Indexing and searching manufacturing process related information

• US 20070078824A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gordon, Kevin, Virji, Shafin, Dorgelo, Eric, Reichard, Douglas, Bromley, Clifton, Semkow, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures

Abstract

Indexing agents and/or data brokers are leveraged to provide search query results related to manufacturing processes. The indexing agents allow different manufacturing configuration data types to be “sub-indexed,” allowing them to be easily searched. In one instance, the sub-indices can be aggregated together to create an overall index to facilitate in query searches of the configuration data. Separate indexing agents can be utilized for indexing contents of the configuration components for the human-machine interface (HMI) and control system and the like. Data brokers can be employed to facilitate in responding to query searches by indexing/searching real-time process variables (tags) and historical data in persistent storage. A search engine can then be employed to aggregate the search results and present them to a user in a selectable fashion. User selected results are then rendered in the proper format and displayed to the user.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates searching manufacturing process information, comprising:

at least one indexing agent that accesses at least one respective type of manufacturing process information and creates a searchable sub-index for the information; and

a manufacturing process indexing component that provides at least one index based on at least one indexing agent sub-index.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a master indexing component that facilitates the manufacturing process indexing component via aggregation of indexing agent sub-indices to derive an overall index.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a manufacturing process search engine that employs the overall index to facilitate in responding to a manufacturing process information search query.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a manufacturing process search engine that employs, in some fashion, the indexing agent sub-index to facilitate in responding to a manufacturing process information search query.

5. The system of claim 4, the manufacturing process search engine processes natural language search queries for manufacturing process information.

6. The system of claim 4, the manufacturing process search engine employs data brokers to facilitate in searching manufacturing process information.

7. The system of claim 6, the manufacturing process search engine aggregates search results from the data brokers and/or indexing agents to provide at least one search result object to a user.

8. The system of claim 7, the search result object comprising a user selectable search result object.

9. The system of claim 7, the search result object comprising a text object and/or a graphical object.

10. The system of claim 1, the manufacturing process information type comprising, process configuration data, real-time process variables, and/or historical process data.

11. The system of claim 10, the process configuration data comprising human machine interface (HMI) projects, controller code, recipe definitions, and/or report definitions.

12. The system of claim 1 being dynamically adjustable to respond to dynamic changes of manufacturing process information types.

13. The system of claim 1, the indexing agent operates in real-time to facilitate searching of real-time data.

28. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable components of the system of claim 1.

30. A device employing the system of claim 1 comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a computer, a server, and a handheld electronic device.

14. A method for facilitating searching manufacturing process information, comprising:

accessing manufacturing process related information;

employing at least one indexing agent specific to a type of manufacturing process information to create at least one type-specific index; and

deriving at least one overall searchable index based on at least one type-specific index.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

employing the overall searchable index to facilitate in responding to a manufacturing process information search query.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

employing, in some fashion, at least one type-specific index to facilitate in responding to a manufacturing process information search query.

17. The method of claim 16, the manufacturing process information search query comprising a natural language search query relating to manufacturing process information.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

employing data brokers to facilitate in searching manufacturing process information.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

aggregating search results from the data brokers and/or indexing agents to provide at least one search result object to a user.

20. The method of claim 19, the search result object comprising a user selectable search result object.

21. The method of claim 19, the search result object comprising a text object and/or a graphical object.

22. The method of claim 14, the manufacturing process information type comprising, process configuration data, real-time process variables, and/or historical process data.

23. The method of claim 22, the process configuration data comprising human machine interface (HMI) projects, controller code, recipe definitions, and/or report definitions.

24. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

dynamically adjusting a number of index agents to respond to dynamic changes of manufacturing process information types.

25. The method of claim 14, the indexing agent operates in real-time to facilitate searching of real-time data.

29. A device employing the method of claim 14 comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a computer, a server, and a handheld electronic device.

26. A system that facilitates searching manufacturing process information, comprising:

means for accessing information of at least one manufacturing process information type;

means for creating a searchable sub-index for each manufacturing process information type; and

means for providing at least one overall index based on, at least in part, at least one sub-index of at least one manufacturing process information type.

27. A data packet, transmitted between two or more computer components, that facilitates manufacturing process information searching, the data packet comprising, at least in part, information relating to a manufacturing process indexing system that utilizes, at least in part, an indexing agent to create at least one sub-index for a manufacturing process information type.