Prioritization associated with controller engine instances

• US 7,797,060 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2007
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Govindaraj, Subbian, Staron, Raymond J., Hall, Kenwood H., Kretschmann, Robert J., Rischar, Charles M., Grgic, Richard J., Vasko, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp; Chad
• Application Number:
  US11/733,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 700/19, 700/20, 700/31, 717/136, 717/151, 717/168, 718/105
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25229 Partition control software among distributed controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that facilitates management within an industrial environment. A controller can execute with a real-time operating system such that the controller can include two or more controller engine instances executing as processes on the controller. A partition component can organize one or more controller engine instances based upon priority data corresponding to controller engine instance priority in relation with the industrial environment.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates employing hierarchical priorities within an industrial environment, comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement the system including;

a controller that executes with a real-time operating system such that the controller is operable to include two or more controller engine instances executing as processes on the controller; and

a partition component that automatically generates at least a portion of priority data based at least in part on evaluation of the industrial environment, evaluates data, comprising the priority data, associated with the industrial environment, identifies two or more hierarchical priority rankings that are respectively associated with the two or more controller engine instances based at least in part on the evaluation of the data, and organizes the two or more controller engine instances based at least in part on the two or more hierarchical priority rankings.

2. The system of claim 1, the priority data is based at least in part on data provided by at least one of a user, an entity, a group, a facility, an enterprise, a business, a factory, a collection of machines, a collection of computers, a collection of users, a programmer, a machine, a computer, a disparate industrial environment, a third-party, the Internet, a network, or a disparate network not affiliated with the industrial environment.

3. The system of claim 1, the priority data is based at least in part on at least one of controller data, a make of a controller, a revision of the controller, a model of a controller, a type of controller, a brand of a controller, a vendor of a controller, an age of a controller, a controller physical location, a controller functionality, a functionality of a portion of the industrial environment, controller engine instance data, a host controller, a processor resource related to a host controller, a controller engine instance functionality, a hierarchical priority ranking associated with a controller engine instance, a controller engine instance creation data, or controller engine instance age data.

4. The system of claim 1, the priority data is based at least in part on at least one of a code functionality within the industrial environment, a programming code language, load distribution data, installation data, a physical location, a hierarchical structure, user defined data, automatically created priority data based on an evaluation of an industrial environment, or priority data generated based on a user evaluation.

5. The system of claim 1, the priority data is related to at least one of program association, application type, location, geography, batch process relation, hardware type, proximity, a user preference/need, load distribution, user-defined prioritization, code association, an industrial automation process step, a potential affect of a partitioning, a cost of equipment, a preventative maintenance, a business analysis, a replacement cost, a product quality, a profit analysis, a safety within the industrial environment, an independency relationship, or a dependency relationship.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a distributed controller engine instance that concurrently executes on a controller and a disparate controller within the industrial environment.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an importance identifier component that ascertains the two or more hierarchical priority rankings within the industrial environment based at least in part on an evaluation of the priority data where the priority data is based at least in part on an evaluation of at least one of program association, application type, location, geography, batch process relation, hardware type, proximity, a user preference/need, load distribution, code association, an industrial process step, cost of equipment, preventative maintenance, business analysis, replacement costs, product quality, safety within the industrial environment, or profit analysis.

8. The system of claim 7, the importance identifier component assigns at least one of a device, a process, an application, data, controllers, or a controller engine instance within the two or more hierarchical priority rankings based at least in part on the evaluation of the priority data.

9. The system of claim 8, the partition component allows at least one of a manipulation or approval of at least one of the assignment of a hierarchical priority ranking or defining a hierarchical priority ranking

10. The system of claim 9, the at least one of manipulation or approval is employed by at least one of a user, a machine, a group, a facility, or the Internet.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a balance component that allocates a load related to the industrial environment to at least one of a controller or a controller engine instance.

12. The system of claim 11, the partition component organizes at least one controller engine instance based at least in part on a portion of the allocation implemented by the balance component.

13. The system of claim 1, the partition component groups at least one controller engine instance within the industrial environment based at least in part on a hierarchical representation of devices, the hierarchical representation of devices is based at least in part upon one of a proprietary standard or an industry standard which can be at least one of ISA S95, or ISA S88.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security component that defines at least one of a security level, an authorization, or a privilege that corresponds to at least one of the controller engine instance or at least one hierarchical priority ranking of the two or more hierarchical priority rankings

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a search component that facilitates querying data associated with at least one of a controller, a controller engine instance, a hierarchical priority ranking, or data related to the industrial environment.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a log component that tracks data related to at least one of a controller, a controller engine instance, or a hierarchical priority ranking

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bridge component that provides a first network protocol utilized to carry data from the partition component and configures the data for transmittal over a second network protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, the bridge component bridges multiple communication networks.

19. The system of claim 17, the first network protocol is one of Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), Fieldbus, Profibus, Hart, Modbus, ASI-bus, or Foundation Fieldbus.

20. The system of claim 19, the second network protocol is at least one of Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), Fieldbus, Profibus, Hart, Modbus, ASI-bus, or Foundation Fieldbus.

21. A method that facilitates prioritizing an industrial environment, comprising:

employing a processor executing computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium to implement the following acts;

employing a controller with a real time operating system in an industrial environment;

executing at least two or more controller engine instances on the controller, where the controller engine instance executes as a process on the controller;

utilizing two or more controller engine instances to manage at least one of a device or a portion of a process within the industrial environment;

evaluating the industrial environment to facilitate determining two or more hierarchical priority rankings;

automatically generating priority data based at least in part on the evaluation of the industrial environment;

evaluating data, comprising the priority data;

determining two or more hierarchical priority rankings respectively associated with the two or more controller engine instances based at least in part on the evaluation of the data; and

partitioning the industrial environment based at least in part on the two or more hierarchical priority rankings to establish a hierarchy of importance therewith.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

organizing the industrial environment into a hierarchy containing at least two or more groups based at least in part on the evaluation of the industrial environment; and

isolating each group wherein each group includes distinct execution space in a real time operating system where that execution space is isolated from the execution space of other groups within the industrial environment.

23. The method of claim 21, the priority is based at least in part on at least one of controller data, a make of a controller, a model of a controller, a type of controller, a brand of a controller, a vendor of a controller, an age of a controller, a controller physical location, a controller functionality, a functionality of a portion of the industrial environment, controller engine instance data, a host controller, a processor resource related to a host controller, a controller engine instance functionality, a hierarchical priority ranking associated with a controller engine instance, a controller engine instance creation data, or controller engine instance age data.

24. A computer-implemented system that facilitates employing hierarchical priorities within an industrial environment, comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement the system including;

means for employing a controller within an industrial environment, the controller includes a real time operating system;

means for executing two or more controller engine instances as processes on the controller;

means for evaluating data associated with the industrial environment to facilitate identifying two or more hierarchical priority rankings;

means for automatically generating at least a portion of priority data based at least in part on the evaluation of the data associated with the industrial environment;

means for evaluating the priority data;

means for identifying two or more hierarchical priority rankings respectively associated with the two or more controller engine instances based at least in part on the evaluation of the priority data; and

means for organizing the two or more controller engine instances based at least in part on the two or more identified hierarchical priority rankings corresponding to controller engine instance priority in relation with the industrial environment where the industrial environment includes at least one of a controller or a controller engine instance.