CN103098022B - Distribution and exchange are used for the system and method for unit of operation automation technical resource - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (10) for distributing and exchanging resources for planning and/or operating automation technology, said system having at least one interface device (12), at least one processing device (14) and at least one data memory (16), wherein said interface device (12) facilitates an integral connection and/or an integral link with at least one engineering tool (18, 20) in such a way that said The functionality of the at least one interface device (12) and the at least one processing device (14) can be called up and implemented from a corresponding engineering tool (18, 20), wherein by means of the corresponding processing device (14), in communication with the corresponding interface device ( 12) and the corresponding engineering tool (18, 20), the unit (22a, b) created and/or marked from the first engineering tool (18, 20) can be transferred to the corresponding processing device (14) and can processed and/or can be provided to said at least one data store (16) for retrieval and/or for transmission into at least another second engineering tool (20) and/or in at least another second engineering tool ( 20) to implement. The invention also relates to the method according to the invention implemented with the aforementioned system (10).

Description

System and method for distributing and exchanging units for operating automation technology resources

technical field

The invention relates to a system and a method for distributing and exchanging control logic units for planning and/or operating automation resources, in particular engineering automation resources.

Background technique

The creation and implementation of control logic or control logic units becomes more complex and difficult due to the often more complex tasks and increased requirements, including the necessary tests for function, suitability, safety and reliability. Therefore, it is desirable to exchange and reuse and/or use such units multiple times.

However, the hitherto known methods and systems offer only limited and insufficient possibilities in this respect.

Thus, basically two areas for reusing coding units are currently known. One area concerns methods for generating and distributing program libraries, and the other area concerns "personal reuse" or the individual, personal reuse of solutions that have already been generated once, for example by "copying and pasting".

Creating and maintaining or servicing program libraries is generally complex and relatively costly. Setting up and activating libraries in the corresponding organization or organizational structure is often complex.

In the field of automation technology equipment, mainly when there is the possibility of exclusive access to units, especially logic units, that is to say basically when units consisting of exclusive, earlier solutions and/or projects are available Individual reuse of cells, especially logic cells, and thus also "copy and paste" methods is available for use by the respective engineer and for them it is known how they function and what triggers them.

However, with the known systems and methods, in particular a systematic and organized access to identified control logic units for planning and operating automation resources has not been sufficiently possible until now.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore the object of the present invention to demonstrate the possibility of efficiently and systematically exchanging control logic segments and control logic units, in particular for planning and operating automation resources.

This task is solved by a system and a method for distributing and exchanging units for planning and/or operating automation resources as described below.

Advantageous developments and developments of the aforementioned system, as well as the corresponding method, which is also intended to be carried out on said system, are explained in the ensuing description.

According to the invention, the system for distributing and exchanging units for planning and/or operating automation technology resources comprises at least one interface device, at least one processing device and at least one data storage device, wherein the interface device facilitates communication with at least one Integrated connection (Anbindung) of engineering tools and/or integrated link (Verknuepfung) with at least one engineering tool in such a way that the functionality of the at least one interface device and the functionality of the at least one processing device can be obtained from the corresponding The engineering tool invokes and can implement, and wherein by means of the processing device, in cooperation with the interface device and the corresponding engineering tool, the unit created and/or marked from the first engineering tool can be transferred to the corresponding processing device and can be processing and/or can be provided to the at least one data store for retrieval and/or for transmission into and/or implementation in at least another second engineering tool, wherein the unit is A segment or unit of logic, and/or a segment or unit of program code.

In an advantageous refinement, the operation includes regulating and/or controlling and/or actuating and/or parameterizing and/or observing the automation resource.

In addition, it can be provided that the created and/or marked units can be retrieved selectively and/or controlled by the user from at least one data store and/or the created and/or marked units can be provided or set for selective and/or automatic transmission.

In a further development of the system, these units comprise, in addition to control logic segments and control logic units, supplementary preconfigured data structures and/or information, in particular faceplates or visualization images and/or visualization graphics and/or documentation and /or description.

In an advantageous development of the system, at least one processing device comprises a processing tool with which the transmitted and/or provided units as well as the remaining available structures and Management of information, including management and/or preparation and/or classification and/or prioritization and/or selective enabling of user management and access rights.

As a refinement, it can be provided that at least one processing device has a classification tool with which an evaluation and/or classification and/or characterization and/or evaluation of the transmitted unit can be facilitated and/or performed.

It can also be provided that the transmitted and/or provided or provided unit can be characterized in terms of function and/or purpose and/or its application possibilities and/or continued use and/or its enabling can be limited or limited based on the representation.

In another development, it is provided that at least one end date and/or duration can be printed on each available unit by means of the sorting tool, wherein the at least one end date indicates when the unit will end Available and/or Applicable and/or Accessible, while the duration specifies when the unit is available and/or Applicable and/or Accessible, especially in conjunction with enabling for testing purposes only and not for real application .

The use of the aforementioned system advantageously enables and executes the systematic exchange and reuse and continued use of program code elements and/or code fragments, in particular for the development and/or design of control logic, as well as the data set and established for this purpose The program code elements and/or code fragments are provided on a memory, in particular a corresponding database, and are retrieved from a data memory provided and established for this purpose, in particular a corresponding database, and via a network established for this purpose. and/or a code segment, wherein said control logic is used to operate an automated technical resource.

In an advantageous embodiment, at least one preparation tool is provided, with which individual units, in particular individual logic segments and/or program code segments, can be prepared and/or can be prepared before they are created or made available on the data storage Generated, in particular can be converted into a standardized data structure, such as XML.

As a further development, it can be provided that a plurality of units can be selected and/or characterized directly in a first engineering tool by means of a corresponding processing device in cooperation with a corresponding interface device and a corresponding engineering tool, and thus marked and characterized Units, especially logical units, can be automatically grouped into objects and/or functional modules and can especially be automatically transferred to the processing device and at least one data storage and can be made available for further processing and/or distribution, especially with obtained and/or implemented in at least another second engineering tool.

In a further refinement, at least one evaluation tool is provided, with which evaluation and/or commenting of the transmitted logic unit and/or code fragment as well as the remaining information can be facilitated and/or performed, which in particular Depending on the task settings they are based on and/or the functionality implemented through them.

In an advantageous refinement, the evaluation tool allows creation of a sort of ranking list “ranking” of the transmitted units, wherein the evaluation can be carried out or carried out according to at least one predeterminable evaluation scheme. In this case, the respective evaluation strategy can advantageously include and/or take into account one or more evaluation criteria, wherein the individual evaluation criteria can again be weighted or prioritized differently here. When multiple reusable and/or alternative solutions have been provided for a task setting or problem setting, where the solutions differ in various criteria (e.g. processing speed, complexity, storage requirements, variable management and/or parameter management) , flexibility and/or programming language, reliability, reliability and/or security) are particularly advantageous when distinguished from each other. By means of the ranking, particularly recommendable and less recommendable program units or program code fragments can be distinguished and selected accordingly. In particular, experience data, in particular experience values of previous users, in particular engineers, technicians and the like, are thus reflected again in the rank list.

Furthermore, in a further development, references can be specified, that is to say, historical data/information and/or empirical data/information are stored with the corresponding segment, for example where, when and to what extent the corresponding segment is used for what by whom Purpose.

As an improvement, a type of remuneration mechanism for developers and/or providers of corresponding information and/or corresponding logic units can also be set via the ranking list.

In a further exemplary embodiment, at least one processing device is provided, which includes a visualization tool with which state information relating to the respective unit can be illustrated and/or output, in particular also in graphic form, on the display device. In this case, in particular status information (eg "top 10 percent contributors") and/or the number of downloads and/or unit acquisitions and/or the number of visits can be specified and/or displayed.

In a further development, an annotation for a unit or a segment or a group of units or segments can advantageously be obtained and/or adapted by means of the evaluation tool. Here, the corresponding annotation may also include descriptive content related to the corresponding unit.

In a further development, a search tool can be provided as an additional processing tool with which comments and/or evaluations can be searched and/or searched for keywords and code words.

Furthermore, it can advantageously be provided that at least one communication device is provided with which a virtual forum and/or exchange platform for the exchange of opinions is created and/or provided. In this case, the exchange can take place by means of a network provided and established for this purpose, in particular a management system or the Internet.

In addition, it can be provided that the evaluation device provides a tool, in particular a corresponding mask with input fields, which allow the respective engineer to enter or obtain evaluations and/or comments related thereto.

It is also advantageously possible to provide a tool for evaluating the provided comments or annotations. The reviews can be used, for example, as a type of compensation system for developers and/or authors of reviews.

Advantageously, an access tool can be provided with which, for setting up a unit or transferring a unit to a processing device, it is possible to finely define the access rights to said unit, that is to say, already possible by a setting person (e.g. a developer) ) defines and/or specifies who is allowed to download said unit or segment under what conditions or who is allowed and/or has access to said unit or segment. User restrictions can thus advantageously be set such that the availability of a unit can be selectively limited in terms of scope, use, space readiness and user.

In a further refinement, a recognition tool is provided for a unique system identifier, so that this identifier can be specified and verified in advance when a logic unit or logic fragment is to be retrieved via the system.

Furthermore, provision can be made for each unit or segment provided for acquisition to be loaded with information regarding for which system identification and/or for which application the corresponding unit is authorized and thus enabled for implementation. Then, respectively recommended or implemented engineering systems and operating time systems ensure that only approved components can be used.

In addition, it can advantageously be provided that, after the unit has been configured or transferred into the system, it undergoes at least one verification step in which predeterminable, in particular quality, safety, reliability and function data are stored. Inspection standards are used for inspection.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the check is carried out in a plurality of steps, wherein first the corresponding unit is roughly checked and, with corresponding results, the corresponding unit is enabled for testing purposes. A further, more thorough second check is then carried out and only then with a positive result is the corresponding unit enabled for production purposes. The goal of this approach is to make the unit at least available as a test version or for testing purposes as quickly as possible.

As a refinement, feedback possibilities, such as forums, can be set up for each individual unit, said feedback possibilities including or providing tools to obtain detailed production feedback from the end customer or end user of the respective unit and thus improvements can be made by Gets the quality of provided units for implementation and/or distribution.

A search tool can also advantageously be provided which automatically searches predeterminable sources, especially accessible databases and/or the Internet, for updates and/or newer versions and/or Newer or replacement units, in particular hitherto unknown or unused units (for example also planning modules or planning fragments) and if possible explaining the found hits and making available for downloading and/or proposing correspondence requests and/or provide information related thereto, in particular hit information, for example also in the form of lists or tables.

In an advantageous embodiment a search is carried out, in particular for new or replacement units or segments, based on the analysis and and/or based on a corresponding user profile or user profile.

As an improvement, in another extension, a tool is set and/or provided. Using the tool, the corresponding system user or the system user itself or a system administrator with corresponding authority can pre-specify and obtain the system user or A user profile or user profile for a system user.

In this case, the corresponding profile can advantageously contain information and/or information relevant to the field of application and/or industry, e.g. Painting production line or similar, and/or at least one of the functions sought or functionally related, e.g. whether regulation functions, control functions, monitoring functions, optimization functions, filter functions or similar should be pursued and implemented and if possible pursued and combinations of them.

In contrast, the project data can be obtained or extracted from a concrete project, wherein a concrete project is understood to be a project which has been realized and/or implemented at least in part and/or includes all units, in particular planning modules, demonstration modules and also modules purchased from outside (outside the system) or also approved.

Furthermore, it can advantageously be provided that a search for updated and/or newer versions and/or new or replacement units of already known units can be carried out on the basis of the resource configuration of the respective user which can be specified by the system. In this case, the corresponding resource configuration (including, for example, the types and quantities of resources, their interrelationships and/or dependencies, required or respectively used raw materials, Ancillary materials and raw materials for production, utilization levels and/or operating hours, etc.).

Furthermore, the proposed task is achieved by means of a method for distributing and exchanging units for planning and/or operating automation technology resources and also a method for implementation on the aforementioned system, wherein by means of integration with at least one engineering tool UL connection and/or at least one integrated link with at least one engineering tool provides units created and/or marked from a first engineering tool for further processing and for retrieval and/or for transfer into at least another second engineering tool and/or implemented in another second engineering tool, wherein said unit is a logic segment or unit, and/or a program code segment or unit.

In a further development, the operation includes regulating and/or controlling and/or actuating and/or parameterizing and/or observing the technical automation resource.

Furthermore, depending on the method it can be provided that the created and/or marked elements can be retrieved selectively and/or user-controlled and/or the created and/or marked elements can be provided or set for selective and/or automatic transfer marked unit.

In a further development of the method, the units can have, in addition to the control logic segments and control logic units, supplementary preconfigured data structures and/or information, in particular faceplates or visualization images and/or visualization graphics and/or documentation and/or instructions.

In a further method form, the management of the elements provided or provided for transmission and/or for acquisition as well as the remaining available structures and information, including user management and access rights management and/or Preparation and/or classification and/or prioritization and/or selective enabling.

As a refinement, provision can be made for an evaluation and/or classification and/or characterization and/or annotation of the individual transferable and/or set units to be carried out, in particular before the transfer and/or provision of said units.

Provision can also be made to characterize the transferable and/or provided or provided unit in terms of function and/or purpose and/or to limit or limit its application possibilities and/or further use and/or its enabling in terms of the characterisation.

In another development, provision can be made for at least one end date and/or duration to be printed on a set and/or available unit, wherein the at least one end date indicates when the corresponding unit will be available and/or applicable and/or obtainable, and the duration specifies when the unit is available and/or applicable and/or obtainable, especially in conjunction with use only for testing purposes and not for real practical use can.

In a development of the method, the systematic exchange and reuse and further use of program code elements and/or code fragments, in particular for the development and/or design of the control logic, and the transfer of said program code can advantageously be facilitated and carried out Units and/or code fragments are supplied to and retrieved via a network established for this purpose, the control logic being used for operating the automation technology resource.

As a further development, it can be provided that a plurality of units can be selected and/or characterized directly in the first engineering tool, and that the units marked and characterized in this way, in particular logic units, are automatically grouped into objects and/or functional modules and in particular automatically is provided for further processing and/or distribution, in particular for acquisition and/or implementation in at least another second engineering tool.

Evaluation and/or annotation of transferable and/or set or provided units, in particular logic units and/or code fragments and also remaining information, can advantageously be facilitated and/or performed, in particular according to their Based on task settings and/or functionality implemented through them.

In this case, the evaluation can be carried out according to evaluation criteria, wherein the individual evaluation criteria can again be weighted or prioritized differently here.

By means of the ranking, it is possible to distinguish particularly recommendable units from less recommendable units, in particular program units or program code fragments, and to select them accordingly.

In particular, therefore, experience data, in particular experience values of previous users (in particular engineers, technicians and the like), are reflected in the rank list.

In a refinement, it can be provided that the status information relating to the respective unit is represented and/or output on the display device, in particular also in graphic form.

Furthermore, it can advantageously be provided that, after the unit has been configured or before it is delivered and/or provided, according to the method, according to predeterminable test criteria, in particular quality and/or safety and/or The unit was validated in terms of reliability.

Furthermore, it can also be provided that the check is carried out in a plurality of steps, wherein first the corresponding unit is roughly checked and, with corresponding results, the corresponding unit is enabled for testing purposes. A further, more thorough second check is then carried out and only then with a positive result is the corresponding unit enabled for production purposes. The goal here is to make the unit at least available as a test version or for testing purposes as quickly as possible.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method, an automatic or at least partially automatic search can be performed, which searches predeterminable sources, in particular accessible databases and/or the Internet, for updates and updates of already known units. / or newer versions and / or newer or replacement units, especially hitherto unknown or unused units (for example also planning modules or planning fragments) and if possible explaining the hits found and Provided for downloading and/or making corresponding requests and/or providing information related thereto, in particular hit information.

In this case, the search can advantageously be carried out on the basis of an analysis of project-specific data from the base or data memory or information memory of the respective engineering tool and/or on the basis of the respective user profile or user profile.

Here, the corresponding user or the user itself or a system administrator with corresponding authority can predetermine and acquire the user profile or the user profile of the corresponding user or user.

In this case, the corresponding profile can advantageously include field-of-application and/or industry-relevant descriptions and/or information (e.g. whether power stations, sewage treatment plants, wind power plants, polymer production, rolling mills, breweries, paper production, painting production line or similar), and/or at least one pursued function or functionally related instructions and/or information (such as whether a regulation function, a control function, a monitoring function, an optimization function, a filtering function or similar should be pursued and implemented and, if possible, pursue and achieve combinations of them).

In contrast, the project data can be obtained or extracted from a concrete project, wherein a concrete project is understood to be a project which has been realized and/or implemented at least partially and/or contains all the units, especially planning modules, demonstration modules and also modules purchased or approved externally (outside the system).

Furthermore, it can advantageously be provided that a search for updated and/or newer versions and/or new or replacement units of already known units can be carried out on the basis of the predeterminable resource configuration of the respective user. In this case, the corresponding resource configuration (including, for example, the types and quantities of resources, their interrelationships and/or dependencies, required or respectively used raw materials, Ancillary materials and raw materials for production, utilization levels and/or operating hours, etc.).

Description of drawings

A further explanation of the invention and advantageous further developments and improvements will be made with the aid of the following figures and exemplary embodiments.

The single figure ( FIG. 1 ) shows an exemplary configured system for distributing and exchanging units, in particular for exchanging control logic units, for planning and/or operating automation resources.

detailed description

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary structured system for distributing and exchanging units for planning and/or operating automation resources. This exchange is particularly advantageous in the engineering of automation technology plant operation and process automation, since the actual engineering, that is to say in particular planning and/or or build and/or develop.

The exemplary system 10 includes an interface device 12, a processing device 14 and a data storage 16, wherein the interface device 12 facilitates an integral connection with at least one first engineering tool 18 and a second engineering tool 20 in such a way that the interface The functionality of the device 12 as well as the processing device 14 can be called up and implemented from the corresponding engineering tool 18, 20, and wherein by means of the processing device 14, in cooperation with the interface device 12 and the corresponding engineering tool 18, 20, from The units 22a, b created and/or marked by the first engineering tool 18 can be transmitted to the corresponding processing device 14 and can be processed and/or can be provided to the data storage 16 for retrieval and/or for transmission to the second in the engineering tool 20 and/or in the second engineering tool 20 .

Here, the actual exchange process can basically be divided into two method parts, i.e. uploading of the individual units 22a, b from the first engineering tool 18 via the interface device 12 into the processing device 14 and into the data memory 16, and from the data memory 16 Or downloaded from the processing device 14 to the second engineering tool 20 . The units 22a, b can here be any information, documents, program codes necessary for operation, ie regulation and/or control and/or manipulation and/or parameterization and/or observation of one or more automation resources Tools, panels and similar.

The downloading of the created and/or marked units 22a, b can be performed selectively and/or controlled by the user from the data store 16 or the created and/or marked units 22a, b can be provided for selective and/or automatic transmission.

Illustratively, upon upload, the control logic unit created in the engineering tool 18 is transferred to the processing device 14 via a system-compatible interface device 12 for integral connection with the engineering tool 18, 20, possibly undergoing multiple verifications step, the checking step is to check, for example, whether the respective unit 22a, b is enabled generally or only to a limited extent for internal use. The quality and/or identity of the creator or user of the corresponding unit is also advantageously verified. If the verification is successful, the corresponding units 22a,b are made available on the data store for retrieval by the second engineering tool 20 and for implementation for the production process.

If the quality check does not yield a sufficiently positive result, enabling only for evaluation purposes or testing purposes can also be performed.

Depending on requirements, two versions of the unit 22a, b can also be stored and made available for retrieval, i.e. one for evaluation purposes and one for e.g. 20.

In this case, the interface device 12 uses, for example, current concepts such as web services in order to set up an integrated connection to the corresponding engineering tool 18 , 20 .

In this case, “integrated” is to be understood as meaning that the functions of the system 10 , in particular the functions of the processing unit 14 and also the functions of the interface unit 12 , can be called up and used directly from the correspondingly connected engineering tools 18 , 20 .

Therefore, through the corresponding Web service, the "AddOn" type can be set and implemented in the corresponding engineering tool 18, 20 in the form of a menu and/or function line, and then the "AddOn" type can be called and/or Or the corresponding system functions can be implemented.

The processing device 14 has a processing tool 24 with which the user and access rights management as well as the preparation and execution of the elements transmitted and/or provided for acquisition as well as the remaining structures and information can be provided can be facilitated and/or performed. Classification and finally optional enablement.

Furthermore, a classification tool 26 is provided, with which an evaluation and/or classification and/or characterization and/or annotation of the transmitted units is caused and carried out. For example, the purpose of the evaluation can be to specify empirical values for the respective unit, ie for example where, when, in what environment (field of application) it was used, which effects or which results have already taken place. Optionally, how to dispose of the corresponding unit. For an evaluation that is as objective as possible, the associated evaluation criteria can be predetermined.

Using the tool, it is also possible to characterize the transmitted and/or provided or provided unit in terms of function and/or purpose, and to limit its application possibilities and/or further use and/or its enabling on the basis of the characterization.

In addition, at least one end date and/or duration can be printed on each available unit 22a, b by means of the sorting tool 26, wherein the at least one end date states until when the unit is available and/or Applicable and/or obtainable, while the duration specifies when the unit is available and/or applicable and/or obtainable, especially in conjunction with enabling for testing purposes only and not for real use.

Furthermore, processing device 14 includes a visualization tool 28 with which state information relating to the respective unit can be illustrated and/or output on a display device, in particular also in graphic form.

In a refinement, a search tool 30 can be provided as an additional processing tool, with which the units 22a, b, in particular comments and /or evaluate to get keywords or codewords. In addition, by means of the search tool 30, according to keywords or code words, it is also possible to search in predeterminable data sources, especially in relevant databases 32, as well as customer databases 33 and/or networks (such as the World Wide Web and/or the Internet) 34 and/or Intranet) perform an external search for updates and/or units, for example, with specific functionality and/or guidance and/or reviews.

Claims (18)

1. System for distributing and exchanging units for operating automation technology resources, said system having at least one interface device (12), at least one processing device (14) and at least one data storage device (16), wherein said operating including regulation and/or control and/or manipulation and/or parameterization and/or observation of automation technology resources, wherein the interface device (12) facilitates an integrated connection with at least one engineering tool (18, 20) and/or with an integrated link of at least one engineering tool (18, 20) in such a way that the functional capabilities of the at least one interface device (12) and the at least one processing device (14) are called from the corresponding engineering tool (18, 20) and can be implemented, and wherein from a first engineering tool (18, 20) is created and/or or marked units (22a, b) can be transmitted to a corresponding processing device (14) and can be processed on the corresponding processing device and can be made available on said at least one data store (16) for retrieval and/or for transmission To and/or implemented in at least another second engineering tool (20), wherein said unit is a logic segment or unit, and/or a program code segment or unit. 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the created and/or marked units (22a,b) can be selectively and/or user-controlled retrieved from the at least one data store (16) And/or the created and/or marked units (22a,b) can be provided for selective and/or automatic transfer. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said units (22a, b) comprise, in addition to logical units or logical fragments, supplementary preconfigured data structures and/or information. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the units (22a, b) include panels or visual images and/or visual graphics in addition to logical units or logical fragments. 5. The system according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that at least one processing device (14) has a processing tool with which the transmitted and/or can be carried out or management and/or preparation and/or classification and/or prioritization and/or selective Enable. 6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that at least one processing device (14) has a classification tool (26) which can be used to facilitate and/or perform a classification of all Evaluation and/or classification and/or characterization and/or annotation of transmitted units. 7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that the transmitted and/or set or provided units (22a,b) can be characterized according to function and/or purpose, and/or can be defined or Limitation of its application possibilities and/or continued use and/or its enabling. 8. System according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one end date and/or duration can be printed on each available unit (22a,b) by means of the sorting tool (26), wherein Said at least one end date specifies until when said unit (22a, b) is available and/or applicable and/or obtainable, and said duration specifies when said unit (22a, b) is available and/or Applicable and/or available. 9. System according to claim 8, characterized in that said at least one end date states until when said unit (22a,b) is available and/or in conjunction with enabling for testing purposes only and not for real applications or applicable and/or obtainable, while said duration specifies when said unit (22a,b) is available and/or applicable and/or obtainable. 10. The system according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that, by means of a corresponding processing device (14), in common with a corresponding interface device (12) and a corresponding engineering tool (18, 20) As a result, multiple units (22a, b) can be selected and/or characterized directly in the first engineering tool (18), and the units (22a, b) thus marked and characterized can be automatically grouped into objects and/or The functional modules can also be transferred to the processing device (14) and the at least one data memory (16) and can be made available for further processing and/or distribution. 11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the units (22a, b) thus marked and characterized can be automatically transferred to the processing device (14) and to the at least one data memory (16). 12. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that said further processing and/or distribution refers to implementation and/or acquisition in at least another second engineering tool (20). 13. The system according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that at least one processing device (14) comprises a visualization tool (28) which can illustrate and/or Outputs status information related to the corresponding unit. 14. System according to claim 13, characterized in that status information can be illustrated and/or output in graphical form. 15. System according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that at least one communication device is provided with which a virtual forum and/or exchange platform for the exchange of opinions is created and/or provided . 16. Method for distributing and exchanging units for operating automation technology resources, wherein said operation includes regulating and/or controlling and/or manipulating and/or parameterizing and/or observing automation technology resources, wherein by means of at least at least one integral connection of and/or with at least one engineering tool (18, 20) to provide a unit created and/or marked from a first engineering tool (18) (22a,b) for further processing and for acquisition and/or for transmission into and/or implementation in at least another second engineering tool (20), wherein the Said units are logic segments or units, and/or program code segments or units. 17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the created and/or marked units (22a,b) are selectively and/or user-controlled and/or provided or set or marked units (22a,b) for selective and/or automatic transfer. 18. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 17, characterized in that the method can be implemented on a system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 15.