Wireless industrial control user interface with configurable software capabilities

• US 9,268,320 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Braun, Scott D., Weingarth, Christine E., Pokatayev, Elena N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shechtman, Sean
• Assistant Examiner(s): GARLAND, STEVEN R
• Application Number:
  US13/093,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20120109342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24165 Use codes to activate features of controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25186 Bluetooth

Abstract

A user interface operable to connect to a device within an industrial control system includes a memory and a processing unit. The memory is operable to store a plurality of software applications for interfacing with the device and a configuration mask including access rights for at least a subset of the software applications. The processing unit is operable to establish a first connection with the device and disable selected software applications based on the configuration mask.

Claims

1. An industrial control system comprising:

a wireless interface module coupleable to a first port of a motor drive; and

a wireless user interface including a display, the wireless user interface wirelessly communicating with the wireless interface module and establishing a connection through the wireless interface module to access one of one or more entities in the industrial control system, the one or more entities including the motor drive;

the display simultaneously displaying, responsive to establishing the connection, a host frame and a device frame, the host frame displaying host data associated with the motor drive, and the device frame displaying;

device data associated with the entity being accessed via the connection, and

an image of the entity being accessed via the connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless user interface is further configured to store a plurality of software applications for interfacing with the motor drive, to store a configuration mask including access rights for at least a subset of the software applications, and to disable selected software applications based on the configuration mask.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of software applications comprises a status monitor.

4. The system of claim 1, further including a communication module coupleable to a second port of the motor drive.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein one of the entities is a remote device in communication with the communication module via a communication network, and wherein the wireless user interface is further configured to route messages through the wireless interface module and through the communication module to access the remote device via the communication network.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless user interface is further configured to store a plurality of software applications for interfacing with the motor drive and the remote device, to store a configuration mask including access rights for at least a subset of the software applications, and to disable selected software applications based on the configuration mask.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the host frame is configured to display at least one of a host name, a host type, a host state, and a port designation;

and

the device frame is configured to display at least one of a device name, a device type, a device rating, and a feedback designation.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the device rating comprises at least one of a voltage and a current rating, and the feedback designation comprises a drive speed in Hertz.

9. An industrial control system, comprising:

a wireless interface module coupling to a first port of a motor drive;

a communication module coupling to a second port of the motor drive; and

a wireless user interface to communicate with the wireless interface module and to establish a first connection through the wireless interface module to access the motor drive, the wireless user interface being further configured to route messages through the wireless interface module and through the communication module to access a remote device on a communication network, the wireless user interface storing a plurality of software applications for interfacing with the motor drive and the remote device, storing a configuration mask including access rights for at least a subset of the software applications, and disabling selected software applications based on the configuration mask.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a programming terminal to interface with the wireless user interface, to generate the configuration mask, and to store the configuration mask on the wireless user interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the programming terminal is configured to delete the disabled software applications from the wireless user interface.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the programming terminal is configured to determine the access rights in the configuration mask based on an intended user of the wireless user interface.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the subset of software applications comprise at least one of a parameter list viewer, a file and group viewer, an upload/download tool, a device properties viewer, a flash update tool, a control interface, a trending/graphing tool, and a connection tool.

14. A user interface configured to communicate with a device within an industrial control system, the user interface comprising:

a display;

a memory storing a plurality of software applications for interfacing with the device; and

a processing unit that establishes a connection with the device and, on the display, to simultaneously displays a host frame and a device frame, the host frame displaying host data and the device frame displaying device data and an image of the device responsive to establishing the connection.

15. The interface of claim 14, wherein the user interface is configured to display identification data associated with the device on the display.

16. The interface of claim 14, wherein the user interface is configured to display status information associated with the device on the display.

17. The interface of claim 14, wherein the memory is further configured to store a configuration mask including access rights for at least a subset of the software applications.

18. The interface of claim 17, wherein the processing unit disables selected software applications based on the configuration mask.

19. The interface of claim 14, wherein the user interface is configured to access a remote device coupled to a communication network through a communication module coupled to the device.