Time stamp methods for unified plant model

• US 7,904,488 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Software Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hood, Gavan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stevens; Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/896,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/705, 707/803, 707/999.1, 707/999.3
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4493 Object persistence

Abstract

A system that facilitates generation of a unique identifier comprises a random number generator. A unique identifier creator receives a number generated by the random number generator and object instance data associated with an object. The unique identifier creator utilizes the object instance data and the random number to generate a unique identifier for an object associated with the object instance data.

Claims

1. A system that generates unique identifiers for work orders utilized in a factory, comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor;

a randomizer component that generates pseudo-random data, wherein the pseudo-random data includes information indexed into at least one system table that indicates information indicating a location in an industrial hierarchy of the factory where a work order is generated; and

a unique identifier creator that receives the pseudo-random data and receives object instance data associated with the work order and combines the object instance data and the pseudo-random data to generate a unique identifier for the work order,

wherein the object instance data comprises time stamp data for the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment and location data for the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment, the location data includes at least one of a path for a machine that created the work order or a node identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a component that associates the unique identifier with the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier creator generates the unique identifier in accordance with Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) standards.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier has a size of 128 bits.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier creator generates the unique identifier at a time of creation of the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier creator generates the unique identifier at a time of creation of the object instance data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is employed in connection with indexing the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an extraction component that stores the pseudo-random data and the object instance data within separate fields of a database.

9. The system of claim 8, the extraction component stores the pseudo-random data, the timestamp data and the location data within separate fields of the database.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the timestamp data comprises time formatted according to Universal Coordinated Time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the timestamp data comprises time formatted according to FILETIME.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier creator comprises a conversion component that converts time from a localized time standard to a global time standard.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the timestamp data comprises time formatted according to Greenwich Mean Time.

14. The system of claim 1, the object instance data further comprises a type of the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment.

15. The system of claim 1, the object instance data further comprises a structure of the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment.

16. The system of claim 1, the location data for the work order utilized in the manufacturing environment comprises a media access controller (MAC) address.

17. The system of claim 1, the object instance data further comprises an object name.

18. The system of claim 1, the object instance data further comprises an object version number.

19. The system of claim 1, the unique identifier creator receives archived object instance data associated with an archived object utilized in the manufacturing environment and utilizes the archived object instance data associated with the archived object utilized in the manufacturing environment to generate the unique identifier.

20. A method for uniquely identifying objects generated in a distributed enterprise system, comprising:

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

receiving time-stamp data, related to a time of generation of an object, formatted according to a standard consistent across the distributed enterprise system and location data that identifies a location within the distributed enterprise system where the object is generated;

receiving pseudo-random data from a randomizer component, wherein the pseudo-random data includes information indexed into at least one system table that indicates information indicating a location in an industrial hierarchy where a unique identifier is generated;

combining the time-stamp data, the location data and the pseudo-random data to generate the unique identifier that uniquely identifies the object; and

associating the unique identifier with the object, wherein the object is a work order generated in a factory.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein associating the unique identifier with the object further comprises embedding the unique identifier within the object.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein associating the unique identifier with the object further comprises linking the unique identifier with the object.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving a directory call for the object and combining the time-stamp data, the location data and the random number in response to the directory call.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the forming the unique identifier further comprises generating the unique identifier in a format in accordance with Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) standards.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the forming the unique identifier further comprises generating the unique identifier of a size of 128 bits.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the location data comprises an identity of a node in the distributed enterprise system.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising indexing the object according to the unique identifier.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising interrogating the unique identifier and extracting information from the unique identifier.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

partitioning the unique identifier into the pseudo-random data, time-stamp data and the location data; and

storing the pseudo-random data, the time-stamp data and the location data within separate fields of a database.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein the location data comprises an identity of a machine.

31. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving object identifying data, comprising at least one of an object name or an object version number and combining the time-stamp data, the location data, the object identifying data and the random number to generate the unique identifier that uniquely identifies the object.

32. The method of claim 20, further comprising hashing at least one of the time-stamp data or the location data.