Peer-level control of industrial automation system components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11036209-B2
Application number	US-201916580995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2019
Priority date	Sep 24, 2019
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of this present disclosure may include a system that includes a first network device. The first network device may perform an operation according to a device configuration file. The system may also include a second network device that directly communicatively couples to the first network device through a peer-to-peer (P-P) communication network. The second network device may include a backup file of the device configuration file. The second network device may transmit the backup file of the device configuration file to the first network device in response to detecting that the first network device is lacking the device configuration file.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising: a first network device comprising a first processor and a first communication component wherein the first network device is configured to perform an operation according to a device configuration file; and a second network device communicatively coupled to the first network device via a peer-to-peer (P-P) communication network, wherein the second network device comprises a second processor, a second communication component and a memory component, wherein the second network device comprises a backup file of the device configuration file stored in the memory component, wherein the second network device is configured to transmit the backup file of the device configuration file to the first network device using the P-P communication network in response to detecting that the first network device is lacking the device configuration file, wherein the P-P communication network is configured to couple the first network device and the second network device via a sub-network, wherein the sub-network is associated with a logical definition of one or more communication channels within the P-P communication network, and wherein the device configuration file defines a data endpoint associated with the sub-network.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising an industrial automation device coupled to the first network device, wherein the industrial automation device comprises a motor starter, and wherein the first network device is configured to control, as part of the operation, an additional operation of the motor starter based on a setting of the device configuration file.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first network device is configured to automatically transmit the backup file of the device configuration file to the second network device in response to the first network device generating the device configuration file.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first network device is configured to automatically transmit the backup file of the device configuration file to a plurality of network devices via a smart wire configuration in response to the first network device generating the device configuration file.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second network device is configured to detect that the first network device is lacking the device configuration file based on data indicative of the first network device being added to the P-P communication network.

6. A method, comprising: detecting, via a first network device comprising a first processor, a first communication component, and a memory component, that a second network device is lacking a device configuration file, wherein the second network device comprises a second processor and a second communication component and wherein the first network device and the second network device couple to each other through a peer-to-peer (P-P) communication network for an industrial automation system; and transmitting, via the first network device, a backup configuration file stored in the memory component to the second network device using the P-P communication network in response to detecting that the second network device is lacking the device configuration file, wherein the backup configuration file corresponds to the device configuration file, wherein the second network device is configured to perform an operation within the industrial automation system in response to a setting defined by the backup configuration file, wherein the P-P communication network is configured to couple the first network device and the second network device via a sub-network, wherein the sub-network is associated with a logical definition of one or more communication channels within the P-P communication network, and wherein the device configuration file defines a data endpoint associated with the sub-network.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising receiving, via the first network device, the backup configuration file from the second network device after the second network device generates the device configuration file.

8. The method of claim 6 , comprising selecting, via the first network device, a third network device from a plurality of network devices based on a physical proximity of the third network device relative to the second network device, wherein the transmitting of the backup configuration file uses the backup configuration file stored in the third network device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein transmitting the backup configuration file to the second network device comprises identifying the third network device from the plurality of network devices based on a logical proximity of the third network device relative to the second network device.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein transmitting the backup configuration file to the second network device comprises identifying the first network device from a plurality of network devices based on a time associated with the backup configuration file stored in the first network device relative to a time associated with when each of a plurality of additional backup configuration files is stored on a respective network device.

11. The method of claim 6 , comprising receiving, via the first network device, the backup configuration file from the second network device via a sub-network communicative coupling the first network device to the second network device.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein detecting that the secondnetwork device is lacking the device configuration file comprises: monitoring, via the first network device, a signal output from the second network device; and detecting, via the first network device, when the signal output changes.

13. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to: discover a plurality of data endpoints, wherein each data endpoint of the plurality of data endpoints corresponds to a respective network device coupled to a peer-to-peer (P-P) communication network; generate a device configuration file for a first network device coupled to the P-P communication network based on respective data endpoints of the plurality of data endpoints associated with the first network device, wherein the first network device comprises a first processor and a first communication component; transmit the device configuration file to the first network device using the P-P communication network, wherein the first network device is configured to perform an operation based on the device configuration file; and transmit the device configuration file to a second network device of the P-P communication network using the P-P communication network, wherein the second network device comprises a second processor, a second communication component, a memory component, wherein the memory component is configured to store the device configuration file, wherein the second network device is configured to transmit the device configuration file to the first network device as a backup configuration file using the P-P communication network in response to detecting that the first network device is lacking the device configuration file, wherein the P-P communication network is configured to couple the first network device and the second network device via a sub-network, wherein the sub-network is associated with a logical definition of one or more communication channels within the P-P communication network; and wherein the device configuration file defines a data endpoint associated with the sub-network.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions that, when executed

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Xu Dayin
• Caspers John P
• Martin William H
• Martin Jeffrey S
• Asmussen Jes

Classifications

• H04L67/1063

  Discovery through centralising entities · CPC title

• G05B19/4185 Primary

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title

• G05B19/4083

  Adapting program, configuration · CPC title

• H04L41/0856

  by backing up or archiving configuration information · CPC title

• H04L67/104

  Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks · CPC title