Object design data model

• US 9,355,193 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Weatherhead, Norman, Stump, Andrew R., Mansouri, Haithem, Rodriguez, Axel, Thomsen, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng, Anna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Junchun
• Application Number:
  US13/670,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 717/120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• 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. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to at least;

output a set of objects and a set of functionalities in response to one or more queries related to design of an object;

receive a selection of a first object from the set of objects and a first functionality from the set of functionalities;

apply a set of rules to the first object and the first functionality, wherein the set of rules provides object inheritance of the first functionality and the set of rules relate to a company, an industry, a customer or a regulation;

bind the first object and the first functionality as a result of the applied set of rules;

determine an expected use for the first object;

mask an embedded functionality of the first object and a linked functionality for the first object based on the expected use, wherein the masking hides the embedded functionality and the linked functionality from a user;

selectively deactivate at least a portion of the set of functionalities bound to the set of objects based on a determination of an employment role and authorization level of a user;

receive information indicative of a rating of the set of objects, wherein the rating is associated with a ranking of the set of objects and is output as a result of a query, and wherein the rating is configured to be employed to determine the set of objects deployed for an application; and

associate the rating with the set of objects, and store the rating for the set of objects.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to:

selectively activate at least a portion of the set of functionalities bound to the set of objects based on a determination of the identification of a user,

wherein the activation causes at least the portion of the set of functionalities to be exposed to the user and wherein at least the portion of the set of functionalities comprises the first functionality.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to:

receive another selection of a second object from the set of objects and a second functionality from the set of functionalities;

apply the set of rules to the second object and the second functionality; and

bind the second object and the second functionality based on another result of the applied set of rules, wherein the first functionally is different from the second functionally.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of the first expected use is further based on metadata of the first object;

and wherein the processor further facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to;

unmask an embedded functionality of the first object and the linked functionality for the first object based on the expected use, wherein unmasking exposes the embedded functionality and the linked functionality to a user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to:

populate a library with the first object and the first functionality, wherein the first functionality is stored as metadata linked to the first object.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of objects comprise pairs of alternative objects that comprise similar functionality.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are also executable to:

receive login information indicating the identification of the user; and

determine the role and the authorization level of the user based on the identification of the user, wherein selective deactivation of the at least a portion of the set of functionalities comprises selective deactivation of the first functionality.

6. A method, comprising:

evaluating, by a system comprising a processor, a design request for a data model comprising a set of objects;

receiving, by the system, an indication that one or more alternative objects and associated functionalities are to be included in the data model;

applying, by the system, a set of rules to the included one or more alternative objects and the associated functionalities, wherein the set of rules provides alternative object inheritance of the associated functionalities and the set of rules relate to a company, an industry, a customer, a regulation;

creating, by the system, the data model that comprises selected one or more alternative objects, and the associated functionalities based on applying the set of rules to the included one or more alternative objects and the associated functionalities;

outputting, by the system, the selected alternative objects and associated functionalities related to the data model, wherein the alternative objects comprise pairs of objects that are associated with a defined similar utilization and associated with a defined pattern of utilization;

combining, by the system, into a consolidated object, the pair of objects having the defined similar utilization and the defined pattern of utilization; and

creating, by the system, new metadata for the consolidated object.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

ascertaining, by the system, an identification of a user that requested the data model;

deactivating, by the system, at least a portion of the associated functionalities related to the data model based on the identification of the user; and

outputting, by the system, the data model with at least the portion of the associated functionalities deactivated, wherein the deactivation hides at least the portion of the associated functionalities from view.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the deactivating comprises determining, by the system, the user does not have access rights to at least the portion of the associated functionalities based on the identification of the user.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

ascertaining, by the system, an identification of a user that requested the data model;

activating, by the system, at least a portion of the associated functionalities related to the data model based on the identification of the user; and

outputting, by the system, the data model with at least the portion of the associated functionalities activated, wherein the activation enables at least the portion of the associated functionalities to be viewed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the activating comprises determining, by the system, the user has access rights to at least the portion of the associated functionalities based on the identification of the user.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the evaluating comprises searching metadata embedded in the set of objects for functionalities that support the data model.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the evaluating the design request comprises:

receiving the design request in the form of a natural language query; and

parsing from the at least one natural language query a keyword that describes the data model.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing device including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

retrieving a set of objects and associated metadata from an object library, wherein the set of objects are recommended for a hierarchical data model that facilitates an extensible design environment for consistency during object design and object deployment, and wherein the retrieving is performed in response to a query;

determining whether a defined object is an appropriate alternative to the set of objects to retrieve in response to the query, wherein the determining comprises evaluating the metadata and selecting the defined object based on a selection of the metadata and an association between the metadata and the defined object;

outputting as a suggested alternative to the query, the defined object;

receiving a selection of one or more objects from the set of objects;

applying a rule to the selected one or more objects, wherein the set of rules provides object inheritance of the associated functionalities, and the set of rules relate to a company, an industry, a customer or a regulation;

determining at least one object of the selected one or more objects is validated by the rule;

incorporating the at least one object into the hierarchical data model;

evaluating a request for the hierarchical data model, wherein the request comprises user identity information; and

masking the associated metadata for the at least one object as a function of the evaluating based on user identity information, wherein the masked associated metadata is hidden from a user.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the operations further comprise:

presenting the hierarchical data model, wherein the masked associated metadata is hidden from a user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the operations further comprise:

unmasking the associated metadata for at least one object based on the evaluating; and

presenting the hierarchical data model, wherein the associated metadata is exposed to a user as a function of the evaluating.