically, to the automation functions of the automation devices that control the first automation equipment environment 24A, such as the first automation function 14A. The sensor measurements from the second set of sensors 38 are affected by the operation of the automation devices, while the sensor measurements of the first set of sensors 30 are not affected by the operation of the automation devices. In the automation device, such as in the driver 32, there may also be a unique identifier that identifies the automation device or the automation equipment environment.

[0058] Other automation equipment environments may have similar elements and devices. However, it should be appreciated that automation devices, loads and sensors may also differ from one automation equipment environment to another. There may additionally be more than one automation device in an automation equipment environment.

[0059] Figure 2 An example of a computing infrastructure 20 of an automation functional environment 12 is schematically shown. The computing infrastructure 20 may include hardware resources in the form of a plurality of wireless communication entities, a plurality of processing entities, and a plurality of memory entities. The hardware may include two or more processing entities, two or more memory entities, and may also include two or more wireless communication entities. As an example, there are first and nth wireless communication entities WCEA 62A and WCEn 62n, first and nth processing entities PE 64A, PEn 64n, and first and nth memory entities MEA 66A, MEn 66n. The wireless communication entities 62A, 62n may be implemented as radio circuits for wireless communication with the wireless communication network 22, the processing entities 64A, 64n may be implemented as processors such as processing blades, and the memory entities 66A, 66n may be implemented as memory blades. It should be appreciated here that the number of entities of different groups may be different, even if the figure indicates that they have the same number n.

[0060] The first performance check unit executing the first performance check function 16 may be implemented using one or more hardware resources of the computing infrastructure 20 allocated by the hardware allocation function 18. However, the first performance check unit may also be implemented using dedicated hardware. Figure 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating one such implementation of a first performance check unit PIU1 68 comprising dedicated hardware implementing the first performance check function 16. There is a processor 72 and a data memory 74 with computer program instructions which, when executed by the processor 72, implement the first performance check function 16. There is also an input / output (I / O) interface 70 for communicating with a corresponding wireless communication network interface and hardware implementing the first automation function 14A.

[0061] Figure 4 is a diagram schematically showing a simplified implementation of a second performance check unit 28 in a first automation device environment 24A. There is a processor 76 and a data memory 78 with computer program instructions which, when executed by the processor 76, implement a second performance check function PIF2 80. There is also an input / output (I / O) interface 82 for communicating with a corresponding wireless communication network interface 26 and possibly with the first and second set of sensors 30, 38 and / or actuators 32.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, in the proposed automation system 10, the control software provided by the automation function and the controlled equipment exemplified by the automation device are divided into an automation function environment 12 and one or more automation device environments 24A, 24n, wherein the automation device environment is an environment providing physical automation devices (such as sensors and automation devices). The automation function environment 12 and the automation device environment 24A, 24n are interconnected through a wireless communication network 22, which can be implemented by, for example, 5G, 6G, WiFi6, WiFi7, WiMAX or satellite broadband with deterministic performance enhancement, or a mixture of these wireless networks. The wireless communication network 22 can additionally be capable of providing deterministic performance, including low and bounded latency, high reliability, and qualified black channels for the safety communication layer according to IEC standard IEC 61508.

[0063] The entire automation system 10 can be integrated with the user business process through the automation functional environment 12 on the computer network 52, so that the user's direct intervention in the automation equipment environment can be minimized throughout the life cycle of the automation system. The computer network 52 does not need to provide deterministic performance.

[0064] The entire automation system 10 can be programmed and designed via a control as a service (CaaS) platform 44, which can include a programming platform PP46 and an engineering platform 48. The CaaS platform 44 can additionally include an authentication system AS50, in which unique identifiers associated with automation devices and / or automation equipment environments are stored. As an embodiment, the CaaS platform 44 can only be accessed by professional CaaS providers rather than by users themselves.

[0065] In the first automation device environment 24A, the traditional hardware controller in the field is removed. Instead, the control logic is executed by the automation function (e.g., soft controller), which is hosted by the processing and memory hardware resources in the computing infrastructure 20, which can be implemented by ABB Abability, GE Predix, Siemens MindSphere, Microsoft Azure, Amazon web services, Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Mobile Cloud, etc. The control logic of the automation function can be programmed in a PLC-specific language such as IEC61131-3 and IEC 61499 or a general programming language such as C / C++. The automation function environment 12 can additionally support multi-tenancy, that is, it can instantiate multiple automation functions 14A, 14B, 14n to control multiple automation device environments 24A, 24n in parallel without interfering with each other. The automation functions 14A, 14B, 14n can be hardware agnostic, that is, they can be implemented in a virtualized computing and communication environment through the hardware allocation function 18, such as a virtual machine using Docker containers and / or Linux, Windows, VxWorks, etc. It should also be appreciated that other functions besides control may be offloaded from the automation device environment to an automation function environment, such as an HMI.

[0066] The computing infrastructure 20 and the hardware allocation function 18 can be managed by a computer management system CEMS 56, and the wireless communication network 22 can be managed by a network management system NMS 58 of an infrastructure management system 54. The infrastructure management system 54 can be operated by a user of the automation system or by a third party. The computing infrastructure 20 and the wireless communication network 22 and the computer network 52 can be deployed as private facilities or public facilities that can be shared among multiple users. As an embodiment, the infrastructure management system 54 can only be accessed by professional infrastructure providers or operators rather than by the users themselves.

[0067] The automation equipment environment includes physical devices used in automation. As an example, the first automation equipment environment 24A includes a power supply 40, a driver 32, an electric machine 34, a human-machine interface 42, a load 36, and a first and second group of sensors 30 and 38. The physical device can have a separate or shared (multiple) wireless communication network interface. The physical device can be connected to the wireless communication network interface 26 via a wired field bus (such as Modbus, Modbus TCP, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, EtherCAT, Ethernet / IP, CAN, DeviceNet, Ethernet power link, CC link, TSN, ordinary Ethernet, IP, TCP / UDP) and / or directly via analog or digital input and output ports. The driver 32 performs basic control functions such as speed control, torque control, frequency control, voltage control and safety protection. Time-critical sensing data and control commands are transmitted through the wireless communication network 22. Such sensing data and control commands include but are not limited to set points of speed / frequency / torque, actual speed / frequency / torque, temperature, current voltage, flow, pressure, etc.

[0068] As examples, the first and second sets of sensors 30 and 38 may be, but are not limited to, speed sensors such as encoders or resolvers, current sensors, voltage sensors, power quality sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, flow sensors, etc.

[0069] As examples, the load 36 may be, but is not limited to, a pump, a crane, a robot arm, a conveyor belt, a grinder, a roller, a compressor, a generator, and the like.

[0070] The automated device does not necessarily have to include an electrical machine such as a motor, but may, for example, include a mechanical power transmission system, gears, etc.

[0071] Before an automation equipment environment is put into use, it is advantageous to investigate the integrity of it and the wireless communication network. This can be important in order to ensure that the automation functions run as smoothly as possible.

[0072] Now refer to Figure 5 To describe how to achieve this, Figure 5 A number of steps are shown that are performed by the first performance check function 16 of the automation function environment. These steps will additionally be described with respect to the first automation function 14A and the first automation device environment 24A, wherein the first automation function 14A in the automation function environment 12 controls the automation devices in the first automation device environment 24A. Similar functions may be implemented with respect to other automation functions and automation device environments.

[0073] Prior to performing such control, the hardware allocation function 18 has allocated hardware resources to the first automation function 14A. This may involve allocating processing resources and memory resources. It may also involve allocating wireless communication resources. For example, the first automation function 14A may have been allocated a first processing entity 64A, a first memory entity 66A, and a first wireless communication entity 62A. The hardware allocation function 18 may also be implemented in hardware. However, in contrast to the hardware used by the automation functions, this hardware may be dedicated.

[0074] The investigation regarding integrity may then begin by the first performance check function 16 checking the integrity of the computing infrastructure 20 (S100), which may include checking the integrity of the hardware allocated to the first automation function 14A by the hardware allocation function 18. To this end, the first performance check function 16 may investigate the operation of the hardware of the automation function environment 12 with respect to memory usage and processing, wherein the investigation of integrity may involve investigating that the hardware resource is working correctly, i.e., it is not faulty. The first performance check function 16 may then compare the checked integrity with a corresponding integrity criterion, which may be that the entity is working properly. If the criterion is not met (S110), error handling is performed (S190). This may involve the first performance check function 16 commanding the hardware allocation function 18 to change the hardware allocated to the first automation function 14A.

[0075] If the criteria are met ( S110 ), the first performance check function 16 continues and checks the integrity of the wireless communication network 22 ( S120 ).

[0076] The integrity check may include checking whether the message was sent to and received from the first automation device environment 24A, i.e., whether the message sent to the first automation device environment 24A was actually received there. This may be done by investigating whether the sent message was acknowledged or by sending a request for sensor measurements to a sensor (e.g., a sensor in the first set of sensors 30) and receiving sensor measurements as a response to the request.

[0077] The integrity criterion may be that the wireless communication network is functioning properly, i.e. the automation function environment 12 and the first automation device environment 24A are able to communicate with each other, which may be found by actually receiving various messages or by establishing a connection to the wireless communication network 22. If the criterion is not met (S130), error handling is performed (S190). Error handling may involve many measures. It may involve instructing the hardware allocation function 18 to change the wireless communication entity assigned to the first automation function 14A, or it may involve instructing the first automation function 14A to connect to another automation device environment. It may also involve notifying the network management system 58 to make network changes that allow the criterion to be met.

[0078] If the communication criteria are found to be satisfied (S130), an automation device environment investigation regarding the integrity of the first automation device environment 24A is conducted (S140). The investigation of integrity may involve the first performance check function 16 requesting sensor measurements from the first and second sets of sensors 30 and 38, and investigating whether such measurements are received in response, and if such measurements are received, the measurements are feasible. The investigation of integrity may also involve sending a first request for sensor measurements to the second set of sensors 38, receiving a first response with a first set of sensor measurements from the second set of sensors 38, sending an automation command to the automation device, sending a second request for sensor measurements to the second set of sensors 38, receiving a second response with a second set of sensor measurements from the second set of sensors 38, investigating a difference between the first and second sets of sensor measurements, and determining that the automation device is operational if the difference indicates an operation corresponding to the command.

[0079] Additionally or alternatively, it is possible that the second performance check function 80 performs an integrity check and reports the result to the first performance check function 16 .

[0080] If the integrity criteria are not met (S150), error handling is performed by the first performance check function 16. This may involve selecting another automation device context for the first automation processing function 14A. It may also involve indicating that the operation is not possible.

[0081] However, if the integrity criteria are found to be satisfied (S150), the first performance check function 16 proceeds and checks the authentication information of the authentication system, which may involve obtaining a unique identifier from the automation device environment (such as from the driver 32), comparing the obtained identifier with the identifier provided for the automation device or the first automation device environment 24A in the authentication system 50 (S160), and allowing the first automation function to operate in the first automation device environment 24A if the identifiers match, otherwise not allowing operation.

[0082] Therefore, the unique identifier of the automation device and / or the first automation device environment 24A can be found in the verification system 50 (S160). To this end, the first performance check function 16 can query the driver 32 for the unique identifier.

[0083] If the identifier can be found (S170), the first automation function 14A starts operating and operates in the first automation device environment 24A (S180), which may involve controlling the automation device formed by the drive 32 and the electric machine 34. However, if the identifier cannot be found (S170), error processing is performed (S190), which involves the first automation function 14A not being allowed to operate in the first automation device environment 24A.

[0084] If all investigations are successful, the first automation function 14A may begin controlling automation devices in the first automation equipment environment 24A via the wireless communication network 22 .

[0085] The above investigation is performed on the first automation device environment 24A. The same type of investigation can be performed on other automation device environments. It is also possible to simultaneously conduct an investigation of the integrity of the computing infrastructure 20 and an investigation of the integrity of the wireless communication network 22 for all automation device environments, and then check the integrity and unique identifier of each automation device environment separately.

[0086] Although the wireless communication network 22 can be considered deterministic, it is still possible that reliability or determinism is not supported during operation. This is problematic for both the first automation function 14A and the first automation device environment 24A. Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to handling this situation by employing the first performance check function 16 and optionally also the second performance check function 80. Reference will now be made to Figure 6 To describe how to achieve this, Figure 6 A flow chart showing a number of method steps in a method for investigating reliability in an automation system and performed by the first performance check function 16 and the optional second performance check function 80 .

[0087] During execution of the method, the first automation function 14A controls an automation device in the first automation equipment environment 24A, and in this operation, it may acquire sensor measurements from the first and second sets of sensors 30 and 38 on which control activities are determined. After having determined the control activities, the first automation function 14A then sends control commands to the automation device to perform the control activities, such as sending drive commands to the drive 32 to operate the electric machine 34 in a certain manner, and receiving sensor measurements from the second set of sensors 38 on which it determined that the control activities have been performed by the automation device. Operations of the type described above may be performed continuously or repeatedly. These commands and sensor measurements are used in controls that are time-critical or time-sensitive. The commands and sensor measurements are sent in messages that are time-critical messages and may be critical to the time within which the control is performed.

[0088] When the first automation function 14A operates in the above-described manner, the first performance check function 16 in the automation function environment 12 checks the performance of the wireless communication network 22, S200. The performance check may additionally be a check of the performance of the wireless communication network and the performance of the hardware assigned to the first automation function. The check may include checking latency and / or reliability, and the latency and / or reliability may be the latency and / or reliability of the wireless communication network 22 or the latency and / or reliability of the hardware assigned to the first automation function together with the wireless communication network, wherein the reliability may include reliability that supports a certain degree of determinism or latency.

[0089] Deterministic investigations may involve examining the one-way time of messages received from the automation device environment and / or the round trip time of messages sent by the first automation function 14A, in which case this involves investigating time-critical messages exchanged between the first automation device environment 24A and the automation function environment 12. The one-way time may provide an indication of the latency or delay experienced by messages received from the first automation device environment 24A through the wireless communication network 22. It may also be used as an indication of the latency or delay experienced by messages sent from the automation function environment 12 in the wireless communication network 22. The round trip time may provide an indication of the latency or delay of messages received from the first automation device environment 24A and an indication of the latency or delay experienced by messages sent by the automation function environment in the wireless communication network 22. The messages may be time stamped and the one-way time or one-way delay may be investigated by comparing the time of receipt of the message with the timestamp of the message, while the round trip time or round trip delay may be investigated by sending a message returned by the first automation device environment 24A to the first automation device environment. The time of receipt of the returned message is then compared to the timestamp or time of sending the original message. The delay may also be determined by sending a first message and receiving an associated second message, where one message is a sensor measurement and the other message is a control command that affects a physical characteristic reflected in the sensor measurement. In this case, the first message may be the control command and the second message may be a sensor measurement of a physical characteristic that has been changed by the control command. Thus, the first message may be sent before the second message is received. The time between the first and second messages takes into account not only the delay between the two messages in the wireless communication network 22, but also the time it takes to execute the activity of the control command in the first automation device environment 24A.

[0090] The first performance check function 16 may additionally determine the latency of the allocated hardware based on the time taken by the first automation function 14A to determine the control activity, possibly using one or more received sensor measurements. This may be based on the reception time of the sensor measurements and the sending time of the control command determined based on the sensor measurements.

[0091] The investigation may additionally involve investigating the extent to which the wireless communication network 22 meets the performance criteria. Thus, it involves investigating whether the performance meets or does not meet at least one corresponding performance criterion. Thus, the investigation may involve comparing the performance of the wireless communication network 22 and possibly the performance of the allocated hardware with at least one corresponding performance criterion (S210), wherein one performance criterion may involve a delay through the wireless communication network 22, and one or more thresholds may be associated with the performance criterion, such as a threshold for the maximum allowed delay of a critical message, such as a delay of a received one-way message, a delay of a round-trip message, or a delay between the first and second messages mentioned previously. The latency of the allocated hardware may also be compared with a corresponding hardware latency threshold. The hardware latency may also be added to the one-way latency, the round-trip latency, and / or the delay between the first and second messages and compared with the corresponding threshold. If one, more than one, or all of the comparison values ​​fail to reach the corresponding threshold, the deterministic criterion may be considered to be met.

[0092] Another criterion may relate to the reliability of the wireless communication network 22, and may also relate to the reliability of the allocated hardware. The reliability check may include checking the message delivery rate of time-critical messages received from the automation device environment and / or sent by the first automation function 14A. The message delivery rate of the wireless communication network (e.g., the rate at which messages can be delivered between the two environments) may also be compared with a corresponding threshold. The statistics of the previously mentioned one-way time, round-trip time, and / or delay between the first and second messages (possibly combined with hardware delays) may also be investigated. For example, it may be investigated whether the delay of a single message, the round-trip delay, and the delay between the first and second messages vary significantly over time or frequently fail to meet the corresponding thresholds. It may also be determined whether the difference between the minimum and maximum values ​​of such delays in a certain time window exceeds a corresponding difference threshold, or the count of delays that fail to meet the corresponding threshold during a certain time window is compared with a count threshold. Exceeding such a difference threshold and / or count threshold may then result in the wireless communication network and optionally the allocated hardware being considered unreliable.

[0093] After investigating the reliability and determinism of the wireless communication network 22 in this manner, if the wireless communication network 22 is found to have performance that does not meet the corresponding performance criteria, the first performance check function 16 performs a first performance fault handling activity in the automation function environment 12, S220. This may be the execution of an error handling activity in or for the first automation function 14A. Error handling may, for example, involve instructing the first automation function 14A to perform control error handling, such as stopping the execution of control of the automation device and instead entering a fault handling or fail-safe mode, which may involve controlling the automation device to remain idle. This may be done because the automation function may be considered too unreliable or too dangerous to be executed. Error handling may also or alternatively involve the first performance check function 16 asking the hardware allocation function 18 to allocate new hardware to the first automation function 14A. This allocation of new hardware may involve allocating another wireless communication entity to the first automation function 14A. For example, for the other wireless communication entity, the delay through the wireless communication network may be lower. The allocation of new hardware may additionally or alternatively be the allocation of another processing entity to the first automation function. Although this allocation does not affect the latency of the wireless communication network 22, it may affect the speed at which the control commands are determined. At least some of the latency of the wireless communication network 22 may thereby be compensated for by speeding up the processing of the sensor measurements into control commands. Overall control may thereby be improved. If a second performance check function 80 is used, information about such a change in processing entity may be provided to that function to adjust one or more of its thresholds. Furthermore, the first performance check function 16 may adjust one or more of its thresholds.

[0094] In a similar manner, the second performance check function 80 of the second performance check unit 28 in the first automation device environment 24A can check the performance of the wireless communication network 22, S230. This check can be coordinated with the check performed by the first performance check function. The check performed by the second performance check function 80 can also involve the determinism or latency and / or reliability of the wireless communication network 22 and possibly the allocated hardware, where the reliability can include reliability that supports a certain degree of determinism or latency. This check of the wireless communication network latency can be performed in the same manner, and as an example can involve checking the one-way time of a critical message received from the automation function environment 12, the round-trip time of a time-critical message sent from the first automation device environment 24A, the message delivery rate of the time-critical message, or the time difference or delay between the first message sent and the associated second message received, where one of the messages is a sensor measurement and the other is a control command that affects the physical characteristics reflected in the sensor measurement. The one-way time and the round-trip time can be determined in the same manner as in the first performance check function. However, in this case, the first message is a sensor measurement, and the second message is a control command determined based on the sensor measurement. The first message is again sent before the second message is received. In this case, the delay between the first and second messages also depends on the time required for the assigned hardware to determine the control command, and therefore also reflects the latency of the hardware assigned to the first automation function 14A. The second performance check function 80 can also determine the time it takes to perform the activity of the control command in the first automation device environment, such as by monitoring the time it takes for the physical characteristics detected by appropriate sensors in the second set of sensors to change based on the receipt of the control command. The second performance check function 80 can then compare the determined time with a corresponding threshold, or add the determined activity time to one or more of the previously mentioned one-way time, round-trip time, and delay between the first and second messages.

[0095] The investigation may also involve investigating the extent to which the wireless communication network and optionally the allocated hardware meets performance criteria. Thus, it may include comparing the performance with at least one performance criterion, S240, the investigation and criteria may be the same as described above.

[0096] Statistics may also be investigated, which may be done in the same way as by the first performance check function 16 .

[0097] Then, if the wireless communication network is found to have performance that does not satisfy at least one performance criterion, the second performance investigation function 28 performs a second performance fault handling activity, S250, which, as an example, may involve placing the automation device in a safe mode, such as by the drive 32 taking over control of the load 36 and stopping the load 36 in a safe state.

[0098] In this manner it can be seen that operations can be stopped or suspended based on whether the wireless communication network is deemed reliable and / or deterministic. Furthermore, since the investigation is coordinated, discovery of unsatisfied performance criteria can be performed simultaneously in both the automation function environment and the first automation device environment.

[0099] It can be seen that even if the control has been moved to the automation function environment and executed via the wireless communication network, the safety of operation can be guaranteed.

[0100] It can be seen that the performance check function is introduced into the automation function environment, and possibly also into the automation equipment environment, which can work together to check the performance of the wireless communication network in terms of latency and reliability, and possibly also the performance of the computing infrastructure. The check can be performed in real time by measuring statistics such as single-trip time, round-trip time, message delivery rate, and time-critical messages exchanged between the automation function environment and the automation equipment environment. The interference introduced by the check operation to the user's computing tasks and communication traffic can be minimized by using passive listening and hardware-assisted time stamping, which is usually available as an off-the-shelf product, such as the ET2000 Ethernet probe from Beckhoff.

[0101] The output from the performance check function is used by the first automation function in the automation function environment, the automation device in the automation device environment, and possibly also by human users of the CaaS platform and infrastructure management system. For example, if the performance check function indicates that the instantaneous latency and reliability performance of the communication and computing infrastructure cannot meet the expected level of certainty, the automation device should take over control and put the load into a safe state, the automation function should activate the predefined error handling logic accordingly, and the user of the CaaS platform and infrastructure management system can also perform appropriate actions to improve the overall availability of the service.

[0102] Aspects of the disclosure are mainly described above with reference to some embodiments and examples thereof. However, as readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

Claims

1. A method for investigating the performance of a wireless communication network (22) in an automation system (10), the automation system comprising an automation function environment (12) in contact with a first automation device environment (24A) via the wireless communication network (22), wherein a first automation function (14A) in the automation function environment (12) controls automation devices (32, 34) in the first automation device environment (24A) using hardware (62A, 64A, 66A) in the automation function environment (12), the hardware (62A, 64A, 66A) having been assigned to the first automation function (14A) by a hardware assignment function (18), The method comprises: - checking (S200) the performance of the wireless communication network (22) in the automated functional environment (12), and - In case the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance standard, performing (S220) a first performance fault handling activity in the automation functional environment (12).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performance check is a check of the performance of the wireless communication network (22) and the performance of the hardware (62A, 64A, 66A) assigned to the first automation function.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the performance check relates to latency and / or reliability.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the performance check comprises checking time-critical messages exchanged between the first automation device environment (24A) and the automation function environment (12).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the performance check comprises checking the one-way time, round trip time and / or message delivery rate of the time-critical message.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the first automation device environment includes at least one sensor (30, 38) sensing at least one physical characteristic in the first automation device environment (24A), and the time-critical messages include sensor messages from the at least one sensor (30, 38) to the first automation function (14A) and control messages from the first automation function (14A) to the automation device (32, 34).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the performance check comprises checking a time when a first message is sent and a time when an associated second message is received, wherein one of the messages is a sensor measurement and the other is a control command that affects a physical property reflected in the sensor measurement.

8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first performance fault handling activity is an error handling activity in or for the first automation function (14A).

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first performance fault activity comprises a change of the allocated hardware of the first automation function (14A).

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - checking (S230) the performance of the wireless communication network (22) in the first automation device environment (24A), and - In case the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance standard, performing (S250) a second performance fault handling activity in the first automation equipment environment (24A).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second performance fault handling activity is a safety activity in the first automation device environment (24A).

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: A unique identifier is obtained from the first automation equipment environment (24A) in the automation function environment (12), the unique identifier being associated with the automation device (32, 34) or the first automation equipment environment (24A), the obtained identifier is compared with an identifier provided for the automation device or the first automation equipment environment in an authentication system (50) (S160), and if the identifiers match, the first automation function (14A) is allowed to operate in the first automation equipment environment (24A).

13. An automated system (10), comprising: An automation function environment (12) comprising at least one automation function (14A, 14B, 14n), a first performance check function (16), and a hardware allocation function (18) and hardware (62A, 62n, 64A, 64n, 66A, 66n) for the at least one automation function (14A, 14B, 14n) and the first performance check function (16), wherein the first automation function (14A) in the automation function environment (12) controls automation devices (32, 34) in a first automation device environment (24A) via a wireless communication network (22) using the hardware (62A, 64A, 66A) in the automation function environment (12), the hardware (62A, 64A, 66A) having been allocated to the first automation function (14A) by the hardware allocation function (18); and The first automation equipment environment (24A) includes the automation device (32, 34), The first performance check function (16) is configured to check the performance of the wireless communication network (22), and if the performance fails to meet the corresponding performance standard, perform a first performance fault handling activity in the automation function environment (12).

14. The automation system (10) according to claim 13, wherein the automation function environment is a virtual cloud-based automation function environment, wherein the first automation function (14A) is a virtual controller and the hardware allocation function (18) is a virtualization layer, and the first automation device environment (24A) is a real automation environment, wherein the automation device is a real automation device.

15. The automation system (10) according to claim 13, wherein the automation function environment and the first automation function are provided in an edge node.

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