Information technology integration with automation systems

• US 8,806,099 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Dean
• Application Number:
  US12/776,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 710/106
• US Class Current: 710/106
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31369 Translation, conversion of protocol between two layers, networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The subject disclosure pertains to transparent communications in an industrial automation environment amongst automation system components and IT systems. Systems and methods are provided that send and receive data to, from and amongst automation devices and transactional based IT systems. The system is viewed as a control system to the automation device and as a transactional system to the IT system. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a custom interface between automation devices and the IT systems.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computer system to perform operations, comprising:

receiving data fragments from a transaction-based remote system;

assembling the data fragments in a data buffer of a control module to yield assembled data;

in response to a determination that the assembling is complete, suspending execution of a scheduler associated with the control module and preventing the control module from modifying controller data in the data structure, wherein the controller data represents at least one of measured inputs from or control outputs to an industrial process controlled by the control module, and wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule one or more concurrent tasks for execution by the control module;

converting the assembled data in the data buffer from a database protocol to a serial control module protocol to yield converted data;

writing the assembled data from the data buffer to the data structure; and

unlocking the execution of the scheduler in response to a determination that the writing the assembled data is complete.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the serial control module protocol is Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the remote system is at least one of a control module, a database, a web service, or a transaction management server.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the receiving, the suspending, or the converting is performed by an Ethernet module configured to communicatively couple to the control module.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the converted data is first converted data, and the operations further comprise:

writing a subset of the controller data from the data structure to the data buffer;

converting the subset of the controller data from the serial control module protocol to the database protocol to yield second converted data; and

sending the second converted data to the transaction-based remote system.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise dividing the second converted data into two or more fragments prior to the sending.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein dividing comprises dividing the second converted data based at least on a packet size limitation determined to be imposed by at least one of a backplane of a controller rack or a network over which the second converted data is to be sent.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise suspending execution of the scheduler and preventing the control module from modifying the data structure while or substantially while the subset of the controller data is being written to the data buffer.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the database protocol is at least one of Open Database Connectivity, Java Database Connectivity, Simple Object Access Protocol, or Message Queue messaging.

10. An industrial controller communication system, comprising:

an interface component implemented in a control module and configured to receive data fragments from a transaction-based remote system;

a scheduler configured to schedule one or more concurrent tasks for execution;

a translator component configured to convert the data fragments from a database protocol to a serial control module protocol to yield converted data fragments;

a receive component associated with the control module configured to assemble the converted data fragments in a data buffer of the control module to yield assembled data;

a transaction manager configured to, in response to a determination that the receive component has finished assembling the converted data fragments, copy the assembled data from the data buffer to a data structure that stores measured input data and control output data for an industrial process controlled by the control module, wherein the transaction manager is further configured to suspend execution of the scheduler and prevent the control module from modifying the data structure as the assembled data is being copied from the data buffer to the data structure, and wherein suspension of the scheduler prevents execution of the one or more concurrent tasks; and

wherein the transaction manager unlocks the execution of the scheduler in response to a determination that the copying assembled data is complete.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the serial control module protocol is Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the remote system is at least one of a control module, a database, a web service, or a transaction management server.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the interface component or the translator component reside on an Ethernet module configured to communicatively coupled to the control module via a backplane of an industrial controller.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the translator component is further configured to convert the data fragments based at least in part on a map contained in a configuration file that specifies a type of conversion.

15. A method for receiving data f-ram at a control module, comprising:

receiving, by a control module comprising a data structure storing control data representing at least one of measured inputs from or control outputs to an industrial process controlled by the control module, data fragments from a transactional remote system;

assembling the data fragments in a data buffer of the control module to yield assembled data;

in response to a determination that the assembling is complete, suspending execution of a scheduler associated with the control module wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule one or more concurrent tasks for execution by the control module;

converting at least a subset of the assembled data in the data buffer from a database protocol to a continuous serial protocol to yield converted data;

copying at least a subset of the converted data from the data buffer to the data structure while the execution of the scheduler is suspended;

blocking modification of the control data in the data structure while at least the subset of the converted data is being copied from the data buffer to the data structure; and

in response to a determination that the copying at least a subset of the converted data is complete, unlocking the execution of the scheduler.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the converted data is first converted data, and wherein the method further comprises:

copying at least a subset of the control data from the data structure to the data buffer;

converting at least the subset of the control data from the continuous serial protocol to the database protocol to yield second converted data; and

sending the second converted data to the transactional remote system.