Message queuing in an industrial environment

• US 7,463,935 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2006
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Scott A., Sturrock, David T., Sadowski, Randall P., Campbell, John T. Jr., Glavach, Mark A., Overstreet, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, SUNRAY
• Application Number:
  US11/371,432
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 700/1, 707/4
• US Class Current: 700/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31208 Server node to watch, store message, variable, data between lon, network
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31326 Database to manage communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An industrial controller that can be utilized in an environment that supports message queuing comprises a receiver component that receives a message from a queue, wherein the message conforms to a message queuing protocol. A message queuing component communicatively coupled to the receiver component interprets the message and alters control logics within the controller based at least in part upon contents of the message. Furthermore, for example, the message queuing engine can be configured to generated messages that conform to the message queuing protocol.

Claims

1. An industrial controller, comprising:

at least one connection to associated one or more of sensors or actuators;

a receiver component that receives a message from a queue, the message conforms to a message queuing protocol, the receiver component accesses the queue to request messages intended for the industrial controller when processing associated with the industrial controller is below a threshold and disconnects from the queue upon retrieving the messages from the queue; and

a message queuing engine communicatively coupled to the receiver component that interprets the message and alters control logics within the controller based at least in part upon contents of the message to control an industrial application.

2. The controller of claim 1 being one of a programmable logic controller and a robotic controller.

3. The controller of claim 1, the message queuing engine generates a report upon altering the control logics, the report is formatted as a message that conforms to the message queuing protocol.

4. The controller of claim 3, the receiver component provides the report to the queue.

5. The controller of claim 1, the receiver component periodically accesses the queue to request messages intended for the controller.

6. The controller of claim 1, further comprising a transaction component that reprograms the controller to a previous state if the queue fails.

7. The controller of claim 1, further comprising a transaction component that reprograms the controller to a previous state if an application that created the message fails.

8. The controller of claim 1, further comprising a backup component that maintains a log of alterations to control logics of the controller.

9. The controller of claim 8, the log includes times that the controller has been altered based upon received messages.

10. The controller of claim 1, the message queuing engine is configured to generate messages that conform to the message queuing protocol.

11. The controller of claim 10, further comprising a priority generator component that associates priorities with messages generated by the message queuing engine, the priorities are employed by the queue to provide the messages to related applications.

12. The controller of claim 10, further comprising a process analysis component that analyzes status of a process associated with the controller, the message queuing engine generates a message based at least in part upon the analysis.

13. The controller of claim 12, the process analysis component recognizes occurrence of an alarm within the process, the message queuing engine generates a message based at least in part upon occurrence of the alarm.

14. The controller of claim 12, the process analysis component recognizes occurrence of a predefined event within the process, the message queuing engine generates a message based at least in part upon occurrence of the predefined event.

15. The controller of claim 1, the message queuing protocol is the MQ protocol.

16. The system of claim 1, the message queuing protocol enables asynchronous communication between an ERP application and the controller.

17. A message queuing system for utilization in an industrial automation environment, comprising:

a queue that retains messages that conform to a message queuing protocol; and

an industrial controller that retrieves a message from the queue when processing associated with the industrial controller is below a threshold and disconnects from the queue upon retrieving the message from the queue, control logics of the controller are updated based at least in part upon the retrieved message to control an industrial application, wherein the industrial controller includes at least one connection to associated one or more of sensors or actuators.

18. The message queuing system of claim 17, the controller is configured to generate a message that conforms to the message queuing protocol and is further configured to provide the message to the queue.

19. The message queuing system of claim 17, a web server comprises the queue.

20. The message queuing system of claim 19, further comprising a remote device that provides a message to the queue by way of the Internet.

21. The message queuing system of claim 17, the queue comprises a security component that ensures that an entity requesting access to the queue is authorized to access the queue.

22. The message queuing system of claim 17, the queue comprises a prioritization component that prioritizes messages within the queue for applications and devices that are associated with the queue.

23. A method for utilizing a message queuing protocol within an industrial automation environment, comprising:

configuring an industrial controller to receive a message from a queue when processing associated with the industrial controller is below a threshold and disconnecting from the queue upon retrieving the message the message conforms to a message queuing protocol;

configuring the controller to alter control logics therein based at least in part upon content of the received message to control an industrial application, wherein the controller includes one or more connection to associated one or more of sensors or actuators; and

configuring the controller to asynchronously communicate with an application.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising configuring the controller to generate a message in response to the received message, the generated message conforms to the message queuing protocol.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising associating the controller with a message queue.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising configuring the controller to log instances that the control logics have been modified based upon received messages.

27. The method of claim 23, the message queuing protocol is MQ.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the application is a enterprise resource planning (ERP) application and the application disconnects from the queue upon providing a message intended for the industrial controller to the queue.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the queue retains the message until the message is requested from a recipient entity of the message.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the controller monitors the queue and request messages that are intended for the controller.

28. An industrial control system, comprising:

means for providing an industrial controller with a message when processing associated with the industrial controller is below a threshold and disconnects from the queue upon retrieving the messages from the queue, the message conforms to a message queuing protocol;

means for interpreting content of the message;

means for altering control logics within the controller based at least in part upon content of the received message to control an industrial application, wherein the controller includes at least one connection to associated one or more of sensors and actuators; and

means for providing asynchronous communication between the industrial controller and an application.

29. A control system, comprising:

a message queue operatively connected to a controller the controller comprising;

at least one connection to one or more of sensors and actuators;

a receiver component that receives a message from a queue, the receiver component accesses the queue to request messages intended for the industrial controller when processing associated with the industrial controller is below a threshold and disconnects from the queue upon retrieving the messages from the queue, the message conforms to a message queuing protocol; and

a message queuing engine communicatively coupled to the receiver component that interprets the message and alters control logics within the controller based at least in part upon contents of the message to control an industrial application; and

a backup component that maintains a log of alterations to control logics of the controller.