Systems and methods for operating industrial automation devices based on hierarchical level awareness

• US 9,651,941 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Rischar, Charles M., Kalan, Michael, Govindaraj, Subbian, Sinner, William, DeYoung, Daniel S., Weinhofer, Juergen, Stump, Andrew R., Hill, Edward A., Mansouri, Haithem, Kulaszewicz, Frank, Staninger, Keith, Bulho, Matheus
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Philip
• Application Number:
  US14/267,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20150316910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

An industrial automation component may be configured to receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system. The industrial automation component may also receive data from a first set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels. After receiving the data, the industrial automation component may send one or more commands to the first set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of at least one of the first set of industrial automation components.

Claims

1. An industrial automation component, configured to:

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system;

receive data from a first set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

send one or more commands to the first set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of at least one of the first set of industrial automation components, and wherein the data comprises effectual relationship data that corresponds to the at least one the first set of industrial automation components.

2. The industrial automation component of claim 1, configured to send a slave-mode command to the at one of the first set of industrial automation components after receiving the input, wherein the slave-mode command is configured to cause the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components to defer control of the one or more operations associated with the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components to the industrial automation component.

3. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the one or more commands conflict with a respective operational command issued from a respective control system associated with a respective industrial automation component of the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components.

4. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hierarchical levels comprise one or more component-levels, wherein each component-level is associated with one industrial automation component, one or more cell-levels comprising at least one of the component-levels, one or more area-levels comprising at least one of the cell-levels, and a factory-level comprising the component-levels, the cells-levels, and the area-levels.

5. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the data comprises:

raw data acquired via one or more sensors disposed on the first set of industrial automation components;

analyzed data processed by at least one control system of the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components;

or any combination thereof.

6. The industrial automation component of claim 1, configured to receive one or more parameters associated with one or more desired operation characteristics associated with one or more hierarchical levels of the plurality of hierarchical levels.

7. The industrial automation component of claim 1, configured to receive a workflow comprising information regarding how each of at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels is related to each other.

8. The industrial automation component of claim 1, configured to receive the input via a visualization displayed on a graphical user interface (GUI).

9. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system;

receive data from a set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

send one or more commands to the set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of each industrial automation component of the set of industrial automation components; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to;

receive the input via a slider visualization, wherein the slider visualization is configured to select the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels;

display one or more visualizations representing one or more industrial automation components of the set of industrial automation components; and

display a visual indicator with one of the visualizations, wherein the visual indicator identifies one of the industrial automation components that is directly associated with the processor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the slider visualization comprises a selector visualization configured to move in a first direction and a second direction with respect to the slider visualization, wherein the first direction is associated with broader hierarchical levels of the plurality of hierarchical levels, and wherein the second direction is associated with granular hierarchical levels of the plurality of hierarchical levels.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the slider visualization comprises:

a first end associated with a factory-level setting that corresponds to the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

a second end associated with a component-level setting that corresponds to a single industrial automation component of the industrial automation system.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions configured to:

receive identification information associated with a user of an industrial control system;

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with the industrial automation system;

determine whether the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels corresponds to one or more hierarchical levels associated with the identification information; and

display one or more control functions configured to control one or more operations of one or more industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels when the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels corresponds to the one or more hierarchical levels associated with the identification information.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the identification information represents a role of the user with regard to the industrial automation system.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more control functions are based on the role of the user.

15. An industrial automation component, configured to:

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system;

receive data from a first set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

send one or more commands to the first set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of at least one of the first set of industrial automation components, and wherein the one or more commands conflict with a respective operational command issued from a respective control system associated with a respective industrial automation component of the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components.

16. An industrial automation component, configured to:

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system;

receive data from a first set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels;

receive one or more parameters associated with one or more desired operation characteristics associated with one or more hierarchical levels of the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

send one or more commands to the first set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of at least one of the first set of industrial automation components.

17. The industrial automation component of claim 16, configured to:

perform one or more analyses on the data with respect to the one or more parameters; and

generate the one or more commands based on the one or more analyses.

18. The industrial automation component of claim 17, wherein the one or more commands are configured to adjust one or more current operations of the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components, wherein the adjusted operations are configured to achieve at least one of the one or more desired operation characteristics associated with the one or more hierarchical levels of the plurality of hierarchical levels.

19. An industrial automation component, configured to:

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system;

receive data from a first set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels;

receive a workflow comprising information regarding how each of at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels is related to each other; and

send one or more commands to the first set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of at least one of the first set of industrial automation components.

20. The industrial automation component of claim 19, wherein the workflow comprises information regarding how each industrial automation component of the at least one of the first set of industrial automation components is related to one or more hierarchical levels of the plurality of hierarchical levels.

21. The industrial automation component of claim 19, configured to:

perform one or more analyses on the data with respect to the workflow; and

generate the one or more commands based on the one or more analyses, wherein the one or more commands are configured to operate the industrial automation system more efficiently.

22. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive an input that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of hierarchical levels associated with an industrial automation system;

receive data from a set of industrial automation components associated with the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

send one or more commands to the set of industrial automation components, wherein the commands are configured to control one or more operations of each industrial automation component of the set of industrial automation components; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to;

receive the input via a slider visualization, wherein the slider visualization is configured to select the at least one of the plurality of hierarchical levels, and wherein the slider visualization comprises;

a first end associated with a factory-level setting that corresponds to the plurality of hierarchical levels; and

a second end associated with a component-level setting that corresponds to a single industrial automation component of the industrial automation system.