DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR CONFIGURING A PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER

• US 20080127065A1
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Freemon, Galen, Cornett, James W., Fulton, Temple L., Karklins, Gregory J., Bryant, William K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,898,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13133 Select control languages out of FB RLL or RLD, SFC, ST
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13144 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, OI operator interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13145 Graphical input of network of symbols, simulation on screen, translate to machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13148 Object oriented programming

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a system. The system can comprise a user interface renderer, which can be adapted to render a plurality of distinct user interfaces. Each user interface from the plurality of distinct user interfaces can be adapted to configure a corresponding software application from a plurality of software applications associated with operating a programmable logic controller (PLC).

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a user interface renderer adapted to cause a plurality of distinct user interfaces to be rendered, each user interface from said plurality of distinct user interfaces adapted to configure a corresponding software application from a plurality of software applications associated with operating a programmable logic controller (PLC), for a selected software application from said plurality of software applications, said user interface renderer adapted to automatically provide a first user interface if said PLC is executing a control program and a second user interface if said PLC is not executing said control program, said first user interface adapted to facilitate debugging said selected software application, said first user interface adapted to receive a debugging input from a user, said second user interface adapted to provide a current set of configuration parameters associated with said selected software application, said second user interface adapted to receive a configuration input from said user, and responsive to said configuration input, said second user interface adapted to change one or more configuration parameters from said current set of configuration parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

said PLC.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an input/output module, said input/output module adapted to be configured via one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a software generator adapted to automatically generate a PLC application responsive to information provided via at least one of said plurality of user interfaces.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface renderer is adapted to render each of said plurality of user interfaces responsive to meta-data obtained from a hierarchical representation of said plurality of software applications.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface renderer is adapted to be modified to add at least one user interface to said plurality of user interfaces without changing a control program of said PLC.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said selected software application is selected based upon a specified configuration.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface renderer does not use a PLC language editor to configure said selected software application.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said selected software application is adapted to be referenced via an automatically rendered hierarchically-organized instruction tree, said instruction tree indicative of an organized structure associated with available PLC machine instructions.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface renderer is adapted to change at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces responsive to an automatic detection of access rights associated with said user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic comparison of at least one value of said configuration input to a predetermined value.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic comparison of at least one value of said configuration input to a predetermined range of values.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface renderer initially renders said second user interface responsive to a placement of an icon of a hierarchically-organized instruction tree in an editor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface renderer initially renders said second user interface responsive to a placement of an icon of a hierarchically-organized instruction tree in an editor, said user interface renderer adapted to provide a subsequent rendering of said second user interface comprising values modified via said configuration input.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic generation of a proportional/integral/derivative (PID) control procedure, said proportional/integral/derivative (PID) control procedure adapted to be executed by said PLC.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic generation of a high-speed counting procedure, said high-speed counting procedure adapted to be executed by said PLC.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic generation of a high-speed control procedure, said high-speed control procedure adapted to be executed by said PLC.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic configuration of one or more non-PLC devices communicatively coupled to said PLC.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic configuration of a communication module communicatively coupled to said PLC.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of distinct user interfaces is adapted to cause an automatic generation of a report indicative of automatically determined differences between a first version of said control program and a second version of said control program of said PLC.

21. A system comprising:

a circuit to automatically cause a plurality of distinct user interfaces to be rendered, each user interface from said plurality of distinct user interfaces adapted to configure a corresponding software application from a plurality of software applications associated with operating a programmable logic controller (PLC), for a selected software application from said plurality of software applications, said circuit adapted to automatically provide a first user interface if said PLC is executing a control program and a second user interface if said PLC is not executing said control program, said first user interface adapted to facilitate debugging said selected software application, said first user interface adapted to receive a debugging input from a user, said second user interface adapted to provide a current set of configuration parameters associated with said selected software application, said second user interface adapted to receive a configuration input from said user, and responsive to said configuration input, said second user interface adapted to change one or more configuration parameters from said current set of configuration parameters.

22. A method comprising:

automatically causing a plurality of distinct user interfaces to be rendered, each user interface from said plurality of distinct user interfaces adapted to configure a corresponding software application from a plurality of software applications associated with operating a programmable logic controller (PLC), for a selected software application from said plurality of software applications, a user interface renderer adapted to automatically provide a first user interface if said PLC is executing a control program and a second user interface if said PLC is not executing said control program, said first user interface adapted to facilitate debugging said selected software application, said first user interface adapted to receive a debugging input from a user, said second user interface adapted to provide a current set of configuration parameters associated with said selected software application, said second user interface adapted to receive a configuration input from said user, and responsive to said configuration input, said second user interface adapted to change one or more configuration parameters from said current set of configuration parameters.

23. A machine-readable medium comprising machine instructions for activities comprising:

automatically causing a plurality of distinct user interfaces to be rendered, each user interface from said plurality of distinct user interfaces adapted to configure a corresponding software application from a plurality of software applications associated with operating a programmable logic controller (PLC), for a selected software application from said plurality of software applications, a user interface renderer adapted to automatically provide a first user interface if said PLC is executing a control program and a second user interface if said PLC is not executing said control program, said first user interface adapted to facilitate debugging said selected software application, said first user interface adapted to receive a debugging input from a user, said second user interface adapted to provide a current set of configuration parameters associated with said selected software application, said second user interface adapted to receive a configuration input from said user, and responsive to said configuration input, said second user interface adapted to change one or more configuration parameters from said current set of configuration parameters.