Method and apparatus for distributing configuration files in a distributed control system

• US 8,904,074 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Lee, Kenneth S., Blair, Richard A., Dhayagude, Nitin, Van de Steeg, Kerry, Schaffner, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Cleary, Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/967,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,528 Days
• Field of Search: 710/110, 710/107, 710/2, 710/8, 710/10, 710104-106, 710305-306, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 710/110
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/054 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1101 Remote I-O
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1138 Configuration of I-O
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1142 Load in replacement I-O stored configuration

Abstract

The invention described herein provides a system and method for distributing and applying a configuration file from a master device (102) to a slave device (104) in a distributed control system (100). According to aspects of the invention, a configuration file is saved at a master device (102) and distributed to the slave device (104) via the data payload of a fieldbus protocol, such as the CANopen protocol. Aspects of the present invention may be used to further configure an I/O island or sub-network (108) that is attached to the slave device (104). Further aspects of the present invention may be used to repair or replace failed devices in a distributed control system (100).

Claims

1. In a distributed control system of an industrial automation network, the control system having a master device, a slave device, and a sub-network of control devices that comprises a first control device, wherein the first control device is coupled to the slave device, a method comprising:

receiving at the slave device, from the master device, a configuration file in a data payload via a fieldbus protocol;

extracting at the slave device the configuration file;

configuring the slave device using the configuration file; and

configuring, by the slave device, the first control device from a subset of configuration information contained in the configuration file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fieldbus protocol is the CANopen protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-network of control devices includes a plurality of I/O modules.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using, by the slave device, the configuration file to configure other control devices of the sub-network of control devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the configuration file by the master device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the configuration file by a computing device separate from the master device, and transferring the configuration file to the master device.

7. In a distributed control system of an industrial automation network, the control system comprising a master device, a slave device, and a sub-network of control devices including a first control device coupled to the at least one slave device, a method comprising:

creating at the master device a configuration file, wherein the configuration file contains a configuration object for configuring the first control device;

sending, by the master device, the configuration file to the slave device via one or more data payload portions of a fieldbus protocol;

configuring the slave device using the configuration file; and

configuring, by the slave device, the first control device based on the configuration object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fieldbus protocol is the CANopen protocol.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the sub-network of control devices comprises a plurality of I/O modules.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the creating at the master device the configuration file comprises:

receiving configuration instructions from a separate computing device; and

formatting the configuration instructions into the configuration file.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

saving the configuration file at the master device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the saving of the configuration file includes saving a date and a time corresponding to when the configuration file was created.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, responsive to detecting that the slave device re-boots, whether a current configuration file on the slave device has a date and time that match the date and time corresponding to when the configuration file was created by the master; and

re-sending by the master device, responsive to determining that the date and time on the current configuration file on the slave device do not match the date and time corresponding to when the configuration file was created by the master, the configuration file to the slave device via one or more data payload portions of the fieldbus protocol.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending by the master device, responsive to recognizing that a second slave device boots up, the configuration file to the second slave device via one or more data payload portions of the fieldbus protocol.

15. An industrial automation system comprising:

a programmable logic controller (PLC) having a software program for creating and sending a downloadable configuration file via one or more data payload portions of a fieldbus protocol;

a network interface module (NIM) coupled to the PLC via a fieldbus network, the NIM adapted to receive the downloadable configuration file via the fieldbus network from the PLC and to be configured using the configuration file; and

an I/O module coupled to the NIM, the I/O module being configured by the NIM using a subset of configuration information contained in the configuration file.

16. The industrial automation system of claim 15, wherein the fieldbus network is a CANopen network.

17. The industrial automation system of claim 15, wherein the PLC is adapted to save the configuration file.

18. The industrial automation system of claim 17, wherein saving the configuration file comprises saving a date and a time corresponding to when the configuration file was created.

19. The industrial automation system of claim 18, wherein the PLC is further adapted to determine, responsive to detecting that the I/O module re-boots, whether a current configuration file on the I/O module has a date and time that match the date and time corresponding to when the configuration file was created.

20. In a distributed control system of an industrial automation network, the control system having a master device, a slave device, and a sub-network of control devices that includes a first control device, a method, comprising:

receiving at the slave device, from the master device, a data payload via a fieldbus protocol;

configuring the slave device based on a first portion of the data payload; and

configuring, by the slave device, the sub-network of control devices based on a second portion of the data payload.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second portion of the data payload comprises a plurality of sub-network configuration objects.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the fieldbus protocol is a CANopen protocol.

23. A method in an industrial automation network, comprising:

receiving, by a slave device from a master device, a configuration file in a data payload via a fieldbus protocol over the industrial automation network;

configuring the slave device using the configuration file; and

configuring, by the slave device, a first device coupled to the slave device using only a portion of the configuration file.