Method of configuring manufacturing execution systems

• US 9,134,725 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Gaeta, Giovanni
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karim, Ziaul
• Application Number:
  US12/678,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20100198382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,556 Days
• Field of Search: 700/97
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31372 Mes manufacturing execution system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

In a method of configuring a manufacturing execution system implemented in industrial production systems, data of a first coding type is received from a first hierarchical layer, and data of a second coding type is received from a second hierarchical layer. The method transforms at least one of the data of the first type and the data of the second type to a complex data structure configured for implementing uniform data processing within the manufacturing execution system.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a manufacturing execution system including a production modeler, the method which comprises the steps of:

receiving data of a first coding type from a first hierarchical layer, wherein the data of the first coding type originates as XML text from an enterprise resource planning layer;

receiving data of a second coding type, which is different from the first coding type, from a second hierarchical layer, wherein the data of the second coding type originates as non-XML information from a control system of an automation layer;

transforming at least one of the data of the first coding type and the data of the second coding type into a new data structure configured for implementing uniform data processing within the manufacturing execution system;

handling the new data structure internally by a production modeler, the production modeler employing a parser for building the new data structure using a set of linear algorithms that are accessible to a user of the production modeler through a set of objects;

wherein the XML text from the enterprise resource planning layer is converted by the parser to the new data structure by an application of a double stage parser, wherein the XML text is scanned in a first stage by linear algorithms looking for chunks of text enclosed between “

<

” and

“

>

”

, wherein the chunks of text include information about a hierarchy of the data, wherein the double stage parser prepares the structure according the hierarchy of the data, and wherein in a second stage the double stage parser extracts data from the chunks of text and fills the structure accordingly; and

wherein the non-XML information from the control system of the automation layer is not converted, but nested inside a container of the new data structure thereby allowing propagation of all non-XML information inside the manufacturing execution system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the complex data structure from the processor to at least one subcomponent of the manufacturing execution system includes sending the complex data structure to an actuator to influence the actuator.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the set of objects is XML-text-to-XML data or XML-data-find.