Subscribing to alarms and events in a hierarchy

• US 8,164,435 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Kenwood H., Dorgelo, Eric G., Johnson, David K., Sapach, Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US13/041,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/501
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31438 Priority, queue of alarms
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

An alarm provision system comprises a recognizer component that receives an alarm/event and recognizes the alarm/event. A provision component analyzes hierarchical relationships associated with an industrial environment and automatically provides a subscribing entity with the alarm/event and at least one other alarm/event that is related to the received alarm/event, the provision of the at least one other alarm/event is based at least in part upon the analysis of the hierarchical relationships.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a recognizer component configured to determine a subscriber of an alarm based upon an identifier associated with the alarm; and

a provision component configured to provide the alarm to the subscriber;

wherein the recognizer component and provision component reside within an industrial device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the recognizer component is further configured to access a data repository to facilitate creation of a user defined alarm based on data stored in the data repository.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user input component configured to facilitate customization of an alarm.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alarm customization is at least one of an alteration of a severity of the alarm, an alteration of a categorization of the alarm, an alteration of a message associated with the alarm, an alteration of a system generated event associated with the alarm, an addition of data to the alarm, or a modification of a hierarchical relationship between the subscriber and the alarm.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the alarm customization is a function of a security parameter associated with an entity which instigates the alarm customization.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the alarm customization is a function of time.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bridge component configured to format the alarm into a format recognizable by the at least one subscriber.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an industrial device, an alarm, wherein the alarm has an associated identifier;

determining, at the industrial device, based upon the identifier, at least one subscriber of the alarm; and

initiating provision of, by the industrial device, the alarm to the at least one subscriber.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising accessing a data repository facilitating creating a user defined alarm based on data stored in the data repository.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising customizing the alarm.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the customizing of the alarm includes at least one of altering a severity of the alarm, altering categorization of the alarm, altering a message associated with the alarm, altering a system generated event associated with the alarm, adding data to the alarm, or modifying a hierarchical relationship between the at least one subscriber and the alarm.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the customizing of the alarm is a function of a security parameter associated with an entity instigating the alarm customization.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the customizing of the alarm is a function of time.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising formatting the alarm into a format recognizable by the at least one subscriber.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, comprising:

receiving an alarm, wherein the alarm has an associated identifier;

determining, based upon the identifier, at least one subscriber of the alarm; and

directing the alarm to the at least one subscriber, wherein the computing system resides in an industrial device.

16. The operations of claim 15, further comprising customizing the alarm.

17. The operations of claim 16, wherein the customizing of the alarm includes at least one of altering a severity of the alarm, altering categorization of the alarm, altering a message associated with the alarm, altering a system generated event associated with the alarm, adding data to the alarm, or modifying a hierarchical relationship between the at least one subscriber and the alarm.

18. The operations of claim 15, further comprising configuring a format of the alarm into a format recognizable by the at least one subscriber.

19. The operations of claim 15, further comprising generating the alarm based on received process parameters.