Controlling real world objects in an industrial installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10146217-B2
Application number	US-201415509561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2014
Priority date	Sep 15, 2014
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A method for controlling real world objects in an industrial installation, which is performed in a server node and includes the steps of: receiving a connection establishment request having a user identity; authenticating the user identity; establishing a connection; receiving a service request, wherein the service request includes a reference to an aspect object and a reference to an aspect of the aspect object; forwarding the service request and the user identity to a service dispatcher module; determining a target service provider from the reference to the aspect object by querying a directory server module; and sending the service request and the user identity to the target service provider.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling real world objects in an industrial installation, the method being performed in a server node and comprising the steps of:
receiving, in a connection server module, a connection establishment request comprising a user identity;
authenticating, in the connection server module, the user identity;
establishing, in the connection server module, a connection and associating the connection with the user identity, only when the authentication is successful;
receiving, in the connection server module, a service request on the established connection, wherein the service request comprises a reference to an aspect object and a reference to an aspect of the aspect object, wherein the aspect object is a software object representing one of the real world objects, and the aspect of the aspect object defines an operation associated with the real world object;
forwarding, in the connection server module, the service request and the user identity to a service dispatcher module;
determining, in the service dispatcher module, a target service provider from the reference to the aspect of the aspect object; and
sending, in the service dispatcher module, the service request and the user identity to the target service provider.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining a target service provider comprises querying a directory server module.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
checking, in a service provider module corresponding to the target service provider, authority for the user identity to invoke the operation defined by the aspect of the aspect object; and
performing, in the service provider module, an operation defined by the aspect of the aspect object, only when the user identity has authority to invoke the operation defined by the aspect of the aspect object.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of checking authority comprises sending an authorisation request to the directory server module and receiving a response from the directory server module, wherein the authorisation request comprises the user identity, the reference to the aspect object and the reference to the aspect of the aspect object.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the directory server module is provided in a directory server which is physically separate from the server node.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the step of receiving a connection establishment request, the connection establishment request comprises authentication credentials comprising the user identity.

7. A server node for controlling real world objects in an industrial installation, the server node comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a connection server module and a service dispatcher module;
wherein the connection server module stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the server node to: receive a connection establishment request comprising a user identity; authenticate the user identity; establish a connection and associating the connection with the user identity, only when the authentication is successful; receive a service request on the established connection, wherein the service request comprises a reference to an aspect object and a reference to an aspect of the aspect object, wherein the aspect object is a software object representing one of the real world objects, and the aspect of the aspect object defines an operation associated with the real world object; and forward the service request and the user identity to a service dispatcher module;
and the service dispatcher module stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the server node to: determine a target service provider from the reference to the aspect of the aspect object; and send the service request and the user identity to the target service provider.

8. The server node according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions to determine a target service provider comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the server node to: query a directory server module.

9. The server node according to claim 7 , wherein the memory further stores a service provider module corresponding to the target service provider, the service provider module comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the server node to: check authority for the user identity to invoke the operation defined by aspect; and perform an operation defined by the aspect of the aspect object, only when the user identity has authority to invoke the operation defined by aspect.

10. The server node according to claim 9 , wherein the instructions to check authority comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the server node to send an authorisation request to the directory server module and receive a response from the directory server module, wherein the authorisation request comprises the user identity, the reference to the aspect object and the reference to the aspect of the aspect object.

11. The server node according to claim 7 , wherein the directory server module is provided in a directory server which is physically separate from the server node.

12. The server node according to claim 7 , wherein the connection establishment request comprises authentication credentials comprising the user identity.

13. The server node according to claim 7 , wherein a capacity of each module is independently configurable.

14. A non-statutory computer readable medium for controlling real world objects in an industrial installation, the non-statutory computer readable medium comprising computer program code which, when run on a server node causes the server node to:
receive, in a connection server module, a connection establishment request comprising a user identity;
authenticate, in the connection server module, the user identity;
establish, in the connection server module, a connection and associating the connection with the user identity, only when the authentication is successful;
receive, in the connection server module, a service request on the established connection, wherein the service request comprises a reference to an aspect object and a reference to an aspect of the aspect object, wherein the aspect object is a software object representing one of the real world objects, and the aspect of the aspect object defines an operation associated with the real world object;
forward, in the connection server module, the service request and the user identity to a service dispatcher module;
determine, in the service dispatcher module, a target service provider from the reference to the aspect of the aspect object; and
send, in the service dispatcher module, the service request and the user identity to the target service provider.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer program according to claim 14 and a computer readable means on which the computer program is stored.

16. A method for controlling real world objects in an industrial installation, the method being performed in a client node and comprising the steps of:
receiving, in a service dispatcher module, a service request from an application module of the client node, wherein the service request comprises a reference to an aspect object and a reference to an aspect of the aspect object, wherein the aspect object is a software object representing one of the real world objects, and the aspect of the aspect object defines an operation associated with the real world object;
determining, in the service dispatcher module a location of a

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Pauly Thomas
• Thilderkvist Hans
• Harding Jeff

Classifications

• G06F17/30867

  Physics · mapped topic

• Y02P90/20

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G05B2219/32161

  Object oriented control, programming · CPC title

• G06F21/121

  Restricting unauthorised execution of programs · CPC title

• Y02P90/185

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic