Programmatic access to controller construct and variable names

• US 7,860,589 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brooks, Jeffery W., Bliss, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett; Ryan A
• Application Number:
  US11/534,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 700/19, 700/86
• US Class Current: 700/86
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method for employment in an industrial automation environment that facilitates utilizing data within a programmable logic controller. An interface component can facilitate receipt of a portion of data related to a programmable logic controller. An access component integrated within a programmable logic controller (PLC) and communicatively coupled to the interface component can employ programmatic access to the name and respective data space during runtime.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

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

an interface component that facilitates receipt of a project file that includes at least a portion of code related to an object associated with a controller and a name associated with the portion of code, wherein the project file is stored in the controller, the portion of code and the name associated with the portion of code is stored in a data space of the controller; and

an access component integrated within the controller and communicatively coupled to the interface component that accesses the name and respective data space, wherein the access component is employed for programming of the data space during runtime of the controller, wherein the programming causes the portion of code to be re-used by a disparate name referencing the same data space; and

a programmed instruction within the controller utilizing a generic identifier and an object type during runtime of the controller to request the name or disparate name associated with a current context of execution of the portion of code, the object type identifies a type of the object from a plurality of types, the generic identifier is used for each type of the plurality of types, the generic identifier and object type are employed by the access component with execution context information associated with the data space to retrieve the name or disparate name associated with the current context of execution of the portion of code, the access component provides the name or disparate name to the programmed instruction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the name is associated with at least one of a task, a program, or a routine utilized by a controller, a module, an I/O module, a network, a drive, a motion axis, a drive, a trend, a structure, a tag, an object, a device;

or a modular controller component.

3. The system of claim 2, the name is a string tag, wherein the string tag is at least one of a virtual input, a physical input, a virtual output, or a physical output related to the programmable logic controller, and the string tag is represented in at least one of a Latin based ASCII, a UNICODE format, or a format utilized in an Asian language.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising an external device that utilizes such string tag, the external device is at least one of an HMI or an Information Technology database.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising an external device that utilizes such string tag, the external device is at least one of a pusher, a computer, a disparate controller, a roller, a station, a welder, a scanner, a belt conveyor, a pump, a press, a fan, a spray, a conveyor, an entity controlled by the PLC, or a photo eye.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a disparate controller that utilizes such string tag.

7. The system of claim 1, the access component locates a source to replicate based on the received name;

the source is identified by the name and respective data space.

8. The system of claim 7, the access component provides at least one of the following:

a replication of code associated with the source to a destination that is a user-defined name; and

an automatic replacement of the source name with the destination user-defined name throughout the entirety of code associated with the source name and respective data space.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a link component that links the code received to a hidden identifier to allow the code to stay linked to a source regardless of a change to the name linked to the source, the link component employs an inheritance technique utilizing a “

This”

function.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a script component that provides a message script with the name to communicate with an external device, the external device is at least one of an HMI, an Information Technology database, a disparate system, and a disparate controller.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security component that provides authorization and data integrity during access of at least one name and respective data space.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a log component that tracks access of the name and respective data space related to programming the programmable logic controller.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a search component that facilitates querying data associated with the access component.

14. The system of claim 13, the data can be related to at least one of the following:

a task, a program, a routine, a controller, a component, a portion of code utilized by a controller, a module, an I/O module, a network, a drive, a motion axis, a drive, a trend, a structure, a tag, an object, a device; and

a modular controller component.

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

16. The system of claim 15, the bridge component bridges multiple communication networks.

17. The system of claim 15, the first network protocol is one of Fieldbus, Profibus, Hart, Modbus, ASI-bus, and Foundation Fieldbus.

18. The system of claim 17, the second network protocol is Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a log component that tracks changes to the name and disparate name during runtime execution, the programmed instruction retrieves the changed name or changed disparate name associated with the current context of execution of the portion of code.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the programmed instruction is part of the portion of code.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the programmed instruction is part of industrial application code.

22. A method comprising:

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

receiving a project file that includes at least a portion of code related to an object associated with a controller and a name associated with the portion of code;

storing the project file in the controller, the portion of code and the name associated with the portion of code is stored in a data space of the controller;

programming the data space during runtime of the controller, wherein the programming causes the portion of code to be re-used by a disparate name referencing the same data space; and

programmatically requesting the name or disparate name associated with a current context of execution of the portion of code by utilizing a generic identifier and an object type during runtime of the controller, the object type identifies a type of the object from a plurality of types, the generic identifier is used for each type of the plurality of types, the generic identifier and object type are employed with execution context information associated with the data space to retrieve the name or disparate name associated with the current context of execution of the portion of code.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the name is associated with an entity that is at least one of a task, a program, a routine, a controller, a component, a portion of code utilized by a controller, a module, an I/O module, a network, a drive, a motion axis, a drive, a trend, a structure, a tag, an object, a device;

or a modular controller component.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the assigned name is a string tag that is at least one of a virtual input, a physical input, a virtual output, or a physical output related to the programmable logic controller, and the string tag is represented in at least one of a Latin based ASCII, a UNICODE format, or a format utilized in an Asian language.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising utilizing the string tag by an external device that is at least one of an HMI, an Information Technology database, a disparate system, or a disparate controller.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising tracking changes to the name and disparate name during runtime execution, the programmatic request retrieves the changed name or changed disparate name associated with the current context of execution of the portion of code.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the programmed instruction is part of industrial application code that is part of the portion of code.

28. A system comprising:

means for receiving project file that includes at least a portion of code related to an object associated with a controller and a name associated with the portion of code;

means for storing the project file in the controller, the portion of code and the name associated with the portion of code data is stored in a data space of the controller; and

means for programming the data space during runtime of the controller, wherein the programming causes the portion of code to be re-used by a disparate name referencing the same data space; and

means for programmatically requesting the name or disparate name associated with a current context of execution of the portion of code by utilizing a generic identifier and an object type during runtime of the controller, the object type identifies a type of the object from a plurality of types, the generic identifier is used for each type of the plurality of types, the generic identifier and object type are employed with execution context information associated with the data space to retrieve the name or disparate name associated with the current context of execution of the portion of code.