Method for providing engineering tool services

• US 20030061311A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation
• Inventors: Lo, George
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A method and system for generating programming code and/or configuration data for programmable controller and the networks on which they operate is disclosed. In one embodiment, programming code is generated on a centralized server having a web-enabled engineering tool. The engineering tool operates on client devices that are in communication with the server over a network, such as the Interntet. Preferably, the engineering tool runs in a browser application (or other network-interfacing-application) on the client device and a user generates the programming code on the server with the aid of the client device. By centralizing the engineering tool, which may contain a configuration editor and a configuration management tool having version management functionality, a new business paradigm for providing engineering tool services to customers having programmable controllers. In addition, new methods and tools for collaborative engineering of programming code are enabled.

Claims

1. A method for providing a customer, having a client device, with use of an engineering tool for programming a programmable controller, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the customer'"'"'s client device with access to a server residing on a network;

maintaining on the server a web-enabled engineering tool capable of being accessed by a browser application running on the client device;

providing the customer with use of the web-enabled engineering tool for the purposes of creating programming code; and

receiving value from the customer in exchange for use of the engineering tool.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is calculated based on the usage of the engineering tool.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the usage of the engineering tool is calculated based on the number of lines of programming code written.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the usage of the engineering tool is calculated based on how long the user was in communication with the server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the step of receiving value from the customer, compiling the programming code.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the value is based on the number of inputs referenced by the programming code.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the value is based on the number of outputs referenced by the programming code.

8. A method for selling programming services for use in developing programming code for a programmable controller, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a customer with use of an engineering tool for developing programming code;

compiling the programming code developed with the engineering tool; and

charging the customer a fee for the programming code.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, before the step of receiving value from the customer, downloading the compiled programming code to the programmable controller.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of archiving a copy of the compiled programming code on a server.

11. A method for programming a programmable controller comprising:

accessing with a client device, having a network-interface-application, a network-enabled engineering tool residing on a server;

running the engineering tool in the network-interface-application on the client device;

creating programming code with the engineering tool;

compiling the engineering code on the server;

downloading the compiled code from the server to the programmable controller; and

exchanging value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network-interface-application comprises a web-browser and the network-enabled engineering tool comprises a web-enabled engineering tool.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the server and client devices communicate via the Internet.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of downloading the compiled code from the server to a programmable controller comprises the steps of:

downloading the compiled code to the client device, the client device being in communication with the programmable controller; and

downloading the compiled code from the client device to the programmable controller.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of downloading the compiled code from the server to a programmable controller comprises the steps of:

downloading the compiled code to a second client device, the second client device being connected to the programmable controller; and

downloading the compiled code from the second client device to the programmable controller.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second client device and the server communicate via a LAN.

17. A method for downloading programming code to a programmable controller comprising the steps of:

connecting a programmable controller to a network;

downloading programming code from the network to the programmable controller, wherein the programming code was generated on a server containing an engineering tool that is accessible over the network by a user via a client device; and

paying a fee.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the programmable controller is connected to the network by connecting it to a client device that is connected to the network.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of downloading the programming code from the network to the programmable controller comprises the steps of:

establishing communication between the network and a client device;

downloading the programming code to the client device;

interfacing the programmable controller to the client device; and

downloading the programming code from the client device to the programmable controller.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising connecting the server to an Intranet that the client device may communicate over.

20. A method for providing an engineering tool to an enterprise having programmable controllers, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the enterprise with a server, the server providing client access to an engineering tool configured to be accessed by a client device;

maintaining the engineering tool on the server; and

charging a fee.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the fee is calculated based on use of engineering tool.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the fee is a flat fee.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the fee comprises a non-monetary conveyance of value.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of communicatively connecting the server to a LAN, the LAN being communicatively connected to at least one of the programmable controllers.

26. A method for selling engineering service that allow entities to generate programming code for a programmable controller, the method comprising the steps of:

providing access to a server having a engineering tool for generating programming code for the programmable controller;

receiving from a client device programming code generated with the engineering tool;

compiling the programming code; and

providing access to simulation software to test the compiled programming code.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting the compiled code from the server to the client device.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting the compiled code from the server to a second client device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second client device is couple with a removable storage device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the removable storage device is a disk drive.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the removable storage device is a flash-memory device.

32. A method for providing engineering tool services for configuring I/O networks and devices, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining on network a server having a configuration editor, the configuration editor configured to be invoked by a network-interfacing-application on a client device that is in communication with the server over the network;

receiving value for use of the configuration editor; and

transmitting configuration data generated with the configuration editor over the network.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the configuration editor comprises a graphical editor.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the configuration data comprises baud rate information.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the configuration data comprises data relating to mapping logical I/O information to physical I/O information.

36. A method for generating configuration data comprising the steps of:

maintaining a server on a network; and

maintaining on the server a configuration editor that is adapted for running on a client device/

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the configuration editor is adapted to run in a network-interfacing-application on the client device.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the network-interfacing-application is a web-browser.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the network is the Internet.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the configuration editor comprises a graphical editor.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising maintain on the server an engineering tool for developing programming code for a programmable controller.

42. A method for providing engineering tool services comprising the steps of:

maintaining on a server an engineering tool for generating programming code and configuration data for programmable controllers, the engineering tool configured to operate on a client device that is in communication with the server;

compiling programming code that is generated with the engineering tool on the server; and

running simulation software on the server for testing the compiled programming code.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising receiving value.

44. A method for providing engineering tool services comprising the steps of:

maintaining on a server an engineering tool for generating programming code and configuration data for programmable controllers, the engineering tool configured to operate on a client device that is in communication with the server;

compiling programming code that is generated with the engineering tool on the server; and

interfacing a testing programmable controller with the server, the testing programmable controller configured to test programming code and configuration data.

45. A version management method for programmable controllers, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of versions of a program for a programmable controller on a server, the server accessible by a client device over a network.

in response to commands from the client device, searching the versions of the program for a predefined change in the program; and

receiving value;

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the value received is based on the number of versions stored on the server.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the value received is based on the space used for storing the different versions.

48. The method of claim 45, further comprising comparing a first version of the program with a second version found as a result of the search.