APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN AUTOMATED INSTALLATION

The invention provides an apparatus and a method for controlling an automated installation. The apparatus (10) for controlling an automated installation has a first controller (12) and a second controller (14) that are connected to one another via a communication network (20). The first and second controllers (12, 14) each have a local clock (42, 42') and execute control tasks. The first and second controllers (12, 14) each further have a synchronization service (44) that is used to synchronize the respective local clocks (42, 42') to a common reference clock (46). A timer repeatedly sends a trigger message to the first and second controllers. Each of the two controllers (12, 14), on receiving the trigger message (64), determines a local time. The controllers (12, 14) interchange the respective local time and each compute a difference between their own local time and the local time obtained from the other controller. On the basis of the difference, each of the two controllers controls a local actuator. 本发明提供了