Technologies for remote device emulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10740253-B2
Application number	US-201615241101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

Technologies for facilitating communication between a master programmable logic controller and one or more target drives are disclosed. In an illustrative embodiment, a remote device emulation appliance is configured to receive a communication from a master programmable logic controller that is formatted according to a remote input/output protocol unusable by the target drive. The remote device emulation appliance converts the communication from the remote input/output protocol to a drive protocol usable by the target drive to control operations of the drive and transmits the converted communication to the target drive. The remote device emulation appliance may also convert communications received from the target drive from the drive protocol usable by the target drive to the remote input/output protocol and transmit such converted communications to the master programmable logic controller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating communication between a master programmable logic controller and a target drive, the method comprising:
configuring, by a remote device emulation appliance, one or more drive emulation parameters specified by a user, the one or more drive emulation parameters including a baud rate defined by the user;
receiving, by the remote device emulation appliance, a first communication from the master programmable logic controller over a remote input/output communication link, wherein the first communication is formatted according to a remote input/output protocol unusable by the target drive;
retrieving, by the remote device emulation appliance, communication conversion data associated with a legacy drive, the communication conversion data defining rules for converting a communication including a status word from a format usable by the legacy drive to a format usable by the target drive;
converting, by the remote device emulation appliance and as a function of the communication conversion data and of the configured one or more drive emulation parameters, the first communication from the remote input/output protocol to a drive protocol usable by the target drive, wherein converting the first communication comprises converting, by the remote device emulation appliance, a format of the status word included in the first communication from the format usable by the legacy drive to the format usable by the target drive; and
transmitting, by the remote device emulation appliance, the converted communication to the target drive to control an operation of the target drive.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remote input/output protocol is configured for use by the legacy drive.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the first communication further comprises converting, by the remote device emulation appliance, a format of a control word included in the first communication from the format usable by the legacy drive to the format usable by the target drive.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the first communication further comprises converting, by the remote device emulation appliance, drive operational parameters included in the first communication from the format usable by the legacy drive to the format usable by the target drive.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the remote device emulation appliance, a second communication from the target drive in response to the first converted communication, wherein the second communication is formatted according to the drive protocol;
converting, by the remote device emulation appliance, the second communication from the drive protocol to the remote input/output protocol; and
transmitting the converted second communication to the master programmable logic controller.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein converting the second communication comprises converting, by the remote device emulation appliance, a format of a status word included in the second communication from the format usable by the target drive to the format usable by the legacy drive.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the remote device emulation appliance, a selection of a type of the target drive;
receiving, by the remote device emulation appliance, configuration data from a user of the remote device emulation appliance, the configuration data comprising settings for drive operational parameters of the target drive;
setting, by the remote device emulation appliance, the drive operational parameters of the target drive based on the received configuration data;
determining, by the remote device emulation appliance, whether each of the set drive operational parameters is valid; and
visually identifying a first drive operational parameter of the set drive operational parameters in response to a determination that the first drive operational parameter is invalid.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the remote device emulation appliance, a selection of the legacy drive to be emulated by the target drive.

9. A remote device emulation appliance for facilitating communication between a master programmable logic controller and a drive, the remote device emulation appliance comprising:
a configuration circuit configured to configure one or more drive emulation parameters specified by a user, the one or more drive emulation parameters including a baud rate defined by the user;
a communication circuit configured to receive a first communication from the master programmable logic controller over a remote input/output communication link, wherein the first communication is formatted according to a remote input/output protocol unusable by the target drive;
an initialization circuit configured to retrieve communication conversion data associated with a legacy drive, the communication conversion data defining rules for converting a communication including a status word from a format usable by the legacy drive to a format usable by the target drive; and
a communication conversion circuit configured to convert, as a function of the communication conversion data and of the configured one or more drive emulation parameters, the first communication from the remote input/output protocol to a drive protocol usable by the target drive, wherein to convert the first communication comprises to convert a format of the status word included in the first communication from the format usable by the legacy drive to the format usable by the target drive,
wherein the communication circuit is further configured to transmit the converted communication to the target drive to control an operation of the target drive.

10. The remote device emulation appliance of claim 9 , wherein the remote input/output protocol is configured for use by the legacy drive.

11. The remote device emulation appliance of claim 9 , wherein to convert the first communication further comprises to convert a format of a control word included in the first communication from the format usable by the legacy drive to the format usable by the target drive.

12. The remote device emulation appliance of claim 9 , wherein to convert the first communication further comprises to convert drive operational parameters included in the first communication from the format usable by the legacy drive to the format usable by the target drive.

13. The remote device emulation appliance of claim 9 , wherein:
the communication circuit is configured to receive a second communication from the target drive in response to the first converted communication, wherein the second communication is formatted according to the drive protocol,
the communication conversion circuit is configured to convert the second communication from the drive protocol to the remote input/output protocol, and
the communication circuit is further configured to transmit the converted second communication to the master programmable logic controller.

14. The remote device emulation appliance of claim 13 , wherein to convert the second communication comprises to convert a format of a status word included in the second communication from the format usable by the target drive to the format usable by the legacy drive.

15. The remote device emulation appliance of claim 13 , further comprising validation circuit,
wherein the initialization circuit is configured to:
receive a selection of a type of the target drive;
receive configuration data from a user of the remote device emulation appliance, the configuration data comprising settings for drive operational parameters of the target drive; and

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Sisler Bryan D
• Fell Jeffrey M

Classifications

• H04L69/08

  Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion · CPC title

• H04L67/08

  specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet · CPC title

• G06F13/107 Primary

  Terminal emulation · CPC title

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title