WO2019240743A1

WO2019240743A1 - A method and system for semantic integration approach for field device life cycle management

Info

Publication number: WO2019240743A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/036804
Authority: WO
Inventors: JR. John HODGES; Simon Mayer; Michael Braun
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2018-06-11
Filing date: 2018-06-11
Publication date: 2019-12-19

Abstract

A system and method of managing a field device throughout the entire life cycle of the field device includes a merged ontology based on one or more standards models relating to the field device. A validation rules module may be used to validate the merged ontology. A parser is configured for receiving device descriptions in human readable format and may validate the device described for compliance with the merged ontology.

Description

A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SEMANTIC INTEGRATION APPROACH FOR FIELD

DEVICE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application relates to full lifecycle management of field devices.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Presently, solutions directed to the field device life cycle are embodied in disparate engineering solutions. These solutions are typically in the form of enterprise solutions that do not interoperate. As a result, integration of these solutions requires significant human intervention and effort. Semantic information models can be used to represent field devices within the context of their use and may be used as a foundation to integrate the various functional cycles or domains that involve the field devices. For example, consider an addressable repository of field devices having an associated model that is not addressable. In such an example, the addressable repository cannot be easily integrated with systems using the associated model. As a result, the model cannot be queried or processed by machine, and requires human intervention. Tools specialized for design, validation, configuration, commissioning, operations and maintenance may have the same limitations.

[0003] Field devices adhere to one or more different standards. Several standards, including Field Device Tool (FDT), Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART), Fieldbus Foundation, PROFIBUS and PROFINET are currently organized under Field Device Integration (FDI) and the I EC 61804-3 standard specification. Like many standards, IEC 61804-3 defines a set of requirements with which devices must comply but is silent as to how those requirements are to be met. [0004] The standard is provided as a human-readable document that is interpreted by a human reader. Certain compliance applications exist that ensure that devices are compliant with the standard. Conventional semantic modeling and reasoning consider ontologies used to represent conceptual relationships in a particular domain. The models, and not just the data that instantiate them, may be queried. The models and the data that instantiate them may have validation constraints that can enforce model compliance. Inferences may be made that match a situational context against the models and thereby enable predictions about future or explanations for past events. The web ontology language (OWL), which is typically used to represent these conceptual models, is both flexible in terms of adding, removing, and modifying models. What’s more, OWL is also very flexible in adding new models without corrupting the associated data stores. Moreover, the language is precise enough to represent conceptual dependencies unambiguously and can support machine-based interoperability and interaction. The semantic modeling approach has been used successfully in many contexts, both for humans and machines. However, to support any form of integration for the life cycle of field devices, a common information model is necessary. The I EC 61804-3 standard is a good starting point for semantic modeling but, by itself, is insufficient to support the full cycle of field devices. For that, other models must be employed, with the intention/expectation that yet additional models might later be integrated to gain new capabilities. Based on the clarity and versatility of the OWL language, this is currently the best available approach to solving multi-application interoperability for field device life cycle management. SUMMARY

[0005] A system for managing the full life cycle of a field device includes a system architecture having a computer processor and a memory in communication with the computer processor. A merged ontology comprising information from a plurality of associated standards is stored in the memory. A rule validation module is configured to receive information about a field device and determine if the field device is compliant with the merged ontology. The architecture further includes a parser configured to receive a device description in a first format and convert the device description into a digital model of the device based in part on the merged ontology. The architecture may further include a repository of digital models, stored in the memory, the repository of digital models being received by a plurality of device descriptions and processing the device descriptions in the parser. According to embodiments, a specification documentation generator may be included that takes information and relations from the merged ontology and generates human-readable documentation for the underlying standards represented in the ontology. A standard extension module for providing additional information relating to the standard that is not included in the merged ontology may be placed in communication with the merged ontology to further verify an aspect of a compliant field device for validation in cooperation with the companion standard. In embodiments, a simulation engine may perform simulations using one or more of the device models. In an embodiment, the architecture includes a firmware generator configured to generate code compliant with the merged ontology for use in a target field device. A method of managing the life cycle of a field device is performed by receiving a plurality of documents describing one or more standards relating to the field device and parsing the plurality of documents line-by-line and incorporating the information contained in each line of the documents into a merged ontology representative of the one or more standards. In addition, the merged ontology may be validated using a set of validation rules to ensure the merged ontology is compliant with the one or more standards, according to some embodiments the set of validation rules may be based on the Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL). The method may further include providing the merged ontology to a document generator configured to perform the steps of digitally reading the merged ontology, converting components and relationships in the merged ontology into human-readable format and generating a standards document containing the human-readable format based on the merged ontology.

[0006] In an embodiment, the method may further include parsing a description document pertaining to a field device, using the merged ontology, building a virtual model of the field device described in the description document and storing the virtual model in a repository of field device models. The description document is written as an electronic device description (EDD) using EDD language (EDDL).

[0007] According to some embodiments, the method further includes retrieving a first model of a first field device from the repository of field device models, retrieving a second model of a second field device from the repository of field device models, and comparing properties of the first field device to properties of the second field device based on the first model and the second model. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention are best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments that are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific instrumentalities disclosed. Included in the drawings are the following Figures:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the interaction of different standards for the life cycle of a field device according to aspects of embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an architecture for an ontology-based management system for the entire life cycle of field devices according to aspects of embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an application using a full life cycle management architecture according to aspects of embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an application using a full life cycle management architecture according to aspects of embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system that may be used to implement aspects of various embodiments described in this disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of a method for managing the life cycle of a field device according to aspects of embodiments described in this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Presently, standards relating to the full life cycle of a field device are separate, independently curated standards that generally require manual human interaction to interpret the standards and to apply them to a subject field device to determine compliances with one or more standards. Once a device is considered compliant, a certification package may be issued that indicates to the end user that the device has been reviewed and that the manufacturer provides some assurance that the device will operated as intended from the perspective of the standards. Because the device may be influenced by more than one standard, a manual process is required where a human reviews the different standards and determines how aspects of the different standards influence one another. This manual process is time-consuming and subject to human error. Furthermore, when a standard is updated or modified, the entire manual process must be performed again to ensure that the device remains compliant with the updated standards.

[0016] The described methods and systems for managing compliance of field devices through the entire life cycle of the device provides improvement over prior art systems. Separate standards that are kept in different databases and are curated separately may be connected or merged so that they appear as one large distributed database. The distributed database is then modeled as a single merged ontology. By providing a digital model of the interconnected standards, devices can be validated and tested through methods like simulation. In addition, digital models of field devices may be stored and used for comparison against other devices. According to embodiments, standards documents may be generated from the digital architecture. This allows management and use of a network containing inter-related standards to be performed automatically, removing the need for human intervention and interpretation. These systems and methods improve the efficiency of managing standards across domains relating to the entire life cycle of the devices. Further, the disadvantages of human error, through misreading the standard or misinterpretation, is eliminated.

[0017] Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) under the IEC 61804 or ISA 2014 standards are files created as text files and include source code, identify embedded devices, and describe various properties of the device including but not limited to pull-down menus and interoperability with other system components. Electronic (field) device descriptions, such as for sensors or actuator/controllers, are defined in one or more text files complying with the standard. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a standard-specific parser receives the text files and transforms the descriptive file into standards-compliant ontology instances that serve as a model for the device being described. The model may be stored in a repository for later analysis and comparison. In some aspects, the derived model may serve as a digital twin of the device and is available for testing or simulation. For instance, a description of a flow meter may be provided as a description in standard compliant textual form. The parser reads the description line by line to synthesize a digital model of the flow meter. This digital twin of the flow meter may be provided with a digital representation of flow. The response of the flow meter may be simulated and integrated with other models, such as in a knowledge graph, or may be combined with a physical simulation to provide information about how the flow meter would work within an operating physical system. Using simulated or real data, validators may be included that when processed by the device model provide warnings when non-compliant aspects of the device are identified.

[0018] As stated above, Electronic Device Descriptions (EDDs) are embodied in large text files. Accordingly, the writing, browsing and managing of EDD documents results in tedious manual work. Representing EDDs using text files creates several problems, including:

• Limited types of checking and use of local files, (e.g., a check such as“Are all variables correctly defined?”, might be traced manually and requires expertise with both the device and the standard).

• No global checks, (e.g., if there is a bug in one implementation - which other devices files use this implementation?).

• Hardware is required for testing device configurations.

• Devices cannot easily be compared.

• Devices cannot be easily adapted with other information, such as bug tracking.

• Devices cannot be integrated with configuration information.

[0019] These issues may be resolved with a common declarative version of the EDD Language specification and EDD itself as described herein. The new EDDL-compliant declarative version specifies a generic language to describe the properties of automation system components. The language describes device parameters and their dependencies, device functions, graphical representations (e.g., charts) and interactions with control devices. EDD instances are created from this language. The resulting ontology provides a semantical and lexical structure that may be used with other tools in a syntax independent manner.

[0020] In order to address or improve upon the above challenges, the following issues must be addressed:

• There must be a set of shared conceptual models related to EDDL at the level of field device life cycles.

• There must be an ability to access and compare devices that share attributes.

• There must be an ability to validate EDD descriptions against the EDDL model.

• There must be the ability to emulate a device described by an EDD as a digital twin.

• There must be an ability to integrate modeled devices with their engineering designs, configurations, versions, manufacturing execution system (MES) requirements, etc.

[0021] Aspects of embodiments of the present invention address these issues with a coordinated implementation approach including the following five facets:

• An integrated set of ontologies that model the 61804-3 (EDDL) standard specification and related models;

• The merged ontologies represent field devices and their properties, designs, requirements, history, and issues with the same set of representational structures; • The merged ontologies include validation mechanisms;

• The information models and associated device descriptions are available for queries and reasoning on a broad variety of hardware/software platforms;

• The validation, emulation, and reasoning mechanisms are implemented in a Representational State Transfer (RESTful) environment that can be deployed anywhere and provide full and round-trip life cycle management both within and outside the enterprise level.

[0022] Implementation of the embodiments described herein, assume the following tools/mechanisms are in place:

• Model Development;

• Model Integration;

• Data Acquisition;

• Reasoning/Planning;

• A scalable and versatile processing architecture.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an integrated model for the life cycle of a field device according to aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure. In state of the art standards and ontologies, each standard is developed from a context of a single domain. For example, the IEC/ISA EDDL standard pertains to electronic devices, eCI@ss defines a standard for description of products and services, QUDT defines a common framework for quantities and units, W3C semantic sensor network SSN provides a standard for sensors, and OPC UA provides a standard for process controllers. Referring to FIG. 1 , a group of five standards 1 10 are provided that relate to field devices. The IEC/ISA EDDL provides information relating to electronic devices including device parameters and their dependencies, functions (e.g., simulation, calibration), data menus, interactions or controls, graphical representations and persistent data stores. The language permits the generation of electronic device descriptions (EDD) which are generally embodied as human-readable documents. eCI@ss is an ISO/I EC compliant-standard that describes cross-industry products and services. For example, a supplier or manufacture may use eCI@ss to describe a product or services provided by the supplier. A potential customer may receive the eCI@ss compliant description and is able to identify the properties and functions of the product or services without the need for conversion of translations of the supplier’s product spec sheets.

[0024] FIG. 1 depicts 5 representational standards relating to field devices: EDDL (field device) 101 , quality, unit, dimension and type (QUDT) for quantities and units 103, eCI@ss for products and services 105, OPC unified architecture (UA) for communications 107, and SSN for general sensor-stimulus-observation model 109. Arcs 1 1 1 between the standards indicate interdependencies one model has with other models. Dependencies may be simple or complex and the complexity may be based on how much conceptual overlap exists between the models. Other standards and models may be included in the merged model and connected through relationships. For example, device control defined in IEC PCL/Open 120 is connected to the device model 101 by arc 121. Enterprise integration via ISA-95 130 is connected to the OPC UA 107 communications by arc 131. Batch control via ISA-88 140 is related to OPC UA 107, SSN 109 and ISA-95 130 by arcs 141 , 143, and 145 respectively.

[0025] FIG. 2 is an architecture 200 for field device life cycle management according to aspects of an embodiment of this disclosure. 201 A merged ontology 201 including semantic information relating to multiple domains pertaining to the full life cycle of a field device is provided. The merged ontology 201 contains information relating to electronic devices as specified in EDDL, and includes additional information relating to other standards relating to products and services, sensors, and device controllers. The merged ontology 201 may further be in communication with companion standard 203. Companion standard 203 may include semantic information or ontologies relating to certain aspects of field devices. For example, the companion standard 203 may include the QUDT standard for units, dimensions, and data types for measuring quantities. A field device compliant with the merged ontology 201 may be adapted based on the companion standard 203. By way of example, a flow sensor may be specified for measuring a flow volume per unit time. In one specification the flow may be measured in milliliters per second (ml/s). Using companion standard 203, and without needing to update or change the definition of the device, the flow may be expressed in cubic meters per hour (m³/hr) and still be compatible for analysis using the merged ontology 201.

[0026] The merged ontology 201 may be validated using rules 205. The rules 205 may be implemented in the shapes constraint language (SHACL) according to one non- limiting embodiment. SHACL is a language for validating resource description framework (RDF) graphs against a set of conditions. The conditions may be provided as shapes and other constructs expressed in the form of an RDF graph. RDF graphs used to define conditions are called “shapes graphs” and RDF graphs that are validated against the conditions are called“data graphs”. The SHACL rules 205 represent the data graphs that are used to validate the graphs that define the merged ontology 201.

[0027] The architecture 207 includes a parser 207 that is configured to receive text- based EDD configurations 210 or updates to a model in EDDL 209. The EDDL parser 207 can validate the incoming description or model using the validation rules 205. As device descriptions 210 and EDDL model descriptions 209 enter the architecture 200 and are validated, the instances may be stored in a repository 213. Compliant EDD instances in repository 213 may be used for later comparison or analysis with other devices. For example, if a flow meter in an industrial system goes out of service, an inventory of other flow meters may be compared to the defective unit and it can be determined if the available meters are a suitable replacement.

[0028] According to some embodiments, a EDDL specification generator 215 is in communication with the EDD instance repository 213 and the merged ontology 201. The EDDL specification generator uses the semantic modeling information contained in the merged ontology 201 to generate documentation 217 for the 61804-3 standard. The documentation may be in any acceptable format including, but not limited to, text files, word processing documents, personal document files (PDFs) and the like.

[0029] In some embodiments, the architecture 200 includes a EDDL firmware generator 219. Using the merged ontology 201 and validation rules 205, the EDDL firmware generator can generate firmware for EDDL compliant devices 21 1 , providing validated compliant firmware code that may be used as part of the device’s certification package. An EDDL extension module 221 may be provided which handles updates to the standard, which are produced as extension modules to handle the newly implemented updates.

[0030] The architecture 200 may be implemented in one or more computer systems having at least one computer processor and memory in communication with the at least one processor. The merged ontology 201 may be implemented in computer instructions that are stored in the memory. The merged ontology 201 may be implemented in one or more computer development languages including but not limited to, the ontology web language (OWL). Other computing languages may be contemplated which perform the functions and operations described hereinabove.

[0031] The combination of semantic models and a process architecture as provided herein supports the development of semantically-driven applications. FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a semantically-driven application according to aspects of the present invention.

[0032] According to an embodiment, the application 300 includes a field device browser 301. Available variables associated with the field device are available for browsing 303. In addition, available commands 305 are provided along with methods 307. When no device is selected, the information area 309 displays device metadata.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 4, an illustration of the application in FIG. 3 where one of the device variables is selected is shown. With the field device selected 401 , the application 300 provides an emulation interface 403 of the selected field device 401. [0034] Referring now to FIG. 6, a process flow diagram for life cycle management of field devices according to aspects of embodiments of this disclosure is shown. In a life cycle management architecture, a plurality of documents relating to the standards involved with a field device are received 601. A parser in the architecture parses the documents line-by-line to extract the relevant information from the received documents 603. The extracted information is then organized and incorporated into a merged ontology 605. A field device may be described and represented by a document such as an EDD. The EDD and associated device description may be compared against the merged ontology to validate the device with respect to the standard or standards in the ontology 607. The merged ontology may be validated by a set of validation rules 610. The validation rules may be implemented in SHACL to validate the organization of the knowledge graph in the merged ontology. In an embodiment, the merged ontology may be used to generate human-readable standards documents 620. Based on the components and relationships captured in the merged ontology, a documentation generator may convert the information into a human-readable form and organize that information into a document file. For example, the document may be generated in a form readily available for reading, such as personal document files (PDF), text files, and other human-readable formats. In some embodiments, a companion standard may be in communication with the merged ontology 630. The companion standard may define some component or property of the field device and allow for validation of field device using the merged ontology in cooperation with the companion standard.

[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computing environment 500 within which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Computers and computing environments, such as computer system 510 and computing environment 500, are known to those of skill in the art and thus are described briefly here.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the computer system 510 may include a communication mechanism such as a system bus 521 or other communication mechanism for communicating information within the computer system 510. The computer system 510 further includes one or more processors 520 coupled with the system bus 521 for processing the information.

[0037] The processors 520 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), graphical processing units (GPUs), or any other processor known in the art. More generally, a processor as used herein is a device for executing machine-readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, for performing tasks and may comprise any one or combination of, hardware and firmware. A processor may also comprise memory storing machine-readable instructions executable for performing tasks. A processor acts upon information by manipulating, analyzing, modifying, converting or transmitting information for use by an executable procedure or an information device, and/or by routing the information to an output device. A processor may use or comprise the capabilities of a computer, controller or microprocessor, for example, and be conditioned using executable instructions to perform special purpose functions not performed by a general-purpose computer. A processor may be coupled (electrically and/or as comprising executable components) with any other processor enabling interaction and/or communication there-between. A user interface processor or generator is a known element comprising electronic circuitry or software or a combination of both for generating display images or portions thereof. A user interface comprises one or more display images enabling user interaction with a processor or other device.

[0038] Continuing with reference to FIG. 5, the computer system 510 also includes a system memory 530 coupled to the system bus 521 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processors 520. The system memory 530 may include computer readable storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM) 531 and/or random-access memory (RAM) 532. The RAM 532 may include other dynamic storage device(s) (e.g., dynamic RAM, static RAM, and synchronous DRAM). The ROM 531 may include other static storage device(s) (e.g., programmable ROM, erasable PROM, and electrically erasable PROM). In addition, the system memory 530 may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions by the processors 520. A basic input/output system 533 (BIOS) containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer system 510, such as during start-up, may be stored in the ROM 531. RAM 532 may contain data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by the processors 520. System memory 530 may additionally include, for example, operating system 534, application programs 535, other program modules 536 and program data 537.

[0039] The computer system 510 also includes a disk controller 540 coupled to the system bus 521 to control one or more storage devices for storing information and instructions, such as a magnetic hard disk 541 and a removable media drive 542 (e.g., floppy disk drive, compact disc drive, tape drive, and/or solid-state drive). Storage devices may be added to the computer system 510 using an appropriate device interface (e.g., a small computer system interface (SCSI), integrated device electronics (IDE), Universal Serial Bus (USB), or FireWire).

[0040] The computer system 510 may also include a display controller 565 coupled to the system bus 521 to control a display or monitor 566, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information to a computer user. The computer system includes input interface 560 and one or more input devices, such as a keyboard 562 and a pointing device 561 , for interacting with a computer user and providing information to the processors 520. The pointing device 561 , for example, may be a mouse, a light pen, a trackball, or a pointing stick for communicating direction information and command selections to the processors 520 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 566. The display 566 may provide a touch screen interface which allows input to supplement or replace the communication of direction information and command selections by the pointing device 561. In some embodiments, an augmented reality device 567 that is wearable by a user, may provide input/output functionality allowing a user to interact with both a physical and virtual world. The augmented reality device 567 is in communication with the display controller 565 and the user input interface 560 allowing a user to interact with virtual items generated in the augmented reality device 567 by the display controller 565. The user may also provide gestures that are detected by the augmented reality device 567 and transmitted to the user input interface 560 as input signals.

[0041] The computer system 510 may perform a portion or all of the processing steps of embodiments of the invention in response to the processors 520 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory, such as the system memory 530. Such instructions may be read into the system memory 530 from another computer readable medium, such as a magnetic hard disk 541 or a removable media drive 542. The magnetic hard disk 541 may contain one or more datastores and data files used by embodiments of the present invention. Datastore contents and data files may be encrypted to improve security. The processors 520 may also be employed in a multi-processing arrangement to execute the one or more sequences of instructions contained in system memory 530. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0042] As stated above, the computer system 510 may include at least one computer readable medium or memory for holding instructions programmed according to embodiments of the invention and for containing data structures, tables, records, or other data described herein. The term“computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to the processors 520 for execution. A computer readable medium may take many forms including, but not limited to, non-transitory, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-limiting examples of non-volatile media include optical disks, solid state drives, magnetic disks, and magneto-optical disks, such as magnetic hard disk 541 or removable media drive 542. Non-limiting examples of volatile media include dynamic memory, such as system memory 530. Non-limiting examples of transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires that make up the system bus 521. Transmission media may also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

[0043] The computing environment 500 may further include the computer system 510 operating in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computing device 580. Remote computing device 580 may be a personal computer (laptop or desktop), a mobile device, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to computer system 510. When used in a networking environment, computer system 510 may include modem 572 for establishing communications over a network 571 , such as the Internet. Modem 572 may be connected to system bus 521 via user network interface 570, or via another appropriate mechanism.

[0044] Network 571 may be any network or system generally known in the art, including the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a direct connection or series of connections, a cellular telephone network, or any other network or medium capable of facilitating communication between computer system 510 and other computers (e.g., remote computing device 580). The network 571 may be wired, wireless or a combination thereof. Wired connections may be implemented using Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), RJ-6, or any other wired connection generally known in the art. Wireless connections may be implemented using Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and Bluetooth, infrared, cellular networks, satellite or any other wireless connection methodology generally known in the art. Additionally, several networks may work alone or in communication with each other to facilitate communication in the network 571.

[0045] An executable application, as used herein, comprises code or machine- readable instructions for conditioning the processor to implement predetermined functions, such as those of an operating system, a context data acquisition system or other information processing system, for example, in response to user command or input. An executable procedure is a segment of code or machine-readable instruction, sub-routine, or other distinct section of code or portion of an executable application for performing one or more particular processes. These processes may include receiving input data and/or parameters, performing operations on received input data and/or performing functions in response to received input parameters, and providing resulting output data and/or parameters.

[0046] A graphical user interface (GUI), as used herein, comprises one or more display images, generated by a display processor and enabling user interaction with a processor or other device and associated data acquisition and processing functions. The GUI also includes an executable procedure or executable application. The executable procedure or executable application conditions the display processor to generate signals representing the GUI display images. These signals are supplied to a display device which displays the image for viewing by the user. The processor, under control of an executable procedure or executable application, manipulates the GUI display images in response to signals received from the input devices. In this way, the user may interact with the display image using the input devices, enabling user interaction with the processor or other device. [0047] The functions and process steps herein may be performed automatically or wholly or partially in response to user command. An activity (including a step) performed automatically is performed in response to one or more executable instructions or device operation without user direct initiation of the activity.

[0048] The system and processes of the figures are not exclusive. Other systems, processes and menus may be derived in accordance with the principles of the invention to accomplish the same objectives. Although this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are for illustration purposes only. Modifications to the current design may be implemented by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. As described herein, the various systems, subsystems, agents, managers and processes can be implemented using hardware components, software components, and/or combinations thereof. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 1 12, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase“means for.”

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A system for managing the full life cycle of a field device comprising: a computer processor; a memory in communication with the computer processor; a merged ontology comprising information from a plurality of associated standards stored in the memory; a rule validation module configured to receive information about a device and determine if the device is compliant with the merged ontology; a parser configured to receive a device description in a first format and convert the device description into a digital model of the device based in part on the merged ontology.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a repository of digital models, stored in the memory, the repository of digital models being received by a plurality of device descriptions and processing the device descriptions in the parser.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a specification documentation generator.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a standard extension module for providing additional information relating to the standard that is not included in the merged ontology.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a simulation engine configured to perform simulations using one or more of the device models.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a second memory storing at least one companion standard in communication with the merged ontology, the companion standard providing an expression of a characteristic of a model based on the merged ontology that is compliant with the companion standard.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a firmware generator configured to generate code compliant with the merged ontology for use in a target field device.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a documentation generator configured to read the merged ontology and create a document in human-readable form, the document representative of a standard relating to the life cycle of the field device.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rule validation model is configured using shapes constraint language (SHACL).

10. A method of managing the life cycle of a field device comprising: receiving a plurality of documents describing one or more standards relating to the field device; and parsing the plurality of documents line-by-line and incorporating the information contained in each line of the documents into a merged ontology representative of the one or more standards.

1 1. The method of claim 10, further comprising: validating the merged ontology using a set of validation rules to ensure the merged ontology is compliant with the one or more standards.

12. The method of claim 1 1 , wherein the set of validation rules are based on Shapes Constraint Language (SHACL).

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: providing the merged ontology to a document generator configured to perform the steps of: digitally reading the merged ontology; converting components and relationships in the merged ontology into human-readable format; and generating a standards document containing the human-readable format based on the merged ontology.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: connecting the merged ontology to a companion standard, the companion standard being applicable to an aspect of the merged ontology to allow validation of a field device with respect to the merged ontology.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: parsing a description document pertaining to a field device; using the merged ontology, building a virtual model of the field device described in the description document; and storing the virtual model in a repository of field device models.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the description document is written as an electronic device description (EDD) using EDD language (EDDL).

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: retrieving a first model of a first field device from the repository of field device models; retrieving a second model of a second field device from the repository of field device models; and comparing properties of the first field device to properties of the second field device based on the first model and the second model.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: providing the virtual model of the field device to a simulation program to produce a digital twin of the field device.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising: using the merged ontology to verify that the field device is compliant with the one or more standards represented by the merged ontology.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising: building the merged ontology based on the web ontology language (OWL).