Application builder for industrial automation

• US 8,255,875 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Canada Ltd. (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Chouinard, Julien, Brunet, Gilles, Lavallee, Denis, Trang, Chan-Dara, Laliberte, Jean-Francois, Larouche, Olivier, Darveau, Frédéric
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Mongbao
• Application Number:
  US12/242,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-135
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3648 using additional hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A control system development platform is provided. The platform includes a shell component adapted to support development of a control systems application. An abstract model is associated with the shell component to facilitate development of the control systems applications.

Claims

1. A control system, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory;

a shell component configured to employ an abstract model to provide one or more services or views for development of a control systems application, wherein the abstract model provides interfaces to a plurality of industrial automation protocols;

a debug component operative with the shell component, wherein the debug component is configured to enable debugging of the control systems application using the abstract model; and

an abstract service configured to enable subscription to a group of variables from the plurality of industrial automation protocols and to set, lock, or unlock one or more of the variables, wherein the abstract service is further configured to package a value change notification of one or more of the variables into an event argument and generate a notification to a corresponding subscription of the group of variables.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the debug component is further configured to delegate debugging commands to a plurality of Fieldbus protocol instances that delegate back event notifications to the debug component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the debugging component is further configured to delegates event notifications to a debug engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the debug component is further configured to processes multiple concurrent resource connections.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the debug component is further configured to translate breakpoints, stepping commands, and events.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the shell component further comprises an isolated mode function or an integrated mode function.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a Fieldbus component configured to provide a common application programming interface to manage dialog, upload, download, and on-line changes with Fieldbus protocol platforms.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the abstract service is further configured to unify communications error messages from the plurality of industrial automation protocols in an exception pattern according to the abstract model.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a framework component configured with a plurality of loggers to log events from the plurality of industrial automation protocols in a hierarchical log corresponding to a hierarchy of associated industrial automation components.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a loggers inherits properties from an associated industrial automation component.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the framework component is further configured to receive one or more log filters specifying criteria to employ for excluding events from being logged.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a spy list configured to enable setting or displaying variable values.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the spy list is configured to display short descriptions for instances of variables.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the spy list is further configured to enable dragging and dropping of variables from a dictionary onto the spy list.

15. A control system development method executed by a central processing unit (CPU), comprising:

providing one or more services or views for constructing a control systems application, wherein the one or more service or views employs an abstract model that interfaces to a plurality of industrial automation protocols;

debugging the control systems application using the abstract model;

enabling subscription to a group of variables from the plurality of industrial automation protocols and to set, lock, or unlock one or more of the variables; and

packaging a value change notification of one or more of the variables into an event argument and generate a notification to a corresponding subscription of the group of variables.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising unifying communications error messages from the plurality of industrial automation protocols in an exception pattern using the abstract model.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising employing a plurality of loggers to log events from the plurality of industrial automation protocols in a hierarchical log corresponding to a hierarchy of associated industrial automation components.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause at least one device to perform operations comprising:

providing one or more services or views for constructing a control systems application, wherein the one or more service or views employs an abstract model that interfaces to a plurality of industrial automation protocols; and

debugging the control systems application using the abstract model;

enabling subscription to a group of variables from the plurality of industrial automation protocols and to set, lock, or unlock one or more of the variables; and

packaging a value change notification of one or more of the variables into an event argument and generate a notification to a corresponding subscription of the group of variables.