Web function blocks capable of exchanging HTTP type of messages in automation equipment

• US 6,915,330 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Automation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Automation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Rousseau, Robert, Vincent, Christophe, Hardy, Christian, Stawikowski, Jean-Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/893,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20020016815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 700/83, 717106-109, 710/1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communication system for automation equipment on a TCP/IP network. The automation equipment controls an automation application by executing an application program written according to standard IEC1131-3. The communication system includes at least a reception WEB function block integrated into the application program to implement a WEB server function, and/or at least one send WEB function block integrated into the application program to implement a WEB client function, and an HTTP interface capable of routing messages between the TCP/IP network and WEB function blocks identified by a URL address. The contents of HTTP requests may be an XML frame or a UEL encoded frame.

Claims

1. A communication system for automation equipment for communicating over a TCP/IP network wherein such automation equipment is for controlling an automation application by executing an application program written in one or several languages according to standard IEC 1131-3, the communication system comprising:

exchange means for implementing a WEB server function or a WEB client function inside an application program, said exchange means comprising at least one WEB function block for interacting with such application program, said WEB function block comprising a generic program code and configuration data that are specific to each WEB function block, said configuration data comprising a general format of frames exchanged by the WEB function block, a type of HTTP request that the WEB function block can receive or send and the relative URL address of the WEB function block in the automation equipment, and

an HTTP interface in such automation equipment for routing messages from the TCP/IP network to a WEB function block identified by a URL address, and for routing messages from a WEB function block in the automation equipment to a URL address on the TCP/IP network.

2. A communication system according to claim 1, comprising at least one reception WEB function block for implementing a WEB server function in an application program.

3. A communication system according to claim 2, comprising at least one send WEB function block for implementing a WEB client function in an application program.

4. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration data of WEB function blocks is integrated in an application program, in text form.

5. A communication system according to claim 2, wherein the configuration data of said reception WEB function block comprise means for making a correspondence between the elements of an HTTP request and output parameters (OUT_1, OUT_n) for the reception WEB function block, and means for creating a correspondence between input parameters (IN_1, IN_n) for the reception WEB function block and the elements of an HTTP answer.

6. A communication system according to claim 3, wherein the configuration data of said send WEB function block contain means for creating a correspondence between input parameters (IN_1, IN_n) for the send WEB function block and the elements of an HTTP request, and means for creating a correspondence between elements of an HTTP answer and output parameters (OUT_1, OUT_n) for the send WEB function block.

7. A communication system according to claim 3, wherein the contents of an HTTP request or an HTTP answer is an XML frame.

8. A communication system according to claim 7, wherein configuration data of said reception WEB function block contain means for making a correspondence between the elements of an XML frame contained in an HTTP request and output parameters (OUT_1, OUT_n) for the reception WEB function block, and means for creating a correspondence between the input parameters (IN_1 , IN_n) for the reception WEB function block and the elements of an XML frame contained in an HTTP answer.

9. A communication system according to claim 7, wherein configuration data of said send WEB function block contain means for making a correspondence between input parameters (IN_1, IN_n) for the send WEB function block and elements of an XML frame contained in an HTTP request, and means for creating a correspondence between the elements of an XML frame contained in an HTTP answer (52) and the output parameters (OUT₁₃ 1, OUT₁₃ n) for the send WEB function block.

10. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein the content of an HTTP request is a URL encoded frame.

11. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein configuration data of a reception WEB function block contain means for creating a correspondence between the elements of an encoded URL frame contained in an HTTP request and output parameters (OUT₁₃ 1, OUT₁₃ n) for the reception WEB function block.

12. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein configuration data of said send WEB function block contain means of creating a correspondence between input parameters (IN-1, IN_n) for the send WEB function block and the elements of a URL encoded frame contained in an HTTP request.

13. A communication system according to claim 1 in combination with automation equipment, wherein said automation equipment comprises an application program for integrating a communication system on a TCP/IP network.