INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION AND INFORMATION SOLUTIONS HAVING INDUSTRY SPECIFIC MODALITIES

• US 20100050020A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Weatherhead, N. Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

The innovation relates to a system and/or methodology for the configuration and creation of industrial automation designs. The system providing for the generation of functional specifications, software and hardware designs, as well as testing and testing schemas. Additionally, the innovation provides a user interface for modification of the designs and specifications.

Claims

1. A system facilitating information solutions, comprising:

a requirements component that generates at least one functional specification based on one or more user requirements;

a software component that determines a software design specification based at least in part on at least one of the functional specifications;

a hardware component that determines a hardware design specification based at least in part on at least one of the functional specifications; and

a qualification component that ensures cohesive operation of the requirements component, software component, and hardware component.

2. The system of claim 1, the requirements component includes a user requirements component that obtains at least one user requirement.

3. The system of claim 1, the software component includes a code component that generates computer executable commands based at least in part on the software design specification.

4. The system of claim 3, the code component generates the computer executable commands using at least one template.

5. The system of claim 3, the software component includes a code testing component that test the functionality of the computer executable commands.

6. The system of claim 1, the hardware component includes a bill of materials component that generates at least one bill of materials based at least in part on the hardware design specification.

7. The system of claim 1, the requirements component includes a cost component that determines a cost amount based at least in part on the user requirements.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the functional specification, software design specification, or hardware design specification are based at least in part on the cost amount.

9. The system of claim 1, the requirements component includes a quality component that determines at least one quality goal based at least in part on the user requirements.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the functional specification, software design specification, or hardware design specification are based at least in part on the quality goals.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software component or hardware component use at least one of a industry specific, a customer specific, an application specific, or a project specific definition.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the qualification component can generate at least one test specification.

13. The system of claim 1, the qualification component includes a factory acceptance testing component that tests at least one of prebuilt hardware or software modules.

14. The system of claim 1, the qualification component includes a site acceptance testing component that can test at least one of hardware modules or software modules, wherein testing occurs at least one of during or after installation.

15. The system of claim 1, the qualification component includes a validation component that can validate test results.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware design specification is based at least in part on the software design specification.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the functional specification includes at least one of a version, a description, an equipment used listing, a sequence of operations, an exception handling protocol, one or more process inputs, one or more process outputs, one or more process parameters, one or more process data, an operator interaction schema, or sustainability data.

18. The system of claim 1, further including a user interface component that exposes at least one interface that enables user interaction with at least one of the requirements component, software component, hardware component, or qualification component.

19. A method facilitating industrial automation design, comprising:

analyzing at least one user requirement;

generating at least one functional specification based at least in part on the user requirements;

generating a software design specification based at least in part on the functional specifications;

generating a hardware design specification based at least in part on the functional specifications; and

testing the functionality of at least one of the software design specification, or hardware design specification for correct operation, wherein correct operation is determined at least in part by the functional specifications.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating computer executable commands based at least in part on the software design specifications.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising generating the computer executable commands using at least one template.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising testing the functionality of the computer executable commands.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating a bill of materials based at least in part on the hardware design specification.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining a cost amount based at least in part on the user requirements.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising generating at least one of the functional specification, software design specification, or hardware design specification as a function of the cost amount.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining at least one quality goal based at least in part on the user requirements.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising generating at least one of the functional specification, software design specification, or hardware design specification as a function of the quality goals.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating at least one of the software module or hardware module based at least in part on at least one of an industry specific definition, a customer specific definition, an application/site specific definition, or a project specific definition.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating at least one test specification.

31. The method of claim 19, further comprising conducting factory acceptance testing on at least one of a prebuilt hardware or software module.

32. The method of claim 19, further comprising conducting site acceptance testing on hardware and software modules during or after installation.

33. The method of claim 19, further comprising validating test results.

34. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating the hardware design specification based at least in part on the software design specification.

35. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining the functional specification based at least in part on at least one of a version, a description, an equipment used listing, a sequence of operations, an exception handling protocol, one or more process inputs, one or more process outputs, one or more process parameters, one or more process data, an operator interaction schema, or sustainability data.

36. The method of claim 19, further comprising enabling modification of at least one of the functional specification, software design specification, computer code, hardware design specification, bill of materials, or installation specification via a user interface.

37. An information solutions system, comprising:

means for determining one or more user requirements;

means for generating at least one functional specification based at least in part on the user requirements;

means for determining a software design specification based at least in part on the functional specifications;

means for generating computer executable commands based on the software design specifications;

means for determining a hardware design specification based at least in part on the functional specifications; and

means for testing at least one of the software design specification, hardware design specification, or computer executable commands for correct operation under the functional specification.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the means for generating computer executable commands further comprises using at least one template.

39. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for enabling a user to modify at least one of the functional specification, software design specification, computer code, hardware design specification, bill of materials, or installation specification using a user interface.

40. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for determining a bill of materials based at least in part hardware design specification.

41. A computer-implemented industrial automation design system, comprising the following computer executable components:

a requirements component that generates at least one functional specification based on one or more user requirements, the requirements component includes a user requirements component that obtains at least one user requirement;

a software component that determines a software design specification based at least in part on at least one of the functional specifications, the software design specification is based at least in part on at least one template;

a hardware component that determines a hardware design specification based at least in part on at least one of the functional specifications, the hardware design specification is based at least in part on at least one template; and

a qualification component that ensures cohesive operation of the requirements component, software component, and hardware component.