Method for automatically modifying a program and automation system

• US 8,245,215 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Extra, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US12/287,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 717/169, 717/171
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23324 Separate update program onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method for automatically modifying a program of an automation system, wherein a first item of data related to a program component is determined using an identificator assigned to the automation system, wherein a program code object stored in a database is selected using a selector based upon the first item of data, and wherein the program is modified by means of the program code object in that the program code object is integrated into the program. Further, an automation system with a program having program components and which is automatically modifiable in accordance with the method, having an assigned identificator for determining a first item of data related to a program component, a selector for selecting a program code object stored in a database based upon the first item of data, and an integrator for integrating the program code object into the program and finally a computer readable medium.

Claims

1. A computer-executable method for automatically modifying a program stored in memory of an automation system, the computer-executable method comprising:

determining a first item of data related to a program component of the program using an identificator assigned to the automation system;

initiating by the automation system a connection with a remote database;

selecting a program code object which is stored in the remote database using a selector based upon the first item of data;

determining a second item of data related to the program component of the program;

determining a third item of data related to the selected program code object;

comparing the second item of data to the third item of data to determine whether the program code object is updated compared to the program component;

checking whether a modification of the program can be implemented without affecting a running program; and

modifying the program with the program code object based upon results from the comparing and the checking steps, wherein the program code object is integrated into the program only if the program code object is updated compared to the program component and modification of the program can be implemented without affecting a running program.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

providing firmware components, wherein the firmware components are part of the program;

determining a first item of data related to a firmware component as a program component using the identificator assigned to the automation system; and

modifying the program with the program code object, wherein the program code object is integrated into the program as a firmware component.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the remote database is assigned to a server disposed remotely from the automation system.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the selector and the identificator are program components of the program.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second item of data is determined from the program, and wherein the third item of data is determined from the program code object.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second or the third item of data are selected from the group consisting of a version number, a creation date, a change date, a reference number and a combination thereof.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first item of data is selected from the group consisting of a version number, a creation date, a change date, a reference number, a hardware identification and a combination thereof.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote database is assigned to a server disposed remotely from the automation system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selector or the identificator are program components of the program.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second item of data is determined from the program, and wherein the third item of data is determined from the program code object.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second or the third item of data are selected from the group consisting of a version number, a creation date, a change date, a reference number and a combination thereof.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first item of data is selected from the group consisting of a version number, a creation date, a change date, a reference number, a hardware identification and a combination thereof.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

invoking an automatic modification using an initialization in connection with an initialization of the program, a program termination, a program interruption and/or a program pause; and

checking by the initialization whether the automatic modification is performable.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the program exclusively comprises firmware components which are stored in a nonvolatile memory.

15. An automation system having stored in memory therein an automatically modifiable program comprising computer-executable program code instructions to be executed by the automation system, comprising:

an identificator assigned to the automation system for determining a first item of data related to a program component;

an communication interface for initiating by the automation system a connection between the automation system and a remote database;

a selector to select a program code object which is stored in the remote database based upon the first item of data;

a comparator for comparing a second item of data related to the program component of the program with a third item of data related to the selected program code object to determine whether the program code object is updated compared to the program component;

an initializer for checking whether a modification of the program can be implemented without affecting a running program; and

an integrator for integrating the program code object into the program based upon results from the comparator and initializer for the purpose of modifying the program, wherein the program code object is integrated into the program only if the program code object is updated compared to the program component and modification of the program can be implemented without affecting a running program.

16. The automation system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the automation system comprises firmware components, and wherein the program component is a firmware component and the program code object is integrated into the program as a firmware component.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program to be executed on a computer to provide a method for automatically modifying a program of an automation system comprising computer-executable program code instructions for:

determining a first item of data related to a program component of the program using an identificator assigned to the automation system;

initiating by the automation system a connection with a remote database;

selecting a program code object which is stored in the remote database using a selector based upon the first item of data;

determining a second item of data related to the program component of the program;

determining a third item of data related to the selected program code object;

comparing the second item of data to the third item of data to determine whether the program code object is updated compared to the program component;

checking whether a modification of the program can be implemented without affecting a running program; and

modifying the program with the program code object based upon results from the comparing and the checking steps, wherein the program code object is integrated into the program only if the program code object is updated compared to the program component and modification of the program can be implemented without affecting a running program.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

the second item of data related to the program component of the program and the third item of data related to the selected program code object are selected from the group consisting of a version number, a creation date, a change date, a reference number and a combination thereof.