Industrial controller automation interface

• US 7,424,329 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: D'Amico, Mike, McKelvey, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US11/533,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2, 700/7, 700/9, 700/11, 700/12, 700 17- 21, 700/23, 700/67, 700/79, 700/80, 700/83, 700/85, 700/86, 700/186, 709/217, 709/218, 709/203, 710/1, 710/14, 710/62, 710/105, 710/263, 717/113
• US Class Current: 700/18
• 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 for programmatically interacting with one or more industrial controllers comprising:

an automation interface, including a computer process interface library, that facilitates programmatic communication between a client application and one or more industrial controllers wherein the automation interface has a visible mode provided with a user interface and an invisible mode where no user interface is provided.

2. The system of claim 1, the automation interface has an associated object or class tree wherein an application object represents a topmost object used to access other objects within the object tree.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a call to the application object invokes the automation interface to the client application.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one project object that represents at least one industrial controller.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a processor object that represents a microprocessor being used with a current project.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a program files collection object that represents functionality of program files associated with a project, and provides access to the programs files located within an industrial controller.

7. The system of claim 6, the program files collection object comprises a ladder file object which represents at least a ladder file in the project and the ladder file object facilitates at least one of:

insertion, deletion, retrieval and editing of rungs of ladder logic.

8. The system of claim 1, the automation interface is a binary executable program and the computer process interface library is a COM (Common Object Model) library.

9. The system of claim 8, the COM library provides the automation interface with one or more computer process interfaces to allow communication to occur between the automation interface and one or more computer processes located locally or remotely.

10. The system of claim 1, the client application can access the automation interface through one of a local procedure call (LPC) and a remote procedure call (RPC).

11. The system of claim 1, the automation interface resides on a local server and communicates with the one or more industrial controller through a local network or a factory network.

12. The system of claim 11, the client application resides on a remote server coupled to the local server and the client application communicates with the automation interface through one of an intranet or Internet.

13. The system of claim 1, the client application includes at least one of a developer application, an editor application and a maintenance application.

14. A method of providing local and/or remote access to one or more industrial controllers comprising:

providing an automation interface along with computer process interfaces as an executable file to local or remote processes for access to one or more industrial controllers; and

providing a selectable user interface for the automation interface where the selection can be made from one of visible and invisible.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising downloading of backup data to a third party data warehouse at a location different from locations of client applications and the automation interface.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising providing individualized interfaces that execute functionality within the automation interface through a client application.

17. A computer readable medium having computer-executable components comprising;

an automation interface component wherein a user interface is selectable from one of visible and invisible and an automation interface facilitates programming, monitoring and maintenance of at least an industrial controller programmatically from a local or remote location; and

an interface library comprising object-oriented based objects and classes compiled into the automation interface component, the interface library exposing the automation interface component to client application processes.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the automation interface component provides for one or more of inserting, deleting, retrieval and editing of a rung of ladder logic from ladder logic programs of the at least one industrial controller.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the automation interface provides access to control process data for further monitoring and storage of the data.