Extensible device object model

• US 9,823,907 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Copass, Benjamin J., Keller, Michael R., Stegemeyer, Michael L., Rustad, James S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/696,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 717136
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41845 characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• 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

Abstract

Systems and/or methods are provided relating to an extensible framework. The extensible framework provides constructs with which device developers can model devices within the framework to enable a host application utilizing the framework to interact with the devices. New devices can be supported by the framework without disrupting existing devices or the host application.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, the non-transitory memory storing executable instructions executed by the processor to perform;

obtaining device specific information for a device in an industrial automation environment including information about a sub-component of the device;

generating, based on the device specific information, a data object associated with the sub-component of the device;

generating, based on the device specific information, a translator that converts raw data from the sub-component into a format of the data object in a downstream direction and formats data from the data object into a form recognizable to the sub-component in an upstream direction;

generating a connection that provides communication between the sub-component and the translator;

identifying, based on the device specific information, a mapping description, wherein the mapping description comprises information identifying the data object and the associated sub-component, the translator, and the connection;

instantiating, based on the mapping description, a first node in an extensible framework, wherein the extensible framework comprises a plurality of nodes, the first node does not disrupt existing nodes of the extensible framework, and the first node comprises the translator and the connection; and

instantiating a module in the first node, wherein the module is based on the mapping description, the module comprises the data object, and the data object is coupled to the sub-component via the translator and the connection;

wherein the instantiated node of the framework controls operation of the device and sub-component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device specific information further comprises node type information that specifies a node type for the first node.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device specific information further comprises device class information, device type information, and device revision information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module comprises one or more data objects in a data object container.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the device is a composite device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device includes at least one of a controller, a field device, a sensor, a drive, or an I/O module.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connection enables communication from the sub-component over a network connection comprising one or more of a physical wire, an Ethernet medium, a fiber optic medium, or a wireless communications channel.

8. A method comprising:

obtaining, by use of a processor, device specific information for a device in an industrial automation environment including information about a sub-component of the device;

generating, based on the device specific information, a data object associated with the sub-component of the device;

generating, based on the device specific information, a translator that converts raw data from the sub-component into a format of the data object in a downstream direction and formats data from the data object into a form recognizable to the sub-component in an upstream direction;

generating a connection that provides communication between the sub-component and the translator;

identifying, based on the device specific information, a mapping description, wherein the mapping description comprises information identifying the data object and the associated sub-component, the translator, and the connection;

instantiating, based on the mapping description, a first node in an extensible framework, wherein the extensible framework comprises a plurality of nodes, the first node does not disrupt existing nodes of the extensible framework, and the first node comprises the translator; and

the connection; and

instantiating a module in the first node, wherein the module is based on the mapping description, the module comprises the data object, and the data object is coupled to the sub-component via the translator and the connection;

wherein the instantiated node of the framework controls operation of the device and the sub-component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device specific information further comprises node type information that specifies a node type for the first node.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the device specific information further comprises device class information, device type information, and device revision information.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the module comprises one or more data objects in a data object container.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is a composite device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the device includes at least one of a controller, a field device, a sensor, a drive, or an I/O module.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the connection enables communication from the sub-component over a network connection comprising one or more of a physical wire, an Ethernet medium, a fiber optic medium, or a wireless communications channel.

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

obtaining device specific information for a device in an industrial automation environment including information about a sub-component of the device;

generating, based on the device specific information, a data object associated with the sub-component of the device;

generating, based on the device specific information, a translator that converts raw data from the sub-component into a format of the data object in a downstream direction and formats data from the data object into a form recognizable to the sub-component in an upstream direction;

generating a connection that provides communication between the sub-component and the translator;

identifying, based on the device specific information, a mapping description, wherein the mapping description comprises information identifying the data object and the associated sub-component, the translator, and the connection;

instantiating, based on the mapping description, a first node in an extensible framework, wherein the extensible framework comprises a plurality of nodes, the first node does not disrupt existing nodes of the extensible framework, and the first node comprises the translator and the connection; and

instantiating a module in the first node, wherein the module is based on the mapping description, the module comprises the data object, and the data object is coupled to the sub-component via the translator and the connection;

wherein the instantiated node of the framework controls operation of the device and the sub-component.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the device specific information further comprises node type information that specifies a node type for the first node.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the device specific information further comprises device class information, device type information, and device revision information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the module comprises one or more data objects in a data object container.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the device is a composite device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the device includes at least one of a controller, a field device, a sensor, a drive, or an I/O module.