Methods and apparatus for control configuration with control objects that are fieldbus protocol-aware

• US 8,127,060 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Doll, Benno, Kostadinov, Vladimir, Eldridge, Keith E.
• Primary Examiner(s): STIGLIC, RYAN M
• Application Number:
  US12/474,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 710/104
• US Class Current: 710/104
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23299 Remote load of program, through fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25061 Configuration stored in central database

Abstract

The invention provides, in some aspects, improved apparatus for configuring a control system. The apparatus includes a model made up of objects representing devices of such a system, including, at least one device that defines and/or controls communications on at least a portion of a network within that system. That device is referred to, here, as a “bus master” and the portion of the network is referred to as a “segment.” The object (or objects) representing the bus master can include information defining timings, port assignments and/or other aspects of the configuration of the segment. A download service transfers configuration information from objects in the model to devices in the control system. This includes transferring to the bus master communications configuration information for the segment. A download service according to this aspect of the invention generates—e.g., for logging by a change tracking system—indicia of the configuration information transferred to the bus master. The download service can likewise generate for logging (by the change tracking system) information transferred from the model to other devices in control system.

Claims

1. Apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising

A. a model comprising one or more objects representing one or more devices of a control system,

B. at least one of the objects representing at least one device (“

bus master”

) that defines and/or controls communications on at least a portion of a network (“

segment”

) over which at least one of the devices communicates, the at least one object including information defining a configuration of the segment,

C. a download service that is coupled to the model and to the control system and that transfers to the control system at least selected configuration information from objects in the model,

D. a change tracking system that is in communications coupling with the download service,

E. the download service transferring to the bus master communications configuration information for the segment and wherein a track attribute of the object indicates whether the object reports its downloading to the device in the control system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the change tracking system logs for any of retrieval and reporting configuration information received by it.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the download service transfers to one or more of the devices, in addition to bus master, configuration information from objects in the model.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the download service generates for logging by the change tracking system indicia of the information transferred to the devices in the control system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object representing the bus master includes information defining timing of information transfers on the segment.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object representing the bus master includes information defining one or more of the following aspects of configuration of the segment:

a master station address, a highest station address that can be assigned to the master address, a minimum slave interval, a data control time, a data transfer rate, a maximum retry limit, a GAP update factor, a slot time, a minimum station delay response time, a maximum station delay response time, a setup time, a quiet time, a target rotation time.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the objects represents at least one slave device (“

bus slave”

) in communications with the bus master over the segment.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the download service transfers to the bus slave communications configuration information for the segment and generates for logging by the change tracking system indicia of the configuration information transferred to the bus slave.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object representing the bus slave includes information defining timing of information transfers on the segment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object representing the bus slave includes information defining one or more of the following aspects of configuration of the segment:

a minimum station delay response time, a watchdog time, Sync and Freeze mode support, a device failure timeout, groups definition, a DPV1 response timeout, and a failsafe flag.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the download service generates one or more XML files for transmission to the change tracking system in order to convey indicia of the information transferred to the bus slave.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicia of the information transferred to the bus master include names and values of configuration parameters.

13. Apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising

A. a model comprising one or more objects representing one or more devices of a control system,

B. at least one of the objects representing at least one device (“

bus slave”

) on a portion of a network (“

segment”

) that is defined and/or controlled by another device (“

bus master”

), the at least one object including information defining a configuration of the segment,

C. a download service that transfers to the control system at least selected configuration information from objects in the model,

D. the download service transferring to the bus slave communications configuration information for the segment and wherein a track attribute of the object indicates whether the object reports its downloading to the device in the control system.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the change tracking system is coupled to at least the download service and logs for any of retrieval and reporting configuration information received by it.