Messaging configuration system

• US 8,812,684 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Hood, Gavan W., Kalan, Michael D., Chand, Sujeet, D'Mura, Paul R., Hall, Kenwood H., Plache, Kenneth S., Bromley, Clifton H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/536,269
• Time in Patent Office: 2,882 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/227, 709/228, 709/230, 700/1
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Systems and methods that facilitate messaging capabilities within a unified plant model (UPM) via employing a plurality of core messaging primitives for configuration of messages that interact with a message engine of the industrial plant. In a related aspect, initially messaging host modules can be located on a network and associated policies identified. Next, data type ID and name syntax can be defined and unique UPM system identifiers generated by the system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory configured to store computer-executable components;

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, configured to execute or facilitate execution of the computer executable components, the computer executable components, comprising;

a message engine configured to normalize messaging of at least two disparate protocols, between devices in a unified plant model; and

at least one messaging primitive configured to format a message for interaction with the message engine based on scenario definition data received from a library component of the unified plant model, wherein the scenario definition data defines transmission terms associated with a transmission of the message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the messaging primitive is further configured to define type identifier data indicative of a type identifier for a data type associated with the message.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the type identifier is specified within a defined field.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the messaging primitive is further configured to define security data indicative of a security attribute associated with the message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the scenario definition data specifies a send event and a receive event for a controller device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:

a component that defines template data indicative of a template for a set of common activities performed in a manufacturing plant, wherein the template data is customized based on user configuration data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the message engine is further configured to support self-describing messaging.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:

a view component configured to provide information pertaining to the unified plant model, wherein the information is common to at least one of a proprietary device or a third party legacy device represented in the unified plant model.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one messaging primitive is further configured to format the message based on quality of service metric data received from an administration environment device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:

an artificial intelligence component configured to determine information within at least one of a network or an application; and

a directory interface that provides, to a requesting entity, the information from a data source.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the directory interface is further configured to provide a logical depiction of the unified plant model, comprising device addressing information for a set of devices in the unified plant model that is determined based on information indicative of at least one of an application requesting the data, a role of a user, or a requirement of the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the scenario definition data specifies a one-way transmission to facilitate reception of the message by an endpoint device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the scenario definition data specifies a notification transmission to facilitate a transmission of the by an endpoint device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the message engine is a first message engine and the computer executable components further comprise:

a message bus comprising the first message engine and a second message engine, that is configured to communicate with one or more third party devices.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the message engine resides within an industrial controller.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable components further comprise:

a security component configured to authorize at least one of message posting to the message engine or message retrieval from the message engine.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a message engine comprising a processor, message data indicative of a message;

normalizing the message data to provide a consistent interface between devices represented by a unified plant model; and

configuring the message based on a defined messaging primitive, which is identified based on scenario definition data that is retrieved from the unified plant model, wherein the scenario definition data defines transmission terms associated with a transmission of the message.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

based on the scenario definition data, mapping a third party device with a factory automation device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining field data indicative of a defined field for data type identification associated with the message.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

defining a data type within a defined field.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the message engine is a first message engine and the method further comprises:

linking the first message engine with a second message engine of the unified plant model to facilitate a routing of the message.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to verifying that the messaging primitive comprises a send event and a receive event that are common to a controller and an application, at least one of splitting execution of the application between servers or moving the execution of the application from a first server of the servers to a second server of the servers.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

reducing glue code in at least one of configuring or managing message exchange, between the devices that employ at least one of disparate protocols or disparate message formats.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the scenario definition data based on definition data stored within a library component of the unified plant model, wherein the definition data is indicative of a logical definition of a service.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the scenario definition data based on definition data stored within a library component of the unified plant model, wherein the definition data is indicative of a logical definition of the message.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the messaging primitive based on scenario definition data that specifies a request-response scenario wherein an endpoint device of the devices is to receive the message and send a correlated message.

27. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the messaging primitive based on scenario definition data that specifies a solicit-response scenario wherein an endpoint device of the devices sends the message and receives a correlated message.

28. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the messaging primitive based on scenario definition data that specifies a one-way transmission scenario wherein an endpoint device of the devices is to receive the message.

29. An industrial automation system, comprising:

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, implement computer-executable components comprising;

a message engine with at least one messaging primitive, configured to supply a consistent interface messaging of at least two disparate formats between devices within a unified plant model, the messaging primitive configures data between the devices based on scenario definition information accessed from a unified plant model library, wherein the scenario definition data defines transmission terms associated with a transmission of a message between the devices; and

a message bus configured to communicate with the message engine for transfer of the message.

30. The industrial automation system of claim 29, wherein the scenario definition data is to be employed to facilitate mapping a third party device with a automation device of the industrial automation system.

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

normalizing messaging of at least two disparate protocols or formats between devices within a unified plant model;

receiving scenario definition data, associated with the messaging, from a unified plant model library, wherein the scenario definition data defines transmission terms associated with a transmission of a message between the devices; and

configuring the message based on the scenario definition data.

32. A method, comprising:

normalizing a message transferred between at least two devices over at least two disparate protocols in a unified plant model; and

configuring the message based at least in part on information indicative of a logical definition of a scenario received from a library of the unified plant model, wherein the logical definition specifies transmission terms associated with a transmission of the message.