Dynamic procedure selection

• US 8,078,296 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: D'Mura, Paul R., Hood, Gavan W., Hall, Kenwood H., Chand, Sujeet, Kalan, Michael D., Plache, Kenneth S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTSON, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US11/536,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83, 700/86, 700/19, 700/20, 717/177, 717/178, 717/101, 717/107, 717/110, 717/113
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC

Abstract

A dynamic selection component for an industrial automation system is provided. The system includes one or more abstraction layers that are executed by a controller, the abstraction layers specify higher level requirements of a process. At least one execution layer is provided that is responsive to the abstraction layers, where the execution layer includes one or more process components that are dynamically selectable at runtime in view of the higher level requirements of the process.

Claims

1. An apparatus for an industrial automation system, comprising:

an interface configured to receive one or more parameters for a control process in the industrial automation system;

a memory configured to store a dynamic selection component, wherein the dynamic selection component comprises;

one or more abstraction layers that specify higher level requirements of the process based at least in part on the one or more parameters, wherein the one or more abstraction layers comprise one or more modules; and

at least one execution layer, comprising one or more process components that carry out the control process based at least in part upon the higher level requirements, wherein the at least one execution layer comprises at least one module; and

at least one processor configured to translate the one or more parameters into the higher level requirements, communicate the higher level requirements to the at least one execution layer via the one or more abstraction layers, and execute the at least one execution layer based at least in part upon the higher level requirements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more process variables, one or more process conditions, one or more process requests, one or more process parameters, or one or more process requirements.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is at least one production management computer, at least one batch server or at least one programmable logic controller.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to employ a communications protocol to communicate between the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one execution layer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters relate to an execution path.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein at least one processor is further configured to determine the execution path based at least in part on one or more control components associated with the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one execution layer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of an environmental parameter, a chemical parameter, a material parameter, or a material requirement parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the material requirement parameter is employed to initiate a sub-procedure to produce a material that is employed in a subsequent mixture.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one execution layer includes a procedure layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer are associated with resources within the industrial automation system.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer include at least one nested module.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers includes at least one segment module.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers or the at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer is an activated instance that executes on the apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer include one or more attributes defined according to a common data model.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer include at least one command interface that includes input/output (I/O) mapping and material management logic routines.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers and the at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer communicate via one or more system messages.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to communicate the higher level requirements to the at least one execution layer via one or more modules associated with the one or more abstraction layers, and execute at least one module associated with the at least one execution layer based at least in part upon the higher level requirements.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the nested module is based at least in part on an organizational hierarchy.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one abstraction layer comprises at least one requirements layer and at least one actions layer.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving one or more parameters for a control process in an industrial automation system at a hardware industrial controller;

dynamically selecting one or more abstraction layers that are adapted to the control process based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

translating the one or more parameters into one or more higher level requirements within the one or more abstraction layers;

dynamically adjusting at least one functionality of at least one lower level control procedure for the control process based at least in part on the one or more higher level requirements; and

executing the at least one control procedure for the control process on the hardware industrial controller.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising defining one or more modules to perform at least one of the one or more abstract layers or the at least one control procedure.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of an environmental parameter, a chemical parameter, a material parameter, or a material requirement parameter.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising recording a production execution path and inputs affecting the production execution path.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising generating multiple candidate production execution paths and selecting at least one of the multiple candidate production execution paths based on evaluation rules or options that are presented to an operator.

25. An industrial controller for an industrial automation system, comprising:

an interface configured to receive one or more parameters for a control process in the industrial automation system;

a memory configured to store a dynamic selection component, wherein the dynamic selection component comprises;

one or more abstraction layers, comprising one or more modules, that specify higher level requirements of the process based at least in part on the one or more parameters; and

at least one execution layer, comprising at least one module that carries out the control process based at least in part upon the higher level requirements; and

at least one processor configured to translate the one or more parameters into the higher level requirements, communicate the higher level requirements to the at least one execution layer via the one or more abstraction layers, and execute the at least one execution layer based at least in part upon the higher level requirements.