Custom properties in an application environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10691103-B2
Application number	US-201916444119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

The disclosed subject matter comprises a design management component that facilitates managing and storing information, including respective customized information of respective entities and/or relating to objects, projects, controllers, or industrial automation systems within a project file or controller. The design management component facilitates enabling custom data, including custom metadata, to be injected by object into a project file or in a controller associated with the project file. The design management component operates with a data management component that can allow respective entities to view, edit, or delete their respective data on objects associated with a project file or controller in accordance with their respective rules. The design management component facilitates desired library management, version management, virtualization of a system for emulation and testing, data exchange between application, and application development and management in relation to controllers, devices, or components, in connection with control of industrial automation systems.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a memory that stores executable components; and
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:
a data store that stores a project file comprising objects, wherein the project file is configured to, in response to execution, facilitate control of an industrial automation system; and
a design management component configured to:
in response to receipt of a request to embed metadata with an object of the objects, embed the metadata with the object, wherein the metadata comprises customized contextual information to be associated with the object, and
in response to receipt of a request to modify the object in a manner that invalidates a customized portion of the metadata, generate a warning that the customized portion of the metadata is invalidated.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the design management component is further configured to send the project file, including the object and the metadata embedded with the object, to a controller, and
the execution of the project file on the controller facilitates the control of the industrial automation system.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the metadata embedded with the object is accessible for viewing while stored on the data store or on the controller.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object is at least one of a virtualized controller, a tag, a member, an add-on instruction, a program, a routine, or a ladder rung in the program.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the design management component is configured to render a link to the metadata embedded with the object as an icon in proximity to the object.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata is at least one of help information relating to the object, version information specifying a version of the object, a name of the object, an indication of a change made to the object, an identity of a group with which the object is associated, a comment regarding the object, an indication of whether the object has been virtualized, design information indicating a progress of the object's design, reminder information, alarm information, description information indicating a function of the object, or a human-machine interface (HMI) graphics file.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metadata is a human-machine interface (HMI) graphics file capable of retrieval from the project file by an HMI terminal.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the design management component comprises a security component configured to limit access to the metadata to one or more users having authorization to access the metadata.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the design management component is configured to receive the request to embed the metadata with the object from a first application, format the object and the metadata in accordance with a second application to yield a reformatted project file, and render the reformatted project file accessible to the second application.

10. A method, comprising:
in response to receiving a request to embed metadata with an object contained in a project file, embedding, by a system comprising a processor, the metadata with the object, wherein the project file is configured to facilitate control of an industrial automation system, and the metadata comprises customized contextual information to be associated with the object; and
in response to receiving a modification to the object that invalidates a customized portion of the metadata, generating, by the system, a message indicating that the modification invalidates the customized portion of the metadata.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sending, by the system, the project file, including the object and the metadata embedded with the object, to a controller, wherein execution of the project file on the controller facilitates the control of the industrial automation system.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising rendering, by the system, the metadata accessible for viewing while stored on either the controller or a data store associated with the system.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the object is at least one of a virtualized controller, a tag, a member, an add-on instruction, a program, a routine, or a ladder rung in the program.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising rendering, by the system, a link to the metadata as an icon located in proximity to the object.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the metadata is at least one of help information relating to the object, version information specifying a version of the object, a name of the object, an indication of a change made to the object, an identity of a group with which the object is associated, a comment regarding the object, an indication of whether the object has been virtualized, design information indicating a progress of the object's design, reminder information, alarm information, description information indicating a function of the object, or a human-machine interface (HMI) graphics file.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the embedding the metadata comprises embedding a human-machine interface (HMI) graphics file capable of retrieval from the project file by an HMI terminal device.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising permitting, by the system, access to the metadata to a limited set of users having authorization to access the metadata.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, by the system, the request to embed the metadata with the object from a first application;
formatting, by the system, the object and the metadata in accordance with a second application to yield a reformatted project file; and
rendering, by the system, the reformatted project file accessible to the second application.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving a request to embed metadata with an object of a project file, wherein the project file is configured to facilitate control of an industrial automation system, and the metadata comprises customized contextual information to be associated with the object;
in response to receipt of the request to embed the metadata, embedding the metadata with the object;
receiving a request to modify the object; and
in response to determining that the request to modify the object invalidates a customized portion of the metadata, generating warning data indicating that the request to modify the object invalidates the customized portion of the metadata.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the metadata is at least one of help information relating to the object, version information specifying a version of the object, a name of the object, an indication of a change made to the object, an identity of a group with which the object is associated, a comment regarding the object, an indication of whether the object has been virtualized, design information indicating a progress of the object's design, reminder information, alarm information, description information indicating a function of the object, or a human-machine interface (HMI) graphics file.

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Majewski Lorenzo
• Weatherhead Norman
• Proctor Stephen P
• Pemberton Phillip F
• Reid Douglas M
• Kalan Michael
• Stanek Christopher E
• Deyoung Daniel
• Stump Andrew R
• Guenther Robert
• Thomsen Joachim
• Beckett Danie

Classifications

• G05B19/0426 Primary

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• G05B19/04 Primary

  Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers (G05B19/418 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/4097 Primary

  characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM (G05B19/4093 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F21/6227

  where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries · CPC title