INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION APP-STORE

• US 20130212160A1
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawson, Douglas C., Reichard, Douglas J., Harkulich, Joseph A., Hessmer, Rainer, Chand, Sujeet, Farchmin, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,568,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31326 Database to manage communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31334 Database with devices, configuration, of plant
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33139 Design of industrial communication system with expert system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A cloud-based industrial application provisioning system is provided. The industrial application provisioning system can reside on a cloud platform and be made available to developers and end users with access privileges to the cloud platform. Application developers can publish industrial applications to an application library on the cloud platform, where the application is cataloged within an industry-specific search hierarchy. A search engine allows a user to access the cloud platform and search for a desired industrial application. The library'"'"'s hierarchical catalog allows the user to search for applications according to industry type, equipment in use, automation system type, or other suitable criteria.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning industrial automation applications and related components, comprising:

a memory that stores a plurality of industrial applications in an application library;

a processor that executes computer-executable components stored in the memory to implement the system, the computer-executable components comprising;

a search component that receives a query and selects a subset of the plurality of industrial applications relating to the query;

an interface component that displays the subset of the plurality of industrial applications; and

a retrieval component that provisions a selected industrial application of the subset of the plurality of industrial applications to a client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application library resides on a cloud platform.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a publishing component that receives an industrial application submission and catalogs the industrial application submission in the application library according to an industry-specific search hierarchy.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the publishing component catalogs the industrial application submission in the industry-specific search hierarchy in accordance with metadata associated with the industrial application submission.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the metadata specifies at least one of an industry, a control system type, a device, an equipment type, a vendor to which the industrial application submission relates.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the search component selects the subset of the plurality of industrial applications based on selection of a classification node of the industry-specific search hierarchy.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the publishing component creates a new classification node in the industry-specific search hierarchy in response to determining that the metadata includes a new category not existent within the industry-specific search hierarchy.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the publishing component receives a submission of at least one of a software fix for an industrial application or a modular component of an industrial application and catalogs the submission in the application library according to the industry-specific search hierarchy.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a subscription component that receives and manages a subscription request from the client device; and

a notification component that delivers a notification to the client device in response to a determination that a new or updated industrial application corresponding to the subscription request has been published to the application library.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the retrieval component makes the selected industrial application available for execution by the client device using a set of cloud resources provisioned to an industrial enterprise associated with the client device.

11. A method for provisioning industrial applications, comprising:

receiving a query from a client device at an industrial application provisioning system that includes a processor;

selecting a subset of industrial applications stored in an application library that correspond to the query;

rendering identification information for the subset of industrial applications; and

delivering a selected industrial application of the subset of industrial applications to a memory location associated with the client device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining the application library on a cloud platform.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising granting the client device permission to execute the selected industrial application available using a set of cloud resources associated with an industrial enterprise.

14. The method of claim 11, receiving an industrial application submission and indexing the industrial application submission within an industry-specific category hierarchy associated with the application library.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising indexing the industrial application submission in the industry-specific category hierarchy based on metadata associated with the industrial application submission.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving selection of a category node of the industry-specific category hierarchy; and

selecting the subset of industrial applications based on selection of a category node of the industry-specific category hierarchy.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising creating a new classification node in the industry-specific catalog hierarchy in response to determining that the metadata includes a new category not existent within the industry-specific catalog hierarchy.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a subscription request from the client device; and

delivering a notification to the client device in response to determining that a new or updated industrial application corresponding to the subscription request has been published to the application library.

19. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations including:

receiving a query from a client device;

identifying a subset of industrial applications stored in an application library that relate to the query;

displaying identification information for the subset of industrial applications; and

provisioning a selected industrial application of the subset of industrial applications to a memory location associated with the client device.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the provisioning comprises allowing the client device to execute the selected industrial application available using a set of cloud resources assigned to an industrial enterprise.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising classifying the industrial applications in the application library according to an industry-specific classification hierarchy.