Electronic operator interface based controller and device automatic downloads

• US 10,018,978 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Bliss, Ronald E., Oulton, Brian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US15/271,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20170010601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 700 17, 700 83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13197 Host and remote version of ladder program, avoid different versions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31124 Interface between communication network and process control, store, exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31333 Database to backup and restore factory controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An electronic operator interface based controller and device automatic downloads are provided. An electronic operator interface can determine if control logic or content used by an industrial controller has been updated, changed, or otherwise modified. If the content has been modified, then the electronic operator interface can automatically obtain the content and store a back-up copy in memory. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic operator interface can periodically update a backup copy of the content. Furthermore, the electronic operator interface can determine if the controller has lost its content, and restore the content from the most recent version saved in memory.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an electronic operator interface comprising a processor, modified control content, in response to detecting that control content stored in an industrial controller has been modified to the modified control content;

storing, by the electronic operator interface, the modified control content in a memory associated with the electronic operator interface; and

in response to the electronic operator interface subsequently determining that at least a portion of the modified control content that had been stored in the industrial controller is no longer stored in the industrial controller, automatically communicating, by the electronic operator interface, at least the portion of the modified control content to the industrial controller to restore at least the portion of the modified control content to the industrial controller.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the electronic operator interface, that the industrial controller is placed in a mode that enables the control content to be modified to the modified control content;

in response to detecting that the industrial controller is placed in the mode, inspecting, by the electronic operator interface, the control content to facilitate determining whether the control content has been modified to the modified control content; and

determining whether the control content has been modified to the modified control content based at least in part on a result of the inspecting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the electronic operator interface, whether the control content stored in the industrial controller has been modified to the modified control content based at least in part on a notification received by the electronic operator interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, by the electronic operator interface, the receiving of the modified control content, in response to determining that the control content stored in the industrial controller has been modified to the modified control content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating at least the portion of the modified content to the industrial controller comprises communicating, by the electronic operator interface, at least the portion of the modified content to the industrial controller via a wired communication connection or a wireless communication connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the control content or the modified control content comprises at least one of control logic data or configuration data relating to an industrial automation system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the control logic data comprises at least one of control data, ladder diagram data, function block diagram data, structured text data, sequential function chart data, computer-executable code, a text file, instruction data, programming language data, or a data set of a database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the modified control content comprises receiving the modified control content from at least one of the industrial controller or a device via at least one of a local area network, a wireless local area network, a global communication network, an intranet, an Ethernet connection, or a communication protocol that is compatible with the electronic operator interface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the electronic operator interface, data from at least one of an input/output device or a network device associated with an industrial system;

storing, by the electronic operator interface, the data in the memory to facilitate backing up the data; and

in response to subsequently determining that the data is no longer stored in at least one of the input/output device or the network device, communicating, by the electronic operator interface, the data to at least one of the input/output device or the network device to restore the data to at least one of the input/output device or the network device.

10. A system, comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that executes or facilitates execution of the executable instructions to facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

acquiring modified control data from an industrial controller, in response to a determination that control data contained in the industrial controller has been modified to the modified control data; and

subsequent to the acquiring of the modified control data, automatically communicating a portion of the modified control data to the industrial controller, in response to a determination, by an electronic operator interface, that the portion of the modified control data that had been stored in the industrial controller is determined to not be contained in the industrial controller, to restore the portion of the modified control data to the industrial controller.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise detecting whether the control data stored by the industrial controller has been modified to the modified control data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise detecting whether the control data stored by the industrial controller has been modified to the modified control data, based at least in part on a notification, communicated to the electronic operator interface, and wherein the notification indicates the control data stored by the industrial controller has been modified to the modified control data or based at least in part on a result of an inspection of the industrial controller that indicates the control content has been modified to the modified control content.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether data contained in the industrial controller has been modified to modified data, or determining whether the data or the modified data is inaccessible to at least one of the industrial controller, an input/output module, or a network device based at least in part on a notification received from at least one of the industrial controller, the input/output module, or the network device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise communicating the portion of the modified control data to the industrial controller via at least one of a local area network, a wireless local area network, a global communication network, an intranet, an Ethernet connection, or a communication protocol that is compatible with the electronic operator interface.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise storing the modified data in a data store associated with the electronic operator interface.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the industrial controller is configured to execute control logic to control at least one of an industrial process, a piece of manufacturing equipment, or a device that facilitates industrial automation, associated with an industrial system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control logic comprises at least one of the control data, the modified control data, ladder diagram data, function block diagram data, structured text data, sequential function chart data, computer-executable code, a text file, instructions, elements of a programming language, or a component stored in a database.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise a at least one of sending a first security credential to the industrial controller, or receiving a second security credential from at least one of the industrial controller or the electronic operator interface.

19. A machine-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

in response to detecting that control information stored in a device associated with an industrial system has been modified resulting in modified control information, receiving the modified control information;

storing the modified control information in a memory associated with an electronic operator interface; and

in response to an electronic operator interface subsequently determining that the modified control information that had been stored in the device is no longer stored in the device, automatically transmitting, via the electronic operator interface, the modified control information to the device to restore the modified control information to the device.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the control information stored in the device has been modified to the modified control information in response to a notification message, received by the electronic operator interface, that indicates the control information has been modified to the modified control information.