Method and apparatus for communicating transactions between an industrial controller and a programming interface

• US 20060294047A1
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Pierce, Scott A., Sepsi, Robert R., Sumerauer, Douglas B., Capriles, Luis A., Husted, Raymond R., Baker, Jacob S., Johnston, David A., Reid, Douglas W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23255 Object oriented programming, OOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23302 Load program in data blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23335 History, log of program modifications
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24139 Recovery from power loss, failure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1474 in transactions G06F16/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3004 to perform operations on memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30087 Synchronisation or serialisation instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented

Abstract

An industrial control system includes an industrial controller and a programming interface. The industrial controller maintains a control program for interfacing with a controlled process. The programming interface is operable to communicate a transaction to the industrial controller. The transaction includes a plurality of operations for modifying the control program followed by a commit transaction command. The industrial controller is operable to preprocess the plurality of operations, designate the plurality of operations with a pending status, and commit the operations and clear the pending status responsive to receiving the commit transaction command.

Claims

1. An industrial control system, comprising:

an industrial controller maintaining a control program for interfacing with a controlled process; and

a programming interface operable to communicate a transaction to the industrial controller, the transaction including a plurality of operations for modifying the control program followed by a commit transaction command, wherein the industrial controller is operable to preprocess the plurality of operations, designate the plurality of operations with a pending status, and commit the operations and clear the pending status responsive to receiving the commit transaction command.

2. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the control program includes a plurality of objects.

3. The industrial control system of claim 2, wherein a first operation comprises a command to create an object, and the industrial controller is operable to designate the created object as having a pending create status.

4. The industrial control system of claim 3, wherein a second operation comprises a command to modify the created object, wherein the industrial controller is operable to execute the second operation to modify the created object.

5. The industrial control system of claim 2, wherein a first operation comprises a command to modify an existing object, and the industrial controller is operable to designate the existing object as having a pending modify status and defer completion of the first operation.

6. The industrial control system of claim 2, wherein a first operation comprises a command to delete an existing object, and the industrial controller is operable to designate the existing object as having a pending delete status.

7. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the industrial controller is operable to reverse the operations having a pending status responsive to an abort of the transaction prior to receiving the commit transaction command.

8. The industrial control system of claim 7, wherein the industrial controller is operable to abort the transaction responsive to a loss of communication between the programming interface and the industrial controller.

9. The industrial control system of claim 7, wherein the industrial controller is operable to abort the transaction responsive to a failure of one of the operations to preprocess.

10. The industrial control system of claim 7, wherein the industrial controller is operable to abort the transaction responsive to a power cycling of the industrial controller prior to receiving the transaction commit signal.

11. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the industrial controller is operable to record the transaction in a change log responsive to committing the operations.

12. The industrial control system of claim 11, wherein the industrial controller is operable to maintain an object database associated with objects in the control program, the programming interface is operable to maintain a local copy of the object database, and access the change log to synchronize the local copy with the object database responsive to losing communication with the industrial controller after sending the commit transaction command, but prior to verifying the committing of the operations by the industrial controller.

13. The industrial control system of claim 11, wherein the programming interface comprises a first programming interface, the industrial control system further comprises a second programming interface, and the second programming interface is operable to access the change log to identify the transaction and update a copy of the control program based on the transaction.

14. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the industrial controller comprises a primary controller, the industrial control system further comprises a backup controller, and the primary controller is operable to communicate the transaction to the backup controller responsive to committing the transaction.

15. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the industrial controller is operable to signal the committing of the transaction to the programming interface.

16. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the programming interface is operable to poll the industrial controller to verify the committing of the transaction.

17. The industrial control system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the objects comprises an I/O object.

18. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the transaction includes a plurality of operations for adding an I/O module to the control program.

19. The industrial control system of claim 1, wherein the industrial controller is operable to commit the operations without interrupting the interfacing with the controlled process.

20. A method for configuring an industrial controller maintaining a control program for interfacing with a controlled process, comprising:

communicating a transaction to the industrial controller, the transaction including a plurality of operations for modifying the control program followed by a commit transaction command;

preprocessing the plurality of operations while designating the plurality of operations with a pending status; and

committing the operations and clearing the pending status responsive to receiving the commit transaction command.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising reversing the operations having a pending status responsive to an abort of the transaction prior to receiving the commit transaction command.

22. An industrial controller, comprising:

a memory operable to store an object-oriented application for interfacing with a controlled process;

a processing device operable to receive a transaction, the transaction including a plurality of operations affecting the object-oriented application, followed by a commit transaction command, wherein the processing device is operable to preprocess the plurality of operations, designate objects in the object-oriented application associated with the operations as having a pending status, and commit the operations and clear the pending status responsive to receiving the commit transaction command.

23. The industrial control system of claim 22, wherein the processing device is operable to reverse the operations associated with the objects having a pending status responsive to an abort of the transaction prior to receiving the commit transaction command.