Industrial controller automation interface

• US 7,130,704 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: McKelvey, Jeffrey A, D'Amico, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US10/945,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/18, 700 19- 20, 700 83- 85, 700 86- 89, 345/418, 345/419, 345/420, 710/105, 709/203, 709/223, 709/227
• US Class Current: 700/87
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/054 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41835 characterised by programme execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13121 DDE direct data exchange, DLL dynamic library linking
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13128 Relay ladder diagram, RLL RLD KOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13144 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, OI operator interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13148 Object oriented programming
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13172 Remote programming from computer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15027 RS485, MPI multipoint interface, multiple transmitters, receivers connected
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15038 Internet, tcp-ip, web server see under S05B219-40
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/15052 Communication processor, link interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31112 Interface, SIOMS standard I-O for mechatronic systems, device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31229 Supervisor, master, workstation controller, automation, machine control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31422 Upload, download programs, parameters from, to station to, from server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32126 Hyperlink, access to program modules and to hardware modules in www, web server, browser
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34038 Web, http, ftp, internet, intranet server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An automation interface is provided for interacting with industrial controllers. The automation interface provides for programming, editing, monitoring and maintenance of industrial controllers programmatically from a local or remote location. The automation interface component is adapted to communicate with industrial controllers by integrating a computer process interface library into the automation interface component. The computer process interface library exposes the automation interface component to client application processes, so that the client application processes can communicate with the at least one industrial controller programmatically. The automation interface is provided with functionality for downloading, uploading and programming of control programs to the processors of the industrial controllers.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates interaction with an industrial controller, comprising:

an automation interface component that facilitates communications with at least an industrial controller for creating, uploading to and downloading from the industrial controller a control program, and editing of the control program while in the industrial controller; and

a computer process interface library that comprises object-oriented based objects and classes that are associated with the automation interface component, the computer process interface library is compiled with the automation interface component and provides the automation interface component with a plurality of computer process interfaces that expose the automation interface component to one or more client application processes to facilitate programmatical communications with the industrial controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the library is accessed via at least one of a local procedure call (LPC) and a remote procedure call (RPC).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects and classes form a tree of objects and classes that are accessible through a top-level application object.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein a call to the application object creates an instance of an associated class in memory of the industrial controller.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the objects and classes include a project object that is accessible via the application object via one or more methods.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects and classes include a processor object that is associated with a current project object.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects and classes include a program files collection object that represents all program flies in a project.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects and classes include a data files collection object that represents data files associated with a project.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the automation interface component facilitates editing of data table values stored in the industrial controller.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer process interface library is compiled as an executable file that is processed in the automation interface component.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects and classes include an applications object, a project object, and a processor object, each of the objects viewable via a user interface.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects and classes are processed using a macro.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the automation interface has a visible mode provided with a user interface and an invisible mode where no user interface is provided.

14. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of interacting programmatically with at least an industrial controller, the method comprising:

providing an automation interface component that facilitates communications with the at least one industrial controller; and

compiling a computer process interface library comprising a plurality of computer process interfaces and object-oriented based objects and classes associated with the automation interface component that facilitates programmatical communications with the industrial controller, which library facilitates exposing the automation interface component to at least a client application process to facilitate program management in the industrial controller by at least one of the acts of;

creating a new control program for the industrial controller;

uploading a new control program to the industrial controller;

downloading an existing control program from the industrial controller; and

editing the existing control program while resident in the industrial controller.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a user interface that facilitates accessing at least one of an applications object, a project object, a processor object, a program file, and a ladder logic program.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising at least one of the acts of:

instantiating an automation interface object in memory of the industrial controller from a remote location; and

removing the automation interface object from the memory.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising retrieving a program file from the industrial controller and converting the program file to a ladder logic file.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the acts of:

uploading a first active object from a remote location to a memory of the industrial controller; and

retrieving a second active object from the memory.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising accessing the objects and classes using macros.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising manually controlling functions of the industrial controller via the automation interface component.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising accessing the industrial controller via a web service.