Event-driven component mirroring method and system

• US 20060288105A1
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Mann, Joseph Francis, Britt, Clinton Duane, Lloyd, Robert F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A technique is provided for exchanging data between software components in interface devices, monitoring devices, control devices, and so forth. Device elements are stored in the devices that are capable of communicating signals to one other, with each device element including a predetermined functionality. A connection is established between the device elements that facilitates event-based transfer of signals. A first of the device elements transfers data resulting from its functionality acting upon the received signals or the received signals themselves to a second device element. The transfer happens upon a receipt of the signals by the first device element. Each of the device elements made and act upon the signals in accordance with this respective functionality. The technique may used to cause interface elements to mirror one another. In other settings, quite different device elements may exchange data in an event-based transfer upon the receipt of the data by one of the elements to carryout the substantially different functionalities in accordance with their own programming.

Claims

1. A method for configuring an interface, comprising:

creating first and second device elements capable of communicating signals to one another, each device element including a predetermined functionality; and

creating a connection between the first and second device elements, the connection facilitating an event-based transfer of signals from the first device element to the second device element, wherein the first device element transmits the received signals or data resulting from its functionality acting upon the received signals to the second device element upon receipt of the signals by the first device element, and wherein each device element acts upon the signals in accordance with its respective functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the functionalities of the first and second device elements are similarly configured such that the first and second device elements mirror their functionality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second device elements includes a visual representation for inclusion in a user viewable display.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein both the first and second device elements includes a respective visual representation for inclusion in respective viewable displays.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second device element visual representations are similar to one another.

6. The method of claim 3, comprising changing the visual representation as a result of the functionality of the respective device element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second device elements have different functionalities.

8. A method for configuring an interface, comprising:

creating first and second device elements capable of communicating signals to one another, the device elements including generally identical functionalities and generally identical visual representations for display on respective interface devices; and

creating a connection between the first and second device elements, the connection facilitating an event-based transfer of signals from the first device element to the second device element, wherein the first device element transmits the received signals or data resulting from its functionality acting upon the received signals to the second device element upon receipt of the signals by the first device element, and wherein the functionalities of the device elements result in similar changes to the visual representations on the respective interface devices in response to the signals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second device elements are COM objects.

10. A method for configuring an interface, comprising:

creating first and second device elements capable of communicating signals to one another, each device element including a functionality, and at least one of the device elements includes a visual representation for inclusion in an interface display;

creating a connection between the first and second device elements, the connection facilitating an event-based transfer of signals from the first device element to the second device element, wherein the first device element transmits the received signals or data resulting from its functionality acting upon the received signals to the second device element upon receipt of the signals by the first device element, and wherein each device elements acts upon the signal in accordance with its respective functionality;

displaying the visual representation in an interface display and changing the visual representation in response to receipt of the signals and the functionality of one of the device elements; and

executing a control function in a control and monitoring system in response to receipt of the signals and the functionality of the other of the device elements.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the device elements are included in separate physical devices.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the physical devices are coupled to one another by an industrial control and monitoring network.

13. A configurable interface system, comprising:

a first device element having a first functionality and a first visual representation for display on a first interface;

a second device element having a second functionality and a second visual representation for display on a second interface;

a connection configured between the first and second device elements by which the first device element transfers received signals or data resulting from its functionality acting upon received signals received by the first device element to the second device element in response to receipt of the signals by the first device element.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein first and second functionalities are generally identical to one another.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second visual representations are generally identical to one another.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second interfaces are physically remote from one another.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second device elements are COM objects.

18. The system of claim 13, including a design-time environment stored on the first or the second interface for configuration of the first or the respective device element.

19. The system of claim 18, including a server resident on the first or the second interface for serving the design-time environment to a general purpose viewer for configuration of the respective device element.

20. A configurable interface system, comprising:

a first device element having a first functionality and a visual representation for display on an interface;

a second device element having a second functionality; and

a connection configured between the first and second device elements by which the first device element transfers received signals or data resulting from its functionality acting upon received signals received by the first device element to the second device element in response to receipt of the signals by the first device element;

wherein the first functionality of the first device element causes display of the visual representation in an interface display and changes the visual representation in response to receipt of the signals, and the second state engine of the second device element executes a control function in a control and monitoring system in response to receipt of the signals.