Embedding controllers and devices with data to facilitate up-to-date control and configuration information

• US 20070078956A1
• 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: VanGompel, Dave
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25064 Update component configuration to optimize program execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31166 Access data by name, object, stored in list, database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An industrial automation system comprising a processor with an updating component coupled to automation devices via a network. The updating component reads control information from machine readable representations of the devices and populates a data structure with the control information. The updating component also updates configuration information of a device from data stored in a file object and/or the data structure, further allowing this transfer to be fragmented into a plurality of messages if the configuration information exceeds a threshold. As well, a vendor deployment methodology is provided that embeds devices and firmware for devices with a Device Type Manager (DTM) prior to deployment and can optionally allow post deployment updates to the DTM.

Claims

1. A controller that communicates with an automation device in an industrial control system via a network, the controller comprising:

a data structure comprising a data field and a corresponding name field; and

an updating component that dynamically populates the name field with a hierarchical tag based at least in part upon information read from at least one machine readable representation of the automation device.

2. The controller of claim 1, the at least one machine readable representation is at least one of a Device Type Manager (DTM), an Electronic Data Sheet (EDS), and a device profile.

3. The controller of claim 2, the hierarchical tag comprises a device name that represents the name of the automation device and an element name that represents a data element of the automation device mapped to the data field.

4. The controller of claim 3, the hierarchical tag is formatted as <

the device name>

.<

the element name>

.

5. The controller of claim 3, the device name is selected by a user and the element name is dynamically populated by the updating component.

6. The controller of claim 3, the device name and the element name are dynamically populated by the updating component.

7. The controller of claim 1, the updating component dynamically populates the data field with information from the at least one machine readable representation, the information represents data the automation device has for real-time I/O exchange with the controller.

8. The controller of claim 7, the information is at least one of the size of the data field, the position of the data field, and the date type of the data field.

9. The controller of claim 1, the data structure includes a store for current configuration information for an automation device, and the updating component updates the automation device with the current configuration information.

10. The controller of claim 9, the updating component employs a fragmentation protocol to update the automation device.

15. A Human-Machine Interface (HMI) device that employs the method of claim 9.

11. A computer implemented methodology for automatically creating data structures in a controller of an industrial control system, the methodology comprises:

receiving data from at least one machine readable representation of an automation device;

creating a data structure for mapping each I/O data element of the automation device to a respective data field in the data structure;

determining a device name based upon at least one of the received data and a user input;

determining a data field name based upon the received data; and

dynamically labeling each field of the data structure with a hierarchical tag based upon the device name and the data field name.

12. The method of claim 11, the at least one machine readable representation is at least one of a DTM, an EDS, and a device profile.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising updating the automation device with a current configuration.

14. The method of claim 13, the updating employs a fragmentation protocol.

16. A computer implemented methodology for automatic replacement of a device configuration, the methodology comprises:

determining that the size of the device configuration exceeds a threshold; and

initiating a fragmentation protocol between the endpoints, the protocol comprises;

transmitting an open connection request from a first endpoint that includes the device configuration to a second endpoint via a network in an industrial control system;

negotiating a message size that is less than or equal to the threshold;

dividing the device configuration into a plurality of message frames that are less than or equal to the message size; and

receiving in the second endpoint the device configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, the first endpoint is a connection originator and the second endpoint is an automation device.

18. The method of claim 16, the open connection request is based upon a Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).

19. The method of claim 16, the threshold is based at least in part upon the difference between a data segment limit and a byte size of the open connection request.

20. The method of claim 19, the data segment limit is 510 bytes and the open connection request is about 60 bytes.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

ensuring that the second endpoint does not include a local device configuration that is identical to the device configuration of the first endpoint; and

receiving in the second endpoint an object to store the device configuration.

22. The method of claim 21, the object is a CIP file object.

23. The method of claim 21, the ensuring is based at least in part upon a comparison between a Configuration Consistency Value (CCV) for the device configuration and a CCV for the second endpoint.

24. A vendor deployment methodology that facilitates updating a DTM in a client device, the method comprises:

determining an up-to-date version of a DTM;

embedding the DTM and a client container application in an object of the a device prior to deployment.

25. The method of claim 24, the client container is a Field Device Tool (FDT) that conforms to an application program interface defined by the FDT-DTM Joint Interest Group.

26. The method of claim 24, the object is a CIP file object.

27. The method of claim 24, the device is at least one of an automation device and automation device firmware.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising updating the DTM after deployment.

29. The method of claim 28, the update is received from the vendor by the device via the Internet.