System and methodology providing graphical objects in an industrial automation environment

• US 20040004629A1
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Software Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Software Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Jeffrey L., Schlussman, Bret D.
• Application Number:
  US10/401,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004629A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/964 CAD or CAM, e.g. interactive design tools

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and methodology providing graphical objects in an industrial automation environment. According to one aspect of the invention, data is received across a network and is associated with an automated process. A property of a graphical object is updated with the data. Graphical objects are operatively connected to one another such that movement of a representation of one of the graphical objects based on changes of the property being updated correspondingly affects the movement of a representation of another graphical object. According to another aspect of the invention, the graphical objects are associated with industrial automation components connected to the network.

Claims

1. An industrial control system, comprising:

a network connected to a controller;

first and second graphical objects each having at least one property and being operatively connected to one another;

a server component to receive data across the network associated with the controller and updating the property of at least one of the first and second graphical objects; and

an application component to facilitate the display of representations of the first and second graphical objects, movement of one of the representations of the first and second graphical objects automatically moving a representation of the other when the server component updates the property with the data.

2. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is in communication with at least one industrial automation component.

3. The industrial control system of claim 2, wherein the industrial automation component communicates with the controller to provide information corresponding to the data.

4. The industrial control system of claim 2, wherein the representations of the first and second graphical objects mechanically emulate the movement of the industrial automation component.

5. The industrial control system of claim 4, wherein the first and second graphical objects have graphical shapes corresponding to physical attributes of the industrial automation component.

6. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the server component communicates through dynamic data exchange.

7. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the server component includes a separate processor operating remote from the application component.

8. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the server component is part of the application component.

9. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the data received by the server exists in raw data form and is processed by an event of a corresponding graphical object.

10. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the server component is an OPC server.

11. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the server component updates the property of the corresponding graphical object in substantially real time.

12. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein manipulation by a user of the displayed representation of one of the first and second graphical objects will cause a changed value of the respective property to be communicated to the controller.

13. The industrial control system of claim 12, wherein the controller has a component operatively connected therewith and the changed value that has been communicated to the controller is communicated to the component to control the operation of the component.

14. An industrial control system, comprising:

a network connected to a controller having a memory address;

a first graphical object having at least one property operatively linked to the memory address;

a server component to receive data from across the network associated with the memory address and updating the property of the first graphical object; and

an application component to facilitate the display of a representation of the first graphical object with change in position of the first graphical object automatically moving a representation of a second graphical object operatively connected to the first graphical object.

15. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the controller communicates with an industrial automation component and writes information into the memory address associated with the industrial automation component.

16. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the server component communicates through dynamic data exchange.

17. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the server component includes a separate processor operating remote from the application component.

18. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the server component is part of the application component.

19. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the data received by the server exists in raw data form and is processed by an event of the graphical object.

20. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the server component is an OPC server.

21. The industrial control system of claim 14, wherein the server component updates the property of the corresponding graphical object in substantially real time.

22. The industrial control system of claim 21, wherein manipulation by a user of the displayed representation of the graphical objects will cause a changed value of the property to be communicated to the controller.

23. The industrial control system of claim 22, wherein the controller has an industrial automation component operatively connected therewith and the changed value that has been communicated to the controller is communicated to the industrial automation component to control the operation of same.

24. The industrial control system of claim 15, wherein the representations of the first and second graphical objects mechanically emulate the movement of the industrial automation component during an automation process.

25. The industrial control system of claim 24, wherein the first and second graphical objects have graphical shapes corresponding to physical attributes of the industrial automation component.

26. A method to facilitate data communication within an industrial control system, comprising:

receiving data across a network associated with an automated process;

updating a property of a graphical object with the data; and

moving a representation of the graphical object based on its updated property causing automatic movement of a representation of a second graphical object operatively connected with the graphical object.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein receiving data across a network associated with an automated process includes communicating data from an industrial automation component to a controller and from the controller through a server.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising manipulating the data received from the network to change it from a raw data form to a processed form.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the data is manipulated by triggering an event of the graphical object causing the execution of code to process the data from the raw data form to the processed form.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving a changed value of the property of the graphical object caused by a user manipulation of the representation of the graphical object and communicating the changed value across the network.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the changed value communicated across the network will cause the automated process to be altered.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the moving a representation of the graphical object based on its property causing automatic movement of a representation of a second graphical object operatively connected with the graphical object occurs so that the representations mechanically emulate the movement of the industrial automation component during the automation process.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the changed value communicated across the network will cause the industrial automation component to be controlled.

33. A method of controlling graphical objects of an industrial control system, comprising:

providing an automated process including a network connected with a controller and an industrial automation component;

receiving data across the network;

updating a property of a graphical object with the data, the graphical object being operatively associated with the industrial automation component; and

displaying a representation of the graphical object based on its updated property causing automatic movement of a representation of a second graphical object operatively connected with the graphical object.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the graphical object and second graphical object are operatively connected and displayed in a manner to graphically represent the position of the industrial automation component during the automated process.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the graphical object and second graphical object are operatively connected and displayed in a manner to graphically represent the state of the industrial automation component during the automated process.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising manipulating the data received across the network to modify the data into form suitable as a value for the property of the graphical object.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the data is manipulated by a triggering an event of the graphical object causing the execution of code to modify the data.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving a changed value of the property of the graphical object caused by a user manipulation of the representation of the graphical object and communicating the changed value across the network to the controller.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein displaying a representation of the graphical object based on its updated property causing automatic movement of a representation of a second graphical object operatively connected with the graphical object occurs so that the representations mechanically emulate the movement of the industrial automation component during the automation process.

41. A method of controlling graphical objects of an industrial control system, comprising:

providing an automated process including a network connected with an industrial automation component;

receiving data across the network;

updating a property of a graphical object with the data, the graphical object being operatively associated with the industrial automation component; and

displaying a representation of the graphical object based on its updated property causing the appearance of the representation of the graphical object to be altered and altering the appearance of a second graphical object operatively connected with the graphical object.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the displaying occurs so that the representations mechanically emulate the movement of the industrial automation component during the automation process.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein displaying a representation of the graphical object based on its updated property causes the appearance of the representation of the graphical object to be altered in its color causing the second graphical object operatively connected with the graphical object to become altered in its color.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising receiving a changed value of the property of the graphical object caused by a user manipulation of the representation of the graphical object and communicating the changed value across the network to control the operation of the industrial automation component.