Collaboration tools

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449793-B2
Application number	US-202318332127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2023
Priority date	Sep 26, 2019
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) supports collaborative tools that allow multiple designers and programmers to remotely submit design input to the same automation system project in parallel while maintaining project consistency. These collaborative features can include, for example, brokering between different sets of design input directed to the same portion of the system project, generating notifications to remote designers when a portion of the system project is modified, sharing of development interfaces or environments, facilitating involvement of outside technical support experts to assist with design issues, and other collaborative features.

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 user interface component configured to render integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on respective client devices and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automation control project, wherein the industrial design input comprises alternate versions of industrial control code, received from respective different IDE interfaces of the IDE interfaces, designed to perform a same control function of the industrial automation control project;
a collaboration management component configured to select one of the alternate versions of the industrial control code based on a comparison of the alternate versions relative to one or more defined selection criteria, and to integrate the one of the alternate versions of the industrial control code into the industrial automation control project, wherein the one or more defined selection criteria comprise at least a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control code is estimated to perform the control function using a fewest number of mechanical movements; and
a project generation component configured to generate system project data based on the industrial design input.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more defined selection criteria further comprise at least one of a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control code is estimated to subject a controlled industrial asset to a least amount of mechanical wear, a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control code is estimated to perform the control function using a least amount of code, or a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control code is estimated to perform the control function using shortest mechanical motions.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the industrial control code comprises at least one of ladder logic, sequential function charts, function block diagrams, or structured text.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the collaboration management component is configured to select the one of the alternate versions of the industrial control code based on results of respective simulations performed on the alternate versions of the industrial control code.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the collaboration component is further configured to, in response to receipt of industrial design input from a first client device associated with a first user defining a modification to a first aspect of the industrial automation control project, determine whether the modification will affect one or more second aspects of the industrial automation control project, and
the user interface component is further configured to, in response to a determination by the collaboration component that the modification will affect the one or more second aspects, deliver notifications to one or more second client devices associated with users assigned to develop the one or more second aspects of the industrial automation control project.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the collaboration component is configured to perform a regression analysis on the industrial automation control project to determine interdependencies between aspects of the industrial automation control project, and to determine whether the modification will affect the one or more second aspects based on the interdependencies learned by the regression analysis.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface component is configured to customize the IDE interfaces on the respective client devices in accordance with defined roles of users associated with the respective client devices.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the defined roles include at least a lead developer role, the user interface component is configured to render, on a client device associated with the developer role, an IDE interface that at least one of permits design override privileges or tracks design contributions submitted by developers associated with other roles.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system project data comprises at least control programming that, in response to execution on one or more industrial devices, facilitates monitoring and control of an industrial automation system.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the client devices is a wearable virtual reality (VR) appliance,
the executable components further comprise a virtual rendering component configured to render an interactive three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) representation of an industrial facility on the VR appliance,
the user interface component is configured to receive VR interaction data representing manual interactions of a wearer of the VR appliance with the VR representation of the industrial facility, the manual interactions indicative of design input that defines aspects of the industrial automation system, and
the project generation component is configured to translate the VR interaction data into a portion of the system project data satisfying the design input.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the collaboration component is further configured to at least one of merge two overlapping sets of the industrial design input received from respective two client devices into the industrial automation control project, identify and delete redundant portions of the industrial automation control project, or render a recommendation via one or more of the IDE interfaces for resolving a conflict between two or more sets of the industrial automation control project.

12. A method, comprising:
rendering, by a system comprising a processor, integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on respective client devices;
receiving, by the system via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial control and monitoring project, wherein the industrial design input comprises alternate versions of industrial control programming, received from respective different IDE interfaces of the IDE interfaces, designed to perform a same control function of the industrial control and monitoring project;
selecting, by the system, one of the alternate versions of the industrial control programming based on a determination of which of the alternate versions best satisfy one or more defined selection criteria comprising at least a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control programming is estimated to perform the control function using a fewest number of mechanical movements;
integrating, by the system, the one of the alternate versions of the industrial control programming into the industrial control and monitoring project; and
generating, by the system, system project data based on the industrial design input.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more defined selection criteria further comprises at least one of a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control programming is estimated to subject a controlled industrial asset to a least amount of mechanical wear, a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control programming is estimated to perform the control function using a least amount of code, or a determination of which of the alternate versions of the industrial control programming is estimated to perform the control function using shortest mechanical motions.

14. The method o

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Stump Andrew R
• Carrara Anthony
• Srinivasan Eashwer
• Como Christopher W
• Billi-Duran Sharon M

Classifications

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G05B19/41835

  characterised by program execution · CPC title

• G05B19/40937

  concerning programming of machining or material parameters, pocket machining · CPC title

• G06Q10/101

  Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services · CPC title

• G05B2219/32014

  Augmented reality assists operator in maintenance, repair, programming, assembly, use of head mounted display with 2-D 3-D display and voice feedback, voice and gesture command · CPC title