Transfer procedure

Abstract

Method for communicating machine control data of a mechatronic system (2) in a network (3) with at least one machine control (4), by means of an OPC UA data exchange standard (21) that supports a publish / subscribe communication model; wherein the machine control (4) obtains the machine control data from a remote network participant (7) within the framework of the publish / subscribe communication model, wherein the reference of the control data is monitored by means of a publish / subscribe data transmission of monitoring information and the monitoring is carried out by means of monitoring properties (En) of objects (On) and monitoring relationships (Bn) of the objects (On) among each other that are characteristic both for the monitoring function and for the publish / subscribe data transmission; wherein the objects (On) and the monitoring properties (En) and the monitoring relationships (Bn) are standardized in an information model (22) of the OPC UA data exchange standard (21).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for communicating machine control data of a mechatronic system in a network with at least one machine control system. Communication takes place using a data exchange standard. This standard supports a publish / subscribe communication model in which publisher and subscriber are decoupled. One of the objectives of the communication method is for the machine control system to obtain the machine control data from a remote network participant within the framework of the publish / subscribe communication model.

[0002] Such a method is described in the unpublished German patent application DE 10 2018 216 111 A1. There, it is proposed that the machine controller can at least act as a publisher and thus receive control data from the network, especially from the remote network participant. Such a method is lean and flexible, but due to the standardized decoupled communication, it is limited in terms of the reliability and deterministic nature of data communication.

[0003] DE 10 2017 202 360 A1, for example, describes a data interface device for data transmission between a numerically controlled machine tool and an external data processing device, comprising: a control interface unit for data transmission with a control device of the machine tool and a communication unit for data transmission with the external data processing device. Stored configuration data specify a communication protocol used by the control device from a first group of communication protocols and a communication protocol used by the external data processing device from a second group of communication protocols.The control interface unit can use any protocol from a first group of communication protocols for data transmission and select the communication protocol used by the control device for data transmission. The communication unit can use any protocol from a second group of communication protocols for data transmission and select the communication protocol used by the external data processing device for data transmission.

[0004] EP 1 528 710 A1, for example, describes a publish / subscribe system comprising a producer configured to publish a message and subscribe to an acknowledgment that the message has been received. The system further comprises a consumer configured to subscribe to the message and publish the acknowledgment. The system further comprises a network configured to register a message subscription and an acknowledgment subscription, process the message subscription and the acknowledgment subscription, forward the message to the consumer based on the message subscription, and forward the acknowledgment to the producer based on the acknowledgment subscription.

[0005] The following is a simplified summary to provide a basic understanding of some of the aspects described herein. The term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context, the term "X or Y" is intended to have the following possible meanings: only X, not Y; only Y, not X; both X and Y. Furthermore, the indefinite article "an" is generally to be interpreted herein to mean "one or more" unless explicitly stated otherwise or clearly interpreted differently from the context. If a particular feature is disclosed herein only with respect to a particular embodiment, it is not limited to that particular embodiment; rather, the combination of that feature with one or more other features of the other embodiments is also encompassed.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to design a method of the type mentioned above that is more reliable and highly deterministic, particularly for (real-time) industrial automation applications. In particular, the object is to achieve a high degree of interoperability between components—especially components from different manufacturers.

[0007] This problem is solved partially or completely by a method, a machine control or computer device and a computer program product having the features of the independent patent claims.

[0008] The invention offers the advantage that—especially in a network infrastructure that also includes automation components—both more reliable (in particular, more fail-safe, robust, and resilient) and monitored communication as well as synchronization (such as a related or interdependent movement of trajectories of different network participants) can be easily achieved while maintaining the leanness and flexibility of a publish / subscribe infrastructure. The invention achieves these and other advantages while preserving established mechanisms of the publish / subscribe communication model used in industry, thus achieving a high degree of compatibility and interoperability of corresponding components, especially components from different manufacturers.

[0009] The invention has recognized that, on the one hand, a publish / subscribe data transmission can be used to monitor the communication of control data in a simple and streamlined manner; on the other hand, it is possible to largely rely on standards established and enforced within the framework of publish / subscribe data transmission, which only need to be slightly transformed in order to achieve a quantum leap in the reliability and deterministics of the communication of machine control data.

[0010] For this purpose, the acquisition of control data is monitored using a publish / subscribe data transfer of monitoring information. This occurs entirely within the framework of the intended publish / subscribe communication architecture standardized in the data exchange standard. For example, the machine controller that acquires the control data can be configured as a publisher, simultaneously with this subscriber function in which it acquires the control data, which transmits the monitoring information, which may relate to the acquisition status of the control data, to the network. The monitoring information is preferably standardized or coded data relating to monitoring the proper acquisition of the control data. This can include, for example, status data, online / offline data, or operating data, as well as acknowledgment data, or the like.At the same time, it may also include data that represents an error status or a correct status.

[0011] Furthermore, a transfer or its configuration takes place within the framework of a publish / subscribe communication architecture using objects characteristic for this purpose, whereby objects can in particular be information technology objects. The objects according to the invention are then manifestations (instances) of a specific object type that are created according to the invention during runtime. The predetermined data type (or the predetermined class) is specified and, if necessary, standardized within the framework of the data exchange standard. Such an information technology object in the narrower sense has a state that is predetermined by properties and relationships to other objects. This will be discussed in more detail below. The behavior of such information technology objects can be specified by methods (preferably methods of the data exchange standard).This achieves a realistic and, at the same time, easily implemented embodiment of a publish / subscribe communication architecture. Variables, properties, or references, as well as relationships within the publish / subscribe communication architecture, can be represented as information technology objects that correspond to properties and / or components of a publish / subscribe communication model. Such information technology objects then have properties and / or components of the publish / subscribe communication model as their subject matter. For example, a publish / subscribe connection can be an object type that represents the characteristics of the publish / subscribe connection, for example—in the sense of the inventive embodiment—whether it is a simple or a monitored connection or data transmission.

[0012] According to the invention, however, objects can also be objects in the broader sense; in this case, they refer to variables, properties, references, or relationships between each other, which can be predetermined according to the invention. In particular, such objects can also be types or classes of type definitions or types or classes of relationship or reference type definitions. Generally speaking, objects can be information technology embodiments, implementations, or mappings of technical properties or characteristics of the respective related models, architectures, topologies, or communication infrastructures, such as related variables, references, procedures, or modules.

[0013] A high degree of interoperability and compatibility, even between components from different manufacturers, is achieved according to the invention by using uniform and mutually compatible objects. An object is then predefined in a similar way among several or all network participants of the network or a network segment—for example, within the framework of the data exchange standard; such an object can be standardized, for example, in the stack of the data exchange standard. In any case, such similarly defined objects are already known in the network participants that implement the method according to the invention. Furthermore, the objects are compatible with each other, i.e., in particular, they are predefined in such a way that they are interchangeable between different network participants while preserving their properties and functionalities.

[0014] On the other hand, an essential aspect, which is technically solved for the first time thanks to the invention, is that the objects used are equally characteristic (in particular simultaneously) for both the monitoring function according to the invention and the publish / subscribe data transmission (standardized in the data exchange standard). The objects used comprise an integration of monitoring properties with publish / subscribe properties. They can be derived from publish / subscribe objects, for example, or be based on them and supplemented with properties characteristic of the monitoring function, or vice versa. For example, an object can model a property of the underlying publish / subscribe connection type and specify whether the specific connection type is a monitored or unmonitored (simple) publish / subscribe connection, or how the monitoring of the corresponding connection is technically carried out.

[0015] The invention has also recognized that, on the one hand, in a publish / subscribe communication model, due to the essentially decoupled communication, feedback or communication in the reverse direction with regard to the control data received from the remote publisher – which is often required, for example, in automation tasks – fundamentally does not occur, and closes this previously unaddressed gap. Furthermore, the invention preserves leanness and flexibility as well as reliable or deterministic communication through a high quality of service up to real-time by maintaining the publish / subscribe architecture and not fundamentally disrupting it. Nevertheless, the invention achieves enabling the aforementioned publish / subscribe architecture for deterministic communication, in particular for industrial communication of machine controls, especially in real time.

[0016] The invention allows monitoring a (by default) decoupled publish / subscribe connection. This means, in particular, that a publisher knows whether its messages are reaching the subscribers and that it can react to any irregularities. Such mechanisms are implemented by the objects.

[0017] The described method can be applied in any direction to all network participants that support the publish / subscribe communication model. Most or all of the network participants can be machine controllers; however, it can also be a mixed network consisting of machine controllers and other network participants, such as industrial PCs or office PCs. In order to flexibly adapt the communication requirements to a specific network area as needed, separate network segments can also be formed, each implementing the inventive method segment by segment. In this case, for example, a network segment with a real-time communication configuration can be provided in which predominantly or entirely machine controllers (or equivalent industrial automation devices) communicate with each other. Several such network segments can also communicate with each other.Then, for example, a network segment (in particular using the IEEE 802.1 network standard TSN - Time Sensitive Networking) consisting of machine controllers or similar devices can be operated at a field level, in which real-time communication can essentially be ensured by the invention with a quality of service corresponding to the aforementioned TSN network standard. In the example mentioned, the field level can communicate with a network segment of a higher management level or control level and / or administration or logistics level.The field-level network segment, which is essentially based on industrial automation devices, can then communicate with the higher levels via the coupling of the network segments, preferably using or supporting the same data exchange standard—and also the same objects, monitoring properties, or monitoring relationships—up to a specific level, for example, the management level or the logistics level, or consistently at all levels. This enables extremely high-quality communication, which simultaneously goes hand in hand with a high degree of standardization, interoperability, and simplification of the corresponding infrastructure.

[0018] Both the machine control system according to the invention and other or all network participants with which communication takes place according to the invention can be operated in compliance with a data exchange standard. Such a data exchange standard according to the invention can be an industrial communication protocol, for example, a machine-to-machine communication protocol, according to the invention, OPC-UA. OPC-UA stands for Open Platform Communication - Unified Architecture. OPC-UA enables networking between a wide variety of component manufacturers, regardless of the manufacturer. OPC-UA extends OPC with essential features, such as the transmission of semantic information and expanded options for calling methods, and enables standardized and cross-manufacturer data exchange between different components, regardless of programming language and operating system.OPC-UA connects devices at different levels of the automation pyramid using a standardized communication protocol, standardized interfaces, and functionalities. OPC-UA can primarily be used to exchange data from the field level with higher levels of the automation pyramid. For example, OPC-UA can be used to transfer data from a real-time area of ​​the field level, in which field devices communicate via a real-time fieldbus, to a management level or a control level of factory automation where planning, scheduling, and logistics processes take place. For example, OPC-UA technology enables uniform networking of machine controllers, such as CNC controllers, motion controllers (e.g., packaging machines), or logic controllers such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), with the higher-level control and management levels.Whenever machine control or PLC is mentioned herein, this is always to be considered interchangeable with all of the aforementioned controls and vice versa.

[0019] The use of OPC-UA-TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) is also preferably considered for the invention, since useful improvements in real-time capability can be achieved by means of the invention with regard to industrial automation.

[0020] References herein to OPC-UA also apply to other data exchange standards that can be used for the invention. However, references herein are primarily made to OPC-UA by way of example, whereby OPC-UA in this sense is intended to be interchangeable with functionally equivalent or similar data exchange standards or with communication protocols and standards, and vice versa.

[0021] The machine control system can control a mechatronic system. The mechatronic system comprises, on the one hand, mechatronic components—for example, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic, or combinations of these principles, or other components—that are combined in a system network and, as such, function as a combined mechatronic unit or mechatronic machine. This can, for example, be a machine tool in which several electric motors drive the axes of the machine tool, or a machine network for a production line. Components of the mechatronic system are preferably coordinated by one or more machine control systems, synchronized if necessary, and controlled as a system network.The machine control system can be, for example, a logic controller, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), a motion controller, such as a CNC (computer numerical control), or—more generally—a higher-level system controller, which can also be composed of several different control platforms and architectures. The machine control system can be an integrated machine control system, which also integrates a real-time component, in software or hardware, and a higher-level logic controller, process controller, or general controller in a single unit, preferably in a single housing.

[0022] Such a machine controller can be a separate and dedicated piece of hardware, such as an electronic component of the mechatronic system designed as a physical machine controller. It can also be an embedded controller or a virtual controller, for example, emulated or virtualized on an industrial PC. Finally, a controller can also be implemented as a software application on an (industrial) PC.

[0023] According to the invention, a machine controller is integrated into the network as a network participant for data exchange. The machine controller receives, sends, processes, manages, coordinates, creates, or generates machine control data. Such data is, for example, data related to the mechatronic system or data originating from the mechatronic system. This control data is communicated, i.e., sent and / or received, by the machine controller. This is an essential prerequisite for the smooth functioning of a mechatronic system. This is where the invention comes in, in that objects, monitoring properties, or monitoring relationships are used uniformly and are simultaneously related to the monitoring and the publish / subscribe system architecture. The data exchange standard can provide various transmission architectures, which the invention uses in an application-specific manner.In this case, a publish / subscribe architecture of the data exchange standard is used for transmission. A characteristic of such a publish / subscribe architecture is that the publisher does not address the subscriber(s) individually and therefore does not necessarily "know" them.

[0024] According to the invention, machine control data (for the sake of simplicity, also referred to herein as "control data") can be provided with all the advantages of a publish / subscribe architecture (for example, control data can be distributed simultaneously for a plurality of subscribers and / or cyclically). For this purpose, the machine control system can be configured as a subscriber or publisher compliant with the data exchange standard with the aid of objects according to the invention. The transmission can take the form of network messages compliant with the data exchange standard, each of which is intended for a flexible number of subscribers. Generally speaking, a network participant selectively receives or selects the message to be received based on the message identifier and / or selectively extracts the data record of interest from a network message based on the message identifier.

[0025] In the aforementioned publish / subscribe architecture, a publisher transmits data in the form of network messages compliant with the data exchange standard. The data is tagged and transmitted using methods or functionalities standardized in the data exchange standard. Each such message is intended for a flexible number of subscribers.

[0026] The subscriber can selectively receive the message it is seeking based on a message identifier (e.g., when using a publish / subscribe architecture with unicast addressing, see below). Alternatively or additionally, the subscriber can selectively extract the data set of interest from a network message identified or received in this way using a message identifier (e.g., when using a publish / subscribe architecture with multicast addressing, see below).

[0027] With unicast addressing, sender information, such as a publisher ID, e.g., the identification of a sending machine control system, is written into a network message header. Furthermore, with unicast addressing, the message identifier can contain information (e.g., IP address) of the recipient or addressee, which is used to route the respective network message with the control data to the intended recipient. Preferably, such a network message contains control data only for the intended recipient, so that a separate unicast network message is generated, transmitted, and routed accordingly for each recipient in the network.

[0028] Such specifics of the publish / subscribe architecture can also be described and defined by the inventive objects (and their properties or relationships, see below). For this purpose, the corresponding properties (e.g., unicast or multicast addressing) are created as an instance of such an object and filled with the corresponding properties.

[0029] In contrast, a network message according to the invention in multicast addressing carries - possibly in addition to the above-mentioned sender information - control data for several recipients, so that each network message is routed to several network participants and, based on the message identifier, the network participant extracts its control data concerning it from the network message.

[0030] The configuration capability of the machine control system (e.g., optionally as publisher and / or subscriber) can be provided, for example, in a firmware and / or in a machine control application of the machine control system, so that the user only needs to access or select the corresponding configuration of the machine control system. In the case of a machine control system implemented as a software application, the configuration option can be implemented in the software of the corresponding application. It is essential that the configuration is optional; this can mean that a machine control system can be provided and / or configured at any time and / or freely selectable and / or automatically or manually adjustable.The objects used according to the invention ensure that each machine control (and each other network participant) can be configured and operated accordingly using interchangeable, uniform or compatible objects.

[0031] Preferred embodiments which do not limit the subject matter of the invention are described in the subclaims.

[0032] If monitoring is carried out using uniformly used, mutually compatible object properties (monitoring properties) that are characteristic of both monitoring and publish / subscribe data transmission, the monitoring implementation is very flexible and, in particular, very system-accurate with regard to the publish / subscribe communication model and its monitoring properties. Regarding compatibility and uniform use, the above applies accordingly. According to the invention, the monitoring properties are characteristic of both monitoring and publish / subscribe data transmission. The monitoring properties are, in particular, types of connections or components of connections. They can also be types of variables that relate to the configuration or operation of such a connection.

[0033] The invention proposes that monitoring be carried out by means of uniformly used, mutually compatible relationships between objects (monitoring relationships) that are relevant both to the monitoring function and to the publish / subscribe data transfer. This allows for the very simple and flexible implementation of technical features of monitoring functions and their technical interrelationships. For example, monitoring relationships can be used to configure a specific publish / subscribe connection to have other objects or components that can then be accessed for monitoring. These can be, for example, physical or logical components of a publisher or subscriber, such as a reader or a writer (this will be discussed in more detail below).

[0034] In order to be able to use such monitoring functions, which are used primarily in the context of industrial automation, industry-wide, even between devices from different manufacturers, the invention proposes that the objects, monitoring properties, and monitoring relationships be standardized in an information model of the data exchange standard. A particular finding of the invention is that by implementing the objects and / or monitoring properties and / or monitoring relationships in an information model, a particularly efficient and highly interoperable solution is created. According to the invention, such an information model of a data exchange standard—in the invention, OPC UA—is particularly well suited for defining the above-mentioned features in a uniform, lean, and interchangeable manner across the network.Such an information model is preferably already present in a data exchange standard, so that the inventive objects and / or monitoring properties and / or monitoring relationships can be designed based on the properties of such an existing information model. Thus, standard-compliant, minimal measures ensure that the invention can be implemented efficiently and interoperably.

[0035] Low overhead with a high degree of compatibility and interoperability as well as a lean design of the invention is achieved in that the objects and / or the monitoring properties and / or the monitoring relationships are each derived from corresponding objects or properties or relationships of the publish / subscribe communication model. The publish / subscribe communication model already exists, for example, within the framework of the data exchange standard and already provides corresponding objects or properties or relationships of publish / subscribe objects, upon which the invention can easily be based. As a result, many existing features are adopted and do not have to be created or defined redundantly. It is particularly preferred that, during the derivation, the properties and / or relationships within the framework of the publish / subscribe communication model are derived from the monitoring properties orMonitoring relationships are inherited, i.e., transferred to them while maintaining the corresponding properties or functionalities. The properties and / or relationships can then be adopted from the publish / subscribe communication model, making them easier to predefine and also simpler to handle and operate such a system, since properties and / or relationships are already known and established. At the same time, this ensures that, according to the invention, additional features are only included in the information model for those properties / relationships that also relate to monitoring functions. This also enables a minimal to extremely efficient implementation of the monitoring according to the invention.

[0036] The machine controller can have an additional publisher function in its subscriber function. This publisher function is provided locally on the machine controller and correlates with the subscriber function of the machine controller. The publisher function is thus - at least partially - related to or assigned to the subscriber function. This means that the publisher function transmits data that is related to the subscriber function and / or originates from it and / or is based on it. In its publisher function, the machine controller transmits subscriber data over the network; this subscriber data can be transmitted exclusively or in addition to other data to be transmitted, such as control data. The subscriber data is compiled locally on the machine controller and relates to the subscriber function.

[0037] It is also a finding of the invention that the subscriber function of the machine controller can, on the one hand, generate and transmit a message regarding the control data obtained from the remote publisher. On the other hand, this message, in the sense of the publish / subscribe communication model, requires a corresponding remote subscriber function that has a reference to the unit implementing the remote publisher. In this way, the feedback or coupling of the chain is achieved: remote publisher transmits control data - subscriber of the machine controller obtains control data - publisher of the machine controller transmits subscriber data - remote subscriber obtains machine controller subscriber data (which is ultimately collected and transmitted by the subscriber of the machine controller).The configuration of such a feedback or communication chain is implemented with the inventive objects (and their properties or relationships, see below) in that the objects represent features related to the configuration.

[0038] Technically, the machine controller can be operated as both a publisher and a subscriber, and can be configured and operated equally simultaneously in both functions. This allows the machine controller to simultaneously perform both the subscriber function and the publisher function, which is required to transmit its subscriber data within the framework of and while maintaining the publish / subscribe communication model architecture. In this context, it is preferred that a network participant on which the aforementioned remote publisher is implemented also has a remote subscriber implemented on the same network device or network participant. This remote subscriber preferably receives the subscriber data from the machine controller.For this purpose, the network participant on which the remote subscriber function and the remote publisher function are implemented can be a machine controller, an industrial PC or another type of network participant, for example an office PC.

[0039] In this respect, the remote subscriber function corresponds or correlates with the remote publisher. While the remote network participant, in its remote publisher function, sends / transmits the control data over the network (which is then received and evaluated by the machine controller as part of its subscriber function), it receives subscriber data via the remote subscriber function, preferably from the machine controller that receives the control data from the remote publisher. In this respect, the subscriber data received by the remote subscriber refers to the control data originally transmitted from the remote publisher to the subscriber of the machine controller, and in particular to a reference status or other meta-communication data of the communication between the remote network participant and the machine controller.A communication path between the machine controller and a network participant (this can also be several or all network participants) is closed or completed in both directions and / or fed back. The invention accomplishes this entirely within the framework of the intended publish / subscribe communication architecture and preferably does not violate the technical specifications provided by the data exchange standard, or does so only as needed and in a measured manner. The inventive definition of customized objects, monitoring properties, and monitoring relationships also serves this purpose by providing the technical basis for configuring a monitored connection with minimal expansion of the underlying information model and based on an existing information model.

[0040] The invention offers a wide range of possibilities for expanding an industrial automation network, as well as virtually complete, deterministic, and above all, easy-to-monitor communication, provided the subscriber data includes control data from the machine controller and / or status data from the machine controller and / or heartbeat data (i.e., cyclically transmitted monitoring or function-related data representing proper operation or online status) and / or data similar to a return channel of an industrial automation fieldbus architecture. On the one hand, control data can also be transmitted on the "return channel," preferably control data from the machine controller itself or control data that the machine controller has received from other network participants / machine controllers.This enables virtually unlimited communication (including in real time) with regard to the control data to be exchanged, for example communication of setpoints and / or actual values ​​of coupled movement paths of an industrial automation machine, such as a machine tool.

[0041] On the other hand, subscriber data preferably always also contains status data of the machine control system receiving the control data. This status data can, on the one hand, include a reference status of the control data being received; on the other hand, however, it can also alternatively or additionally include a general status of the machine control system, such as a standby status, an operating status, an operating mode, online / offline status, readiness to receive, and / or readiness to transmit or send.

[0042] Overall, the data can also be structured or implemented in the manner of a return channel of an industrial automation fieldbus architecture. This can correspond to a communication return direction in which data—for example, requested data or data required by the sending partner—is transmitted cyclically and / or deterministically and / or in real time. If an implementation is provided in the manner of a return channel, then, in particular, data / characteristics requested by the remote publisher or required by it are returned. This can correspond to a primary participant / secondary participant architecture in which the remote publisher or the network participant on which the remote publisher is implemented corresponds to a primary participant, and the subscriber or the machine controller corresponds to a secondary participant.

[0043] Within the scope of the invention, the data may also contain additional information, or the communication as a whole may have additional features in the "backward direction," whereby the information / features go beyond those of a return channel. The invention allows the establishment of flexible communication channels or communication paths that can also be independent of a hierarchical primary subscriber / secondary subscriber architecture. While hierarchical communication models are supported, it can be particularly advantageous if such comparatively rigid structures do not restrict the topology or structure of the communication. Rather, communication mechanisms implemented according to the invention can be established on an equal footing between all network subscribers. This also makes it possible to flexibly map or reconfigure communication paths or predefined hierarchical relationships, as required.

[0044] In industrial automation systems, for example, synchronizing the movements of automated axes (e.g., by electric motors) or ensuring safety functions, quality functions, or reporting or documentation functions (including for quality documentation purposes) may require bidirectional communication, i.e., enabling two network participants to exchange data in either direction. The invention achieves this in a particularly streamlined and efficient manner with a high degree of standardization and fundamental interchangeability by establishing bidirectional communication between the machine controller and a remote network participant, which is to be implemented using the objects, monitoring properties, and monitoring relationships according to the invention.

[0045] Overall, the invention enables a flexible, system-faithful and configuration-faithful mapping of the automation infrastructure when the machine controller and the remote network participant exchange control data and / or status data relating to a device status of the machine controller or the remote network participant. Alternatively or additionally, they can also exchange communication metadata relating to properties of the communication channel or a communication status and / or network connection status data, for example quality of service data and / or identification data of the machine controller or a logical unit belonging to the machine controller or of the remote network participant or a logical unit belonging to the remote network participant. Such identification data can be technical data of the machine controller orof the remote network participant or identification numbers or coding data of these devices that are characteristic of the devices. The configuration and transmission of such data is accomplished according to the invention through the use of system-wide objects, monitoring properties, or monitoring relationships.

[0046] Overall, it can be provided – particularly in accordance with the data exchange standard – that the functions of transmitting or sending / receiving and writing or reading data are separated or modularized accordingly. For this purpose, a publisher or each publisher can have one or more upstream, physical, logical, or virtual writing units (writers) in accordance with the data exchange standard, which provide the data to be transmitted. This can in particular be a hardware or software module, for example, an app or a procedure. A writer can locally retrieve the data to be transmitted, compile it, process it, and prepare it for transmission, for example, by writing it into a specific format or into a prepared network message, or even encoding the intended data into a coding standard for the network message.Such a writer precedes the publisher in the entire communication sequence; thus, the writer provides the information before the publisher transmits it.

[0047] Similarly, according to the data exchange standard, a subscriber can be followed by one (or more) physical, logical, or virtual reading units (readers). The above statement for the writer applies accordingly. Such a reader reads the received or retrieved data. It is positioned downstream of the corresponding subscriber in the communication sequence, so that the reading of the data or decoding of the data from a retrieved network message occurs after the actual reception / retrieval of the network message.

[0048] A lean and flexible implementation is achieved by ensuring that the objects and / or monitoring properties and / or monitoring relationships between objects are relevant for each such writer and / or reader. This allows the corresponding properties of writers / readers to be adopted or inherited from the pool of properties standardized in the data exchange standard for the publish / subscribe communication architecture. The corresponding objects and / or monitoring properties and / or monitoring relationships of the objects can be characteristic of a writer / reader in the above-mentioned sense; they are already relevant if they contain or reference information or features of such a writer / reader.

[0049] According to the invention, the subscriber data can be configured flexibly and as needed; their content, distribution, handling, and format can also be determined flexibly and arbitrarily. The invention thus makes it possible to easily obtain a flexible and constant overview of the status of network participants. To this end, it is proposed that, using the transmitted subscriber data, a virtual, current state model of each network participant, and in particular of the subscriber and / or the entire machine control system or subcomponents of the subscriber and / or the machine control system, as well as alternatively or additionally of a physical or logical component of the subscriber and / or the machine control system and / or of each network participant, can be generated and, in particular, updated cyclically.

[0050] The state model can be an essentially complete or reduced, or in extreme cases even minimal, state model. Alternatively or additionally, it can also be a so-called "digital twin." The state model can represent and keep up-to-date individual, a subset of, specific, selected, or a virtually complete representation of parameters of one of the aforementioned models. Ideally, such a state model (or digital twin) provides at least an overview of whether the corresponding component is in a faulty state or a normal state. This ensures that the functionality of the corresponding component can be monitored and updated at all times (especially in real time).

[0051] The state model refers to the subscriber and its state itself, in particular its error state or normal state, especially its reception state; it can also refer to the machine control and its state itself, so that the subscriber data can be used to provide a statement about the state, in particular the device state, of the machine control itself. Finally, the subscriber data can also refer to a state model of just one – physical or logical – component of the subscriber or the machine control. This can include a respective subunit of the corresponding component; a reader as described above is a particularly suitable logical component.

[0052] The above can also be applied to any network participant, so that on any network participant (which in this case does not necessarily have to be a machine controller) a subscriber is implemented, the subscriber data of which allows to generate a virtual, current state model of this subscriber and / or of the relevant network participant and / or of a physical or logical component of the relevant network participant, which can also be updated cyclically.

[0053] As explained above, according to the invention, the subscriber receives data published by a remote publisher. The above-mentioned state model thus also relates to the readiness to receive or the status, and in particular the reception status, of the data published by the remote publisher. In order to achieve the most compact and efficient monitoring possible using a state model, it is therefore proposed that the state model be created and, in particular, updated locally in the remote publisher. In this case, everything above applies in particular accordingly.

[0054] The invention provides that the state model can be generated using methods of the data exchange standard and, if necessary, updated cyclically. It can then be generated, updated, and, if necessary, addressed, queried, or even transmitted within the network using (information technology) method calls. In particular, interoperable monitoring across the network or within a defined network segment is to be enabled by making the state model accessible to network participants across the network or within a network segment using standardized methods of the data exchange standard, and in particular, retrievable and / or downloadable, or otherwise accessible via information technology.

[0055] Smart monitoring can be designed to be simple and interoperable if the objects and / or monitoring properties and / or monitoring relationships are each relevant to the state model. They can also be characteristic of the state model; in this case, the above-mentioned applies accordingly. They are relevant to the state model if they contain information or features that relate to the state model or its properties. For example, a monitoring relationship can indicate that a subscriber and / or a reader has a corresponding state model that is maintained / updated / built on another (remote) network participant. Furthermore, a monitoring property can indicate that a state model exists at all. According to the invention, an object can contain that such a state model is updated (in particular, updated cyclically).

[0056] The above-mentioned objects are also achieved by a network-capable machine controller, in particular a programmable logic control (PLC), or a network-capable computer device with a virtual or emulated machine controller implemented thereon, each configured to execute a method according to one of claims 1-10. The machine controller is integrated into the network and supports the data exchange standard. It can be optionally configured as a publisher and / or subscriber, supports the data exchange standard, and internally provides the aforementioned objects, monitoring properties, and monitoring relationships. Everything stated above applies accordingly.

[0057] The invention is explained using exemplary embodiments and drawings, some of which are roughly schematic. In the drawings, identical or functionally equivalent features are provided with the same reference numerals, unless otherwise stated in the description. The technical design features shown in a figure are applicable to any variant of the invention, even independently of other features contained and / or described in that figure, unless otherwise explicitly stated for that figure or that design feature. They show: Fig. 1 a unidirectional communication channel between two network devices via a publish / subscribe communication mechanism based on decoupled communication, Fig. 2 communication between two network devices, which is also based on the publish / subscribe communication architecture, but at the same time enables bidirectional communication as required in the sense of the invention, Fig. 3 also a bidirectional communication between two network devices via two communication channels, wherein at least one of the communication channels is monitored in the sense of the invention, Fig. 4 a roughly schematic, highly simplified representation of an information model extended according to the invention as a section of an overall information model.

[0058] Fig. Figure 1 initially shows a configuration that can form the basis for a method for communicating machine control data of a mechatronic system 2 in a network 3. The network 3 is shown only schematically. The network 3 connects at least one machine control 4 and a remote network participant 7 by means of a data exchange standard that supports a publish / subscribe communication model. The data exchange standard is - as already explained in more detail above - OPC-UA according to the invention. In the communication model, a publisher P1 that publishes or sends data via the network 3 is fundamentally decoupled from any subscriber and, in the illustration, in particular from the subscriber S1 of the machine control 4. The communication takes place in the illustration of the Fig. 1 via a single communication channel (primary channel) 8 and only unidirectionally from publisher P1 to subscriber S1.

[0059] Fig. 2 shows a configuration in which the machine controller 4 and the remote network participant 7 can both be operated optionally as publishers P2 and P1, respectively, and simultaneously as subscribers S1 and S2, respectively. According to the invention, at least the machine controller 4 is configured such that, in its subscriber function S1, it obtains control data from a remote publisher P1 via the network 3 using the data exchange standard and the publish / subscribe architecture. The remote publisher P1 is implemented on the remote network participant 7 shown. This control data is sent via the primary communication channel 8 and obtained by the subscriber S1, also via this primary channel 8.

[0060] At least the machine control 4 (and in the illustrated embodiment also the remote network participant 7) is simultaneously operated as publisher P2 (or P1). This publisher function P2 corresponds to the subscriber function S1 of the machine control 4, in that the machine control 4 sends subscriber data related to the subscriber function S1 via the network 3 using the publisher function P2. Fig. 2 shows that the machine controller 4 publishes or transmits the data via its publisher function P2 using the secondary communication channel 9. This subscriber data can be obtained from a network participant 7; in the embodiment shown, it is obtained from the remote subscriber S2, which corresponds to the remote publisher function P1 of the remote network participant 7 in such a way that the subscriber function S2 refers to the subscriber data sent by the remote publisher P1 and received by the subscriber S1 of the machine controller 4 and is also located or implemented on the remote network participant 7—as is the original remote publisher P1 from which the original control data originates.

[0061] Overall, the acquisition of control data can be monitored by transmitting subscriber data. At the same time, the subscriber data transmitted via secondary channel 9 can also include control data from the machine control system 4 and, at the same time, status data from the machine control system 4, as well as data similar to a return channel of an industrial automation fieldbus architecture. The return channel is defined by the Fig. 2. Overall, bidirectional communication takes place. Via the secondary channel 9, the machine controller 4 and the remote network participant 7 exchange monitoring data relating to the monitoring of the primary channel 8.

[0062] Merely symbolic is the Fig. 2 (as in the Fig. 1) also shows that communication over both channels 8, 9 is carried out using a standardized, inherently connectionless and / or inherently coupling-free transmission protocol 10, namely UADP. This is a transmission protocol 10 based on the UDP standard.

[0063] Fig. Figure 3 shows—also schematically—how the invention implements monitoring of the communication between the machine controller 4 and a remote network participant 7. On the one hand, an extended transmission protocol 20 is used, which can still be based on UDP (in particular, UADP can be integrated as a payload in an OSI Layer 2 frame or UDP datagram) and complies with the UADP standard.

[0064] Both in the machine control system 4 and in the remote network participant 7, it is symbolically or schematically shown how a monitoring according to the invention (optionally with the extended transmission protocol 20) can be achieved using a data exchange standard, in the invention OPC-UA, and optionally by extending such a data exchange standard. Basically, the communication path of the Fig. 2 in Fig. 3; the direct communication of the control data takes place via the primary channel 8 and the return communication of the subscriber data via the secondary channel 9. In this variant of the invention, the subscriber data contains status data that allows monitoring of the communication of the control data or the primary channel 8. The control data sent by the publisher P1 of the remote network participant 7 via the primary channel 8 is - as explained above - received or obtained via the subscriber S1 of the machine control 4. The subscriber S1 uses mechanisms of the data exchange standard (OPC-UA) or interacts with components or modules of this data exchange standard; this access or this interaction is in each case in the Fig. 3 by bidirectional arrows. Subscriber S1 thus accesses mechanisms of an extended state machine 23 as well as an OPC UA information model 22 (compared to the conventional OPC UA standard, this can be an information model extended by monitoring functions, according to the invention). Machine controller 4 and remote network participant 7 are each configured as OPC UA network participants and OPC UA servers, respectively, so that the entire OPC UA stack or the portion required for the invention is accessible and installed in network participant 7 and in machine controller 4 (and, if applicable, in each relevant network participant 4, 7).

[0065] The extended state machine 23 is also defined within the framework of the data exchange standard or, compared to the conventional framework, is extended in a standard-compliant manner. Such a state machine (also known as a finite state machine) is a behavioral model that essentially consists of states, state transitions, and actions, and logically relates the states, state transitions, and conditions for state transitions to a deterministic relationship. In practice, such a state machine can be a sequence of commands, a procedure, or a software or hardware module.

[0066] For example, such an extended state machine 23 can define or enter an error state as soon as the subscriber S1 misses one or more data packets. In any case, the state of the subscriber S1, S2 / reader R1, R2 (and also of the publisher P1 / P2 / writer W1, W2) and their coordinated states and transitions between states are monitored / regulated / controlled by the state machine. For this purpose, the extended state machine 23 (as well as the subscriber S1) accesses a - likewise extended - information model 22 of the data exchange standard 21. The information model 22 stores the variables, their relationships, possible states, objects, and other information technology elements that can be used for the inventive monitoring or for the inventive transmission of subscriber data.These may include, for example, state variables representing a state of the primary channel 8 or a state of the subscriber 1 or the like; furthermore, they may include indicators or indicator variables, referential variables, and / or value variables relating to a monitoring or status.

[0067] The control data obtained from the remote publisher P1 via the subscriber S1 is further used internally for the industrial automation application (not shown here). The bidirectional arrow to the extended state machine 23 and to the information model 22 indicates that, in particular, subscriber data relating to the states of the subscriber S1 and / or a reception status of the control data is further processed according to the invention. This is achieved by the publisher P2 of the machine controller 4 having simultaneous access to the extended state machine 23 and the extended information model 22. Through this standardized access, the publisher P2 can access subscriber data, in particular, state data or status data of the transmission of the control data.These are processed using the extended information model in the extended state machine 23 and published or transmitted by the publisher P2 of the machine controller 4 via the secondary communication channel 9 using the extended, UADP-based transmission protocol 20. This subscriber data is obtained from the remote subscriber S2 of the remote network participant 7. The above statements regarding the OPC UA data exchange standard 21, the extended information model 22, the extended state machine 23, and their bidirectional interactions also apply accordingly to the remote network participant 7.

[0068] The remote subscriber S2 interacts with the extended state machine 23; this allows the subscriber data to be evaluated accordingly and used, using the extended information model 22, to select specific states of the extended state machine 23 on the remote network participant 7. For example, an error state and / or a proper state relating to the transmission of control data from the remote publisher to the subscriber S1 of the machine controller 4 can be made known to the remote network participant 7 and used to improve the reliability and deterministic nature of the control data communication.For example, a reported error condition can result in a different network connection being selected or a different network path being used for transmitting the control data; similarly, error conditions can also trigger repeated transmissions of the relevant control data via the Publisher P1.

[0069] In the Fig. Figure 3 also schematically shows that the publisher P1, P2 each has a logical writing unit (writer) W1, W2 connected upstream according to the data exchange standard, which provides the data to be transmitted. Likewise, a logical reading unit (reader) R1, R2 connected downstream of the subscriber S1, S2 is schematically shown, which reads and / or processes the received data. These logical writing units W1, W2 as well as the logical reading units R1, R2 can also be parallel or integrated into the publisher P1, P2 or the subscriber S1, S2, or each can be equipped as a component or module thereof. Finally, Fig. 3, that by means of the monitoring a virtual, current state model (V1,V2) of the subscriber (S1,S2) and / or the machine control (4) and / or a physical or logical component (R1,R2) of the subscriber (S1,S2) can be generated and in particular cyclically updated and wherein the objects (On) and / or monitoring properties (En) and / or monitoring relationships (Bn) are relevant for the state model (Vn), as in Fig. 4 is represented by the virtual record reader type object 018, its property of the virtual record reader type object E18 and its monitoring relationships B11, B12, B13 - this will be discussed in more detail below.

[0070] Finally, the Fig. 4 an information model 22 extended according to the invention. This can also be a conceptual or logical data model. In any case, it is, in particular, an embodiment of the technical or information technology objects with their properties and relationships among them. Such an information model 22 therefore defines the technical properties and relationships of the objects required for the implementation of the invention. This ensures consistent use and data-related interpretation of the corresponding information technology or technical mechanisms or methods.

[0071] The information model 22 is merely an excerpt from an entire information model, which may exist, for example, within the framework of the data exchange standard—in the invention, OPC-UA. In this case, the inventive objects On are generally specified, which can be both information technology objects On in the narrower sense (see the description text above) and general objects On in the broader sense (see above). In the roughly schematic and highly simplified representation, the corresponding properties En are symbolically specified for the respective objects On; depending on the context, the properties En can also be general characteristics or merely explanations of features of the underlying objects On.Furthermore, relationships Bn are generally specified between objects On; these relationships Bn do not necessarily have to be monitoring relationships; depending on the context, these relationships Bn can also simply contain descriptions of relationships between the corresponding objects On or properties En. The above-mentioned details will become clear from the context in the further description.

[0072] The following description essentially refers to the definitions and standardizations or nomenclature of OPC UA; it is applicable accordingly to any other publish / subscribe communication architectures and / or data exchange standards. Therefore, a distinction is made below between types and reference types, whereby the former can correspond to the objects On or the properties En, and the latter to the relationships Bn. In the list of reference symbols, designations in parentheses are added to the objects On, the properties En, and the relationships Bn. These designations can be provided as uniformly used identifiers in a data exchange standard (according to the invention, OPC UA) with regard to the language, syntax, composition, and content.The language of these identifiers is English, and they are executed without spaces so that they reflect the character of information technology identifiers that could easily be used in the specified identifier form in a corresponding computer-implemented implementation.

[0073] Furthermore, the chosen representation is based on the basic format of an information model; accordingly, the individual objects On, the properties En and the relationships Bn can be understood as information technology objects On in the narrower sense, information technology properties En in the narrower sense, or information technology relationships Bn in the narrower sense. On the other hand, the aforementioned Fig. 4 also merely represent features or descriptions within the framework of a general information model; then the objects On, properties En, relationships Bn shown are to be interpreted as elements of the information model 22. The distinction between these representations arises from the context. Not all objects On, properties En, relationships Bn are designed as monitoring objects or monitoring properties or monitoring relationships; individual elements of these elements can also be designed as standardized, conventional elements of a data exchange standard 21. This differentiation will also become apparent in the context below.

[0074] As already described in detail above, the acquisition of control data is monitored using a publish / subscribe data transfer of monitoring information. This monitoring is carried out using uniformly used, compatible objects On, each characteristic of both the monitoring function and the publish / subscribe data transfer, which are represented in the information model 22 with their properties En and relationships Bn. The simple and roughly schematic representation, kept for the sake of clarity, makes it clear that the respective objects On are characteristic of both the monitoring function and the publish / subscribe data transfer. In particular, the following objects On can be characteristic of both the monitoring function and the publish / subscribe data transfer: the monitored publish / subscribe connection O2 (can be an information technology object in the narrower sense, which represents the established publish / subscribe connection and can have the corresponding connection parameters as an instance), the monitored publish / subscribe connection type object O5 (can only summarize the properties that a monitored publish / subscribe connection has), the monitored writer group O6 (can be an information technology object in the narrower sense, which groups monitored writer group type objects), the monitoring reader group O7 (can be an information technology object in the narrower sense, which groups the monitoring reader group types), the monitored writer group type object O9 (can only summarize the properties that monitored writers of a monitored writer group have as a type),the monitoring reader group type object O10 (can, for example, only summarize the properties that monitored readers of a monitored reader group have, for example as a type), the monitored data record writer O12 (can be an information technology object in the narrower sense, which represents the established data record writers and can have the corresponding writer parameters as an instance), the monitoring data record reader O13 (can be an information technology object in the narrower sense, which represents the established data record readers and can have the corresponding reader parameters as an instance), the monitored data record writer type object O16 (can only summarize the properties that monitored data record writers have, for example as a type), the monitoring data record reader type object O17 (can, for example, as an object in the broader sense, only summarize the properties,the monitoring record readers, for example, in the sense of a type) and finally, the virtual record reader type object 018 (which, as an object in the broader sense, can merely summarize the properties that virtual record readers, for example, have in the sense of a type). The other objects shown can, for example, be objects without reference to a monitoring function in the broader sense (i.e., containers or identifiers for properties or other characteristics as elements of the system shown).

[0075] According to the invention, monitoring is also carried out by providing uniformly used, mutually compatible properties En of the objects On that are characteristic both for monitoring and for publish / subscribe data transmission (monitoring properties); such monitoring properties are in particular the following in the Fig. 4 shown: the monitored publish / subscribe connection property 2, the monitored publish / subscribe connection type E5, the monitored writer group property E6, the monitored reader group property E7, the monitored writer group type E9, the monitored reader group type E10, the monitored record writer property E12, the monitoring record reader property E13, the monitored record writer type E16, the monitoring record reader type E17 and the virtual record reader type E18. The other properties shown can, for example, be properties without reference to a monitoring function or elements in the broader sense (e.g. containers or identifiers for properties or other characteristics as elements of the system shown).

[0076] Furthermore, according to the invention, monitoring is also carried out by means of uniformly used, mutually compatible relationships Bn between the objects On (monitoring relationships) that are relevant both with regard to the monitoring function and the publish / subscribe data transmission; such monitoring relationships are in particular the following, in the Fig. 4 shown: the component relationship B1 (since it indicates that the conventional or standardized publish / subscribe type object O1 has a monitored component O2), the type definition relationship B4, component relationship B5, the component relationship B6, subtype relationship B7, subtype relationship B8, the subtype relationships B9, B10, the virtual reader relationship B11, the virtual reader (update) relationship B12, the subtype relationships B13 and B14, and finally the type definition relationships B15, B16, B17, B18. The other relationships shown can, for example, be relationships without reference to a monitoring function or elements in the broader sense (e.g., containers or identifiers for properties or other characteristics as elements of the system shown).

[0077] The following describes the technical properties and relationships that make up the information model 22 of the Fig. 4, described in context: Top left is a Publish / Subscribe object O1 with a Publish / Subscribe type that can correspond to a property E1. In the case shown, however, it can also be a heading or an entry point into the (partial) information model 22. The Publish / Subscribe object O1 has (see the top level of the Fig. 4) two relationships B1,B2. In the top level of the Fig. 4 is purely related to the publish / subscribe architecture; this may mean that no relationships Bn / Objects On / Properties En are listed there that also relate to monitoring functions. These may be pure publish / subscribe elements, which are also conventionally provided for in the data exchange standard 21.

[0078] In the illustrated embodiment, the publish / subscribe object O1 has the relationship B2, which indicates that the object O1 has a component. This component is the connection object O3 shown with the connection property E3. The connection object O3 can be an object in the narrower sense (see above). It has a designation, for example, a connection name; its connection property E3 refers to the publish / subscribe connection type. The connection object O3 has a connection type defined via the type definition relationship B3, which is represented in the object O4. For this purpose, the object O4 has the publish / subscribe connection type property E4.

[0079] The publish / subscribe object O1 has a connection to the object O2 via the relationship B1, which indicates that the publish / subscribe object O1 has a component. This can also be an object in the narrower sense; the object O2 has the property E2, which indicates that it is a monitored publish / subscribe connection type with an associated connection name. This monitored publish / subscribe connection type is a subtype of the publish / subscribe connection type and thus inherits all properties of this publish / subscribe connection type. Furthermore, other types (such as monitored writer group types / monitored reader group types) can be attached to the publish / subscribe connection type. An instance of the publish / subscribe connection type can be assigned both standard, conventional group types and, in the sense of the invention, monitored group types.The object O2 – as an object in the narrower sense, for example, a monitored publish / subscribe connection – has the type specified by the monitoring relationship B4, which is given by the object O5 with the property E5, a monitored publish / subscribe connection type. The monitoring relationship B4 indicates that the object O2 has this type. The relationships B1, B4, for example, are uniformly used, mutually compatible relationships B1, B4 between the objects O1, O2, and O5 that are relevant both with regard to the monitoring function and to the publish / subscribe data transfer. In this sense, the monitoring relationship B1 indicates that the object O2 corresponding to a monitored publish / subscribe connection inherits the type (embodied by the property E1) of the object O1 and that the object O1, as a (derived) component, has the object O2 with the aforementioned properties E2.

[0080] Object O5, with the property of a monitored publish / subscribe connection type, has, on the one hand (arrow pointing up), a subtype of a publish / subscribe connection type given by the monitoring relationship B14, which in turn is represented by the property E4 of object O4. The two objects O8 and O15 are represented at the same level as objects O2 and O5. These each represent a writer group type via the property E8 and a record writer type via the property 15, respectively.

[0081] First of all, the type definition object O5, represented by the monitoring relationships B6, B5 each has two components; via the monitoring relationship B5, a component is assigned to the type definition object O5, which is represented by the object O6; this can be an object in the narrower sense, which, as an instantiated object, represents a writer group and has a monitored publish / subscribe writer group type and a corresponding writer group designation as property E6.

[0082] The monitored publish / subscribe connection type object O5 has, on the one hand, the component relationship B5, via which a monitored writer group O6 (e.g., as an instantiated object O6 in the narrower sense) is defined as a component of the monitored publish / subscribe connection type object O5. The monitored writer group O6 has the monitored writer group property E6 and, if applicable, a writer group identifier (which is defined in the Fig. 4 is not explicitly shown). The monitored writer group O6 also represents a monitored object in the sense of the invention. On the other hand, the monitored publish / subscribe connection type object O5 has the component relationship B6, via which a monitoring reader group O7 is defined as a component of the monitored publish / subscribe connection type object O5. The monitoring reader group O7 has the monitoring reader group property E7 and, if applicable, a reader group identifier (which is also in the Fig. 4 is not explicitly shown). The monitoring reader group O7 also represents a monitoring object (specifically, a monitoring object in the sense of the invention).

[0083] The monitored writer group O6 has been assigned the monitored writer group type object O9 via the type definition relationship B15, which has the monitored writer group type E9. This monitored writer group type E9 is a subtype of the writer group type E8 (as conventionally provided for, for example, in the data exchange standard). It groups the instances of monitored record writer types. The subtype relationship B7 models that the above-mentioned subtype relationship B7 exists between the monitored writer group type object O9 and the writer group type object O8. The writer group type object O8 has the writer group type E8. The monitored writer group type object O9 refers to a monitored record writer 012 with the monitored record writer property E12.The type definition relationship B17 clarifies that the monitored data record writer 012 has the monitored data record writer type E16 of the monitored data record writer type object 016. This monitored data record writer type E16 is a subtype of the data record writer type E15 of the data record writer type object 15, which is symbolized by the subtype relationship B9. Thus, the monitored data record writer type E16 inherits all properties of the data record writer type E15. Furthermore, it restricts certain configuration options (e.g., transport settings or network message settings) because the concept of the connection monitored according to the invention is based on brokerless communication based on the transport properties of OPC UA Ethernet or OPC UA UDP (User Datagram Protocol), as well as on the network message settings according to UADP.The monitored record writer type E16 also has another reference type definition via the virtual reader relationship B11, which indicates that a virtual record reader exists; the reference type definition points to a virtual record reader. This is defined in the . Fig. 4 symbolized by the fact that the corresponding virtual reader relationship B11 points to the virtual data record reader type object 018 with the virtual data record reader type E18.

[0084] The virtual data record reader type E18 is (indicated by the subtype relationship B13) a subtype of the monitoring data record reader type E17 (see below) and thus inherits all properties of this type. Furthermore, the virtual data record reader type E18 can display additional information about the quality of service (QoS) of a publish / subscribe connection in an OPC UA server.

[0085] The monitoring reader group O7 has been assigned the monitoring reader group type object O10 via the type definition relationship B16, which has the monitoring reader group type E10. This monitoring reader group type E10 is – symbolized by the subtype relationship B8 – a subtype of a reader group type E11 of a reader group type object O11. It groups the instances of monitoring record reader types. The monitored reader group type object O10 references a monitoring record reader 013 with the monitoring record reader property E13.The type definition relationship B18 clarifies that the monitoring data record reader 013 has the monitoring data record reader type E17 of the monitoring data record reader type object 017; this monitoring data record reader type E17 is a subtype of the data record reader type E14 of the data record reader type object 014, which is symbolized by the subtype relationship B10. Thus, the monitoring data record reader type E17 inherits all properties of the data record reader type E14. Furthermore, it restricts certain configuration options (e.g., transport settings or network message settings), since the concept of the connection monitored according to the invention is based on brokerless communication based on the transport properties of OPC UA Ethernet or OPC UA UDP (User Datagram Protocol), as well as on the network message settings according to UADP.The monitoring record reader type E17 has a further reference type definition indicating that a virtual record reader (corresponding to a state model according to the invention) is being updated; the reference type definition points to the corresponding virtual record reader. This is defined in the . Fig. 4 symbolized by the fact that the corresponding virtual reader relationship B12 points to the virtual data record reader type object 018 with the virtual data record reader type E18. List of reference symbols 2 mechatronic system 3 Network 4 Machine control 7 remote network participants 8 Primary channel 9 Secondary channel 10 Transmission protocol 20 extended transmission protocol 21 Data exchange standard (OPC UA stack) 22 OPC UA information model (extended information model) 23 extended state machine Rn Reader Number n Wn Writer Number n Pn Publisher Number n Sn Subscriber Number n Vn state model number n On object number n O1 Publish / Subscribe type object (PublishSubscribe) O2 monitored publish / subscribe connection (MonitoredPubSubConnection) O3 Publish / Subscribe connection (PubSubConnectionType) O4 Publish / Subscribe Connection Type Object (PubSubConnectionType) O5 Monitored Publish / Subscribe Connection Type Object (MonitoredPubSubConnectionType) O6 Monitored Writer Group (MonitoredWriterGroup) O7 monitoring reader group (MonitoringReaderGroup) O8 Writer Group Type Object (WriterGroupType) O9 monitored writer group type object (MonitoredWriterGroupType) O10 monitoring reader group type object (MonitoredReaderGroupType) O11 Reader Group Type Object (ReaderGroupType) 012 Monitored DataSet Writer (MonitoredDataSetWriter) 013 monitoring data set reader (MonitoringDataSetReader) 014 Dataset Reader Type Object (DataSetReaderType) 015 DataSetWriterType object 016 Monitored DataSet Writer Type Object (MonitoredDataSetWriterType) 017 monitoring data set reader type object (MonitoringDataSetReaderType) 018 Virtual DataSet Reader Type Object (VirtualDataSetReaderType) En monitoring property number n E1 Publish / Subscribe type (PublishSubscribe) E2 monitored publish / subscribe connection property(ies) (MonitoredPubSubConnection) E3 Publish / Subscribe connection property(s) (PubSubConnectionType) E4 Publish / Subscribe connection type (PubSubConnectionType) E5 Monitored Publish / Subscribe Connection Type (MonitoredPubSubConnectionType) E6 monitored writer group property (MonitoredWriterGroup) E7 monitoring reader group property (MonitoringReaderGroup) E8 Writer group type (WriterGroupType) E9 Monitored Writer Group Type (MonitoredWriterGroupType) E10 Monitoring Reader Group Type (MonitoredReaderGroupType) E11 Reader Group Type (ReaderGroupType) E12 Monitored DataSet Writer Property (MonitoredDataSetWriter) E13 monitoring data set reader property (MonitoringDataSetReader) E14 DataSetReaderType E15 DataSetWriterType E16 Monitored DataSet Writer Type (MonitoredDataSetWriterType) E17 Monitoring DataSet Reader Type (MonitoringDataSetReaderType) E18 Virtual DataSet Reader Type (VirtualDataSetReaderType) Bn Monitoring relationship number n B1 Component relationship (HasComponent) B2 Component relationship (HasComponent) B3 Type-definition relationship (HasTypeDefinition) B4 Type-definition relationship (HasTypeDefinition) B5 Component Relationship (HasComponent) B6 Component Relationship (HasComponent) B7 Subtype relationship (HasSubtype) B8 Subtype relationship (HasSubtype) B9 Subtype relationship (HasSubtype) B10 Subtype relationship (HasSubtype) B11 virtual reader relationship (HasVirtualReader) B12 virtual reader relationship (HasVirtualReader) B13 Subtype relationship (HasSubtype) B14 Subtype relationship (HasSubtype) B15 Type-definition relationship (HasTypeDefinition) B16 Type-definition relationship (HasTypeDefinition) B17 Type-definition relationship (HasTypeDefinition) B18 Type-definition relationship (HasTypeDefinition)

Claims

[1] Method for communicating machine control data of a mechatronic system (2) in a network (3) with at least one machine control (4), by means of an OPC UA data exchange standard (21) that supports a publish / subscribe communication model; wherein the machine control (4) obtains the machine control data from a remote network participant (7) within the framework of the publish / subscribe communication model, wherein the reference of the control data is monitored by means of a publish / subscribe data transmission of monitoring information and the monitoring is carried out by means of monitoring properties (En) of objects (On) and monitoring relationships (Bn) of the objects (On) among each other that are characteristic both for the monitoring function and for the publish / subscribe data transmission; wherein the objects (On) and the monitoring properties (En) and the monitoring relationships (Bn) are standardized in an information model (22) of the OPC UA data exchange standard (21). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the objects (On) and / or the monitoring properties (En) and / or the monitoring relationships (Bn) are each derived from corresponding objects (On) and / or properties (En) and / or relationships (Bn) of the publish / subscribe communication model and inherit the properties (En) and / or relationships (Bn) within the framework of the publish / subscribe communication model. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the machine control (4) can be operated optionally as a publisher (P2) and / or as a subscriber (S1), wherein the machine control (4) in its subscriber function (S1) obtains the control data by means of the OPC UA data exchange standard from a remote publisher (P1) of the remote network participant (7) via the network (3) and / or in its publisher function (P2) can send data (1) via the network (3), and wherein the machine control (4) in its subscriber function (S1) has an additional publisher function (P2) corresponding to the subscriber function, by means of which publisher function the machine control (4) sends subscriber data via the network (3), which are to be obtained via a remote subscriber function (S2) corresponding to the remote publisher (P1), and the obtaining of the control data is to be monitored by means of the transmission of the subscriber data. [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized bythat the subscriber data additionally comprise control data of the machine control (4) and / or status data of the machine control (4) and / or heartbeat data and / or data in the manner of a return channel of an industrial automation fieldbus architecture. [5] Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by that the machine control (4) and the remote network participant (7) exchange control data and / or status data concerning a device status of the machine control (4) and / or the remote network participant (7) and / or communication metadata and / or network connection status data and / or identification data of the machine control (4) or a logical unit (Rn, Wn) belonging to the machine control (4) and / or the remote network participant (7) or a logical unit (Rn, Wn) belonging to the remote network participant. [6] Method according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized bythat a publisher (Pn) according to the OPC UA data exchange standard (21) has one or more upstream, physical, logical or virtual write unit(s) (Wn) which provides / provide the data to be transmitted, and that a subscriber (Sn) according to the OPC UA data exchange standard (21) has one or more downstream, physical, logical or virtual read unit(s) (Rn) which reads / reads out the obtained data, wherein the objects (On) and / or the monitoring properties (En) and / or the monitoring relationships (Bn) of the objects (On) among each other are relevant for a respective write unit (Wn) and / or a read unit (Rn). [7] Method according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized bythat by means of the monitoring a virtual, current state model (Vn) of the subscriber (Sn) and / or the machine control (4) and / or a physical or logical component (Rn) of the subscriber (Sn) can be generated and cyclically updated and wherein the objects (On) and / or monitoring properties (En) and / or monitoring relationships (Bn) are relevant for the state model (Vn). [8] Network-capable machine control (4) or network-capable computer device with virtual or emulated machine control, which is designed to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 7. [9] Computer program product for a computer device, which, when executed on a computer device, carries out a method according to one of claims 1 to 7.

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