Automatic user interface generation

• US 20060288301A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Hood, Gavan W., Hall, Kenwood H., Kappelhoff, Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface generation system comprises a reception component that facilitates receipt of instantiated objects from within a programmable logic controller, wherein the objects conform to a hierarchically structured data model. A view generation component communicatively coupled to the reception component utilizes a subset of the objects to dynamically generate a user interface. For example, the hierarchically structured data model can be based at least in part upon one or more of ISA S95, ISA S88 and/or OMAC.

Claims

1. A user interface generation system that comprises the following computer-executable components:

a reception component that facilitates receipt of instantiated objects from within a programmable logic controller, the objects conform to a hierarchically structured data model; and

a view generation component communicatively coupled to the reception component that utilizes a subset of the objects to dynamically generate a user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, the hierarchically structured data model is based at least in part upon one or more of ISA S95, ISA S88, and OMAC.

3. A programmable logic controller comprising the system of claim 1.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data aggregation component that aggregates objects from multiple programmable logic controllers, the view generation component dynamically generates the user interface based upon the aggregated data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a proxy component that facilitates automatic generation of the user interface based at least in part upon data from a programmable logic controller that does not support the hierarchically structured data model.

6. The system of claim 5, the proxy component comprises a bridging component that receives data formatted in accordance with a first network protocol and converts it to a format that accords to a second network protocol.

7. The system of claim 6, the first network protocol is one of Hart, FieldBus, Foundation FieldBus, and Profibus, and the second network protocol is CIP.

8. The system of claim 5, the proxy component comprises a mapping component that transforms data from the programmable logic controller into data that conforms to the hierarchically structured data model.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security component that determines whether an initiator of a request for the user interface is authorized to review data displayed therein.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filtering component that filters data provided to the view generation component based at least in part upon identity of an entity provided the user interface.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a feedback component that alters at least one of content and perspective of the graphical user interface based upon user feedback.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface library, the interface library includes a plurality of interface templates, a template is automatically selected from the interface library based at least in part upon content of an object received by the view generation component.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a recognition component that facilitates plug-and-play functionalities with respect to the view generation component.

14. A method for automatically generating a user interface, comprising the following computer-executable acts:

receiving an object that is structured in accordance with a hierarchically structured data model, the object is associated with a programmable logic controller; and

automatically generating a graphical user interface based at least in part upon parameters of the object.

15. The method of claim 14, the object is a state-based object.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

aggregating objects from a plurality of programmable logic controllers; and

generating a graphical user interface based at least in part upon the aggregated objects.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a device type based upon the received object; and

accessing a user interface template based upon the determined device type.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving data formatted in accordance with a first network protocol; and

packaging the data so that it conforms to a second network protocol.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining that the received data does not conform to the hierarchically structured data model; and

converting the data so that it conforms to the hierarchically structured data model.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising employing templates to convert the data.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising filtering objects based at least in part upon user identity.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that an initiator of a data request is authorized to review the data.

23. A system that facilitates generation of user interfaces, comprising:

means for receiving an object from a programmable logic controller, the object conforms to a hierarchically structured data model; and

means for automatically generating a graphical user interface based upon content of the object.

24. The system of claim 23, the object includes data that is indicative of state of one of a process and a device.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for selecting a template in connection with generating the graphical user interface.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for generating the graphical user interface based at least in part upon the selected template.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

means for aggregating a plurality of objects from a plurality of programmable logic controllers; and

means for generating the graphical user interface based upon the aggregated objects.

28. A programmable logic controller, comprising:

an interface component that receives objects indicating state of a process, the objects are created in accordance with a hierarchically structured data model; and

a view generation component communicatively coupled to the interface component, the view generation component creates a graphical user interface based upon the received objects.