Industrial control system with Web enabled I/O modules

• US 20020156868A1
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Batke, Brian A., Baczkowski, Gary W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,028,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/054 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15038 Internet, tcp-ip, web server see under S05B219-40
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21099 Two independent interfaces, one for pc, other for remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25145 I-O communicates with local bus at one end and with fieldbus at other end
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25202 Internet, tcp-ip, web server : see under S05B219-40
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31205 Remote transmission of measured values from site, local to host
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34038 Web, http, ftp, internet, intranet server

Abstract

An industrial control system provides a programmable logic controller communicating with I/O modules which provide an electrical interface to controlled equipment and which support web servers for communication of I/O data directly with the Internet. The programmable logic controller communicates with the I/O modules over a control-network which may be separate from or shared with the Internet communications. A lock-out system prevents collisions between web clients writing to I/O and allows the programmable logic controller to limit web access to critical I/O points.

Claims

1. An I/O module for use with an industrial control system having a programmable logic controller for executing an industrial control program and communicating over a control-network with the I/O module, the I/O module comprising:

an I/O interface communicating electrical signals between the I/O interface and the industrial process;

an Internet interface communicating electrical signals between the Internet interface and the Internet;

a network interface communicating electrical signals between the network interface and the control-network; and

a processing unit connected to the I/O interface, the Internet interface and the network interface and executing a stored program to pass data both between the Internet and the I/O interface and between the network interface and the I/O interface;

whereby Internet control of the industrial process may be had through the I/O module without intervention of the programmable logic controller.

2. The I/O module of claim 1 wherein the programmable logic controller includes an Internet/control-network bridge having both an Internet connection and a control-network connection and wherein both the network interface and the Internet interface includes a media connection to the control-network and wherein the Internet interface communicates with the Internet through the control-network to the bridge and through the bridge to the Internet.

3. The I/O module of claim 2 wherein the control-network is an Ethernet network.

4. The I/O module of claim 1 wherein the Internet interface includes a media connection for attaching to a communications medium other than the control-network.

5. The I/O module of claim 4 wherein the communication medium is selected from the group consisting of:

a conductive metal cable, a radio link, an infrared link, and an optical fiber.

6. The I/O module of claim 1 wherein the processing unit also executes the stored program to accept a write disable command from the programmable logic controller causing the stored program to controllably block data from passing between the Internet interface and the I/O interface.

7. The I/O module of claim 1 wherein the control-network is selected from the group consisting of ControlNet, DeviceNet, and Ethernet.

8. The I/O module of claim 1 including further an Internet filter module positioned between the I/O module and the Internet, the Internet filter module having a processing unit executing a stored program to accept a write disable command from the programmable logic controller causing the stored program to controllably block data from passing between the Internet and the I/O interface.

9. The I/O module of claim 8 wherein the I/O interface communicates with multiple independent I/O points and wherein the processor of the Internet filter module further executes the stored program to accept a write disable command from the programmable logic controller causing the stored program to controllably block data from passing between the Internet and the I/O interface with respect to selected I/O points.

10. An industrial control system comprising:

a control network;

a programmable logic controller for executing an industrial control program and having an interface for communicating on the control network;

a plurality of I/O modules communicating further including

(a) respective I/O interfaces communicating electrical signals between the I/O interface and the industrial process, at least one I/O module further including;

(b) respective network interfaces communicating electrical signals between the network interface and the control-network;

at least one I/O module further including;

(c) an Internet interface communicating electrical signals between the Internet interface and the Internet;

whereby Internet control of the industrial process may be had through the I/O module without intervention of the programmable logic controller.

11. The industrial control system of claim 10 including further an Internet/control-network bridge having both an Internet connection and a control-network connection and wherein both the network interface and the Internet interface of the I/O module include a connection to the control-network and wherein the Internet interface communicates with the Internet through the control-network to the bridge and through the bridge to the Internet.

12. The industrial control system of claim 11 wherein the control-network is an Ethernet network.

13. The industrial control system of claim 10 wherein the Internet interface includes a media connection for attaching to a communications medium other than the control-network.

14. The industrial control system of claim 13 wherein the communication medium is selected from the group consisting of:

a conductive metal cable, a radio link, an infrared link, and an optical fiber.

15. The industrial control system of claim 10 wherein the I/O module includes a processing unit which executes a stored program to accept a write disable command from the programmable logic controller causing the stored program to controllably block data from passing between the Internet interface and the I/O interface.

16. The industrial control system of claim 10 wherein the control-network is selected from the group consisting of ControlNet, DeviceNet, and Ethernet.

17. The industrial control system of claim 10 including further an Internet filter module positioned between the I/O modules and the Internet, the Internet filter module having a processing unit executing a stored program to accept a write disable command from the programmable logic controller causing the stored program to controllably block data from passing between the Internet and the I/O interface.

18. The industrial control system of claim 17 wherein the I/O interface communicates with multiple independent I/O points and wherein the processor of the Internet filter module further executes the stored program to accept a write disable command from the programmable logic controller causing the stored program to controllably block data from passing between the Internet and the I/O interface with respect to selected I/O points.