Content management

• US 9,355,142 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weatherhead, Norman, Stump, Andrew R., Mansouri, Haithem, Rodriguez, Axel, Thomsen, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/663,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13004 Programming the plc
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Content management includes populating a library with modular objects and metadata associated with the modular objects. In response to a query, the library can be searched based in part on the metadata. The query can relate to implementation of an industrial process. One or more modular objects in the library can be identified as satisfying the query. A result of the query can be output and the output can include the identified modular objects and the respective metadata associated with the identified modular objects. The metadata can be anything known about the object that might not be accessible at runtime control.

Claims

1. An editor for developing an industrial control program, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-executable components;

a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the computer-executable components, the computer-executable components comprising;

an interface component configured to receive a query related to implementation of an industrial process, wherein the query specifies a design task; and

a search component configured to, in response to receipt of the query, search a data store containing a plurality of modular objects and associated metadata that defines one or more functional aspects of the plurality of modular objects, and identify one or more combinations of modular objects from the plurality of modular objects that satisfy the design task specified by the query based on an evaluation of metadata associated with multiple combinations of the plurality of modular objects;

wherein the interface component is further configured to output the one or more combinations of modular objects and respective metadata associated with the one or more modular objects.

2. The editor of claim 1, wherein a portion of the metadata associated with a modular object of the plurality modular objects identifies at least one of a descriptor for the modular object, one or more keywords associated with the modular object, information identifying one or more applications in which the modular object has been used, versioning data for the modular object, an author of the modular object, validation information for the modular object, safety information for the modular object, or identification of a product for which the modular object was designed.

3. The editor of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to receive annotation data directed to at least a portion of the metadata associated with one of the plurality of modular objects, and the computer-executable components further comprise a modification component configured to apply the annotation data to the portion of the metadata to yield annotated metadata.

4. The editor of claim 3, wherein the computer-executable component further comprise a context manager configured to store copies of the annotated metadata and the portion of the metadata prior to annotation in the data store in association with the one of the plurality of objects.

5. The editor of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable components further comprise:

a monitor component configured to observe usage indications of the plurality of modular objects; and

an organization module configured to combine two or more modular objects of the plurality of modular objects based on the usage indications to yield a combined modular object and to create new metadata for the combined modular object, wherein the new metadata comprises combined or consolidated metadata associated with the two or more modular objects.

6. The editor of claim 5, wherein the monitor component is configured to observe, as the usage indications, at least one of key words associated with the plurality of modular objects, functionalities of the plurality of modular objects, or usage patterns associated with the plurality of modular objects.

7. The editor of claim 5, wherein the organization module is configured to combine the two or more modular objects based on a determination by the monitor component that the two or more objects are capable of being used together to perform an industrial function.

8. The editor of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modular objects are configured to, in response to execution by an industrial control system, perform control of at least one industrial device of an industrial process.

9. The editor of claim 1, wherein the interface component is further configured to receive workflow request data defining a production goal for the industrial process, and the computer-executable components further comprise:

an extraction module configured to obtain design input data from a design tool system based on the workflow request data; and

a develop module configured to generate a workflow design based on a subset of the plurality of modular objects selected based on the design input data.

10. The editor of claim 9, wherein the develop module is further configured to determine that at least one functionality of the workflow design can be alternatively performed by two different objects of the plurality of modular objects, and the interface component is configured to display two different views based respectively on the two different objects for selection.

11. A method, comprising:

in response to receiving, by a system comprising at least one processor, query data defining a design task associated with industrial process;

searching, by the system, metadata associated with a plurality of modular objects stored in an object library, wherein the metadata identifies one or more functional aspects of the plurality of modular objects;

evaluating, by the system, multiple combinations of the plurality of modular objects;

identifying, by the system based on the evaluating, one or more combinations of modular objects, of the plurality of modular objects, that satisfy the design task defined by the query data, and

outputting, by the system, the one or more combinations of modular objects and a subset of the metadata associated with the one or more modular objects.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, annotation data for at least a portion of the metadata associated with a modular object of the plurality of modular objects; and

modifying, by the system, at least the portion of the metadata based on the annotation data to yield annotated metadata.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

observing, by the system, usage indications of the plurality of modular objects;

combining, by the system, two or more modular objects of the plurality of modular objects based on the usage indications yielding a combined modular object; and

creating, by the system, new metadata for the combined modular object based on first metadata associated with a first of the two more modular objects and second metadata associated with a second of the two or more modular objects.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, workflow request data specifying a production goal for the industrial process;

retrieving, by the system, design input data from a design tool system based on the workflow request data;

selecting, by the system, a subset of the plurality of modular objects based on the design input data; and

generating, by the system, design data defining a workflow design based on the subset of the plurality of modular objects.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying one or more missing functions of the workflow design based on a comparison of the design data with one or more design rules; and

outputting an indication of the one or more missing functionalities.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

in response to receipt of query data specifying a design task associated with an industrial process;

searching metadata associated with a plurality of modular objects stored in a data store, the metadata identifying one or more functional aspects of the plurality of modular objects;

evaluating multiple combinations of the plurality of modular objects based on the metadata and the query data;

identifying, based on a result of the evaluating, at least one combination of modular objects, of the plurality of modular objects, that satisfies the design task specified by the query, and

outputting the at least one combination of modular objects and a subset of the metadata associated with the at least one combination of modular objects.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving annotation data for at least a portion of the metadata associated with a modular object of the plurality of modular objects; and

modifying at least the portion of the metadata based on the annotation data to yield annotated metadata.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

monitoring usage indications of the plurality of modular objects;

combining two or more modular objects of the plurality of modular objects based on the usage indications to generate a combined modular object; and

integrating first metadata associated with a first of the two or more modular objects with second metadata associated with a second of the two or more modular objects to yield new metadata for the combined modular object.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving workflow request data specifying a production goal for the industrial process;

retrieving design input data from a design tool system based on the workflow request data;

selecting a subset of the plurality of modular objects based on the design input data; and

generating a workflow design output based on the subset of the plurality of modular objects.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

identifying one or more missing functions of the workflow design output based on a comparison of the workflow design output with one or more design rules; and

outputting an indication of the one or more missing functionalities.