System and methodology providing optimized data exchange with industrial controller
First Claim
1. An industrial control system, comprising:
- a processor;
a computer readable storage medium operationally coupled to the processor and storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, implement components comprising;
a primary aggregation component associated with an industrial controller, the primary aggregation component is created, via the processor, and defined in response to a query received from an entity remote to the industrial controller and is installed on the industrial controller, the primary aggregation component aggregates a plurality of selected data items stored in the industrial controller into an aggregated subset of data items;
a communications component associated with the remote entity, the communications component reads the aggregated subset of data items via a singular communications packet across a network, the communications component causes addition of at least one secondary aggregation component at the industrial controller in response to increased data demands, wherein the communication component causes removal of the at least one secondary aggregation components in response to decreased data demands; and
an update component associated with the remote entity, the update component receives handle information from the industrial controller across the network relating to the plurality of selected data items, the update component employs the handle information to generate an update data packet request that is transmitted across the network to the industrial controller to update one or more data items of the aggregated subset of data items in the industrial controller, wherein the handle information provides a fixed length reference pointer to a memory address in the industrial controller for each of variable length tag references of the plurality of selected data items, wherein the update data packet request employs the fixed length reference pointer in place of a variable length tag reference for each of the one or more data items of the aggregated subset of data items that are to be updated.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a system and methodology facilitating network communications between an industrial control system and a client application that interacts with a plurality of data items on the control system. The client application initiates a request or query to the industrial control system for an identification of selected data items of interest. Based on information received in the request, an aggregation component can be constructed by the client, wherein names and buffer allocations relating to the data items of interest are provided. The aggregation component is then installed by the client and updated in the industrial control system, thus providing information access to the client application when fresh or updated information is desired. Information is accessed via a communications packet that is generated from the data items identified in the aggregation component. Information transmitted to the control system can also be optimized by identifying the information via handle identifiers that are employed in place of explicit reference or tag names.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. An industrial control system, comprising:
-
a processor; a computer readable storage medium operationally coupled to the processor and storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, implement components comprising; a primary aggregation component associated with an industrial controller, the primary aggregation component is created, via the processor, and defined in response to a query received from an entity remote to the industrial controller and is installed on the industrial controller, the primary aggregation component aggregates a plurality of selected data items stored in the industrial controller into an aggregated subset of data items; a communications component associated with the remote entity, the communications component reads the aggregated subset of data items via a singular communications packet across a network, the communications component causes addition of at least one secondary aggregation component at the industrial controller in response to increased data demands, wherein the communication component causes removal of the at least one secondary aggregation components in response to decreased data demands; and an update component associated with the remote entity, the update component receives handle information from the industrial controller across the network relating to the plurality of selected data items, the update component employs the handle information to generate an update data packet request that is transmitted across the network to the industrial controller to update one or more data items of the aggregated subset of data items in the industrial controller, wherein the handle information provides a fixed length reference pointer to a memory address in the industrial controller for each of variable length tag references of the plurality of selected data items, wherein the update data packet request employs the fixed length reference pointer in place of a variable length tag reference for each of the one or more data items of the aggregated subset of data items that are to be updated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method to facilitate data communications with an industrial controller, comprising:
-
employing a processor executing computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium to implement the following acts; requesting tag information from an industrial controller across an industrial control network for a plurality of selected data items in the controller; building an aggregation object from the tag information provided by the industrial controller; installing the aggregation object on the industrial controller; installing at least one secondary aggregation component on the industrial controller upon increased data demands;
wherein the installing caused by a communication component associated with a remote entity;removing the at least one secondary aggregation components upon decreased data demands;
wherein the removing caused by the communication component associated with the remote entity;updating the aggregation object data on the industrial controller; receiving by the communication component associated with the remote entity data from the aggregation object that has been updated by the industrial controller via a singular communication packet; receiving by an update component associated with the remote entity handle information from the industrial controller relating to the plurality of selected data items, wherein the handle information provides a fixed length reference pointer to a memory address in the industrial controller for each of variable length tag references of the plurality of selected data items; and employing by the update component associate with the remote entity only the handle information to generate an update data packet that is transmitted across the network to the industrial controller to update the plurality of selected data items in the industrial controller, wherein the update data packet employs the fixed length pointer in place of a variable length tag reference for each of the plurality of selected data items that are to be updated. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A system to facilitate data communications with an industrial controller, comprising:
-
a processor; a computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, implement components comprising; means for requesting, by the processor, tag identifiers from a industrial controller across a communications network, wherein the tag identifiers are associated with a plurality of selected data items in the industrial controller; means for constructing an aggregation object from the tag identifiers requested from the industrial controller; means for installing the aggregation object on the industrial controller, wherein the means for installing installs at least one secondary aggregation component on the controller upon increased data demands and removes the at least one secondary aggregation components upon decreased data demands, wherein the installing and removing are caused by a communication component associated with a remote entity; means for refreshing by the industrial controller the aggregation object on the industrial controller; means for transmitting by the industrial controller by data across the communications network from the optimized data packet that has been refreshed by the industrial controller; and means for updating the industrial controller via employment of handle information by an update component associated with a remote entity to generate an update data packet that is transmitted across the network to the industrial controller to update the plurality of selected data items in the industrial controller, wherein the handle information provides a fixed length reference pointer to a memory address in the industrial controller for each of variable length tag references for each of the plurality of selected data items that are to be updated, wherein the update data packet employs the fixed length reference pointer in place of the tag identifier as variable length tag reference for each of the plurality of selected data items that are to be updated.
-
-
25. An industrial controller, comprising:
-
a processor; a computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, implement components comprising; a first component that processes information received from a remote entity across a network; a primary aggregation component that aggregates a plurality of selected data items into an aggregated subset of data items, the primary aggregation component defined and installed at the industrial controller by an entity remote from the industrial controller; a communications component associated with the entity remote from the controller, the communications component reads the subset of data items via a singular communications packet across the network, the communications component causes addition of at least one secondary aggregation component at the industrial controller upon increased data demands, wherein the communication component causes removal of the at least one secondary aggregation components upon decreased data demands; and a update component associated with the entity remote from the industrial controller, the update component receives handle information from the industrial controller relating to the selected data items and employs the handle information to generate an update data packet request that is transmitted across the network to the industrial controller to update the plurality of data items of the aggregated subset of data items in the industrial controller, wherein the handle information provides a fixed length reference pointer to a memory address in the controller in place of a variable length tag reference for each of the plurality of selected data items that are to be updated, wherein the update data packet employs the fixed length reference pointer in place of a variable length tag reference for the plurality of selected data items of the aggregated subset of data items that are to be updated. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
Specification