Data capture for electronically delivered automation services

• US 7,395,122 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Greff, Stephan, Dirnfeldner, Rainer, Kaever, Michael, Mutscheller, Wolfgang, Lagies, Knut, Kreidler, Volker
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, SUNRAY
• Application Number:
  US09/950,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20030014498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,484 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/18, 700/19, 700/20, 700/65, 700/66, 700/86, 700/87, 700/88, 700/96, 700/169, 700/176, 700/175, 700/180, 700/181, 717/100, 717/106, 717/114, 717/121, 717/140, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/221
• US Class Current: 700/18
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4063 Monitoring general control system G05B19/4062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23298 Remote load of program, through internet

Abstract

Content is generated on a host system based on real-time data from a controlled process collected over an internet from a customer'"'"'s client machine tool control system. The real-time data is captured from the client machine tool by downloading software that manipulates controller functionality to perform a data capture trace predefined events and triggers. The captured data is retrieved by the host, which may generate content based on the data, or provide selective, authorized access to the data by others.

Claims

1. A method for capturing data from an industrial controller comprising the steps of:

a. receiving program code over a network;

b. providing access to the program code by the industrial controller;

c. running the accessed program code to collect data from the industrial controller, wherein the data are being collected during the run-time of a control function; and

d. monitoring to ensure that collection of the data does not interfere with the run-time of the control function;

whereby access to the program code by the industrial controller is provided by compiling the program code to the controller library and linking the compiled program code to the controller base code.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of running accessed code to configure events on which data are to be captured.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of setting a trigger, upon the detection of which, the capture of data will be terminated.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of an event and, upon such detection, writing data, identified in a respective data list, to a location on a storage device.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step, prior to writing captured data to a storage location, of checking to determine whether capacity for storing data has been exhausted.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of writing data to a storage location proceeds only as long as the capacity for data collection is not exhausted.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of a trigger and, upon such detection, ceasing to write the data to a storage location.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of ceasing to write the data to a storage location is delayed until the completion of a pre-defined, post-trigger delay period.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein additional events and respective triggers up to a preselected limit are defined, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of the additional events and, upon each such detection, writing data, identified in additional respective data lists, to additional respective locations on the storage device.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of the additional triggers and, for each such detection, ceasing to write respective data to the respective location on the storage device.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the data to be captured is identified by linking to a respective data list.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of ending the link to the data list.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein the storage location is accessible to a base component of the controller.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein program code comprises a compile cycle.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein data are collected in and read from a high speed local circular buffer.

16. A method for capturing data from a CNC machine tool, comprising the steps of:

a. receiving program code over a network;

b. providing access to program code by numerical control kernel (NCK); and

c. runrnng accessed program code to capture data from NCK;

wherein the data are collected during run-time of a control function; and

d. monitoring to ensure that collection of the data does not interfere with the run-time control function whereby access to program code by the NCK is provided by compiling the program code to the NCK library and linking the compiled program code to the NCK base code.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of running accessed code to configure events on which data are to be captured.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of setting a trigger, upon which capture of data will be terminated.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of an event and, upon such detection, writing data, identified in a respective data list, to a location on a storage device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step, prior to writing captured data to a storage location, of checking to determine whether capacity for storing data has been exhausted.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the step of writing data to a storage location proceeds only as long as the capacity for data collection is not exhausted.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of a trigger and, upon such detection, ceasing to write the data to a storage location.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of ceasing to write the data to a storage location is delayed until the completion of a pre-defined, post-trigger delay period.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein additional events and respective triggers up to a preselected limit are defined, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of the additional events and, upon each such detection, writing data, identified in additional respective data lists, to additional respective locations on the storage device.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the steps of detecting the occurrence of the additional triggers and, for each such detection, ceasing to write respective data to the respective location on the storage device.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the data to be captured is identified by linking to a respective data list.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of ending the link to the data list.

28. The method according to claim 16, wherein the storage location is accessible to a base component of the CNC.

29. The method according to claim 16, wherein program code comprises a compile cycle.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein data are collected in and read from a high speed local circular buffer.

31. The method of claim 16, wherein data are being collected during the runtime of an NCK machine control function, the method comprising the further step of monitoring to ensure that collection of the data does not interfere with run-time process.

32. A system for capturing real-time data from an industrial controller haviyng associated with it identifying information, the system comprising:

a base subsystem in communication over a network with a host system and in communication with a human-machine interface (HMI) subsystem, a compile cycle, a data storage device for storing the industrial controller identifying information, and at least one control task, the base subsystem being adapted to receive programming code from the host via download over the network and, per instructions in the downloaded code, to detect the occurrence of an event, and, upon such detection, to write real-time data to a respective location in the storage device,

wherein the real-time data are collected during a run-time of a control function; and

wherein monitoring is performed to ensure that collection of the real-time data does not interfere with run-time control function; and

wherein the programming code is compiled to an industrial controller library and the compiled program code is linked to base code of the industrial controller.

33. The system according to claim 32, further configured to detect the occurrence of a trigger and, upon such detection, to cease writing the real-time data to the respective location in the storage device.

34. The system according to claim 32, wherein the at least one control task comprises a non-cyclic task.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the industrial controller is a CNC tool.

36. The system according to claim 32, wherein the at least one control task comprises an interpolator (IPO) control task.

37. The system according to claim 32, wherein the at least one control task comprises a servo control task.

38. The system according to claim 32, wherein the at least one control task comprises a drive control task.

39. The system according to claim 32, wherein the at least one control task comprises a pre-run task.

40. A system for capturing real-time data from an industrial controller, the system comprising:

a controller in communication over a network with a host system and in communication with a human-machine interface (HMI), a compile cycle, a data storage device for storing identifying information associated with the controller, and at least one control task, the controller being configured to receive programming code from the host via download over the network and, per instructions in the downloaded code, to detect the occurrence of an event, and, upon such detection, to write real-time data to a respective location in the storage device,

wherein the real-time data are collected during run-time of a control function and wherein monitoring is performed to ensure that collection of real-time data does not interfere with run-time control function;

wherein the programming code is compiled to a controller library and the compiled program code is linked to base code of the controller.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein the controller means comprises a CNC machine tool controller.

42. The system according to claim 41, wherein the controller means comprises a base subsystem.

43. The system according to claim 40, further configured to detect the occurrence of a trigger and, upon such detection, to cease writing the real-time data to the respective location in the storage device.

44. The system according to claim 40, wherein the at least one control task comprises a non-cyclic task.

45. The system according to claim 40, wherein the at least one control task comprises an interpolator (IPO) control task.

46. The system according to claim 40, wherein the at least one control task comprises a servo control task.

47. The system according to claim 40, wherein the at least one control task comprises a drive control task.

48. The system according to claim 40, wherein the at least one control task comprises a pre-run task.

49. A method for remotely configuring a numerical control kernel (NCK) of a computerized numerical controller (CNC) for capturing real-time data from the numerical control kernel (NCK), the CNC in communication over a network with a host system, the CNC further having associated with it identifying information and comprising a human-machine interface (HMI) for maintaining communication with the host and communicating with the NCK via an interface, the host being in communication with a data storage device for storing CNC identifying information and in which is also stored data capture software for use with an identified CNC, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving CNC identifying information over the network from the CNC;

retrieving from the data storage device software for configuring a data capture trace for the CNC, the retrieval based on identifying information for the CNC; and

downloading software over the network from the host to the HMI, the downloaded software adapted for configuring a data capture trace without modifying the NCK,

wherein said data capture trace captures data during run-time of a control function and wherein monitoring is performed to ensure that collection of the data does not interfere with run-time control function; and

wherein the software is compiled to the CNC library and the compiled program code is linked to base code of the CNC.

50. The method according to claim 49, wherein the CNC identifying information comprises a machine code unique to the CNC.

51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the downloaded software comprises a compile cycle for extending NCK data capture trace functionality.

52. The method according to claim 50, wherein the HMI supports machine handler and machine handler interface software for communications between the HMI and the NCK.