PROGRAMMATIC ACCESS TO CONTROLLER CONSTRUCT AND VARIABLE NAMES

• US 20070208440A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Bliss, Ronald E., Brooks, Jeffery W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/87
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method for employment in an industrial automation environment that facilitates utilizing data within a programmable logic controller. An interface component can facilitate receipt of a portion of data related to a programmable logic controller. An access component integrated within a programmable logic controller (PLC) and communicatively coupled to the interface component can employ programmatic access to the name and respective data space during runtime.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates utilizing data within a programmable logic controller, comprising:

an interface component that facilitates receipt of a portion of data related to a programmable logic controller; and

an access component integrated within a programmable logic controller (PLC) and communicatively coupled to the interface component that employs programmatic access to the name and respective data space during runtime.

2. The system of claim 1, the name is associated with at least one of a task, a program, a routine, a controller, a component, a portion of code utilized by a controller, a module, an I/O module, a network, a drive, a motion axis, a drive, a trend, a structure, a tag, an object, a device;

and a modular controller component.

3. The system of claim 2, the name is a string tag, wherein the string tag is at least one of a virtual input, a physical input, a virtual output, and a physical output related to the programmable logic controller, and the string tag is represented in at least one of a Latin based ASCII, a UNICODE format, and a format utilized in an Asian language.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising an external device that utilizes such string tag, the external device is at least one of an HMI, an Information Technology database, a disparate system, and a disparate controller.

5. The system of claim 4, the device is at least one of a pusher, a computer, a disparate controller, a roller, a station, a welder, a scanner, a belt conveyor, a pump, a press, a fan, a spray, a conveyor, an entity controlled by the PLC, and a photo eye.

6. The system of claim 1, the access component locates a source to replicate based on the received data;

the source is identified by the name and respective data space.

7. The system of claim 6, the access component provides at least one of the following:

a replication of data associated with the source to a destination that is a user-defined name; and

an automatic replacement of the source name with the destination user-defined name throughout the entirety of data associated with the source name and respective data space.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a link component that links the data received to a hidden identifier to allow the data to stay linked to a source regardless of a change to the name linked to the source, the link component employs an inheritance technique utilizing a “

This”

function.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a script component that provides a message script with the name to communicate with an external device, the external device is at least one of an HMI, an Information Technology database, a disparate system, and a disparate controller.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security component that provides authorization and data integrity during access of at least one name and respective data space.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a log component that tracks access of the name and respective data space related to programming the programmable logic controller.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a search component that facilitates querying data associated with the access component.

13. The system of claim 12, the data can be related to at least one of the following:

a task, a program, a routine, a controller, a component, a portion of code utilized by a controller, a module, an I/O module, a network, a drive, a motion axis, a drive, a trend, a structure, a tag, an object, a device; and

a modular controller component.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bridge component that provides a first network protocol utilized to carry data from the programmable logic controller and configures the data for transmittal over a second network protocol.

15. The system of claim 14, the bridge component bridges multiple communication networks.

16. The system of claim 14, the first network protocol is one of Fieldbus, Profibus, Hart, Modbus, ASI-bus, and Foundation Fieldbus.

17. The system of claim 16, the second network protocol is Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).

18. A method that facilitates programming within an industrial automation environment, comprising:

receiving data associated with a source name and respective data space; and

providing programmatic access to the source name and respective data space during runtime within a programmable logic controller (PLC) within an industrial automation environment.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

replicating data associated with the source name and respective data space to a destination that is user-defined name; and

automatically replacing the source name with the destination user-defined name throughout the complete set of data associated with the source name and respective data space;

employing inheritance from the source name and respective data space to the destination user-defined name and respective data space.

20. A computer-implemented system that facilitates utilizing data within a programmable logic controller, comprising:

means for receiving a portion of data related to a name and respective data space associated with a programmable logic controller; and

means for employing programmatic access to the name and respective data space during runtime within the programmable logic controller to enable the re-use of data associated with the name and respective data space in a disparate portion within a project structure.