Communication of messages in a system

• US 7,644,152 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2002
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB AB (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Kettu, Tommy, Nordling, Patrik, Strand, Martin, Blanc, Dominique
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quang N.
• Application Number:
  US10/491,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,651 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/318, 709/207, 709/224, 709/238, 709/239, 707/10, 726/14, 455/417
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32158 Object groups, for object replication, naming, messaging and retrieving
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A method and arrangement for selecting a recipient of a message. The method can be used in association with a control system that includes a processor adapted for object oriented data processing and a communicator for communication with a plurality of recipients. In the method a recipient for a message that is associated with an object is selected based on information regarding at least one association the object has with objects representing the recipients. A communication system for communication of control messages, a data signal generated for communication in a computerized control system, and a user terminal for a control system are also provided.

Claims

1. A messaging method for a system, said system comprising a processor adapted for object oriented data processing, a communicator configured to communicate with a plurality of recipients, and a message generator configured to generate messages, the method comprising:

generating a message associated with a monitored object representing a component of an industrial facility as a result of an event or alarm related to operation of the component,

associating at least one of the recipients with each object monitored,

associating at least one destination device with the at least one recipient,

selecting a first preferred recipient for the message in a predetermined manner from the at least one recipient associated with the monitored object,

selecting one of the destination devices from the at least one destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient in a predetermined manner,

sending the message to the selected first preferred recipient and selected destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient when an event or alarm in the facility occurs, and

selecting another recipient and a destination device associated with the other recipient or another destination device from the at least one destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient in a predetermined manner if the message is not acknowledged by the selected first preferred recipient within a predefined time;

wherein a property of the monitored object includes an association to another object containing information associated with a communication media to be used for communication with the recipients.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a property of the monitored object includes information associated with user devices enabled to receive the message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitored objects are arranged in at least two structures.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein monitored objects are located in a functional structure and objects representing the recipients are positioned in a user structure.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the association between objects in said at least two structures are provided by an aspect of the object representing the component.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the objects is a meta object.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected first preferred recipient is in a messaging list associated with the monitored object.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communicator sends verification if a message is to be sent to at least one recipient by the communicator.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recipients comprise operators and/or maintenance personnel of the industrial facility and/or user devices.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

modifying said information regarding at least one monitored object.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the modifying comprises displaying a graphical user interface and reconfiguring at least one feature of the messaging system with said graphical user interface.

12. A control system configured to control components of an industrial facility, comprising:

a communicator configured to communicate with a plurality of recipients, and

a messenger configured to generate messages,

the control system further comprising;

a message generator configured to generate a message associated with a monitored object representing one of the components of the industrial facility as a result of an event or alarm related to the component,

an association between at least one recipient and each component of the industrial facility monitored,

an association between at least one destination device and the at least one recipient,

a selector configured to select a first preferred recipient for the message in a predetermined manner from the at least one recipient associated with the monitored object,

a selector configured to select one of the destination devices from the at least one destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient in a predetermined manner,

a message sender configured to send the message to the selected first preferred recipient and selected destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient when an event or alarm in the facility occurs,

a selector configured to select another recipient and a destination device associated with the other recipient or another recipient device from the at least one destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient in a predetermined manner if the message is not acknowledged by the selected first preferred recipient within a predefined time, and

a user terminal operatively connected to the control system to receive user input to configure the control system;

wherein a property of the monitored object includes an association to another object containing information associated with a communication media to be used for communication with the recipients.

13. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the monitored objects are arranged in at least two structures.

14. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the monitored object is arranged in a functional structure and objects representing the recipients are arranged in a user structure.

15. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the association between objects in said at least two structures is provided by an aspect of the object representing the entity.

16. The control system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the object is a meta object.

17. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the message sender is configured to send the message to the selected first preferred recipient in a messaging list associated with the object representing an entity for the system.

18. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the recipients comprise operators and/or maintenance personnel of the industrial facility and/or user devices.

19. A computer program, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium; and

computer program instructions recorded on the computer readable storage medium and executable by a processor for carrying out a method configured to control components of an industrial facility, the method comprising;

generating a message associated with a monitored object representing a component of the industrial facility as a result of an event or alarm related to operation of the component,

associating at least one of the recipients with each object monitored,

associating at least one destination device with the at least one recipient,

selecting a first preferred recipient for the message in a predetermined manner from the at least one recipient associated with the monitored object,

selecting one of the destination devices from the at least one destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient in a predetermined manner,

sending the message to the selected first preferred recipient and selected destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient when an event or alarm in the facility occurs, and

selecting another recipient and a destination device associated with the other recipient or another recipient device from the at least one destination device associated with the selected first preferred recipient in a predetermined manner if the message is not acknowledged by the selected first preferred recipient within a predefined time;

wherein a property of the monitored object includes an association to another object containing information associated with a communication media to be used for communication with the recipients.