Methods and systems for managing and controlling an automation control module system

• US 7,904,583 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Fanuc Automation North America Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GE Fanuc Automation North America Incorporated
• Inventors: Chambers, Robert Baxter II, Mercer, Ferrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van Kim T
• Application Number:
  US10/617,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,797 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/223, 709/225, 709/230, 709/236, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A web-enabled automation control module (ACM) system includes at least one network module configured to receive a request for a file from the network, a web server and database module located outside the network module and including a database configured to store the file, and an ACM central processing unit (CPU) configured to send ACM data to the web server and database module to embed ACM data in the file.

Claims

1. A web-enabled automation control module (ACM) system comprising:

a computer configured to send a request for a file;

a first network module and a second network module located outside of said computer and outside a web server and database module, said first network module and said second network module configured to receive the request from said computer via a network;

an ACM backplane for transferring the request from said first network module and said second network module;

a database located within said web server and database module configured to store the file;

said web server located within said web server and database module configured to;

receive the request for the file from said first network module via said ACM backplane;

parse the file for tag functions used to request specific ACM data; and

send the requested file to said first network module, said first network module further configured sends the requested file to a user requesting the file;

a transfer server located within said network module; and

an ACM central processing unit (CPU) configured to send the requested ACM data to said web server and database module, wherein said web server is further configured to embed the ACM data in the file to facilitate transferring the ACM data to said network module in response to the request, said ACM CPU coupled directly to said web server and database module.

2. An ACM system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said web server is configured to:

obtain the file from said database to respond to the request.

3. An ACM system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said transfer server is configured to:

receive the request from said computer via the network;

send the request to said web server and database module;

receive the file from said web server and database module; and

send the file to said computer via the network.

4. An ACM system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said web server and database module is electrically connected to said network module via said ACM backplane and via the network.

5. An ACM system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said web server and database module is coupled to said ACM CPU that is electrically coupled to said ACM backplane via an interface.

6. An ACM system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first network module comprises:

a second web server that is configured to;

obtain the file from said database; and

transmit the file to the network; and

a network interface electrically connected to said second web server and the network.

7. An ACM system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said web server and database module is coupled to said ACM CPU that is electrically coupled to said ACM backplane via an interface.

8. An ACM system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the network is an Ethernet network.

14. An ACM system in accordance with claim 1 wherein sending the request for the file from the network to the first network module comprises sending the request for the file from an Ethernet network to the first network module.

9. A method for managing and controlling an automation control module (ACM) system, said method comprising:

sending a request for a file from a computer through a network to a first network module and a second network module located outside of the computer and outside a web server and database module;

sending the request from the first network module and the second network module via an ACM backplane to a web server located within the web server and database module;

receiving, by the web server, the request via the ACM backplane;

storing the file in a database of the web server and database module;

requesting, by the web server, ACM data from an ACM central processing unit (CPU) that is coupled directly to the web server and database module based on tag functions embedded in the file;

sending the requested ACM data from the ACM CPU to the web server and database module, wherein the ACM CPU is coupled directly to the web server and database module;

retrieving the file from the database via the web server;

embedding the ACM data in the file to facilitate transferring the ACM data to the first network module in response to the request; and

transmitting the file from the web server to the computer via the first network module and the network.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 further comprising:

sending the request from the network to a transfer server of the first network module;

sending the request from the transfer server to the web server and database module; and

waiting to receive the file from the web server and database module.

11. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein sending the request from the first network module to the web server of the web server and database module comprises sending the request from the first network module to the web server of the web server and database module via the network.

12. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein sending the request from the first network module to the web server of the web server and database module comprises sending the request from the network module to the web server and database module located within the ACM CPU.

13. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein storing the file in the database of the web server and database module comprises storing the file in the database of the web server and database module located within the ACM CPU.

15. A method for managing and controlling an automation control module (ACM) system, the ACM system including a first network module and a second network module located outside of a computer, the first network module and the second network module being electrically connected to a network, the ACM system also including a web server and database module electrically connected to the first network module and the second network module, the web server and database module being located outside the first network module and the second network module, the web server and database module including a web processing component, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a file from the computer through the network by the first network module and the second network module located outside of the computer and outside the web server and database module;

receiving, by the web processing component, the request via an ACM backplane;

storing the file in a database of the web server and database module;

parsing the file for tag functions used to determine desired ACM data to be returned to the computer;

transmitting the desired ACM data to be embedded in the file from an ACM central processing unit (CPU) to facilitate transferring the ACM data to the computer via the first network module in response to the request, wherein the ACM CPU is coupled directly to the web server and database module;

retrieving the file requested from the database of the web server and database module;

transmitting the file requested from the web processing component to the first network module; and

sending the file requested via the network from the first network module to a user requesting the file.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 further comprising:

sending the request from the first network module to the web processing component of the web server and database module;

obtaining the file from the database to respond to the request; and

sending the file from the web processing component to the first network module.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein sending the request from the first network module to the web processing component of the web server and database module comprises sending the request from the first network module to the web server of the web server and database module via the network.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein sending the request from the first network module to the web processing component of the web server and database module comprises sending the request from the network module to the web server and database module located within the ACM CPU.

19. A method for managing and controlling network traffic comprising utilizing at least one network module and a web server and database module that includes a web processing component and a database, the web server and database module located outside the at least one network module, said method comprising:

receiving, by a first network module and a second network module located outside of a computer and outside the web server and database module, a message from the computer via a network;

transferring the message from the first network module and the second network module via an automation control module (ACM) backplane to the web processing component to facilitate transferring the message to the first network module in response to a request, wherein the message is transferred from an ACM central processing unit (CPU) that is coupled directly to the web server and database module;

receiving, by the web processing component, the message via the ACM backplane;

storing a file requested in the message in the database of the web server and database module;

parsing the file to determine a set of requested ACM data based on tag functions within the file;

embedding the requested ACM data in the message in response to execution of the tag functions;

retrieving the file requested in the message from the database of the web server and database module;

transmitting the file requested from the web processing component to the first network module; and

sending the file requested via the network from the first network module to a user requesting the file.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein retrieving the file comprises retrieving at least one of a web page file, a document file, an e-mail file, an image file, an audio file, and a video file.

21. A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein receiving the message comprises receiving, by the network module, the message via an Ethernet network.