Industrial automation app-store

• US 9,568,908 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawson, Douglas C., Reichard, Douglas J., Harkulich, Joseph A., Hessmer, Rainer, Chand, Sujeet, Farchmin, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Assistant Examiner(s): TURRIATE GASTULO, JUAN CARLOS
• Application Number:
  US13/677,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31326 Database to manage communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31334 Database with devices, configuration, of plant
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33139 Design of industrial communication system with expert system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A cloud-based industrial application provisioning system is provided. The industrial application provisioning system can reside on a cloud platform and be made available to developers and end users with access privileges to the cloud platform. Application developers can publish industrial applications to an application library on the cloud platform, where the application is cataloged within an industry-specific search hierarchy. A search engine allows a user to access the cloud platform and search for a desired industrial application. The library'"'"'s hierarchical catalog allows the user to search for applications according to industry type, equipment in use, automation system type, or other suitable criteria.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning industrial automation applications and related components, comprising:

a memory that stores industrial applications in an application library residing on a cloud platform, wherein the industrial applications comprise at least one of industrial controller code or a human-machine interface graphic, the industrial applications are classified in the application library according to hierarchical categories of a storage schema, and the hierarchical categories comprise at least an industry type category specifying an industry and an industrial process type category specifying an industrial process type within the industry; and

a processor that executes computer-executable components stored in the memory to implement the system, the computer-executable components comprising;

a publishing component that receives, from a first client device, an industrial application and associated metadata specifying at least an industry type and an industrial process type, and catalogs the industrial application in the application library in association with the industry type category and the industrial type category corresponding to the metadata;

a search component that receives browsing input from a second client device and selects a subset of the industrial applications based on the browsing input, wherein the browsing input progressively narrows the subset of the industrial applications based on a selected industry type and a selected industrial process type identified by the browsing input;

an interface component that displays the subset of the industrial applications on the second client device; and

a retrieval component that provisions a selected industrial application of the subset of the industrial applications to the second client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata further specifies at least one of a control system type, a device, an equipment type, or a vendor to which the industrial application submission relates.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the search component selects the subset of the industrial applications based on selection of a classification node of the storage schema.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the publishing component creates a new classification node in the storage schema in response to determining that the metadata includes a new category not existent within the storage schema.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the publishing component receives a submission of at least one of a software update for an industrial application or a modular component of an industrial application and catalogs the submission in the application library.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a subscription component that receives and manages a subscription request from the second client device; and

a notification component that delivers a notification to the second client device in response to a determination that a new or updated industrial application corresponding to the subscription request has been published to the application library.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the retrieval component makes the selected industrial application available for execution by the second client device using a set of cloud resources provisioned to an industrial enterprise associated with the second client device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the type of industrial process comprises at least one of batch processing, material handling, motion control, vision, conveyor control, painting, welding, or die casting.

8. A method for provisioning industrial applications, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, an industrial application and associated metadata from a first client device, wherein the industrial application comprises at least one of industrial controller code or an industrial visualization application, and the metadata specifies at least an industry type and a type of industrial process to which the industrial application pertains;

indexing, by the system in response to the receiving, the industrial application in an application library based on the metadata, wherein the application library resides on a cloud platform and classifies the industrial application in association with hierarchical categories of a storage schema, the hierarchical categories corresponding to at least the industry type and the type of industrial process specified by the metadata;

receiving, by the system, browsing data from a second client device;

selecting, by the system in response to the receiving the browsing data, a subset of industrial applications stored in the application library based on the browsing data, wherein the browsing data progressively narrows the subset of the industrial applications based on a selected industry type and a selected type of industrial process identified by the browsing data;

rendering, by the system, identification information for the subset of industrial applications; and

delivering, by the system, a selected industrial application of the subset of industrial applications to a memory location associated with the second client device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising granting the second client device permission to execute the selected industrial application using a set of cloud resources associated with an industrial enterprise.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, selection of a category of the hierarchical categories; and

selecting, by the system, the subset of industrial applications based on selection of the category.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising creating, by the system, a new category of the hierarchical categories in response to determining that the metadata includes the new category and that the new category is not existent within the storage schema.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, a subscription request from the second client device; and

delivering, by the system, a notification to the second client device in response to determining that a new or updated industrial application corresponding to the subscription request has been published to the application library.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the indexing comprises classifying the industrial application as at least one of a batch processing application, a material handling application, a motion control application, a vision application, a conveyor control application, a painting application, a welding application, or a die casting application.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a submission of at least one of a software update for an industrial application or a modular component of an industrial application; and

cataloging the submission in the application library.

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

receiving an industrial application and associated metadata from a first client device, the industrial application comprising at least one of programming code for an industrial controller or a human-machine interface graphic, and the metadata specifying at least an industry type and a type of industrial process to which the industrial application pertains;

indexing the industrial application in an application library in accordance with the metadata, the application library residing on a cloud platform and classifying the industrial application according to hierarchical categories of a storage schema comprising at least the industry type and the type of industrial process specified by the metadata;

receiving browsing input from a second client device;

identifying a subset of industrial applications stored in the application library based on the browsing input, wherein the browsing input progressively narrows the subset of the industrial applications based on a selected industry type and a selected type of industrial process identified by the browsing input;

displaying identification information for the subset of industrial applications; and

provisioning a selected industrial application of the subset of industrial applications to a memory location associated with the second client device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the provisioning comprises allowing the second client device to execute the selected industrial application using a set of cloud resources assigned to an industrial enterprise.

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

receiving selection of a category of the hierarchical categories; and

selecting the subset of industrial applications based on selection of the category.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise creating a new category of the hierarchical categories in response to determining that the metadata includes the new category and that the new category is not defined within the storage schema.

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

receiving a subscription request from the second client device; and

delivering a notification to the second client device in response to determining that a new or updated industrial application corresponding to the subscription request has been published to the application library.

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

receiving a submission of at least one of a software update for an industrial application or a modular component of an industrial application; and

cataloging the submission in the application library.