Dynamic browser-based industrial automation interface system and method

• US 7,480,709 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Callaghan, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/714,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20050107897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-205, 709217-219, 709/231, 709/328, 709/223, 345/440, 345/419, 345/473
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31161 Java programcode or simular active agents, programs, applets
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32126 Hyperlink, access to program modules and to hardware modules in www, web server, browser
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An automation device interactive user interface and method of using the interface is provided herein. The interface is network based in that it employs a browser enhanced by an interactive program embedded therein and an execution engine to execute the program. The interface can be proximate to an associated automated device(s) or remotely connected thereto using a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. To facilitate ease of use, the embedded interactive program presents information in an appealing multimedia fashion such that interface appears live and changing. Furthermore, data associated with automation devices can be monitored, extracted, transmitted or otherwise manipulated in real time.

Claims

1. A system for interacting with automation devices, comprising:

a plurality of automation devices connected to a network, the automation devices supply automation data to the network; and

an interface connected to the network including an interactive program and an execution engine comprising a flash player for executing the program, wherein the interactive program and the execution engine are embedded and executed from within a browser and interact with the automation device data, the interactive program embedded within the browser comprising a binding component and a presentation component, the binding component binds interactive program variables to the automation device data to update the displayed data in real time and the presentation component produces an interactive graph for a user to interact with the automation devices comprising at least one of start or stop automation devices, increase or decrease power, view information about each automation device or modify production schedule of the automation devices.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data storage medium for centrally storing data relating to the plurality of automation devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the browser retrieves data utilizing the interactive program from the data storage medium.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the browser writes data utilizing the interactive program to the data storage medium.

5. The system of claim 1, the binding component that binds program variables to device data such that a change in device data is immediately reflected in the program variable bound thereto.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the interactive program comprises functions that operate on program variables to produce information desired by a user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the presentation component produces a multimedia presentation that is displayed on a display device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the multimedia presentation provides data with respect to one or more automation devices and updates the data in real-time.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the multimedia presentation provides a plurality mechanisms for transmitting data to one or more automation devices.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the binding component binds data corresponding to an automated device'"'"'s temperature to a temperature variable in the interactive program to update the displayed temperature of the automation device in real time.

23. The system of claim 6,wherein the functions provides an alert indicating health status of the automation devices.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive program further displays images of the automation devices.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the images are active and a cursor, hovered over portions of the image, provides a description of the automation device or information about cause of a problem associated with the automation device.

10. An human machine interface apparatus for operating in an industrial facility comprising:

a data store;

one or more automation devices communicatively coupled to the data store via a network, wherein the automation devices store data in the data store; and

a browser that accesses data concerning the one or more automation devices over the network and presenting the data to a users, incorporating a plurality of multimedia effects, wherein one of the multimedia effects is an interactive graph and the user clicks and drags points on the graph to effectuate changes in a production schedule for the automation devices, the multimedia effects being incorporated in the browser via an embedded interactive program wherein the interactive program is executed by a flash player associated with the browser.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the effects is a depiction of an automation device with regions highlighted in real-time upon the occurrence of an error to indicate the device region associated with the error.

26. The system of claim 10, wherein the user modifies output of a machine by manually entering vertical production values corresponding to number of units to produce and horizontal time values corresponding to hours in a day in the interactive graph.

12. A method for interacting with automation devices comprising:

binding program variables to automation device data using an interactive program and specifying a multimedia presentation format for interaction by a user;

embedding the interactive program into a browser;

utilizing the browser and an associated execution engine comprising a flash player to execute the interactive program;

producing a graphical representation of system production to interact with the automation devices and updating the displayed data in real time using the interactive program; and

clicking and dragging points on the graphical representation to effectuate changes in a production schedule for the automation devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the device data is stored in a centralized data store accessible via a network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the interactive program is a flash program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the execution engine is a flash player.

16. An article of manufacturing comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon to perform the method of claim 12.

17. A method for interacting with automation device data comprising:

binding program variables to automation device data using an interactive program and specifying a multimedia presentation format for interaction by a user;

embedding the interactive program into a browser application;

receiving a request for automation device information from the browser application;

retrieving the requested automation device information from a data source utilizing an execution engine comprising a flash player associated with the browser application;

updating the browser with the requested automation device information;

producing a graphical representation of system production to interact with the automation devices; and

clicking and dragging points on the graphical representation to effectuate changes in a production schedule for the automation devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the request for information is generated by positioning a cursor over an image.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the data source is a web page.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein information is retrieved from a device controller and the information is control data.

21. An article of manufacturing comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon to perform the method of claim 20.