Systems and methods that integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) technology with industrial controllers

• US 7,339,476 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Macurek, Filip, Vrba, Pavel, Hall, Kenwood H.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US10/985,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20060108411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/573.1, 340/573.3, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/870.07, 235/385, 235/462.01, 209/3.3, 710/11, 700/213, 700/214, 700/215, 700/217, 700/218, 700/225, 700/226, 700/227, 700/242, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/108 of the peristaltic type
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1231 Metering pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1279 regulating the flow
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0827 Bags in box
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/08 having tubular flexible members F04B43/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/09 Pumps having electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25196 Radio link, transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33055 Holon, agent executes task and cooperates with other, distributed control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/469 Sequentially filled and emptied [e.g., holding type]

Abstract

The subject invention relates to systems and methods that provide electronic data (e.g., Electronic Product Code (EPC) data) obtained from Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags by RFID readers and/or from servers to one or more industrial components (e.g., controllers, programmable logic controllers, modules, etc.). The systems and methods employ component that processes, if desired, and stores received electronic data as records within a table. Processing includes filtering for data of interest and/or formatting the data in a suitable structure. Storage can include delineating related electronic data across rows the table and types of data across columns of a row. Upon receiving a subscription and/or request for electronic data from the one or more industrial components, the data can be retrieved and conveyed to the subscribing and/or requesting components.

Claims

1. A system that provides electronic product data to a component of an industrial control system, comprising:

a component that stores electronic product data obtained from a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag in a structured format, the RFID tag is affixed to a product; and

an interface that provides the electronic product data to an industrial controller, the interface utilizes a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) interface to read and write at least one of an input, an output, a tag, a state, and a status parameter to the industrial controller.

2. The system of claim 1, the electronic product data comprises at least one of an Electronic Product Code, a logical reader identifier, a timestamp, a flag indicating an RFID tag is with an antenna'"'"'s coverage area, a product type, a date of manufacture, a lot number, an associated case, an associated pallet, or an associated container level.

3. The system of claim 1, the industrial controller is one of a programmable logic controller and an industrial module.

4. The system of claim 1, the interface further utilizes industrial protocols to exchange the electronic data with a control application of the industrial controller.

5. The system of claim 4, the control application is programmed in at least one of structured text (ST), sequential function chart (SFC), functional block diagram (FBD), instruction list (IL), ladder diagram (LD), C, C++, C#, Graphical Motion Language (GML), Java, or Flow-Charts.

6. The system of claim 4, the industrial protocol includes at least one of CIP, fieldbus, TCP, IP, NetBEUI, FTP, or HTTP.

7. The system of claim 1, the interface utilizes industrial protocols to exchange the electronic data with an application external to the industrial controller.

8. The system of claim 7, the application external to the industrial controller is associated with at least one of an Enterprise System (ERP), a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), or a Machine Control System (MC).

9. The system of claim 1, the electronic product data is stored as records within a table, in-memory database or a database system.

10. The system of claim 1, the electronic product data is filtered and processed raw data.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intelligent component that employs at least one of statistics, probabilities, inferences, and classifiers to facilitate electronic product data collection, filtering, formatting, storage, or distribution to an agent.

12. The system of claim 1 implemented in Java.

13. A system that manages the exchange of electronic product data with an industrial controller, comprising:

a RFID interface that receives electronic product data;

a processing component that parses the electronic product data and groups related electronic product data; and

an interface component that provides the electronic product data to an industrial controller, the interface component utilizes a PLC interface to read and write at least one of an input, an output, a tag, a state, and a status parameter to the industrial controller.

14. The system of claim 13, the RFID interface is a reader interface that employs a plug-in driver to receive electronic product data from an RFID.

15. The system of claim 13, the RFID interface utilizes a wire or wireless connection to receive the electronic product data.

16. The system of claim 13, the related electronic product data is stored in columns and rows of a table.

17. The system of claim 13, the electronic product data is provided to the industrial controller based on a subscription or request by the industrial controller.

18. The system of claim 17, the request is for historical electronic product data or a signal quality indicator associated with the reception of electronic product data.

19. A method for conveying electronic product data to components in an industrial control system, comprising:

receiving a subscription from an entity within an industrial control system for electronic product data;

obtaining the electronic product data from an RFID product tag through an RFID reader;

formatting the electronic data in a structured form; and

conveying the formatted electronic product data to the subscribing entity, the conveying utilizes a PLC interface to read and write at least one of an input, an output, a tag, a state, and a status parameter to the industrial controller.

20. The method of claim 19, the entity is a PLC and the electronic product data is written directly to the PLC'"'"'s tags.

21. The method of claim 19, the electronic product data comprises at least one of an Electronic Product Code, a logical reader identifier, a timestamp, a flag indicating an RFID tag is with a coverage area, a product type, a date of manufacture, a lot number, an associated case, an associated pallet, or an associated container level.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising employing an industrial protocol to provide the requested electronic product data to the entity.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising utilizing an RFID interface that receives the electronic product data from one of an RFID reader, a server, or an RFID tag.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising a component that filters and stores the electronic product data.

25. A method for distributing electronic product data to an industrial control system, comprising:

receiving electronic product data from one of an RFID reader and a server;

filtering the electronic data to mitigate duplicate data;

processing the accepted electronic product data to a format in accordance with the industrial control system;

storing the formatted electronic product data; and

conveying the stored electronic product data to a component of the industrial control system component, the conveying utilizes a PLC interface to read and write at least one of an input, an output, a tag, a state, and a status parameter to the industrial controller.

26. The method of claim 25, the component is an industrial controller.

27. The method of claim 25, the industrial control system is at least one of an Enterprise System (ERP), a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), or a Machine Control System (MC).

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising a component that receives a subscription or request from the industrial control system component.

29. The method of claim 28, the request is for historical electronic product data.

30. The method of claim 29, the historical electronic product data includes at least one of electronic product data read within a particular time period;

a signal quality indicator read between timestamps;

timestamps corresponding to the electronic product data, or a signal quality indicators corresponding to a the electronic product data.

31. The method of claim 28, the subscription is for electronic product data associated with RFID tags that enter a coverage area of the RFID reader.

32. The method of claim 25, further writing industrial control system component information to an RFID tag affixed to a product.

33. The method of claim 25, further employing at least one of statistics, probabilities, inferences, and classifiers to facilitate electronic product data collection, filtering, formatting, storage, or distribution to the industrial control system component.

34. A system that facilitates electronic data distribution to an industrial component, comprising:

means for obtaining electronic data from one or more RFID readers or one or more RFID servers;

means for storing the electronic data in a structured format; and

means for conveying the stored one or more data to the industrial component, the conveying utilizes a PLC interface to read and write at least one of an input, an output, a tag, a state, and a status parameter to the industrial controller.