AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE INDUSTRIAL CONTROL CONFIGURATION

• US 20100076575A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalan, Michael D., Govindaraj, Subbian, Staron, Raymond J., Hall, Kenwood H., D'Mura, Paul R., Rischar, Charles Martin, Jasper, Taryl J., Kretschmann, Robert J., Vasko, David A., Liberman, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/81
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/024 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41845 characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32019 Dynamic reconfiguration to maintain optimal design, fabrication, assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0291 Switching into safety or degraded mode, e.g. protection and supervision after failure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An industrial control configuration can be a dynamic entity where different controllers are added, are subtracted, fail, etc. When dynamic functions occur, bindings of the configuration can benefit from a modification. Therefore, automatic adjustment of bindings can occur to facilitate improved operation. Automatic adjustment can be practiced when the industrial control configuration is a distributed control configuration without reliance upon a central database.

Claims

1. A system capable of implementation upon an industrial control configuration, comprising:

a recognition component that identifies a change in the industrial control configuration; and

a modification component that automatically alters at least one binding based upon the identified change.

2. The system of claim 1, the change is addition of a controller, removal of a controller, failure of a controller, adjustment of controller operation, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a choice component that selects the at least one binding to alter and determines a manner used by the modification component to alter the at least one binding.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising an analysis component that evaluates metadata related to the identified change, a result of the evaluation is used to select the binding and determine the manner.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising an obtainment component that selectively collects the metadata.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a storage component that houses the collected metadata.

7. The system of claim 1, automatic alteration of the binding includes deletion of the binding, creation of the binding, adjustment of the binding, or a combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, the industrial control configuration is a distributed control configuration without reliance upon a central database.

9. The system of claim 8, the distributed control configuration uses at least one managed tool and at least one unmanaged tool.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a verification component that performs a check upon the industrial control configuration after the modification component alters the at least one binding to determine if a supplemental binding is at least partially erroneous, if there is a determination that the supplemental binding is at least partially erroneous, then the modification component operates upon the supplemental binding.

11. The system of claim 10, the supplemental binding that is at least partially erroneous includes when the supplemental binding is in failure according to at least one aspect, when the supplemental binding is no longer optimal, when the supplemental binding becomes unnecessary, or a combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 10, the verification component or modification component can repeat operation until there is not an at least partially erroneous supplemental binding of the industrial control configuration.

13. A method capable of implementation upon an industrial control configuration, comprising:

detecting a failure related to a binding of the industrial control configuration; and

making an automatic adjustment to the at least one binding of the industrial control configuration to mitigate impact of the failure.

14. The method of claim 13, the failure is a component of the industrial control configuration does not operate as desired and the automatic adjustment is modifying the binding.

15. The method of claim 13, modifying the binding includes deleting the binding, creating the binding, adjusting the binding, or a combination thereof

16. The method of claim 13, the industrial control configuration is a distributed control configuration without reliance upon a central database.

17. A system capable of implementation upon an industrial control configuration, comprising:

means for evaluating the industrial control configuration regarding impact to the industrial control configuration upon addition of a component to the industrial control configuration; and

means for determining a manner in which to modify at least one binding of the industrial control configuration based upon the addition of the component.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising means for recognizing the addition of the component to the industrial control configuration.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising means for automatically modifying the binding through the determined manner, modifying the binding includes deleting the binding, creating the binding, adjusting the binding, or a combination thereof.

20. The system of claim 17, the industrial control configuration is a distributed control configuration without reliance upon a central database.

21. A computer program embodied upon a computer-readable medium comprising:

program code for identifying removal of a portion of an industrial control configuration; and

program code for modifying at least one binding of the industrial control configuration based upon lost functionality from the removal.