Extensible automation development environment

• US 7,624,371 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Software, LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Sandeep Shashikant, Ranganarasimhan, Guruprasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria; Satish
• Application Number:
  US11/650,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20080092116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 717/110, 717/138, 717/178, 717/100, 717/103, 717/104, 717/106, 717/136, 700/83, 700/65, 700/11, 700/95, 700/96
• US Class Current: 717/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

The present invention provides an extensible automation development environment. A full development environment in its own right, the environment, in addition to supporting its own native objects, allows the integration of foreign (or “custom”) automation objects. Custom commands and custom events are also integrated into the environment and are handled by the same framework that handles native commands and events. Tools provided by the environment are made to work with custom objects as well as with native objects. For example, a common editor expands to incorporate a custom editor that handles custom data fields. A common browser expands to seamlessly incorporate a custom browser that may operate on custom automation objects from a custom database. All software entities, native and custom, can be developed and monitored within a single framework. Users operate seamlessly across heterogeneous automation environments, even though custom entities in the environment conform to their own operating standards.

Claims

1. An extensible automation development system including a processor and configured with a physical computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for allowing a custom automation object to be integrated into the system, the computer-readable medium of the system comprising computer-executable instructions for providing:

a common browser configured for displaying, in a development environment, data from the automation development system;

a common object editor configured for editing, in the development environment, data in the automation development system;

a set of common commands to be performed, in the development environment, by objects in the automation development system;

for each of at least a subset of the common commands, an interface for performing the command;

a set of common events to be responded to, in the development environment, by objects in the automation development system;

for each of at least a subset of the common events, an interface for responding to the event;

an interface for adding a custom command to the automation development system, the custom command to be performed, in the development environment, by a custom automation object; and

an interface for adding a custom event to the automation development system, the custom event to be responded to, in the development environment, by a custom automation object.

2. The extensible automation development system of claim 1 wherein the common browser comprises:

an interface for adding a custom browser, the custom browser configured for displaying data from a custom automation object.

3. The extensible automation development system of claim 1 wherein:

the common browser is configured for presenting custom tabs and for performing a custom filtering operation.

4. The extensible automation development system of claim 1 further comprising:

an interface for adding a custom object editor, the custom object editor configured for editing data in a custom automation object.

5. The extensible automation development system of claim 1 further comprising:

a common view selected from the set consisting of;

a model view, a deployment view, and a derivation view; and

an interface for adding a custom view to the automation development system.

6. The extensible automation development system of claim 1 further comprising:

a common database, the common database comprising common automation object templates and instances of at least a subset of the common automation object templates; and

a custom database, the custom database comprising a custom automation object.

7. The extensible automation development system of claim 1 further comprising:

a custom automation object;

wherein the custom automation object is developed by a party other than a party that develops the interface for performing a common command and the interface for responding to a common event.

8. The extensible automation development system of claim 7 wherein:

the custom automation object comprises a handler selected from the group consisting of;

a custom handler for performing at least one of the common commands and a custom handler for responding to at least one of the common events.

9. A method for browsing data in an extensible automation development system configured with a computer-readable medium having a memory and a processor and including computer-executable instructions for allowing a custom automation object to be integrated into the system, the method comprising:

using a common browser to display, in a development environment, data from the automation development system, the common browser comprising an interface for adding a custom browser;

using the interface to add a custom browser in the development environment;

using the custom browser to display, in the development environment, data from a custom automation object;

using a common object editor to edit, in the development environment, data in the automation development system;

performing, by objects in the development system, a set of common commands in the development environment;

wherein the interface performs at least a subset of commands;

responding, by objects in the automation development system, to a set of common events, wherein the interface responds to at least a subset of the events;

adding a custom command to the automation development system, wherein the interface adds the custom command;

performing, by a custom automation object, the custom command in the development environment;

adding a custom event to the automation development system, wherein the interface adds the custom event; and

responding to the custom event in the development environment.

10. The method of browsing data in an extensible automation development system of claim 9 wherein:

the common browser is configured for presenting custom tabs and for performing a custom filtering operation.

11. The method of browsing data in an extensible automation development system of claim 9 wherein:

the custom browser is developed by a party other than a party that develops the common browser.

12. The method of browsing data in an extensible automation development system of claim 9 wherein:

the common browser is configured for displaying data from a common database, the common database comprising common automation object templates and instances of at least a subset of the common automation object templates; and

wherein the custom browser is configured for displaying data from a custom database, the custom database comprising the custom automation object.

13. The method of browsing data in an extensible automation development system of claim 9 further comprising:

including in the custom automation object a method for performing in the development environment, a common command in the automation development system, the method conforming to the interface provided by the automation development system for performing the common command; and

adding the custom command to the automation development system, the adding conforming to the interface provided by the automation development system for adding a custom command.

14. The method of browsing data in an extensible automation development system of claim 9 further comprising:

adding a custom database to the automation development system, the custom database comprising the custom automation object.