WEB-BASED CONFIGURATION OF DISTRIBUTED AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

• US 20080082637A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Krainz, Michael, Hall, Kenwood H., Auinger, Franz Johann, Zoitl, Alois
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A configuration tool provides a user interface that interacts with a gateway to remotely configure and/or monitor automation devices in an automation network. The configuration tool employs a self-contained software application (e.g., applet) that can be utilized for presentation and configuration interactions within a common web browser. The configuration tool can be based on open standards and implemented with small devices and/or with heterogeneous automation networks. The configuration tool can provide a list of automation devices to a system engineer via a workstation and standard software (e.g., a PC with a browser). The configuration tool interacts with automation devices to obtain their configurable parameters and/or send configuration commands. In one instance, the configuration tool and the automation network devices are based on Java and IEC 61499, respectively.

Claims

1. An automation configuration tool, comprising:

a self-contained software application that operates within a web browser and provides remote access to automation devices in an automation network to change and/or monitor function specific device parameters, comprising;

a configuration interface that interacts with a configuration gateway; and

a user interface that provides device-assisted formatted configuration information to a user, the device-assisted formatted configuration information derived from data obtained from devices via the configuration gateway.

2. The automation configuration tool of claim 1 comprising an extensible automation configuration tool that expands to accept additional devices, information formatting, and/or data types.

3. The automation configuration tool of claim 1 comprising an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61499 compliant configuration tool that interacts with IEC 61499 compliant automation devices in an automation network.

4. The automation configuration tool of claim 3 utilizes at least one configuration marker to determine configurability and/or display parameters related to configuration data obtained from an automation device.

5. The automation configuration tool of claim 1 comprising a location independent automation device configuration tool.

6. The automation configuration tool of claim 1 allows users to navigate through different gateways to access specific automation devices in an automation network.

7. The automation configuration tool of claim 1 interacts with automation devices in an automation network to allow devices to determine how configurable parameters are displayed to a user and/or how configurable parameters can be changed.

8. The automation configuration tool of claim 1 interacts with a configuration gateway server to obtain configurable parameter information for at least one automation device in an automation network.

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

9. A method for configuring automation control systems, comprising:

employing a self-contained software application that operates within a web browser to interact with a configuration gateway and provide a human-machine interface for automation device configuration; and

configuring and/or monitoring function specific device parameters for the automation devices in an automation network via the self-contained software application.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying device-assisted formatted configuration information to a user based on, at least in part, data obtained from at least one automation device via the configuration gateway.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

extending functionality of the self-contained software application to allow additional configurations, data types, and/or configuration control.

12. The method of claim 9 is based on an open standard for engineering platforms.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the open standard comprising an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61499 compatible standard.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

employing a configuration marker to determine configurability and/or display parameters related to configuration data obtained from an automation device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the self-contained software application is independent of the location of an automation device that it monitors and/or configures.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

navigating through different configuration gateways to access specific automation devices in an automation network.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying configurable parameters and/or providing methods to change the parameters based on, at least in part, information obtained from at least one automation device in an automation network.

18. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying configurable parameters and/or providing methods to change the parameters based on, at least in part, information obtained from a configuration gateway server that stores configuration parameter data from at least one automation device in an automation network.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the self-contained software application is a Java applet.

23. A device employing the method of claim 9 comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a computer, a server, and a handheld electronic device.

20. A system that configures automation control systems, comprising:

means for interacting with a configuration gateway and providing a human-machine interface for automation device configuration utilizing a self-contained software application that operates within a web browser; and

means for user configuring and/or monitoring of function specific device parameters for automation devices in an automation network via the self-contained software application.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising:

means for obtaining configuration format data from at least one automation device via the configuration gateway; and

means for deriving and relaying device-assisted formatted configuration information to a user based on, at least in part, the configuration format data.