Method for connecting a web socket session with an object instance with automation device association

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to industrial automation systems, and, for example, to industrial programming development platforms.

BACKGROUND ART

The various control, monitoring, and analytical devices that make up an industrial environment must be programmed or configured using respective configuration applications specific to each device. For example, industrial controllers are typically configured and programmed using a control programming development application such as a ladder logic editor. Using such development platforms, a designer can write control programming (e.g., ladder logic, structured text, function block diagrams, etc.) for carrying out a desired industrial sequence or process and download the resulting program files to the controller. Some industrial devices—such as motor drives, telemetry devices, safety input devices, etc.—may also require configuration using separate device configuration tools that are specific to the device being configured. Such device configuration tools may be used to set device parameters or operating modes (e.g., high/low limits, output signal formats, scale factors, energy consumption modes, etc.).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview nor is intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the various aspects described herein. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one or more embodiments, a system is provided, comprising a user interface component configured to: render, on a web browser of a client device, a development interface of an industrial integrated development environment (IDE) system, display, on the development interface, design information relating to an industrial control project of an industrial automation system, the design information comprising at least device profiles representing physical industrial devices included in the industrial automation system, and in response to selection of a device profile, of the device profiles, via interaction with the development interface, render, on the web browser, an instance of the device profile, the instance comprising a device configuration interface configured to display device configuration data for an industrial device corresponding to the device profile; a device interface component configured to, in response to the selection of the device profile, establish a communication channel between the industrial device and the instance of the device profile; and a device profile management component configured to assign a session identifier to the communication channel that distinguishes the communication channel from other communication channels established by the device interface component.

Also, one or more embodiments provide a method, comprising rendering, by an industrial integrated development environment (IDE) system comprising a processor, a development interface of an industrial integrated development environment (IDE) system on a web browser of a client device; displaying, by the industrial IDE system on the development interface, design information relating to an industrial control project of an industrial automation system, wherein the design information comprises device profiles representing physical industrial devices in operation as part of the industrial automation system; and in response to detecting selection of a device profile, of the device profiles, via interaction with the development interface: rendering, by the industrial IDE system on the web browser, an instance of the device profile, wherein the instance comprises a device configuration interface configured to display device configuration data for an industrial device corresponding to the device profile; establishing, by the industrial IDE system, a communication channel between the industrial device and the instance of the device profile; and assigning, by the industrial IDE system, a session identifier to the communication channel that is different from other session identifier assigned to other communication channels established by the industrial IDE system.

Also, according to one or more embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause an industrial IDE system to perform operations, the operations comprising displaying a development interface of the industrial IDE system on a client device remotely connected to the industrial IDE system; displaying, on the development interface, design information relating to an industrial control project of an industrial automation system, wherein the design information comprises device profiles representing industrial devices in operation as part of the industrial automation system; and in response to detecting selection of a device profile, of the device profiles, via interaction with the development interface: rendering, on the client device, an instance of the device profile, wherein the instance comprises a device configuration interface configured to display device configuration data for an industrial device corresponding to the device profile; establishing a communication channel between the industrial device and the instance of the device profile; and assigning a session identifier to the communication channel that distinguishes the communication channel from other communication channels established by the industrial IDE system.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative of various ways which can be practiced, all of which are intended to be covered herein. Other advantages and novel features may become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example integrated development environment (IDE) system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a generalized architecture of an industrial IDE system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating several example automation object properties that can be leveraged by an industrial IDE system in connection with building, deploying, and executing a system project.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example data flows associated with creation of a system project for an automation system being designed using and industrial IDE system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example system project that incorporates automation objects into a project model.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating commissioning of a system project.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture in which cloud-based IDE services are used to develop and deploy industrial applications to a plant environment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating configuration of device parameters using device profiles.

FIG. 10 is an example development interface that can be rendered on a client device by an industrial IDE system.

FIG. 11 is a view of an explorer panel and its associated navigation tree.

FIG. 12 is a view of a main workspace area in which a Device Information editing window has been invoked for a selected device.

FIG. 13a is a view of a main workspace area of a device profile interface in which the user has selected a 16-point digital input module.

FIG. 13b is a view of the main workspace area of a device profile interface in which the Configuration category has been selected in the Category window.

FIG. 13c is a view of the main workspace area of a device profile interface in which the Points category has been selected in the Category window.

FIG. 14a is a view of the main workspace area of a device profile interface in which an 8-channel analog input module has been selected.

FIG. 14b is a view of the main workspace area of a device profile interface in which a user has selected to set configuration parameters for individual channels of an input module.

FIG. 14c is another view of the main workspace area of a device profile interface in which a user has selected to set configuration parameters for individual channels of an input module.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture for invoking and interacting with device profiles on a cloud-based version of the industrial IDE system.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example record set of active session IDs that can be maintained by the industrial IDE system.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the use of the IDE system to remotely view and edit live data on industrial devices of an automation system.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an example methodology for establishing a communication channel between a client device and physical industrial device via a web-based or cloud-based industrial IDE system.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of an example methodology for using a session ID in communications between a client-side instance of a web-based industrial IDE system and a physical device.

FIG. 20 is an example computing environment.

FIG. 21 is an example networking environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the subject disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,” “platform,” “layer,” “controller,” “terminal,” “station,” “node,” “interface” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity or an entity related to, or that is part of, an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein such entities can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive, multiple storage drives (of optical or magnetic storage medium) including affixed (e.g., screwed or bolted) or removable affixed solid-state storage drives; an object; an executable; a thread of execution; a computer-executable program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also, components as described herein can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry which is operated by a software or a firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can include a processor therein to execute software or firmware that provides at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. As further yet another example, interface(s) can include input/output (I/O) components as well as associated processor, application, or Application Programming Interface (API) components. While the foregoing examples are directed to aspects of a component, the exemplified aspects or features also apply to a system, platform, interface, layer, controller, terminal, and the like.

As used herein, the terms “to infer” and “inference” refer generally to the process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured via events and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate a probability distribution over states, for example. The inference can be probabilistic—that is, the computation of a probability distribution over states of interest based on a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of new events or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and data come from one or several event and data sources.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

Furthermore, the term “set” as employed herein excludes the empty set; e.g., the set with no elements therein. Thus, a “set” in the subject disclosure includes one or more elements or entities. As an illustration, a set of controllers includes one or more controllers; a set of data resources includes one or more data resources; etc. Likewise, the term “group” as utilized herein refers to a collection of one or more entities; e.g., a group of nodes refers to one or more nodes.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches also can be used.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment 100. In this example, a number of industrial controllers 118 are deployed throughout an industrial plant environment to monitor and control respective industrial systems or processes relating to product manufacture, machining, motion control, batch processing, material handling, or other such industrial functions. Industrial controllers 118 typically execute respective control programs to facilitate monitoring and control of industrial devices 120 making up the controlled industrial assets or systems (e.g., industrial machines). One or more industrial controllers 118 may also comprise a soft controller executed on a personal computer or other hardware platform, or on a cloud platform. Some hybrid devices may also combine controller functionality with other functions (e.g., visualization). The control programs executed by industrial controllers 118 can comprise substantially any type of code capable of processing input signals read from the industrial devices 120 and controlling output signals generated by the industrial controllers 118, including but not limited to ladder logic, sequential function charts, function block diagrams, or structured text.

Industrial devices 120 may include both input devices that provide data relating to the controlled industrial systems to the industrial controllers 118, and output devices that respond to control signals generated by the industrial controllers 118 to control aspects of the industrial systems. Example input devices can include telemetry devices (e.g., temperature sensors, flow meters, level sensors, pressure sensors, etc.), manual operator control devices (e.g., push buttons, selector switches, etc.), safety monitoring devices (e.g., safety mats, safety pull cords, light curtains, etc.), and other such devices. Output devices may include motor drives, pneumatic actuators, signaling devices, robot control inputs, valves, pumps, and the like.

Industrial controllers 118 may communicatively interface with industrial devices 120 over hardwired or networked connections. For example, industrial controllers 118 can be equipped with native hardwired inputs and outputs that communicate with the industrial devices 120 to effect control of the devices. The native controller I/O can include digital 110 that transmits and receives discrete voltage signals to and from the field devices, or analog 110 that transmits and receives analog voltage or current signals to and from the devices. The controller I/O can communicate with a controller's processor over a backplane such that the digital and analog signals can be read into and controlled by the control programs. Industrial controllers 118 can also communicate with industrial devices 120 over a network using, for example, a communication module or an integrated networking port. Exemplary networks can include the Internet, intranets, Ethernet, DeviceNet, ControlNet, Data Highway and Data Highway Plus (DH/DH+), Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, wireless networks, serial protocols, and the like. The industrial controllers 118 can also store persisted data values that can be referenced by their associated control programs and used for control decisions, including but not limited to measured or calculated values representing operational states of a controlled machine or process (e.g., tank levels, positions, alarms, etc.) or captured time series data that is collected during operation of the automation system (e.g., status information for multiple points in time, diagnostic occurrences, etc.). Similarly, some intelligent devices—including but not limited to motor drives, instruments, or condition monitoring modules—may store data values that are used for control and/or to visualize states of operation. Such devices may also capture time-series data or events on a log for later retrieval and viewing.

Industrial automation systems often include one or more human-machine interfaces (HMIs) 114 that allow plant personnel to view telemetry and status data associated with the automation systems, and to control some aspects of system operation. HMIs 114 may communicate with one or more of the industrial controllers 118 over a plant network 116, and exchange data with the industrial controllers to facilitate visualization of information relating to the controlled industrial processes on one or more pre-developed operator interface screens. HMIs 114 can also be configured to allow operators to submit data to specified data tags or memory addresses of the industrial controllers 118, thereby providing a means for operators to issue commands to the controlled systems (e.g., cycle start commands, device actuation commands, etc.), to modify setpoint values, etc. HMIs 114 can generate one or more display screens through which the operator interacts with the industrial controllers 118, and thereby with the controlled processes and/or systems. Example display screens can visualize present states of industrial systems or their associated devices using graphical representations of the processes that display metered or calculated values, employ color or position animations based on state, render alarm notifications, or employ other such techniques for presenting relevant data to the operator. Data presented in this manner is read from industrial controllers 118 by HMIs 114 and presented on one or more of the display screens according to display formats chosen by the HMI developer. HMIs may comprise fixed location or mobile devices with either user-installed or pre-installed operating systems, and either user-installed or pre-installed graphical application software.

Some industrial environments may also include other systems or devices relating to specific aspects of the controlled industrial systems. These may include, for example, a data historian 110 that aggregates and stores production information collected from the industrial controllers 118 or other data sources, device documentation stores containing electronic documentation for the various industrial devices making up the controlled industrial systems, inventory tracking systems, work order management systems, repositories for machine or process drawings and documentation, vendor product documentation storage, vendor knowledgebases, internal knowledgebases, work scheduling applications, or other such systems, some or all of which may reside on an office network 108 of the industrial environment.

Higher-level systems 126 may carry out functions that are less directly related to control of the industrial automation systems on the plant floor, and instead are directed to long term planning, high-level supervisory control, analytics, reporting, or other such high-level functions. These systems 126 may reside on the office network 108 at an external location relative to the plant facility, or on a cloud platform with access to the office and/or plant networks. Higher-level systems 126 may include, but are not limited to, cloud storage and analysis systems, big data analysis systems, manufacturing execution systems, data lakes, reporting systems, etc. In some scenarios, applications running at these higher levels of the enterprise may be configured to analyze control system operational data, and the results of this analysis may be fed back to an operator at the control system or directly to a controller 118 or device 120 in the control system.

The various control, monitoring, and analytical devices that make up an industrial environment must be programmed or configured using respective configuration applications specific to each device. For example, industrial controllers 118 are typically configured and programmed using a control programming development application such as a ladder logic editor (e.g., executing on a client device 124). Using such development platforms, a designer can write control programming (e.g., ladder logic, structured text, function block diagrams, etc.) for carrying out a desired industrial sequence or process and download the resulting program files to the controller 118. Separately, developers design visualization screens and associated navigation structures for HMIs 114 using an HMI development platform (e.g., executing on client device 122) and download the resulting visualization files to the HMI 114. Some industrial devices 120—such as motor drives, telemetry devices, safety input devices, etc.—may also require configuration using separate device configuration tools (e.g., executing on client device 128) that are specific to the device being configured. Such device configuration tools may be used to set device parameters or operating modes (e.g., high/low limits, output signal formats, scale factors, energy consumption modes, etc.).

The necessity of using separate configuration tools to program and configure disparate aspects of an industrial automation system results in a piecemeal design approach whereby different but related or overlapping aspects of an automation system are designed, configured, and programmed separately on different development environments. For example, a motion control system may require an industrial controller to be programmed and a control loop to be tuned using a control logic programming platform, a motor drive to be configured using another configuration platform, and an associated HMI to be programmed using a visualization development platform. Related peripheral systems—such as vision systems, safety systems, etc.—may also require configuration using separate programming or development applications.

This segregated development approach can also necessitate considerable testing and debugging efforts to ensure proper integration of the separately configured system aspects. In this regard, intended data interfacing or coordinated actions between the different system aspects may require significant debugging due to a failure to properly coordinate disparate programming efforts.

To address at least some of these or other issues, one or more embodiments described herein provide an integrated development environment (IDE) for designing, programming, and configuring multiple aspects of an industrial automation system using a common design environment and data model. Embodiments of the industrial IDE can be used to configure and manage automation system devices in a common way, facilitating integrated, multi-discipline programming of control, visualization, and other aspects of the control system.

In general, the industrial IDE supports features that span the full automation lifecycle, including design (e.g., device selection and sizing, controller programming, visualization development, device configuration, testing, etc.); installation, configuration and commissioning; operation, improvement, and administration; and troubleshooting, expanding, and upgrading.

Embodiments of the industrial IDE can include a library of modular code and visualizations that are specific to industry verticals (e.g., automotive, food and drug, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, etc.) and common industrial applications within those verticals. These code and visualization modules can simplify development and shorten the development cycle, while also supporting consistency and reuse across an industrial enterprise.

To support enhanced development capabilities, projects created using embodiments of the IDE system can be built on an object-based model rather than, or in addition to, a tag-based architecture. To this end, the IDE system can support the use of automation objects that serve as building blocks for this object-based development structure. To ensure consistency within and between projects, as well as to ensure that a given industrial project is dynamically updated to reflect changes to an industrial asset's attributes (e.g., control code, visualization definitions, testing scripts, analytic code, etc.), embodiments of the IDE system can use automation object inheritance features to propagate changes made to an automation object definition to all instances of the automation object used throughout a control project.

Additionally, some embodiments of the industrial IDE system can support the use of graphical device profiles to set device configuration or parameter values for corresponding devices—e.g., control modules, motor drives, etc.—within the system project. In addition to facilitating configuration of corresponding industrial devices or modules during the development phase, these device profiles can be used to visualize data from their corresponding devices and to submit configuration edits to those devices during runtime. In web-based or cloud-based versions of the IDE system in which users remotely access the IDE services, a user can remotely invoke a device profile corresponding to a particular physical device to view that device's current data values and to submit configuration edits or updates. When such a session is initiated by opening a device profile on the client-side instance of the IDE system, the IDE system can generate a unique session identifier that is applied to all communications between the client device and the web-based IDE services relating to the device profile. This binds the web socket session with the object instance of the device profile, ensuring that the IDE system applies communications from the client device or the corresponding physical device with the correct profile instance.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example integrated development environment (IDE) system 202 according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure. Aspects of the systems, apparatuses, or processes explained in this disclosure can constitute machine-executable components embodied within machine(s), e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable mediums (or media) associated with one or more machines. Such components, when executed by one or more machines, e.g., computer(s), computing device(s), automation device(s), virtual machine(s), etc., can cause the machine(s) to perform the operations described.

IDE system 202 can include a user interface component 204 including an IDE editor 224, a project generation component 206, a project deployment component 208, a device profile management component 210, a device interface component 212, one or more processors 218, and memory 220. In various embodiments, one or more of the user interface component 204, project generation component 206, project deployment component 208, device profile management component 210, device interface component 212, the one or more processors 218, and memory 220 can be electrically and/or communicatively coupled to one another to perform one or more of the functions of the IDE system 202. In some embodiments, components 204, 206, 208, 210, and 212 can comprise software instructions stored on memory 220 and executed by processor(s) 218. IDE system 202 may also interact with other hardware and/or software components not depicted in FIG. 2. For example, processor(s) 218 may interact with one or more external user interface devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a display monitor, a touchscreen, or other such interface devices.

User interface component 204 can be configured to receive user input and to render output to the user in any suitable format (e.g., visual, audio, tactile, etc.). In some embodiments, user interface component 204 can be configured to communicatively interface with an IDE client that executes on a client device (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computer, smart phone, etc.) that is communicatively connected to the IDE system 202 (e.g., via a hardwired or wireless connection). The user interface component 204 can then receive user input data and render output data via the IDE client. In other embodiments, user interface component 314 can be configured to generate and serve suitable interface screens to a client device (e.g., program development screens), and exchange data via these interface screens. Input data that can be received via various embodiments of user interface component 204 can include, but is not limited to, programming code, industrial design specifications or goals, engineering drawings, AR/VR input, DSL definitions, video or image data, device configuration data, device profile definition data, or other such input. Output data rendered by various embodiments of user interface component 204 can include program code, programming feedback (e.g., error and highlighting, coding suggestions, etc.), programming and visualization development screens, project testing results, etc.

Project generation component 206 can be configured to create a system project comprising one or more project files based on design input received via the user interface component 204, as well as industrial knowledge, predefined code modules and visualizations, and automation objects 222 maintained by the IDE system 202. Project deployment component 208 can be configured to commission the system project created by the project generation component 206 to appropriate industrial devices (e.g., controllers, HMI terminals, motor drives, AR/VR systems, etc.) for execution. To this end, project deployment component 208 can identify the appropriate target devices to which respective portions of the system project should be sent for execution, translate these respective portions to formats understandable by the target devices, and deploy the translated project components to their corresponding devices.

The device profile management component 210 can be configured to manage instances of device profiles corresponding to physical devices that are invoked by remote client devices, and to manage communications between the client device and the device profile instance using unique session identifiers. Device interface component 212 can be configured to remotely connect to physical industrial devices corresponding to device profile instances, and to manage exchange of data between the physical device and the client device. This can include obtaining runtime data from the device and rendering (via the user interface component 204) this data on an instance of the device profile displayed on the client device, as well as writing device configuration updates that are submitted via the device profile instance to the device.

The one or more processors 218 can perform one or more of the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed. Memory 220 can be a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions and/or information for performing the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a generalized architecture of the industrial IDE system 202 according to one or more embodiments. Industrial IDE system 202 can implement a common set of services and workflows spanning not only design, but also commissioning, operation, and maintenance. In terms of design, the IDE system 202 can support not only industrial controller programming and HMI development, but also sizing and selection of system components, device/system configuration, AR/VR visualizations, and other features. The IDE system 202 can also include tools that simplify and automate commissioning of the resulting project and assist with subsequent administration of the deployed system during runtime.

Embodiments of the IDE system 202 that are implemented on a cloud platform also facilitate collaborative project development whereby multiple developers 304 contribute design and programming input to a common automation system project 302. Collaborative tools supported by the IDE system can manage design contributions from the multiple contributors and perform version control of the aggregate system project 302 to ensure project consistency.

Based on design and programming input from one or more developers 304, IDE system 202 generates a system project 302 comprising one or more project files. The system project 302 encodes one or more of control programming; HMI, AR, and/or VR visualizations; device or sub-system configuration data (e.g., drive parameters, vision system configurations, telemetry device parameters, safety zone definitions, etc.); or other such aspects of an industrial automation system being designed. IDE system 202 can identify the appropriate target devices 306 on which respective aspects of the system project 302 should be executed (e.g., industrial controllers, HMI terminals, variable frequency drives, safety devices, etc.), translate the system project 302 to executable files that can be executed on the respective target devices, and deploy the executable files to their corresponding target devices 306 for execution, thereby commissioning the system project 302 to the plant floor for implementation of the automation project.

To support enhanced development capabilities, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be built on an object-based data model rather than, or in addition to, a tag-based architecture. Automation objects 222 serve as the building block for this object-based development architecture. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating several example automation object properties that can be leveraged by the IDE system 202 in connection with building, deploying, and executing a system project 302. Automation objects 222 can be created and augmented during design, integrated into larger data models, and consumed during runtime. These automation objects 222 provide a common data structure across the IDE system 202 and can be stored in an object library (e.g., part of memory 220) for reuse. The object library can store predefined automation objects 222 representing various classifications of real-world industrial assets 402, including but not limited to pumps, tanks, values, motors, motor drives (e.g., variable frequency drives), industrial robots, actuators (e.g., pneumatic or hydraulic actuators), or other such assets. Automation objects 222 can represent elements at substantially any level of an industrial enterprise, including individual devices, machines made up of many industrial devices and components (some of which may be associated with their own automation objects 222), and entire production lines or process control systems.

An automation object 222 for a given type of industrial asset can encode such aspects as 2D or 3D visualizations, alarms, control coding (e.g., logic or other type of control programming), analytics, startup procedures, testing protocols and scripts, validation reports, simulations, schematics, security protocols, and other such properties associated with the industrial asset 402 represented by the object 222. As will be described in more detail herein, an automation object 222 can also store device configuration settings for an industrial device as a sequence of mouse and keystroke interactions with a device profile configuration interface, such that these interactions can be played back to facilitate reproducing the device configuration for another device. Automation objects 222 can also be geotagged with location information identifying the location of the associated asset. During runtime of the system project 302, the automation object 222 corresponding to a given real-world asset 402 can also record status or operational history data for the asset. In general, automation objects 222 serve as programmatic representations of their corresponding industrial assets 402, and can be incorporated into a system project 302 as elements of control code, a 2D or 3D visualization, a knowledgebase or maintenance guidance system for the industrial assets, or other such aspects.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example data flows associated with creation of a system project 302 for an automation system being designed using IDE system 202 according to one or more embodiments. A client device 504 (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computer, desktop computer, mobile device, wearable AR/VR appliance, etc.) that submits suitable authentication credentials can access the IDE system's project development tools and leverage these tools to create a comprehensive system project 302 for an automation system being developed. Through interaction with the system's user interface component 204, developers can submit design input 512 to the IDE system 202 in various supported formats, including industry-specific control programming (e.g., control logic, structured text, sequential function charts, etc.) and HMI screen configuration input. Based on this design input 512 and information stored in an industry knowledgebase (predefined code modules 508 and visualizations 510, guardrail templates 506, physics-based rules 516, etc.), user interface component 204 renders design feedback 518 designed to assist the developer in connection with developing a system project 302 for configuration, control, and visualization of an industrial automation system.

In addition to control programming and visualization definitions, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be configured to receive digital engineering drawings (e.g., computer-aided design (CAD) files) as design input 512. In such embodiments, project generation component 206 can generate portions of the system project 302—e.g., by automatically generating control and/or visualization code—based on analysis of existing design drawings. Drawings that can be submitted as design input 512 can include, but are not limited to, P&ID drawings, mechanical drawings, flow diagrams, or other such documents. For example, a P&ID drawing can be imported into the IDE system 202, and project generation component 206 can identify elements (e.g., tanks, pumps, etc.) and relationships therebetween conveyed by the drawings. Project generation component 206 can associate or map elements identified in the drawings with appropriate automation objects 222 corresponding to these elements (e.g., tanks, pumps, etc.) and add these automation objects 222 to the system project 302. The device-specific and asset-specific automation objects 222 include suitable code and visualizations to be associated with the elements identified in the drawings. In general, the IDE system 202 can examine one or more different types of drawings (mechanical, electrical, piping, etc.) to determine relationships between devices, machines, and/or assets (including identifying common elements across different drawings) and intelligently associate these elements with appropriate automation objects 222, code modules 508, and/or visualizations 510. The IDE system 202 can leverage physics-based rules 516 as well as pre-defined code modules 508 and visualizations 510 as necessary in connection with generating code or project data for system project 302.

The IDE system 202 can also determine whether pre-defined visualization content is available for any of the objects discovered in the drawings and generate appropriate HMI screens or AR/VR content for the discovered objects based on these pre-defined visualizations. To this end, the IDE system 202 can store industry-specific, asset-specific, and/or application-specific visualizations 510 that can be accessed by the project generation component 206 as needed. These visualizations 510 can be classified according to industry or industrial vertical (e.g., automotive, food and drug, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, etc.), type of industrial asset (e.g., a type of machine or industrial device), a type of industrial application (e.g., batch processing, flow control, web tension control, sheet metal stamping, water treatment, etc.), or other such categories. Predefined visualizations 510 can comprise visualizations in a variety of formats, including but not limited to HMI screens or windows, mashups that aggregate data from multiple pre-specified sources, AR overlays, VR objects representing 3D virtualizations of the associated industrial asset, or other such visualization formats. IDE system 202 can select a suitable visualization for a given object based on a predefined association between the object type and the visualization content.

Also, or in addition, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can support goal-based automated programming. For example, the user interface component 204 can allow the user to specify production goals for an automation system being designed (e.g., specifying that a bottling plant being designed must be capable of producing at least 5000 bottles per second during normal operation) and any other relevant design constraints applied to the design project (e.g., budget limitations, available floor space, available control cabinet space, etc.). Based on this information, the project generation component 206 will generate portions of the system project 302 to satisfy the specified design goals and constraints. Portions of the system project 302 that can be generated in this manner can include, but are not limited to, device and equipment selections (e.g., definitions of how many pumps, controllers, stations, conveyors, drives, or other assets will be needed to satisfy the specified goal), associated device configurations (e.g., tuning parameters, network settings, drive parameters, etc.), control coding, or HMI screens suitable for visualizing the automation system being designed.

Some embodiments of the project generation component 206 can also generate at least some of the project code for system project 302 based on knowledge of parts that have been ordered for the project being developed. This can involve accessing the customer's account information maintained by an equipment vendor to identify devices that have been purchased for the project. Based on this information the project generation component 206 can add appropriate automation objects 222 and associated code modules 508 corresponding to the purchased assets, thereby providing a starting point for project development.

Some embodiments of project generation component 206 can also monitor customer-specific design approaches for commonly programmed functions (e.g., pumping applications, batch processes, palletizing operations, etc.) and generate recommendations for design modules (e.g., code modules 508, visualizations 510, etc.) that the user may wish to incorporate into a current design project based on an inference of the designer's goals and learned approaches to achieving the goal. To this end, some embodiments of project generation component 206 can be configured to monitor design input 512 over time and, based on this monitoring, learn correlations between certain design actions (e.g., addition of certain code modules or snippets to design projects, selection of certain visualizations, etc.) and types of industrial assets, industrial sequences, or industrial processes being designed. Project generation component 206 can record these learned correlations and generate recommendations during subsequent project development sessions based on these correlations. For example, if project generation component 206 determines, based on analysis of design input 512, that a designer is currently developing a control project involving a type of industrial equipment that has been programmed and/or visualized in the past in a repeated, predictable manner, the project generation component 206 can instruct user interface component 204 to render recommended development steps or code modules 508 the designer may wish to incorporate into the system project 302 based on how this equipment was configured and/or programmed in the past.

In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can also store and implement guardrail templates 506 that define design guardrails intended to ensure the project's compliance with internal or external design standards. Based on design parameters defined by one or more selected guardrail templates 506, user interface component 204 can provide, as a subset of design feedback 518, dynamic recommendations or other types of feedback designed to guide the developer in a manner that ensures compliance of the system project 302 with internal or external requirements or standards (e.g., certifications such as TUV certification, in-house design standards, industry-specific or vertical-specific design standards, etc.). This feedback 518 can take the form of text-based recommendations (e.g., recommendations to rewrite an indicated portion of control code to comply with a defined programming standard), syntax highlighting, error highlighting, auto-completion of code snippets, or other such formats. In this way, IDE system 202 can customize design feedback 518—including programming recommendations, recommendations of predefined code modules 508 or visualizations 510, error and syntax highlighting, etc.—in accordance with the type of industrial system being developed and any applicable in-house design standards.

Guardrail templates 506 can also be designed to maintain compliance with global best practices applicable to control programming or other aspects of project development. For example, user interface component 204 may generate and render an alert if a developer's control programing is deemed to be too complex as defined by criteria specified by one or more guardrail templates 506. Since different verticals (e.g., automotive, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, food and drug, marine, etc.) must adhere to different standards and certifications, the IDE system 202 can maintain a library of guardrail templates 506 for different internal and external standards and certifications, including customized user-specific guardrail templates 506. These guardrail templates 506 can be classified according to industrial vertical, type of industrial application, plant facility (in the case of custom in-house guardrail templates 506) or other such categories. During development, project generation component 206 can select and apply a subset of guardrail templates 506 determined to be relevant to the project currently being developed, based on a determination of such aspects as the industrial vertical to which the project relates, the type of industrial application being programmed (e.g., flow control, web tension control, a certain batch process, etc.), or other such aspects. Project generation component 206 can leverage guardrail templates 506 to implement rules-based programming, whereby programming feedback (a subset of design feedback 518) such as dynamic intelligent autocorrection, type-aheads, or coding suggestions are rendered based on encoded industry expertise and best practices (e.g., identifying inefficiencies in code being developed and recommending appropriate corrections).

Users can also run their own internal guardrail templates 506 against code provided by outside vendors (e.g., OEMs) to ensure that this code complies with in-house programming standards. In such scenarios, vendor-provided code can be submitted to the IDE system 202, and project generation component 206 can analyze this code in view of in-house coding standards specified by one or more custom guardrail templates 506. Based on results of this analysis, user interface component 204 can indicate portions of the vendor-provided code (e.g., using highlights, overlaid text, etc.) that do not conform to the programming standards set forth by the guardrail templates 506, and display suggestions for modifying the code in order to bring the code into compliance. As an alternative or in addition to recommending these modifications, some embodiments of project generation component 206 can be configured to automatically modify the code in accordance with the recommendations to bring the code into conformance.

In making coding suggestions as part of design feedback 518, project generation component 206 can invoke selected code modules 508 stored in a code module database or selected automation objects 222 stored in an automation object library 502 (e.g., on memory 220). Code modules 508 comprise standardized coding segments for controlling common industrial tasks or applications (e.g., palletizing, flow control, web tension control, pick-and-place applications, conveyor control, etc.). Similarly, automation objects 222 representing respective industrial assets may have associated therewith standardize control code for monitoring and controlling their respective assets. In some embodiments, code modules 508 and/or automation objects 222 can be categorized according to one or more of an industrial vertical (e.g., automotive, food and drug, oil and gas, textiles, marine, pharmaceutical, etc.), an industrial application, or a type of machine or device to which the code module 508 or automation object 222 is applicable.

In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can infer a programmer's current programming task or design goal based on programmatic input being provided by the programmer (as a subset of design input 512), and determine, based on this task or goal, whether one of the pre-defined code modules 508 or automation objects 222 may be appropriately added to the control program being developed to achieve the inferred task or goal. For example, project generation component 206 may infer, based on analysis of design input 512, that the programmer is currently developing control code for transferring material from a first tank to another tank, and in response, recommend inclusion of a predefined code module 508 comprising standardized or frequently utilized code for controlling the valves, pumps, or other assets necessary to achieve the material transfer. Similarly, the project generation component 206 may recommend inclusion of an automation object 222 representing one of the tanks, or one of the other industrial assets involved in transferring the material (e.g., a valve, a pump, etc.), where the recommended automation object 222 includes associated control code for controlling its associated asset as well as a visualization object that can be used to visualize the asset on an HMI application or another visualization application.

Customized guardrail templates 506 can also be defined to capture nuances of a customer site that should be taken into consideration in the project design. For example, a guardrail template 506 could record the fact that the automation system being designed will be installed in a region where power outages are common, and will factor this consideration when generating design feedback 518; e.g., by recommending implementation of backup uninterruptable power supplies and suggesting how these should be incorporated, as well as recommending associated programming or control strategies that take these outages into account.

IDE system 202 can also use guardrail templates 506 to guide user selection of equipment or devices for a given design goal; e.g., based on the industrial vertical, type of control application (e.g., sheet metal stamping, die casting, palletization, conveyor control, web tension control, batch processing, etc.), budgetary constraints for the project, physical constraints at the installation site (e.g., available floor, wall or cabinet space; dimensions of the installation space; etc.), equipment already existing at the site, etc. Some or all of these parameters and constraints can be provided as design input 512, and user interface component 204 can render the equipment recommendations as a subset of design feedback 518. In conjunction with this equipment recommendation, the project generation component 206 can also recommend inclusion of corresponding automation objects 222 representing the recommended equipment for inclusion in the system project 302.

In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can also determine whether some or all existing equipment can be repurposed for the new control system being designed. For example, if a new bottling line is to be added to a production area, there may be an opportunity to leverage existing equipment since some bottling lines already exist. The decision as to which devices and equipment can be reused will affect the design of the new control system. Accordingly, some of the design input 512 provided to the IDE system 202 can include specifics of the customer's existing systems within or near the installation site. In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can apply artificial intelligence (AI) or traditional analytic approaches to this information to determine whether existing equipment specified in design in put 512 can be repurposed or leveraged. Based on results of this analysis, project generation component 206 can generate, as design feedback 518, a list of any new equipment that may need to be purchased based on these decisions.

In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can offer design recommendations based on an understanding of the physical environment within which the automation system being designed will be installed. To this end, information regarding the physical environment can be submitted to the IDE system 202 (as part of design input 512) in the form of 2D or 3D images or video of the plant environment. This environmental information can also be obtained from an existing digital twin of the plant, or by analysis of scanned environmental data obtained by a wearable AR appliance in some embodiments. Project generation component 206 can analyze this image, video, or digital twin data to identify physical elements within the installation area (e.g., walls, girders, safety fences, existing machines and devices, etc.) and physical relationships between these elements. This can include ascertaining distances between machines, lengths of piping runs, locations and distances of wiring harnesses or cable trays, etc. Based on results of this analysis, project generation component 206 can add context to schematics generated as part of system project 302, generate recommendations regarding optimal locations for devices or machines (e.g., recommending a minimum separation between power and data cables), or make other refinements to the system project 302. At least some of this design data can be generated based on physics-based rules 516, which can be referenced by project generation component 206 to determine such physical design specifications as minimum safe distances from hazardous equipment (which may also factor into determining suitable locations for installation of safety devices relative to this equipment, given expected human or vehicle reaction times defined by the physics-based rules 516), material selections capable of withstanding expected loads, piping configurations and tuning for a specified flow control application, wiring gauges suitable for an expected electrical load, minimum distances between signal wiring and electromagnetic field (EMF) sources to ensure negligible electrical interference on data signals, or other such design features that are dependent on physical rules.

In an example use case, relative locations of machines and devices specified by physical environment information submitted to the IDE system 202 can be used by the project generation component 206 to generate design data for an industrial safety system. For example, project generation component 206 can analyze distance measurements between safety equipment and hazardous machines and, based on these measurements, determine suitable placements and configurations of safety devices and associated safety controllers that ensure the machine will shut down within a sufficient safety reaction time to prevent injury (e.g., in the event that a person runs through a light curtain).

As noted above, the system project 302 generated by IDE system 202 for a given automaton system being designed can be built upon an object-based architecture that uses automation objects 222 as building blocks. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example system project 302 that incorporates automation objects 222 into the project model. In this example, various automation objects 222 representing analogous industrial devices, systems, or assets of an automation system (e.g., a process, tanks, valves, pumps, etc.) have been incorporated into system project 302 as elements of a larger project data model 602. The project data model 602 also defines hierarchical relationships between these automation objects 222. According to an example relationship, a process automation object representing a batch process may be defined as a parent object to a number of child objects representing devices and equipment that carry out the process, such as tanks, pumps, and valves. Each automation object 222 has associated therewith object properties or attributes specific to its corresponding industrial asset (e.g., those discussed above in connection with FIG. 4), including executable control programming for controlling the asset (or for coordinating the actions of the asset with other industrial assets) and visualizations that can be used to render relevant information about the asset during runtime.

At least some of the attributes of each automation object 222 are default properties defined by the IDE system 202 based on encoded industry expertise pertaining to the asset represented by the objects. These default properties can include, for example, industry-standard or recommended control code for monitoring and controlling the asset represented by the automation object 222, a 2D or 3D graphical object that can be used to visualize operational or statistical data for the asset, alarm conditions associated with the asset, analytic or reporting scripts designed to yield actionable insights into the asset's behavior, or other such properties. Other properties can be modified or added by the developer as needed (via design input 512) to customize the automation object 222 for the particular asset and/or industrial application for which the system projects 302 is being developed. This can include, for example, associating customized control code, HMI screens, AR presentations, or help files associated with selected automation objects 222. In this way, automation objects 222 can be created and augmented as needed during design for consumption or execution by target control devices during runtime.

Once development and testing on a system project 302 has been completed, commissioning tools supported by the IDE system 202 can simplify the process of commissioning the project in the field. When the system project 302 for a given automation system has been completed, the system project 302 can be deployed to one or more target control devices for execution. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating commissioning of a system project 302. Project deployment component 208 can compile or otherwise translate a completed system project 302 into one or more executable files or configuration files that can be stored and executed on respective target industrial devices of the automation system (e.g., industrial controllers 118, HMI terminals 114 or other types of visualization systems, motor drives 710, telemetry devices, vision systems, safety relays, etc.).

Conventional control program development platforms require the developer to specify the type of industrial controller (e.g., the controller's model number) on which the control program will run prior to development, thereby binding the control programming to a specified controller. Controller-specific guardrails are then enforced during program development which limit how the program is developed given the capabilities of the selected controller. By contrast, some embodiments of the IDE system 202 can abstract project development from the specific controller type, allowing the designer to develop the system project 302 as a logical representation of the automation system in a manner that is agnostic to where and how the various control aspects of system project 302 will run. Once project development is complete and system project 302 is ready for commissioning, the user can specify (via user interface component 204) target devices on which respective aspects of the system project 302 are to be executed. In response, an allocation engine of the project deployment component 208 will translate aspects of the system project 302 to respective executable files formatted for storage and execution on their respective target devices.

For example, system project 302 may include—among other project aspects—control code, visualization screen definitions, and motor drive parameter definitions. Upon completion of project development, a user can identify which target devices—including an industrial controller 118, an HMI terminal 114, and a motor drive 710—are to execute or receive these respective aspects of the system project 302. Project deployment component 208 can then translate the controller code defined by the system project 302 to a control program file 702 formatted for execution on the specified industrial controller 118 and send this control program file 702 to the controller 118 (e.g., via plant network 116). Similarly, project deployment component 208 can translate the visualization definitions and motor drive parameter definitions to a visualization application 704 and a device configuration file 708, respectively, and deploy these files to their respective target devices for execution and/or device configuration.

In general, project deployment component 208 performs any conversions necessary to allow aspects of system project 302 to execute on the specified devices. Any inherent relationships, handshakes, or data sharing defined in the system project 302 are maintained regardless of how the various elements of the system project 302 are distributed. In this way, embodiments of the IDE system 202 can decouple the project from how and where the project is to be run. This also allows the same system project 302 to be commissioned at different plant facilities having different sets of control equipment. That is, some embodiments of the IDE system 202 can allocate project code to different target devices as a function of the particular devices found on-site. IDE system 202 can also allow some portions of the project file to be commissioned as an emulator or on a cloud-based controller.

As an alternative to having the user specify the target control devices to which the system project 302 is to be deployed, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can actively connect to the plant network 116 and discover available devices, ascertain the control hardware architecture present on the plant floor, infer appropriate target devices for respective executable aspects of system project 302, and deploy the system project 302 to these selected target devices. As part of this commissioning process, IDE system 202 can also connect to remote knowledgebases (e.g., web-based or cloud-based knowledgebases) to determine which discovered devices are out of date or require firmware upgrade to properly execute the system project 302. In this way, the IDE system 202 can serve as a link between device vendors and a customer's plant ecosystem via a trusted connection in the cloud.

Copies of system project 302 can be propagated to multiple plant facilities having varying equipment configurations using smart propagation, whereby the project deployment component 208 intelligently associates project components with the correct industrial asset or control device even if the equipment on-site does not perfectly match the defined target (e.g., if different pump types are found at different sites). For target devices that do not perfectly match the expected asset, project deployment component 208 can calculate the estimated impact of running the system project 302 on non-optimal target equipment and generate warnings or recommendations for mitigating expected deviations from optimal project execution.

As noted above, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be embodied on a cloud or web-based platform. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture in which cloud-based IDE services 802 are used to develop and deploy industrial applications to a plant environment. In this example, the industrial environment includes one or more industrial controllers 118, HMI terminals 114, motor drives 710, servers 801 running higher level applications (e.g., ERP, MES, etc.), and other such industrial assets. These industrial assets are connected to a plant network 116 (e.g., a common industrial protocol network, an Ethernet/IP network, etc.) that facilitates data exchange between industrial devices on the plant floor. Plant network 116 may be a wired or a wireless network. In the illustrated example, the high-level servers 810 reside on a separate office network 108 that is connected to the plant network 116 (e.g., through a router 808 or other network infrastructure device).

In this example, IDE system 202 resides on a cloud platform 806 and executes as a set of cloud-based IDE service 802 that are accessible to authorized remote client devices 504. Cloud platform 806 can be any infrastructure that allows shared computing services (such as IDE services 802) to be accessed and utilized by cloud-capable devices. Cloud platform 806 can be a public cloud accessible via the Internet by devices 504 having Internet connectivity and appropriate authorizations to utilize the IDE services 802. In some scenarios, cloud platform 806 can be provided by a cloud provider as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and the IDE services 802 can reside and execute on the cloud platform 806 as a cloud-based service. In some such configurations, access to the cloud platform 806 and associated IDE services 802 can be provided to customers as a subscription service by an owner of the IDE services 802. Alternatively, cloud platform 806 can be a private cloud operated internally by the industrial enterprise (the owner of the plant facility). An example private cloud platform can comprise a set of servers hosting the IDE services 802 and residing on a corporate network protected by a firewall.

Cloud-based implementations of IDE system 202 can facilitate collaborative development by multiple remote developers who are authorized to access the IDE services 802. When a system project 302 is ready for deployment, the project 302 can be commissioned to the plant facility via a secure connection between the office network 108 or the plant network 116 and the cloud platform 806. As discussed above, the industrial IDE services 802 can translate system project 302 to one or more appropriate executable files—control program files 702, visualization applications 704, device configuration files 708, system configuration files 812—and deploy these files to the appropriate devices in the plant facility to facilitate implementation of the automation project.

Some embodiments of the industrial IDE system 202 can support the use of device profiles to facilitate reading and writing values of configurable device parameters for devices that are to be included in the automation project. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating configuration of device parameters using device profiles 906. In general, each device profile 906 corresponds to a device type, and is a re-usable object or file that defines a set of configurable device parameters—e.g., network or communication settings, scale factors, input or output signal types, operating mode settings, tuning parameter values, maximum or minimum values, refresh rates, channel configurations, etc.—for its corresponding device type. Each device profile 906 can organize these device configuration parameters into categories to assist the user in locating a desired parameter. The device profile 906 can also record general information about the device, some of which can be modified by the user to customize a generic device type to reflect a specific device (an instance of the device type).

The IDE system 202 can store device profiles 906 for multiple types of devices in a device profile library 902 for selective inclusion in system projects 302. Device profiles 906 can be defined for a variety of different industrial devices or systems, including but not limited to industrial controller modules (e.g., analog or digital input and output modules, networking or scanner modules, special function modules, etc.), variable frequency drives, telemetry devices, safety relays, vision systems, or other such devices.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, during development of a system project 302, a user can interact with the IDE system's development interface to select a device profile 906 to be added to the project 302. The selected profile 906 typically corresponds to a type of device that will be included in the automation system for which the project 302 is being developed. Once a selected device profile 906 has been added to the system project 302 (via submission of profile selection input 904), the user can invoke device configuration interfaces defined by the device profile 906 and interact with these configuration interfaces to set values of device parameters or settings 908 for the device represented by the profile 906. When the system project 302 is subsequently deployed to the industrial controller 118 or other devices that make up the automation system (as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8), the device configuration settings 908 that had been submitted by the user are written to corresponding registers of the relevant field devices (e.g., the industrial controller 118 in the case of I/O modules or smart devices connected to the controller 118, or other target devices that are subject to the device settings).

FIG. 10 is an example development interface 1002 that can be rendered on a client device by the industrial IDE system's user interface component 204. Development interface 1002 is organized into panels and workspaces for navigating and editing the system project 302. The example interface 1002 depicted in FIG. 10 comprises a main workspace area 1010 that serves as the IDE system's primary work area and an explorer panel 1012 located adjacent to the main workspace area 1010. The explorer panel 1012 displays a navigation tree 1006 comprising a hierarchical arrangement of selectable nodes representing elements of the system project 302 being developed. In general, selection of a project element from the navigation tree 1006 causes the main workspace area 1010 to render project content corresponding to the selected element, such as ladder logic or other types of control code, program routines, controller tag definitions, device configuration information, or other aspects of the project 302. The user can interact with these project elements within the main workspace area 1010 to perform such development functions as writing or editing controller code (e.g., ladder logic, function block diagrams, structured text, etc.), configuring device parameter settings, defining controller tags, or other such project development functions.

FIG. 11 is a view of the explorer panel 1012 and its associated navigation tree 1006 in isolation. As noted above, explorer panel 1012 serves as a means for navigating and viewing content of a system project 302 and supports various ways for performing this navigation. Selectable viewing categories are rendered as selectable explorer icons in a control bar 1108 pinned to the left-side edge of the explorer panel 1012. Selection of an explorer icon from the control bar 1108 sets the type of project content to be browsed via the Explorer panel 1012. In the scenario depicted in FIG. 11, a Devices view icon 1014 has been selected in the control bar 1108, causing the explorer panel 1012 to display, as the navigation tree 1006, a hierarchical arrangement of device nodes 1016 representing the devices defined for the system project 302.

For an example system project 302, the device navigation tree 1006 can include a controller node 1102 representing an industrial controller 118 to be programmed as part of the system project 302. A backplane node 1104 is defined as a child node of the controller node 1102 and represents the backplane of the industrial controller 118 on which one or more devices or modules will be installed. Any modules or devices to be connected to the controller's backplane are represented as device nodes 1106 below the backplane node 1104. Example devices that can be associated with the controller can include, but are not limited to, digital or analog input modules, digital or analog output modules, networking or scanning modules, analytic modules, special function modules, smart industrial devices, motor drives such as variable frequency drives, or other such devices. Per the workflow illustrated in FIG. 9, a user can add a new device to the project by adding a new device node 1016—representing a device profile 906 for the type of the device—to the device navigation tree 1006. Any suitable interaction can be used to add a new device to the navigation tree 1006. For example, the user may select the backplane node 1104 and invoke a device profile selection window (e.g., by right-clicking on the backplane node 1104) that displays a list of available types of devices that are compatible with the corresponding backplane type and which can be added to the project 302. Each device type has a corresponding device profile 906 stored in the system's device profile library 902. The device profile 906 defines information about the corresponding device type, as well as any device parameters associated with the device type whose values can be set by the user.

The explorer icons rendered on the control bar 1108 can also include an Application icon that causes the explorer panel 1012 to display a list of applications—e.g., industrial control programs such as ladder logic routines—that make up the system project 302. This viewing mode allows the user to develop, view, and edit control programs within the main workspace area 1010. These control programs will be installed and executed on the industrial controller 118.

Returning to FIG. 10, selecting a device node 1016 in the navigation tree 1006 causes the main workspace area 1010 to display an interactive device configuration interface for viewing and editing configuration parameters for the selected device. Device information and configurable device parameters displayed on this device configuration interface are defined by the device profile 906 for the selected device. In the example depicted in FIG. 10, the device configuration interface comprises a main configuration area 1004 and a category window 1008 that lists various informational and configuration categories for the device. Selecting a category from this window 1008 causes the main device configuration area 1004 to render information or configurable device parameters relating to the selected category.

Informational categories listed in the category window 1008 can include an Overview category and a more detailed Device Information category. Selection of the Overview category can cause summary information about the device—e.g., model number and revision number of the device, device type, a type of electronic keying, or other such information—to be rendered in the main workspace area 1010. In the example depicted in FIG. 10, the user has selected a device node 1016 representing an ethernet bridge module that will be installed on the controller's backplane, and has selected the Overview category within the category window 1008 so that general overview information for the module can be viewed.

Depending on the type of device, some of the device information accessible via the Overview or Device Information categories can be edited by the user. FIG. 12 is a view of the main workspace area 1010 in which a Device Information editing window 1202 has been invoked for the selected device. This window 1202 includes data fields that allow the user to enter or edit various items of information about the device, including but not limited to a name of the device, a description of the device, a controller slot number in which the device is to be installed (if the device is a module to be installed on a controller backplane), revision information, a type of electronic keying, a type of connection, a type of input data, or other such information.

Returning again to FIG. 10, configuration categories listed in the category window 1008 can include, for example, a Connection category, an Internet Protocol category, a Port Configuration category, a Network category, a Time Sync category, a Display category, a Channels category, a Calibration category, an I/O points category, or other such configuration categories. The available configuration categories, as well as the specific parameters that are accessible under each category, can depend on the type of device being viewed. For example, FIG. 13a is a view of the main workspace area 1010 in which the user has selected a 16-point digital input module. Available configuration categories listed in the Category window 1008 for this type of device include a Connection category, a Configuration category, and a Points category. The Connection category has been selected in FIG. 13a, causing the configuration area 1004 to display configurable connection parameters for the module. These parameters include a packet interval timing, an indication as to whether the module is to be inhibited, and an indication as to whether a connection failure is to trigger a major fault on the controller 118. The configuration area renders interactive graphical controls—e.g., data entry boxes, drop down selection windows, binary check boxes, etc.—for each configurable parameter to allow the user to enter values of these parameters.

FIG. 13b is a view of the main workspace area 1010 in which the Configuration category has been selected in the Category window 1008. For the selected analog input module, selecting this category causes the configuration area 1004 to display an interactive table that allows the user to set input filter times for groups of input points. FIG. 13c is a view of the main workspace area 1010 in which the Points category has been selected in the Category window 1008. This invokes another interactive table in the configuration area 1004 that allows the user to selectively enable or disable changes of state—both on-to-off and off-to-on transitions—for each input point of the module. In contrast to generic table-based interfaces, this graphical configuration interface comprises both individual checkbox controls 1302 that allow the user to enable or disable state changes for individual input points, as well as global checkbox controls 1304 that allow the user to enable or disable state changes for all of the module's input points with a single selection input.

As noted above, the device profile 906 for the device being configured defines the configuration parameters that will be presented for viewing and editing in the main workspace area. FIG. 14a is a view of the main workspace area 1010 in which another type of device—an 8-channel analog input module—has been selected. In this scenario, the configuration categories listed in the Category window 1008 include a Channels category for configuring the analog input channels of the module. General channel parameters that are applicable to all channels—including the real time sampling (RTS) period and the module filter frequency—are rendered in the configuration area 1004 and can be edited by the user. In addition, configuration parameters for each individual channel can be set within the configuration area 1004, as shown in FIGS. 14b and 14c. These channel-specific parameters can include, but are not limited to, a type of input signal provided to the channel (e.g., current or voltage), a range of the input signal (e.g., 4-20 milliamp, 0-10 volts, etc.), an offset value for the channel, high and low input signal limits, digital filter value, or other such configuration settings.

In some embodiments, the IDS system 202 can be configured to generate dynamic feedback in response to determining that the user has submitted a device configuration parameter value that is not within a valid range for the edited parameter. In this regard, some device profiles 906 can define ranges of valid values for respective device parameters. As the user submits device configuration parameter values, the project generation component 206 can verify that each parameter value submitted by the user is within the valid ranges. If the user enters a parameter value that is outside that parameter's valid range, the user interface component 204 can render a notification on the development interface 1002 indicating that the value entered by the user is invalid. The project generation component 206 can reject any submitted parameter values that are outside their valid ranges.

The device configuration interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 10-14c and described above provide an intuitive interface for configuring industrial devices used in the system project 302. The device profile library 902 can store device profiles 906 for devices offered by multiple different device vendors, and the IDE system's interface allows these devices to be configured using a common device configuration workflow regardless of device vendor. The graphical device configuration interfaces generated by the IDE system 202 offer a more intuitive configuration workflow relative to more generic table-based device configuration interfaces.

Cloud-based embodiments of the IDE system 202—such as the example embodiment depicted in FIG. 8—can generate the device configuration interfaces using a web-based format, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) or JavaScript, allowing the device profiles 906 to be executed on a cloud platform or internet server and served to any type of authorized device that supports web browsing. During runtime of the physical automation system for which the system project 302 was developed, these web-enabled device profiles 906 can be used to display current values of device configuration parameters or live runtime data (e.g., status and operational data) read from the corresponding industrial devices by the IDE system 202.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture for invoking and interacting with device profiles 906 on a cloud-based version of the industrial IDE system 202, such as that depicted in FIG. 8. The architecture depicted in FIG. 15 allows web-capable client devices 1502 at remote locations to invoke and interact with device profiles 906—e.g., via a web browser or another client-side visualization application—as part of a suite of web-based development and runtime features supported by the IDE system 202. In web-based embodiments of the IDE system 202 (which can be implemented as cloud-based IDE services 802), a device profile management component 210 can manage the storage, instantiation, and functionality of device profiles 906 (as described above in connection with FIGS. 9-14c). Web-based device profile 906 can comprise two primary components—a view component (or user interface component) that defines the user interfaces 1514 served to the client device 1502 when the device profile 906 is invoked (e.g., a front end component), and the profile's add-on profile (AOP) services defining the functionality of the profile 906 (e.g., the back end component).

Though only one user—the owner of client device 1502—is depicted interacting with the IDE system 202FIG. 15, cloud-based or web-based versions of the IDE system 202 allow multiple users to simultaneously and remotely access the project development and runtime services offered by the IDE system 202 via their respective web browsers. Users can access the IDE system 202 and invoke an instance of the IDE development interface 1002 (see FIG. 10) on a web browser (or another visualization application) executing on their client devices 1502. The users can then interact with this instance of the development interface 1002 to facilitate development of an industrial system project 302 or monitoring of live data from selected devices of the corresponding physical automation system. For web-based development scenarios, a user can interact with the instance of the development interface 1002 to add device profiles 906 to a system project 302, invoke the configuration interfaces associated with those profiles 906 (e.g., the main configuration area 1004 and category window 1008 depicted in FIG. 10), and use those configuration interfaces to set values of device parameters for corresponding devices, as described above. This cloud-based implementation allows multiple users to access the same device profile 906 as an instance 1514 within their projects while also keeping their respective project data isolated from one another.

When a user invokes a device profile 906 within a development environment of a local version of the IDE system 202 that is installed and executed on a client device, the rendered instance of the device profile 906 is directly bound, via hardcoding, to the services associated with the profile 906 since both the instance and the profile 906 execute in the same environment. However, in the case of web-based versions of the IDE system 202 in which multiple different users remotely invoke instances 1514 of a given device profile 906 on their local web browsers (or another type of local rendering application), the IDE system 202 establishes a binding between the device profile 906 and the instance 1514 of the profile 906 using session identifiers (IDs) 1510. These session IDs 1510 uniquely identify each communication session—e.g., a web socket session—between an instance 1514 of a device profile 906 rendered on a client device 1502 and the corresponding device profile 906 and physical industrial device.

When a device profile 906 is instantiated by the user via interaction with the development interface 1002 on the client device 1502 (e.g., within a web browser executing on the client device 1502), the user interface component 204 renders an instance 1514 of the device profile 906 on the development interface 1002. In various embodiments, the instance 1514 of the selected device profile 906 can have a similar format to the device profile interfaces described above in connection with FIGS. 10 and 12-14c (e.g., an interface comprising a main configuration area 1004 and a category window 1008) or may have another interface format. In the example depicted in FIG. 15, the user at client device 1502 has invoked two device profiles 906a and 906b (Profile A and Profile B) on their local instance of the development interface 1002, causing corresponding instances 1514a and 1514b of those profiles to be displayed in the interface 1002. These instances 1514a and 1514b respectively correspond to the device profiles 906a and 906b stored in the device profile library 902 of the web-based IDE system 202.

In addition, the device profile management component 210 assigns a session ID 1510 to each device profile instance 1514 invoked by the user. The session ID 1510 for a given profile instance 1514 uniquely identifies the communication session between that instance 1514 and the corresponding device profile 906 (and its associated services), as well between the instance 1514 and the physical device represented by the instance 1514 (as defined by the system project 302 in which the device profile instance 1514 is used). Session IDs 1510 ensure that the IDE system 202 correctly differentiates between messages from different instances 1514 of the device profiles 906 and applies incoming communications to the correct profile instance 1514 or corresponding physical device.

In general, a profile instance 1514 is a representation of a physical industrial device or module, which displays that device's current configuration settings and, if remotely connected to the physical device during runtime via the web-based IDE system 202, real-time status and operational data. The session ID 1510 for that instance 1514 creates an association between the profile instance 1514 and its corresponding physical device, allowing the IDE system 202 to correctly associate communications to and from the instance 1514 with its corresponding physical device and device profile services.

When a user invokes an instance 1514 of a selected device profile 906, the device profile management component 210 generates a unique session ID 1510 for the instance's communication session and sends this session ID 1510 to the client device 1502. This client-side copy of the session ID 1510 is associated with the device profile instance 1514 at the client device 1502. The device profile management component 210 also maintains a copy of the session ID 1510 on the cloud- or web-side IDE system 202, in association with information identifying the specific physical device represented by the instance 1514 as well as the instance 1514 itself. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example record set 1602 of active session IDs that can be maintained by the device profile management component 210. In this example, the device profile management component 210 maintains a record set 1602 identifying all currently active session IDs 1510, as well as the physical devices corresponding to each session ID and the profile instance 1514 that serves as the user-facing front-end for the communication channel. The physical devices can be identified in the record set 1602 using any suitable identifier, including but not limited to a MAC address, model and serial number, network address, or other such identifiers.

Returning to FIG. 15, while a profile instance 1514 is invoked in the development interface 1002, the user can submit profile edits 1506 to modify device information or configuration parameters of its corresponding physical device (e.g., by entering the edits in the appropriate data fields of the main device configuration area 1004 of the device profile instance 1514, as described above in connection with FIGS. 12-14c). In the example depicted in FIG. 15, the user is submitting profile edits 1506 for device profile instance 1514a, which corresponds to device profile 906a. The device profile instance 1514a sends these profile edits 1506a to the IDE system 202 together with a copy of its session ID 1510a. When the edits 1506a are received at the IDE system 202, the device profile management component 210 references the session ID 1510a associated with the incoming edits 1506a and applies the edits 1506 to physical device corresponding to the session ID 1510a. In the case of profile edits 1506 made during development of the system project 302 (without the IDE system 202 necessarily being communicatively connected to the industrial devices of the physical automation system), these profile edits 1506 may be applied solely to the device configuration information for the corresponding device stored in the system project 302, which will subsequently be downloaded to the corresponding device. When the edits 1506 have been applied to the system project 302 (by the project generation component 206, not shown in FIG. 15), the user interface component 204 returns an interface update 1508 to the device profile instance 1514a reflecting the edits, and the instance 1514a updates is visualization based on the updates 1508.

In a runtime scenario in which the automation system has been commissioned and is currently operating in a plant facility, the web-based IDE system 202 allows the user to remotely connect to the physical devices of the automation system during operation, using the instance of the development interface 1002 as a front-end interface for viewing live status and operational data generated by the devices, as well as to view and edit device configuration parameters via the device profile instances 1514. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the use of IDE system 202 to remotely view and edit live data on industrial devices 1702 of an automation system (e.g., the automation system for which a system project 302 was developed). In this scenario, the web-based IDE system's device interface component 212 can establish a remote communication channel between the instance of the development interface 1002 on the client device 1502 and industrial devices 1702 of an automation system operating within an industrial plant. This communication channel can traverse any public or private networks—including the internet and plant or office networks—necessary to establish a communication link between the client device 1502 and the physical device 1702.

The user can establish a communication channel to a selected device 1702 by invoking the device profile 906 for that device 1702 within the local instance of the IDE development interface 1002, which renders the instance 1514 of the selected profile 906. The device profile 906 can be invoked via interaction with the navigation tree 1006 of a project's explorer panel 1012 (see FIG. 11). As discussed above, when the device profile 906 is invoked, the device profile management component 310 assigns a session ID 1510 to the corresponding profile instance 1514 rendered on the development interface 1002, and records this session ID 1510 in the record set 1602 of active session IDs. The device interface component 212 can then use the established communication channel to read live device data 1706 from the device 1702 and send (via the user interface component 204) corresponding interface updates 1508 to the profile instance 1514. These interface updates 1508 update the view of the corresponding device profile instance 1514 to display the live device data 1706. The live device data 1706 can include current values of the device's configuration parameters, which are rendered in the corresponding data fields of the device profile instance 1514 (e.g., the example data fields illustrated in FIGS. 12-14c). For some devices, the live device data 1706 may also include current status and operational data values, which can also be rendered on the appropriate device profile instance 1514.

The device interface component 212 can determine which client-side profile instance 1514 is to be updated with the current values of the live device data 1706 based on the identity of the device 1702 and the record set of active session IDs, which defines any session IDs 1510 currently assigned to communication channels to the device 1702, as well as any device profile instances 1514 associated with the session ID 1510.

The remote communication channel established between the device profile instance 1514 and its corresponding device 1702 also allows the user to submit, via interaction with the profile instance 1514, profile edits 1506 to modify values of selected device parameters. As described above, when the user submits a profile edit 1506 (e.g., to modify one or more device configuration parameter values) the profile instance 1514 adds the session ID 1510 assigned to the instance 1514 to the communication message containing these profile edits 1506. When the profile edits 1506 are received at the IDE system 202, the device profile management component 210 can identify the corresponding profile 906 and physical device 1702 based on the session ID 1510 included with the update 1508 (e.g., by referencing the record set 1602 of active session IDs 1510) and send the updates 1508 to the corresponding physical device 1702 as device data writes 1704. These device data writes 1704 modify the values of the device's configuration parameters in accordance with the edits 1506 remotely submitted by the user.

The use of session IDs 1510 as described herein facilities web-based or cloud-based implementations of the IDE system 202 by dynamically binding device profile instances on a client device to the appropriate profile services on the IDE system and to their corresponding physical devices. The session IDs 1510 allow the IDE system to differentiate between various communication channels between mobile client devices accessing the IDE system 202 and their physical industrial assets.

FIGS. 18-19 illustrate methodologies in accordance with one or more embodiments of the subject application. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies shown herein are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the subject innovation is not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance therewith, occur in a different order and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the innovation. Furthermore, interaction diagram(s) may represent methodologies, or methods, in accordance with the subject disclosure when disparate entities enact disparate portions of the methodologies. Further yet, two or more of the disclosed example methods can be implemented in combination with each other, to accomplish one or more features or advantages described herein.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example methodology 1800 for establishing a communication channel between a client device and physical industrial device via a web-based or cloud-based industrial IDE system. Initially, at 1802, an instance of an industrial control system development interface is instantiated, by a web-based or cloud-based industrial IDE system, on a client device that remotely connects to the industrial IDE system. At 1804, a determination is made as to whether a request is received from the client device to invoke a device profile associated with a control system project. The device profile can be one of multiple device profiles defined in a device profile library of the IDE system that correspond to respective different types of industrial devices. The control system project can define an association between the device profile and a physical industrial device that operates as part of an automation system deployed in a plant facility.

If the request is received at the IDE system (YES at step 1804), the methodology proceeds to step 1806, where an instance of the device profile is rendered in the client-side instance of the development interface. This can include rendering a device profile interface that displays configuration parameters associated with the profile's device type. At 1808, the IDE system establishes a communication channel between the device profile instance on the client device and the physical industrial device corresponding to the device profile instance. At 1810, the industrial IDE system assigns a session ID to the communication channel that associates the device profile with the physical industrial device and the device profile services. This session ID is used throughout the communication channel to create a binding between the device profile instances, the physical device, and IDE services associated with the original device profile.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example methodology 1900 for using a session ID in communications between a client-side instance of a web-based industrial IDE system and a physical device. Methodology 1900 can be executed after methodology 1800 has been performed to assign the session ID to a communication channel between the client device and the physical device. Initially, at 1902, a message from a client device is received at a web-based industrial IDE system. The message contains an edit to a selected device configuration parameter of an industrial device, and is submitted via interaction with an instance of a device profile rendered on the client device by the IDE system.

At 1904, a session ID included in the received message is read. The session ID uniquely identifies a communication channel between the device profile instance and the industrial device. In some embodiments, the session ID can be previously assigned to the channel using methodology 1800 described above. At 1906, the industrial device that is subject to the edit is determined based on the session ID. At 1908, the industrial IDE system sends an update to the industrial device that edits the selected device configuration parameter in accordance with the message.

Embodiments, systems, and components described herein, as well as control systems and automation environments in which various aspects set forth in the subject specification can be carried out, can include computer or network components such as servers, clients, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), automation controllers, communications modules, mobile computers, on-board computers for mobile vehicles, wireless components, control components and so forth which are capable of interacting across a network. Computers and servers include one or more processors—electronic integrated circuits that perform logic operations employing electric signals—configured to execute instructions stored in media such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a hard drive, as well as removable memory devices, which can include memory sticks, memory cards, flash drives, external hard drives, and so on.

Similarly, the term PLC or automation controller as used herein can include functionality that can be shared across multiple components, systems, and/or networks. As an example, one or more PLCs or automation controllers can communicate and cooperate with various network devices across the network. This can include substantially any type of control, communications module, computer, Input/Output (I/O) device, sensor, actuator, and human machine interface (HMI) that communicate via the network, which includes control, automation, and/or public networks. The PLC or automation controller can also communicate to and control various other devices such as standard or safety-rated I/O modules including analog, digital, programmed/intelligent I/O modules, other programmable controllers, communications modules, sensors, actuators, output devices, and the like.

The network can include public networks such as the internet, intranets, and automation networks such as control and information protocol (CIP) networks including DeviceNet, ControlNet, safety networks, and Ethernet/IP. Other networks include Ethernet, DH/DH+, Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, CAN, wireless networks, serial protocols, and so forth. In addition, the network devices can include various possibilities (hardware and/or software components). These include components such as switches with virtual local area network (VLAN) capability, LANs, WANs, proxies, gateways, routers, firewalls, virtual private network (VPN) devices, servers, clients, computers, configuration tools, monitoring tools, and/or other devices.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, FIGS. 20 and 21 as well as the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be implemented. While the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, distributed computing systems, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

The illustrated embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which can include computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media, and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable or machine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, solid state drives or other solid state storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 20, the example environment 2000 for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described herein includes a computer 2002, the computer 2002 including a processing unit 2004, a system memory 2006 and a system bus 2008. The system bus 2008 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 2006 to the processing unit 2004. The processing unit 2004 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 2004.

The system bus 2008 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 2006 includes ROM 2010 and RAM 2012. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 2002, such as during startup. The RAM 2012 can also include a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 2002 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 2014 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 2016 (e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 2016, a memory stick or flash drive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive 2020 (e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.). While the internal HDD 2014 is illustrated as located within the computer 2002, the internal HDD 2014 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown in environment 2000, a solid state drive (SSD) could be used in addition to, or in place of, an HDD 2014. The HDD 2014, external storage device(s) 2016 and optical disk drive 2020 can be connected to the system bus 2008 by an HDD interface 2024, an external storage interface 2026 and an optical drive interface 2028, respectively. The interface 2024 for external drive implementations can include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 2002, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to respective types of storage devices, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, whether presently existing or developed in the future, could also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 2012, including an operating system 2030, one or more application programs 2032, other program modules 2034 and program data 2036. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 2012. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

Computer 2002 can optionally comprise emulation technologies. For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate a hardware environment for operating system 2030, and the emulated hardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated in FIG. 20. In such an embodiment, operating system 2030 can comprise one virtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer 2002. Furthermore, operating system 2030 can provide runtime environments, such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, for application programs 2032. Runtime environments are consistent execution environments that allow application programs 2032 to run on any operating system that includes the runtime environment. Similarly, operating system 2030 can support containers, and application programs 2032 can be in the form of containers, which are lightweight, standalone, executable packages of software that include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, system libraries and settings for an application.

Further, computer 2002 can be enable with a security module, such as a trusted processing module (TPM). For instance with a TPM, boot components hash next in time boot components, and wait for a match of results to secured values, before loading a next boot component. This process can take place at any layer in the code execution stack of computer 2002, e.g., applied at the application execution level or at the operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby enabling security at any level of code execution.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 2002 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 2038, a touch screen 2040, and a pointing device, such as a mouse 2042. Other input devices (not shown) can include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a radio frequency (RF) remote control, or other remote control, a joystick, a virtual reality controller and/or virtual reality headset, a game pad, a stylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), a gesture sensor input device, a vision movement sensor input device, an emotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g., fingerprint or iris scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 2004 through an input device interface 2044 that can be coupled to the system bus 2008, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, a BLUETOOTH® interface, etc.

A monitor 2044 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 2008 via an interface, such as a video adapter 2046. In addition to the monitor 2044, a computer typically includes other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 2002 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 2048. The remote computer(s) 2048 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 2002, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 2050 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted include wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 2052 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 2054. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 2002 can be connected to the local network 2052 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 2056. The adapter 2056 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 2052, which can also include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 2056 in a wireless mode.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 2002 can include a modem 2058 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN 2054 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 2054, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 2058, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 2008 via the input device interface 2022. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 2002 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 2050. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.

When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer 2002 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storage systems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices 2016 as described above. Generally, a connection between the computer 2002 and a cloud storage system can be established over a LAN 2052 or WAN 2054 e.g., by the adapter 2056 or modem 2058, respectively. Upon connecting the computer 2002 to an associated cloud storage system, the external storage interface 2026 can, with the aid of the adapter 2056 and/or modem 2058, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as it would other types of external storage. For instance, the external storage interface 2026 can be configured to provide access to cloud storage sources as if those sources were physically connected to the computer 2002.

The computer 2002 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, store shelf, etc.), and telephone. This can include Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

FIG. 21 is a schematic block diagram of a sample computing environment 2100 with which the disclosed subject matter can interact. The sample computing environment 2100 includes one or more client(s) 2102. The client(s) 2102 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The sample computing environment 2100 also includes one or more server(s) 2104. The server(s) 2104 can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The servers 2104 can house threads to perform transformations by employing one or more embodiments as described herein, for example. One possible communication between a client 2102 and servers 2104 can be in the form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes. The sample computing environment 2100 includes a communication framework 2106 that can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s) 2102 and the server(s) 2104. The client(s) 2102 are operably connected to one or more client data store(s) 2108 that can be employed to store information local to the client(s) 2102. Similarly, the server(s) 2104 are operably connected to one or more server data store(s) 2110 that can be employed to store information local to the servers 2104.

What has been described above includes examples of the subject innovation. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the disclosed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the subject innovation are possible. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the disclosed subject matter. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the disclosed subject matter includes a system as well as a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/or events of the various methods of the disclosed subject matter.

In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosed subject matter may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” and “including” and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

In this application, the word “exemplary” is used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

Various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical disks [e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ], smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . . . ).

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Number	Date	Country
2 787 685	Oct 2014	EP
4 047 432	Aug 2022	EP

Method for connecting a web socket session with an object instance with automation device association

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US Referenced Citations (19)

Foreign Referenced Citations (2)

Non-Patent Literature Citations (15)

Related Publications (1)

Entry
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