Method and apparatus for direct signaling of e-mail messages in response to faults

• US 20050246411A1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vitrano, James B.
• Application Number:
  US10/837,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246411A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32126 Hyperlink, access to program modules and to hardware modules in www, web server, browser
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33209 Protocol, mailbox, email, mail system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33287 Program panel to program, enter data for diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm

Abstract

A network adapter (12) for connecting a motor drive (11) to a network (13) comprises a microelectronic CPU (17) for executing a control program (22) and a program memory (20) for storing the control program (22). The control program (22) includes instructions for generating screen displays including configuration screen displays (50, 60) for selecting a plurality of specific fault conditions to be monitored at the motor drive (11), and the screen displays include locations (45, 67) for entering a network address for sending an e-mail message (71) in response to a fault condition. The control program (22) includes further instructions for generating the e-mail message (71) to the entered network address in response to occurrence of at least one of the selected faults. A method of practicing the invention is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A network adapter for interfacing an electric machine drive to a network, the network adapter comprising:

a microelectronic CPU for executing a control program;

a program memory for storing the control program;

wherein the control program includes instructions for generating screen displays on a personal computer connected to the network adapter through the network;

wherein the screen displays include configuration screen displays for selecting a plurality of specific fault conditions to be monitored at the electric machine drive;

wherein the screen displays include at one least field for entering a network address for sending a message in response to a fault condition; and

wherein the control program includes further instructions for generating the e-mail message to the entered network address in response to occurrence of at least one of the selected fault conditions.

2. The network adapter of claim 1, wherein the network is an Ethernet network.

3. The network adapter of claim 1, wherein the configuration screen displays provide a list of check boxes for selecting specific fault conditions to be monitored for generation of an e-mail fault message.

4. The network adapter of claim 1, wherein the configuration screen displays provide data entry boxes for selecting specific fault conditions to be monitored for generation of an e-mail fault message.

5. The network adapter of claim 1, wherein the control program includes further instructions for generating an automatically refreshed data screen on the personal computer connected to the network adapter through the network.

6. A method of e-mail fault reporting for electric machine drives comprising:

opening a general purpose application program on a personal computer;

connecting to an adapter on a electric machine drive unit through a computer communications network;

calling up a configuration screen display;

specifying an address for the e-mail notification on the network; and

selecting specific faults for which an e-mail fault message will be transmitted on the network to at least one monitoring computer; and

communicating the address for the e-mail notification and the specific faults to the adapter on the electric machine drive.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the network is an Ethernet network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the network is a private network that is not accessible by the public.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration screen displays provide a list for selecting specific fault conditions to be monitored for generation of an e-mail fault message.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration screen displays provide data entry boxes for selecting specific fault conditions to be monitored for generation of an e-mail fault message.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising the adapter transmitting an e-mail fault notification to the personal computer, upon an occurrence of one of the selected fault conditions.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the control program includes further instructions for generating an automatically refreshed data screen on the personal computer connected to the network adapter through the network.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein neither customized programming nor configuration is required of network servers on the network to cause the e-mail fault message to be transmitted to the personal computer.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the general purpose application program having e-mail capability is an Internet web browser program.