Methods and systems for management and control of an automation control module

• US 20030140094A1
• Filed: 01/24/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Fanuc Automation North America Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GE Fanuc Automation North America Incorporated
• Inventors: Mercer, Ferrell, Collier, David, Bolfing, Brad, Chambers, Robert, Brownhill, Carrie, Hannold, Bill, Elliott, David, Newman, Bob, Kandingo, Jason, Hietanen, Dave
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24167 Encryption, password, user access privileges
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A web-enabled automation control module (ACM) includes an ACM central processing unit (CPU) and a web and file transfer system electrically connected to the ACM CPU, and embedded within the ACM. The system is configured to process hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests from a network.

Claims

1. A web-enabled automation control module (ACM) comprising:

an ACM central processing unit (CPU); and

a web and file transfer system electrically connected to said ACM CPU, said system embedded within said ACM, and configured to process hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests from a network.

2. An ACM in accordance with claim 1 wherein said web and file transfer system comprises a web server electrically connected to said ACM CPU and the network, said web server configured to process HTTP requests from the network.

3. An ACM in accordance with claim 2 wherein said web server configured to receive HTTP requests from the network.

4. An ACM in accordance with claim 3 wherein said web server configured to respond to HTTP requests from the network.

5. An ACM in accordance with claim 4 wherein said web and file transfer system further comprises a database electrically connected to said web server and comprising at least one web page file, said web server configured to read said web page file from said database.

6. An ACM in accordance with claim 2 wherein said web server configured to transfer ACM data from said ACM CPU.

7. An ACM in accordance with claim 2 wherein said web server configured to transfer ACM data to said ACM CPU.

8. An ACM in accordance with claim 5 wherein said web server configured to transfer ACM data from said ACM CPU and embed said ACM data within said at least one web page file based on function tags embedded within said at least one web page file.

9. An ACM in accordance with claim 8 wherein said web server configured to send said at least one web page file through said network using HTTP.

10. An ACM in accordance with claim 1 wherein said web and file transfer system comprises a network interface configured for connection to the network.

11. An ACM in accordance with claim 1 wherein said web and file transfer system further configured to store user defined web pages.

12. An ACM in accordance with claim 1 wherein said ACM comprises a backplane interface electrically connected to said ACM and a backplane electrically connected to said backplane interface, said backplane configured for connection with at least one of an input/output (I/O) module and an input module.

13. An automation control module (ACM) system comprising:

an ACM;

a network;

a web-enabled computer electrically connected to said network; and

a web and file transfer subsystem electrically connected to said ACM and said network, said subsystem configured to store at least one user-defined web page files.

14. An ACM system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said web and file transfer subsystem comprises a database and a file transfer server electrically connected to said network and said database.

15. An ACM system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said database configured to store at least one user-defined web page file, and said file transfer server configured to read and write to said at least one user-defined web page file stored in said database.

16. An ACM system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said file transfer server configured to transfer said at least one user-defined web-page file though said network to said computer.

17. An ACM system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said file transfer server configured to allow a user to perform at least one of create at least one user-defined web-page file and modify at least one user-defined web-page file.

18. An ACM system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said at least one user-defined web page file comprises at least one of hypertext markup language (HTML), Javascript, and references to other files.

19. An ACM system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said references to other files comprise at least one of at least one image file and at least one Applet.

20. An ACM system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said at least one user-defined web page file comprises at least one ACM tag function.

21. An ACM system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said file transfer server is a file transfer protocol server.

22. An ACM system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said web and file transfer subsystem comprises a network interface electrically connected to said file transfer server and said network.

23. An ACM system in accordance with claim 22 wherein said ACM comprises and ACM central processing unit (CPU), said web and file transfer subsystem further comprises a web server electrically connected to said network and said ACM CPU, said ACM, and said database, said web-server configured to process hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests from a network.

24. An ACM system in accordance with claim 13 configured to display at least one user-defined web page file on said computer.

25. An ACM system in accordance with claim 13 wherein a user is required to enter a valid user name and user password to access said ACM system.

26. An ACM system in accordance with claim 25 wherein said user configures the number of web and file transfer TCP connections using said computer.

27. An ACM system in accordance with claim 26 further configured to disable said web and file transfer TCP connections when said user configures zero of said web and file transfer TCP connections.

28. A method for management and control of an automation control module (ACM) including an ACM central processing unit (CPU) and a web and file transfer system embedded within the ACM, the web and file transfer system electrically connected to a network, said method comprising:

electrically connecting the web and file transfer system to the ACM CPU; and

processing hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests from the network using the web and file transfer system.

29. A method in accordance with claim 28 wherein the web and file transfer system includes a web server electronically connected to the ACM CPU and the network, processing HTTP requests from the network using the web and file transfer system comprises processing HTTP requests from the network using the web server.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein processing HTTP requests from the network using the web server comprises:

receiving HTTP requests from the network using the web server; and

responding to the HTTP requests using the web server.

31. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein the web and file transfer system further includes a database electrically connected to the web server and including at least one web page file, processing HTTP requests from the network using the web server comprising:

receiving HTTP requests from the network;

reading the at least one web page file from the database;

requesting ACM data from the ACM CPU via function tags embedded within the at least one web page file;

receiving the ACM data from the ACM CPU;

embedding the ACM data within the at least one web page file; and

sending the at least one web page file through the network.

32. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein processing HTTP requests from the network using the web server comprises transferring ACM data to the ACM CPU using the web server as directed by function tags embedded within the at least one web page file and by form data contained in the HTTP request.

33. A method in accordance with claim 31 wherein the web and file transfer system further includes a file transfer server electrically connected to the database and the network, said method further comprising:

storing at least one user-defined web page in the database;

reading the at least one user-defined web page using the file transfer server and the network; and

writing to the at least one user-defined web page using the file transfer server and the network.

34. A method in accordance with claim 31 wherein the database includes at least one user name and at least one user password, the network includes at least one computer electrically connected to the network, said method further comprising requiring a user input a valid user name and valid user password into the computer to access the web and file transfer system.

35. A method in accordance with claim 34 further comprising;

allowing a user to configure the number of web and file transfer TCP connections using the computer; and

disabling the web and file transfer TCP connections when the user configures zero of the web and file transfer TCP connections.

36. A method for management and control of an automation control module (ACM) using an ACM system, the ACM system including an ACM, a network, a web-enabled computer electrically connected to the ACM, and a web and file transfer subsystem, said method comprising:

electrically connecting the web and file transfer subsystem to the ACM and the network; and

storing at least one user-defined web page file.

37. A method in accordance with claim 36 wherein the web and file transfer subsystem includes a database and a file transfer server electrically connected to the network and the database, storing at least one user-defined web page file comprises storing the at least one user-defined web page file in the database.

38. A method in accordance with claim 37 further comprising:

reading the at least one user-defined web page file stored in the database using the file transfer server; and

writing to the at least one user-defined web page file stored in the database using the file transfer server.

39. A method in accordance with claim 38 wherein reading the at least one user-defined web page file stored in the database using the file transfer server further comprising:

transferring the at least one user-defined web page file to the computer; and

displaying the at least one user-defined web page file on the computer using the file transfer server.

40. A method in accordance with claim 38 wherein writing to the at least one user-defined web page file stored in the database using the file transfer server comprises allowing a user to modify the at least one user-defined web page file using the computer and the file transfer server.

41. A method in accordance with claim 37 further comprising allowing a user to create a user-defined web page file using the computer and the file transfer server.

42. A method in accordance with claim 37 wherein the ACM includes an ACM central processing unit (CPU) and the web and file transfer subsystem further includes a web server electrically connected to the network and the ACM CPU, said method further comprising:

processing hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests from the computer using the web server.

43. A method in accordance with claim 37 wherein the database includes at least one user name and at least one user password, said method further comprising requiring a user input a valid user name and valid user password into the computer to access the web and file transfer subsystem.

44. A method in accordance with claim 43 further comprising;

allowing a user to configure the number of web and file transfer TCP connections using the computer; and

disabling the web and file transfer TCP connections when the user configures zero of the web and file transfer TCP connections.