Industry template abstracting and creation for use in industrial automation and information solutions

• US 8,677,310 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weatherhead, N. Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Tina
• Application Number:
  US12/164,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-113, 717122-124, 700/97
• US Class Current: 717/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and/or methodology for the abstraction and creation of templates for use in industrial automation. The system providing for the abstraction of one or more engineering specifications, and creation of design templates based at least in part on the abstracted design templates. Additionally, the invention provides a user interface for modification of the template creation process and/or templates.

Claims

1. A system facilitating design template creation, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable components and communicatively coupled to the processor to facilitate operation of the computer executable components, the computer executable components, comprising;

an abstraction component configured to;

analyze an engineering specification of an industrial process to identify;

an industry specific layer, via an industry specific layer component, of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an industry in which the industrial process is implemented;

a customer specific layer, via a customer specific layer component, of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to a customer implementing the industrial process;

an application specific layer, via an application specific layer component, of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an application of the industrial process;

or

a project specification layer, via a project specific layer component, of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific a project of the industrial process; and

generate an abstracted engineering specification comprising the engineering specification without the one or more identified industry specific layer, customer specific layer, application specific layer, or project specific layer; and

a design component configured to generate a design template based at least in part on the abstracted engineering specification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the engineering specification includes at least one of a user requirement specification, a functional specification, a software design specification, a hardware engineering specification, an installation specification, a test specification, a quality or validation specification, or a software engineering specification.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the design component comprises a formatting component configured to format the abstracted engineering specification as the design template for use in template management system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the design component comprises a formatting component configured to format the abstracted engineering specification as the design template for utilization by an automated design system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more requirements specific to the industry comprise an environmental control.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more requirements specific to the industry comprise a regulatory control.

7. A method, comprising:

analyzing, by a device including a processor, an engineering specification of an industrial process, to identify;

an industry specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an industry in which the industrial process is implemented;

a customer specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to a customer implementing the industrial process;

an application specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an application of the industrial process;

or

a project specification layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific a project of the industrial process; and

generating, by the device, an abstracted engineering specification comprising the engineering specification without the identified one or more industry specific layer, customer specific layer, application specific layer, or project specific layer; and

generating, by the device, a design template based at least in part on the abstracted engineering specification.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the engineering specification includes at least one of a user requirement specification, a functional specification, a software design specification, a hardware engineering specification, an installation specification, a test specification, a quality or validation specification, or a software engineering specification.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more requirements specific to the project comprise a physical configuration of equipment.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more requirements specific to the customer comprise one or more pre-selected vendors of equipment.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more requirements specific to the industry comprise use of explosion resistant equipment.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a device including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

analyzing an engineering specification of an industrial process, to identify;

an industry specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an industry in which the industrial process is implemented;

a customer specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to a customer implementing the industrial process;

an application specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an application of the industrial process;

or

a project specification layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific a project of the industrial process; and

generating an abstracted engineering specification comprising the engineering specification without the identified one or more industry specific layer, customer specific layer, application specific layer, or project specific layer; and

generating a design template based at least in part on the abstracted engineering specification.

13. A method, comprising:

analyzing, by a system including a processor, an engineering specification of an industrial process, wherein the engineering specification includes at least one of a user requirement specification, a functional specification, a software design specification, a hardware engineering specification, an installation specification, a test specification, a qualify or validation specification, or a software engineering specification, to identify;

an industry specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an industry;

a customer specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to a customer implementing the industrial process;

an application specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an application of the industrial process;

or

a project specification layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific a project of the industrial process; and

generating, by the system, a design template based at least in part on a modified version of the engineering specification having removed the identified one or more industry specific layer, customer specific layer, project specific layer, or application specific layer.

14. A system, comprising:

means for identifying;

an industry specific layer of an engineering specification of an industrial process, wherein the industry specific layer specifies one or more requirements specific to an industry in which the industrial process is implemented;

a customer specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to a customer implementing the industrial process;

an application specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an application of the industrial process;

or

a project specification layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific a project of the industrial process;

means for generating an abstracted engineering specification comprising the engineering specification without the identified one or more industry specific layer, customer specific layer, application specific layer, or project specific layer; and

means for generating a design template based at least in part on the abstracted engineering specification.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

obtaining an engineering specification relating to an industrial automation manufacturing operation, wherein the engineering specification includes at least one of a user requirement specification, a function specification, a software design specification, a hardware engineering specification, an installation specification, a test specification, a quality or validation specification, or a software engineering specification;

identifying;

an industry specific layer of an engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an industry in which the industrial automation manufacturing operation is implemented;

a customer specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to a customer implementing the industrial process;

an application specific layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific to an application of the industrial process;

or

a project specification layer of the engineering specification that specifies one or more requirements specific a project of the industrial process; and

generating a design template based at least in part on a modified version of the engineering specification having removed the identified one or more industry specific layer, customer specific layer, application specific layer, or project specific layer.