Integration of control and business applications using integration servers

• US 20060133412A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Callaghan, David M.
• Application Number:
  US11/020,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133412A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31092 Network server for communication between plc's, using server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32126 Hyperlink, access to program modules and to hardware modules in www, web server, browser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The subject invention relates to a framework for integrating control and business systems and/or applications without middleware. The systems and methods include an integration component that provides for cross-platform connectivity with integration servers, databases, computers, etc. associated with the business systems and/or applications. Such connectivity can include TCP/IP based communication between any controller within the control system and the business systems and/or applications. Suitable controllers can reside within any industrial network, including non-TCP/IP industrial networks. The TCP/IP connection can be utilized by the controllers to: serve up web pages, data views, web objects, CIP objects and XML, publish messages, electronic product data, data, tags, status, state and error messages, and subscribe to receive information from an integration server, a database, a broker and/or a computer. Likewise, the business systems and/or applications can utilize the TCP/IP connection to provide, manage and/or remove applications, files and/or services to any of the controllers.

Claims

1. An architecture that integrates control and business layers, comprising:

a business layer; and

a control layer that is coupled to the business layer through an integration component that resides within a chassis of a controller of the control layer.

2. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component is a TCP/IP adapter.

3. The architecture of claim 1, the controller is a hardware or software based controller.

4. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component is one of an execution environment, an operating system, an integrated application, a plug-in application, and a managed execution framework.

5. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component and the control layer are located on an execution space that is partitioned on a computer platform.

6. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component facilitates direct communication between the controller and systems of the business layer without middleware.

7. The architecture of claim 6, the communication is a real-time live data feed.

8. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component further provides for at least one of an Ethernet, a web, a markup language, a file transfer, an HTTP, a HTTPS, a JMS API, a JDBC, an ODBC, a message broker, a MQ, a MQTT client, a MQTT micro broker, a web service, a web service eventing, a web service notification, a reliable messaging, and a transaction based communication.

9. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component provides for at least one of serving up web based data, publishing information, brokering messages, and queuing messages.

10. The architecture of claim 1, the integration component synchronizes control system I/O data updates with data copies exchanged with the business layer to perform synchronous data transfers of single and/or multiple data elements.

11. A system that integrates control and business systems and/or applications, comprising:

a control system with one or more industrial controllers; and

an integration component, executing within the control system, that provides a TCP/IP based interface with one or more integration servers associated with a business system and/or application.

12. The system of claim 11, the integration component resides within the chassis of a hardware based or a software based controller.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising one or more additional integration components that reside within individual controllers, respective integration components individually and/or jointly facilitate communication between the control system and the business systems and/or application.

14. The system of claim 11, the one or more controllers are associated with one or more of an Ethernet/IP, an DeviceNet, a ControlNet, a DH+, an OPC, a Modbus, a Modbus/TCP, a UPnP, a USB, a Profibus, an RS-485, and an RS-232 protocol.

15. The system of claim 11, the TCP/IP based interface is utilized by the one or more controllers for serving up one or more of web pages, data views, web objects, CIP objects and XML to a broker, an integration server, a computer, and/or a database.

16. The system of claim 11, the TCP/IP based interface is utilized by the one or more controllers for publishing one or more of messages, electronic product data, data, tags, status, state and error messages to a broker, the integration server, a computer, or a database.

17. The system of claim 11, the TCP/IP based interface is utilized by the one or more controllers for subscribing to receive information from one or more of the integration servers, a database, a broker and a computer.

18. The system of claim 11, the one or more controllers aggregate and segment data into one or more data views and the business layer transmits a request through the integration component for at least one of the data views.

19. The system of claim 11, the request is based on tags and/or schema of interest.

20. The system of claim 11, the TCP/IP based interface is utilized by the business layer to download, launch, terminate and remove at least one of a file, an application and a service from the one or more controllers.

21. The system of claim 11, the TCP/IP based interface is utilized by the business layer to monitor control system inputs, outputs, state, and status associated with the one or more controllers.

22. The system of claim 11, the TCP/IP based interface provides for Ethernet, web, XML, HTML, XHTML, FTP, Secure FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, JMS, JDBC, ODBC, data streams and reliable messaging based communication.

23. The system of claim 11 is employed in an autonomous agent based control system.

24. The system of claim 11 is employed in a programmable logic controller (PLC).

25. A method for integrating control and business systems, comprising:

incorporating an integration interface into an industrial controller chassis;

employing the industrial controller in a control system; and

utilizing the integration interface to integrate the control system with a business system.

26. The method of claim 25, the integration component is utilized as one of a TCP/IP, a JVM, unicast Ethernet, multicast Ethernet, and a UDP adapter.

27. The method of claim 26, the TCP/IP adapter includes at least one of IPv4 and IPv6, with or without IPSec.

28. The method of claim 25, the integration component provide an Ethernet, a web, an XML, an HTML, an XHTML, a file transfer, a secure file transfer, an HTTP, an HTTPS, a JDBC, an email, and a reliable messaging interface.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising employing wire and/or wireless communication techniques to facilitate interaction between the control system and the business system.

30. The method of claim 29, the wireless communication is one of WiFI and WiMax.

31. The method of claim 25, the integration component provides for unicast and multicast communications.

32. The method of claim 25, further comprising exchanging information obtained from a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag between the control system and the business system.

33. The method of claim 25, further comprising employing the integration interface to publish data to one of a broker, a database, and a server associated with the business system.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising utilizing the integration component to provide communication between a non-TCP/IP and TCP/IP based industrial network and the business system.

35. A system that integrates control and business applications, comprising:

means for incorporating a TCP/IP based interface within the chassis of a controller; and

means for utilizing the TCP/IP based interface to communicate with an integration server without middleware.