Systems and methods for industrial automation device awareness

• US 9,880,530 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• 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: Govindaraj, Subbian, Sinner, William, Rischar, Charles M., Mansouri, Haithem, Kalan, Michael, Weinhofer, Juergen, Stump, Andrew R., DeYoung, Daniel S., Kulaszewicz, Frank, Hill, Edward A., Staninger, Keith, Bulho, Matheus
• Primary Examiner(s): Coyer, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US14/267,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20150316909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 700 19
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• 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 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

An industrial automation component that may receive data associated with at least one other industrial automation component in an industrial automation system. The industrial automation component may contextualize the data with respect to the industrial automation system and recognize a relationship between the industrial automation component and the at least one other industrial automation component based on the contextualized data. The industrial automation component may then store the relationship between the industrial automation component and the at least one other industrial automation component in a memory.

Claims

1. An industrial automation component comprising a processor configured to:

receive data associated with a first industrial automation component in an industrial automation system from the first industrial automation component or a second industrial automation component associated with the first industrial automation component;

contextualize the data with respect to a plurality of hierarchical levels in the industrial automation system to determine effectual relationship data that corresponds to the first industrial automation component, wherein the effectual relationship data comprises one or more effects to at least one operation of the first industrial automation component based on an operation of the industrial automation component;

recognize a relationship between the industrial automation component and the first industrial automation component based on the contextualized data and the effectual relationship data;

store the relationship between the industrial automation component and the first industrial automation component in a memory, and

adjust one or more respective operations of the industrial automation component or the first industrial automation component based on the relationship, wherein the industrial automation component and the first industrial automation component comprise equipment to perform a manufacturing operation.

2. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hierarchical levels comprises a plurality of cells within the industrial automation system, a plurality of work areas within the industrial automation system, a plurality of factories in the industrial automation system, or any combination thereof.

3. The industrial automation component of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of cells comprises one or more industrial automation components configured to perform one or more tasks in the industrial automation system, wherein each of the plurality of work areas comprise one or more of the plurality of cells, and wherein each of the plurality of factories comprises one or more of the plurality of work areas.

4. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of hierarchical levels comprises a grouping of one or more industrial automation components, wherein the grouping is determined based on a task associated with the one or more industrial automation components.

5. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the data comprises identification information associated with the first industrial automation component.

6. The industrial automation component of claim 5, wherein the identification information comprises at least one serial number associated with the first industrial automation component, at least one product name associated with the first industrial automation component, at least one product class associated with the first industrial automation component, at least one capabilitiy associated with the first industrial automation component, or any combination thereof.

7. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the contextualized data is in an acceptable range; and

send one or more commands to the first industrial automation component to adjust one or more respective operations when the contextualized data is not in the acceptable range.

8. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the industrial automation component comprises a controller, an input/output module, a motor control center, a motor, a human machine interface, an operator interface, a contactor, a starter, a sensor, a drive, a relay, a protection device, switchgear, or a network switch.

9. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the industrial automation component comprises a software-based emulation of a controller, an input/output module, a motor control center, a motor, a human machine interface, an operator interface, a contactor, a starter, a sensor, a drive, a relay, a protection device, switchgear, or a network switch.

10. The industrial automation component of claim 1, wherein the industrial automation component operates in a cloud-computing system.

11. A controller configured to control one or more operations of one or more industrial automation components in an industrial automation system, wherein the controller is further configured to:

communicatively couple to an industrial automation network; and

broadcast data associated with at least one of the industrial automation components onto the industrial automation network, wherein the data is configured to;

enable one or more other industrial automation components communicatively coupled to the industrial automation network to recognize a presence of the at least one of the industrial automation components;

cause the one or more other industrial automation components to contextualize the data with respect to a plurality of hierarchical levels in the industrial automation system to determine effectual relationship data that corresponds to the at least one of the industrial automation components, wherein the effectual relationship data comprises one or more effects to at least one operation of the one or more other industrial automation components based on an operation of the at least one of the industrial automation components; and

cause the one or more other industrial automation components to adjust one or more respective operations of the one or more industrial automation components or the one or more other industrial automation components based on the effectual relationship data, wherein the one or more industrial automation components and the one or more other industrial automation components comprise equipment to perform a manufacturing operation.

12. The controller of claim 11, wherein the data comprises identification information associated with the at least one of the industrial automation components.

13. The controller of claim 12, wherein the identification information comprises one or more capabilities for each of the at least one of the industrial automation components.

14. The controller of claim 11, further configured to broadcast the data automatically upon communicatively coupling to the industrial automation network.

15. The controller of claim 11, further configured to receive a set of data from at least one of the other industrial automation components, wherein the set of data comprises identification information associated with the at least one of the other industrial automation components.

16. The controller of claim 15, further configured to determine a relationship between the at least one of the industrial automation components and the at least one of the other industrial automation components based on the identification information.

17. The controller of claim 15, further configured to determine a relationship between each industrial automation component of the at least one of the other industrial automation components based on the identification information.

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

receive data associated with a first industrial automation component in an industrial automation system from the first industrial automation component or a second industrial automation component associated with the first industrial automation component when the first industrial automation component is communicatively coupled to an industrial automation network;

recognize a presence of the first industrial automation component based on the data;

contextualize the data with respect to a plurality of hierarchical levels in the industrial automation system to determine effectual relationship data that corresponds to the first industrial automation component, wherein the effectual relationship data comprises one or more effects to at least one operation of at least one other industrial automation component in the industrial automation system based on an operation of the first industrial automation component and

adjust one or more respective operations of the first industrial automation component or the at least one other industrial automation component based on the effectual relationship data, wherein the first industrial automation component and the at least one other industrial automation component comprise equipment to perform a manufacturing operation.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the data comprises one or more capabilities that correspond to the first industrial automation component.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising computer-executable instructions configured to control at least one operation of the first industrial automation component based on the capabilities of the first industrial automation component.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer-executable instructions configured to contextualize the data with respect to a plurality of cells within the industrial automation system, a plurality of work areas within the industrial automation system, a plurality of factories in the industrial automation system, or any combination thereof.

22. An industrial automation device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive data associated with one or more industrial automation components in an industrial automation system when the one or more industrial automation components are communicatively coupled to an industrial automation network;

contextualize at least a portion of the data with respect to a plurality of hierarchical levels in the industrial automation system to determine effectual relationship data that corresponds to at least one industrial automation component of the one or more industrial automation components, wherein the effectual relationship data comprises one or more effects to at least one operation of at least one other industrial automation component of the one or more industrial automation components based on an operation of the at least one industrial automation component;

identify a driver in a database accessible to the processor, wherein the driver is configured to enable the processor to control one or more operations of the at least one industrial automation components; and

control the one or more operations of the at least one industrial automation components using the driver and based at least in part on the effectual relationship data, wherein the one or more industrial automation components comprise equipment to perform a manufacturing operation.

23. The industrial automation device of claim 22, wherein the database is stored in a memory accessible by the processor.

24. The industrial automation device of claim 22, wherein the at least one of the industrial automation components comprises a controller, an input/output module, a motor control center, a motor, a human machine interface, an operator interface, a contactor, a starter, a sensor, a drive, a relay, a protection device, switchgear, or a network switch.