Method and system for diagnosing messages

A system for diagnosing messages of a process control system of a technical plant, the process control system including a planning and engineering tool, an operator control and monitoring device and a plurality of automation devices, which are interconnected via a bus system for data communication, the system comprising:

• a data memory in which at least one data set characterizing the operation of the technical plant with values of process variables is storable;
• and
• an evaluation facility;
• wherein the evaluation facility is configured to:
• determine diagnosis statements about the operation of the technical plant via the data sets and at least one predetermined self-organizing map, n-tuples corresponding to the data sets with predetermined values of process variables for an error-free operation of the technical plant being are stored at nodes of the self-organizing map;
• and
• wherein following occurrence of a message the evaluation facility is further configured to:
• determine a smallest distance between data sets of a current time interval and data sets of nodes of the self-organizing map for a current time interval, within which a message has occurred following occurrence of the message, and select a corresponding node following occurrence of the message;
• determine at least one current symptom to form differences from the data sets of the current time interval for a previously determined node, only the differences of process variables which exceed a predetermined threshold value being considered;
• and
• issue process variables involved in at least one previously determined symptom;
• and
• wherein a process engineering process is controlled via the process control system and changes are implemented to the at least one predetermined, self-organizing map or predetermined threshold value during operation of the technical plant to ensure the error-free operation of the technical plant.

A non-transitory computer-readable product medium encoded with a computer program which, when executed by a processor of a computer causes messages of a process control system of a technical plant to be diagnosed, the process control system including a planning and engineering tool, an operator control and monitoring device and a plurality of automation devices, which are interconnected via a bus system for data communication, the computer program comprising:

• program code for determining, during operation of the technical plant, a smallest distance between data sets of a current time interval and data sets of nodes of the self-organizing map for a current time interval, within which a message has occurred following occurrence of the message, and selecting a corresponding node following occurrence of the message;
• determining at least one current symptom to form differences from the data sets of the current time interval for a previously determined node during operation of the technical plant, only the differences of process variables which exceed a predetermined threshold value being considered;
• program code for issuing process variables involved in at least one previously determined symptom during operation of the technical plant;
• and
• program code for controlling the process engineering process via the process control system and for implementing changes to the at least one predetermined, self-organizing map or predetermined threshold value during operation of the technical plant to ensure the error-free operation of the technical plant.