Software, systems, and methods for mobile visualization of industrial automation environments

• US 9,535,415 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keller, Michael, Huttelmaier, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCRAY, CLARENCE D
• Application Number:
  US13/533,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24041 Pc as detachable debug, monitor device for control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31467 Display of operating conditions of machines, workcells, selected programs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software for operating a mobile device to control industrial automation equipment are provided herein. In a first example, a mobile device application comprising program instructions executable by a mobile device is provided. When executed by the mobile device, the program instructions direct the mobile device to obtain industrial device information corresponding to an industrial device within an automation environment, and display the industrial device information on a display of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile application comprising program instructions stored on a non-transitory memory of the mobile device and executable by a processing system of the mobile device that, when executed by the processing system of the mobile device, direct the mobile device to:

retrieve and execute the program instructions from the non-transitory memory of the mobile device, wherein the mobile application was downloaded prior to execution from a mobile application store into the non-transitory memory of the mobile device;

authenticate the mobile device as being within the vicinity of the industrial device by at least identifying a physical proximity of the mobile device with respect to the industrial device;

establish a communication link with an industrial device within an automation environment, wherein the communication link comprises a direct connection between the industrial device and the mobile device;

obtain industrial device information corresponding to the industrial device;

process the industrial device information to generate a graphical view of the industrial device information;

display the graphical view of the industrial device information on a display of the mobile device;

identify a remaining power of a battery of the mobile device;

grant change access to control operational adjustments to the industrial device when the physical proximity is less than a threshold distance if the remaining power is above a power threshold to successfully complete a change to the operational adjustments; and

inhibit change access to control the operational adjustments to the industrial device if the remaining power of the battery falls below the power threshold.

2. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system of the mobile device, allow a user of the mobile device to:

update the industrial device information so as to modify operation of the industrial device to control the operational adjustments to the industrial device.

3. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system of the mobile device, direct the mobile device to:

receive an alert from the industrial device, the alert indicating a malfunction of the industrial device; and

display the alert to a user.

4. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the industrial device information is at least one of configuration information, monitoring information, diagnostics information, control information, performance information, energy usage information, design and configuration, emulation, production management, batch, production, data management, historian, transaction, quality, compliance, change management, asset management, energy measurement, performance, visualization and visibility, metrics, and maintenance information.

5. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system of the mobile device, direct the mobile device to:

obtain the industrial device information from the industrial device.

6. The mobile application of claim 1, wherein the mobile application is executed natively in a mobile operating system executed by the processing system on the mobile device, the mobile operating system comprising at least one of an Android operating system and an iOS operating system.

7. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:

communicating with an industrial device within an automation environment via a direct connection between the industrial device and the mobile device;

obtaining industrial device information from the industrial device and corresponding to the industrial device;

displaying the industrial device information on a display of the mobile device;

authenticating the mobile device as being within the vicinity of the industrial device by at least identifying a physical proximity of the mobile device with respect to the industrial device;

identifying a remaining power of a battery of the mobile device;

granting change access to control operational adjustments to the industrial device when the physical proximity is less than a threshold distance if the remaining power is above a power threshold to successfully complete a change to the operational adjustments; and

inhibit change access to control the operational adjustments to the industrial device if the remaining power of the battery falls below the power threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

updating the industrial device information so as to modify operation of the industrial device to control the operational adjustments to the industrial device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying the physical proximity of the mobile device with respect to the industrial device based on establishing the direct connection between the industrial device and the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the industrial device information is at least one of configuration information, monitoring information, diagnostics information, control information, performance information, energy usage information, design and configuration, emulation, production management, batch, production, data management, historian, transaction, quality, compliance, change management, asset management, energy measurement, performance, visualization and visibility, metrics, and maintenance information.