Embedding controllers and devices with data to facilitate up-to-date control and configuration information

• US 8,996,721 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: VanGompel, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Application Number:
  US14/175,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 709236-250
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25064 Update component configuration to optimize program execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31166 Access data by name, object, stored in list, database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• 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: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An industrial automation system comprising a processor with an updating component coupled to automation devices via a network. The updating component reads control information from machine readable representations of the devices and populates a data structure with the control information. The updating component also updates configuration information of a device from data stored in a file object and/or the data structure, further allowing this transfer to be fragmented into a plurality of messages if the configuration information exceeds a threshold. As well, a vendor deployment methodology is provided that embeds devices and firmware for devices with a Device Type Manager (DTM) prior to deployment and can optionally allow post deployment updates to the DTM.

Claims

1. A system for creation of tags on an industrial controller, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, configured to facilitate execution of computer-executable components, the computer-executable components comprising;

an updating component configured to;

read, from an industrial device, information about a data element available on the industrial device for data exchange with the system, wherein the information identifies an identity of the data element, a size of the data element, and a position of the data element within an I/O block,

populate a name field of a data structure within the industrial controller with a hierarchical tag created based on the information, and

communicatively map a data field of the data structure to the data element of the industrial device based on the information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating component resides on the industrial controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical tag comprises a device name that represents a name of the industrial device and an element name that represents the data element of the industrial device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of a device type manager file or an electronic data sheet file that resides on the industrial device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating component is further configured to identify the industrial device from which to read the information based on a profile of the industrial device maintained in a scanlist on the industrial controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is configured to store configuration information for the industrial device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the updating component is further configured to retrieve the configuration information from the data structure and send the configuration information to the industrial device in response to a determination that a first configuration consistency value stored on the industrial device does not match a second configuration consistency value maintained on the industrial controller.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the updating component is further configured to fragment the configuration information into messages having respective sizes that are equal to or less than a maximum message size supported by the industrial device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the updating component is further configured to read the configuration information from the industrial device and store the configuration information in the data structure.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating component is further configured to communicatively map the data field to a segment of the I/O block identified by the position.

11. A method for generating industrial controller tags, comprising:

reading, by an industrial controller comprising a processor, information from an industrial device describing a data element available on the industrial device for data exchange with the industrial controller, wherein the information defines an identity of the data element, a size of the data element, and a position of the data element within an I/O block;

populating a name field of a data structure in the industrial controller with a hierarchical tag created based on the information; and

communicatively mapping a data field of the data structure to the data element of the industrial device based on the information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising creating the hierarchical tag based on the information, wherein the hierarchical tag comprises at least a device name of the industrial device and an element name corresponding to the data element.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the reading comprises determining the industrial device from which to read the information based on a profile of the industrial device stored on the industrial controller.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

reading, from the industrial device by the industrial controller, configuration information for the industrial device, and

storing the configuration information in the data structure.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

retrieving, by the industrial controller, the configuration information from the data structure; and

sending the configuration information to the industrial device or another industrial device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the retrieving comprises retrieving the configuration information in response to a determination that a first configuration consistency value stored on the industrial device does not match a second configuration consistency value maintained on the industrial controller.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sending the configuration information comprises:

determining a maximum message size supported by the industrial device; and

fragmenting the configuration information into messages having respective sizes that are equal to or less than the maximum message size.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause an industrial controller to perform operations, the operations comprising:

reading a file from an industrial device, wherein the file contains information about a data element available for data exchange on the industrial device, and the information specifies an identity of the data element, a size of the data element, and a position of the data element within an I/O block;

creating a hierarchical tag based on the information and writing the hierarchical tag to a name field of a data structure within the industrial controller; and

communicatively mapping a data field of the data structure to the data element of the industrial device based on the information.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the hierarchical tag comprises at least a device name of the industrial device and an element name corresponding to the data element.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

reading, from the industrial device, configuration information for the industrial device, and

storing the configuration information in the data structure.