System and methodology providing adaptive interface in an industrial controller environment

• US 7,512,906 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Baier, John Joseph, Vasko, David A., Wylie, Douglas R., Callaghan, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US10/161,848
• Time in Patent Office: 2,492 Days
• Field of Search: 715/866, 715/765, 715/744, 715/747, 715/762, 715/771, 345/156, 345/7, 345/8, 700/83, 700/96, 719/328, 719/332, 719/319, 709/201, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/866
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and methodology providing adaptive user interface capabilities in an industrial control environment. A user interface is provided that can operate across various software and/or hardware platforms. The platforms can be adapted with smart devices and/or wearable devices to facilitate access to a control system and can be adapted as a remote web service and/or adapted to interact with the service. The user interface can be tuned or adjusted in accordance with device capabilities operating the interface and can be adjusted or modified according to various operator or administrative preferences.

Claims

1. An industrial control system, with an adaptable user interface comprising:

a display to provide a control system output to a user;

at least one display object to direct the control system and the display;

an interface component that dynamically selects at least an interface from a plurality of interface types associated with a plurality of platform capabilities and provides the display object based at least on resource capabilities of a remote device wherein the remote device sends a configuration code comprising at least a file number associated with the selected interface to the interface component indicating its resource capabilities, wherein the interface component recognizes speech to facilitate authentication and validation of the user for access to the control system;

a discovery component that publishes information regarding one or more services associated with the control system and permits searches on the information, the discovery component provides information regarding one or more components providing the one or more services, one or more industrial categories, and a description of an interface of the services that enables users to write applications to employ the services.

2. The system of claim 1, the interface component adapted to a smart card that recognizes speech to facilitate authentication and validation of the user.

3. The system of claim 2, the interface component recognizes speech based upon at least one of a soft plug-in component and a remote web service.

4. The system of claim 1, the interface component interacts with at least one of a controller, an I/O device, a communications module, a server and a special device.

5. The system of claim 4, the interface component interacts with at least a special device and the special device is a wearable device adapted for at least one of glasses, goggles, hats, headgear, and helmets.

6. The system of claim 5, the wearable device is at least one of glasses and goggles and the wearable device includes a display that is presented to the user in at least one lens of the glasses and goggles.

7. The system of claim 5, the wearable device receives at least one input that includes at least one of a microphone, a video input, and a keystroke input.

8. The system of claim 5, the wearable device is adapted for at least one of a wired connection, a wireless connection, and an optical connection.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising at least one of Bluetooth, RF transmissions, video transmissions, visible and non-visible spectrum modalities of transmitting data, an IrDa standard for infrared communications, DSL, CableModem, power line carrier, and carrier-band data transfer.

10. The system of claim 1, the interface component receives at least one external input, the external input including at least one a mouse, a keyboard, a speech input, a web site, a remote web service, a video input to affect operations of the interface component.

11. The system of claim 1, the interface component is adapted to at least one of a local platform and a remote platform.

12. The system of claim 1, the interface component includes a plurality of interface types and associated interface options.

13. The system of claim 1, the configuration code indicates available resources, the resources including at least one of a display type, a memory capability, a communications capability, a module type, and an input capability.

14. The system of claim 1, access is granted if spoken words are within a predetermined probability threshold for the user'"'"'s voice.

15. The system of claim 1, a digitized version of the user'"'"'s voice is compared to patterns stored in memory and access is granted upon a suitable comparison with a previously stored pattern.

16. The system of claim 1, the interface component is adaptable to user preferences gathered through one of a selection menu or an interface configuration wizard.

17. A method to facilitate an adaptable interface in an industrial controller environment, comprising:

receiving from a plurality of remote platforms requests to adapt a control system interface based on their respective resource capabilities;

determining the capabilities of the platforms using respective configuration codes transmitted by the platforms;

selecting an interface associated with a received configuration code from a plurality of interface types, wherein the configuration code specifies at least a file number of a requested control system interface;

providing the selected control system interface customized in accordance with the determined capabilities of the platforms, the interface is adapted to a smart card that recognizes speech to facilitate authentication and validation of the user;

publishing information regarding one or more services associated with the control system, the published information comprises information regarding one or more components providing the one or more services, information associated with one or more industrial categories, and a description of the control system interface services that enables users to write applications to employ the services; and

providing options to search the published information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising wearing the control system interface.

19. A system to facilitate an adaptable interface in an industrial controller environment, comprising:

means for communicating capabilities of a plurality of remote devices via configuration codes transmitted by the remote devices;

means for adapting a control system interface to the plurality of remote devices in accordance with the capabilities of the remote devices by selecting the interface using the received configuration codes from a plurality of interface types associated with a plurality of platform capabilities;

means for publishing searchable information regarding one or more services associated with the control system, the published information comprises information regarding one or more components providing the one or more services, information associated with one or more industrial categories, and a description of interface services to enable users to write applications to employ the services; and

means for speech recognition to authenticate and validate a user.