Distributed message engines and systems

• US 8,127,035 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hood, Gavan W., Kalan, Michael D., Chand, Sujeet, D'Mura, Paul R., Hall, Kenwood H., Plache, Kenneth S., Bromley, Clifton H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/536,338
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/227, 709/228, 709/230, 700/1
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Systems and methods that facilitate messaging capabilities within a unified plant model (UPM) via employing a plurality of message engines that collaborate in such system. Linkage can be provided among the plurality of message engines, to provide real time interaction among the message engines/services, wherein each message engine normalizes messaging of various messaging protocols and formats. Also various systems of the UPM can map thereto—and provide a consistent interface where events are sent/received consistently across the system.

Claims

1. A distributed message exchange system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having stored therein computer-executable components, comprising;

a unified plant model (UPM) comprising a UPM message protocol, wherein the UPM messaging protocol comprises;

a user process, controller program or system stack,

a message library functions and controller instructions stack,

a messaging services protocol interface stack,

a communications protocol stack,

a message protocol stack,

a network stack,

a network protocol stack, and

a physical layer stack;

a plurality of message engines with linkage therebetween, the plurality of message engines configured to normalize messages of various communication protocols and message formats according to the UPM, wherein the plurality of message engines are further configured to transmit the messages independent of an availability of at least one of a sender or a recipient of the messages.

2. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1 further comprising a directory configured to provide a logical view of the UPM.

3. The distributed message exchange system of claim 2, the logical view further comprising physical location of data subscriber.

4. The distributed message exchange system of claim 3 further comprising a view configured to provide a common perspective to proprietary and third party legacy information.

5. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the message library functions and the controller instructions stack comprises library components configured to facilitate type conversions and a message exchange between the plurality of message engines.

6. The distributed message exchange system of claim 5, the library components comprise logical definitions of messages.

7. The distributed message exchange system of claim 5 further comprising scenario definitions that are built from library components.

8. The distributed message exchange system of claim 5 further comprising application solutions that are deployable to the UPM and bound to physical devices.

9. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the plurality of message engines further configured to support self describing messages.

10. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the plurality of message engines further comprising a registration component configured to register applications with the plurality of message engine.

11. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the plurality of message engines deployable based on quality of service metrics from an administration environment.

12. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the plurality of message engines configurable to send messages based upon quality of service levels, the quality of service levels comprising at least one of send once with no guarantee of delivery, send with guaranteed delivery, or send once with guarantee of delivery.

13. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the plurality of message engines configurable to send messages based upon a qualification, wherein the qualification is at least one of send messages with a minimum time delay between transmissions, group multiple messages together in a batch, delete unhandled message after a specified elapsed time, or forward message to another queue after a specified elapsed time.

14. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1 further comprising a library configured to contain data for representation of industrial operations.

15. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, the plurality of message engines comprise an application interface configured to provide common access points between applications.

16. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1 further comprising a management interface that is common to an integrator component and a historian that form part of the unified plant model.

17. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, wherein the recipient is at least one of an industrial controller, a robot, a state machine, a subscriber to the message engine, a database, a server, a client, an integration server, a business system, a business application, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), or a Machine Control (MC) system.

18. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of message engines is located in an industrial controller.

19. The distributed message exchange system of claim 1 further comprising a security mechanism configured to authorize message posting to the message engine and message retrieval from the message engine.

20. A method of message exchange within an industrial plant comprising:

supplying a linkage among a plurality of message engines within a unified plant model (UPM), the message engines having messaging protocols, comprising;

a user process, controller program or system stack,

a message library functions and controller instructions stack,

a messaging services protocol interface stack,

a communications protocol stack,

a message protocol stack,

a network stack;

a network protocol stack, and

a physical layer stack;

receiving a message by a messaging engine of the plurality of message engines;

normalizing the message by the messaging engine;

determining appropriate mapping for routing the message; and

transmitting the message by a messaging engine of the plurality of message engines independent of an availability of at least one of a sender or a recipient of the message.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising supplying real time exchange of messaging among modules and applications.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising sending the message based upon quality of service levels comprising at least one of sending once with no guarantee of delivery, sending with guaranteed delivery, or sending once with guarantee of delivery.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising sending the message based upon a qualification comprising at least one of sending messages with a minimum time delay between transmissions, grouping multiple messages together in a batch, deleting an unhandled message after a specified elapsed time, or forwarding the message to another queue after a specified elapsed time.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising referencing message definitions in libraries.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising building libraries that represent industrial operations for the industrial plant.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising managing exchanged messages consistently across the industrial plant.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising accumulating attributes related to a message during transmission in a network.

28. The method of claim 20 further comprising supplying support for a plurality of message channels at different logical and physical levels.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

instructions for supplying a linkage among a plurality of message engines within a unified plant model (UPM), wherein the UPM comprises a messaging protocol comprising;

a user process, controller program or system stack,

a message library functions and controller instructions stack,

a messaging services protocol interface stack,

a communications protocol stack,

a message protocol stack,

a network stack,

a network protocol stack, and

a physical layer stack;

instructions for receiving a message by a messaging engine of the plurality of message engines;

instructions for normalizing the message by the messaging engine;

instructions for determining appropriate mapping for routing the message; and

instructions for transmitting the message by the messaging engine of the plurality of message engines independent of an availability of at least one of a sender or a recipient of the message.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29 further comprising instructions for sending the message based upon a qualification, wherein the qualification is least one of send messages with a minimum time delay between transmissions, group multiple messages together in a batch, delete unhandled message after a specified elapsed time, or forward message to another queue after a specified elapsed time.

31. A system that facilitates reliable messaging within an industrial setting comprising:

means for exchanging messages among a plurality of industrial units according to a unified plant model, wherein the means for exchanging operates independent of an availability of at least one of a sender or a recipient of the message), wherein the unified plant model comprises a messaging protocol comprising;

a user process, controller program or system stack,

a message library functions and controller instructions stack,

a messaging services protocol interface stack,

a communications protocol stack,

a message protocol stack,

a network stack,

a network protocol stack, and

a physical layer stack;

means for normalizing messaging of various protocols and formats within the means for exchanging messages, and

means for mapping the unified plant model to the means for normalizing.