System and method for industrial automation rules engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12561589-B2
Application number	US-202318096239-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2023
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A (GUI) for designing an industrial automation system includes a design window and a first accessory window. The GUI presents a library visualization representative of a plurality of objects within the first accessory window, each object is represented by an icon and corresponds to a respective industrial automation device. The GUI receives inputs indicative of a selection of one or more objects of the plurality of objects from the library, presents the one or more objects in the design window, determines that the one or more inputs do not comply with a set of industrial automation system rules comprising one or more relationships between a plurality of industrial automation devices, and displays a warning message that the one or more inputs do not comply with the set of industrial automation system rules.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
generating a graphical user interface (GUI) of an integrated design environment (IDE) for designing an industrial automation system configured to perform an industrial process, wherein the GUI comprises a first region configured to display a visual representation of the industrial automation system and a second region comprising a library of objects, wherein the visual representation comprises a schematic of the industrial automation system, and wherein each object of the library of objects corresponds to one or more industrial automation devices available from one or more industrial automation device suppliers; receiving a first input inserting a first object of the library of objects into a first user-defined area within the first region, wherein the first object is representative of a first industrial automation device, and the first user-defined area is generated in response to a user identifying first points that define a first boundary of the first user-defined area; presenting a first user interface element in the first user-defined area, wherein the first user interface element corresponds to the first object; receiving a second input inserting a second object of the library of objects into the first region, wherein the second object is representative of a second industrial automation device; presenting a second user interface element in the first region, wherein the second user interface element corresponds to the second object; receiving a third input defining a connection between the first user interface element of the first object and the second user interface element of the second object within the first region, wherein the connection represents a communication link configured to transmit data between the first object and the second object; determining that the connection does not comply with one or more industrial automation system rules based on the first industrial automation device being incompatible with the second industrial automation device; and in response to determining that the connection does not comply with the one or more industrial automation system rules, preventing placement of the connection between the first user interface element and the second user interface element.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third input does not comply with the one or more industrial automation system rules because the first object and the second object are incompatible with one another.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third input does not comply with the one or more industrial automation system rules because the third input does not comply with a particular industrial automation system rule of the one or more industrial automation system rules defining a preference that the first object and the second object not be used together.

4 . The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving a fourth input indicative of a positioning of the first user interface element within the first user-defined area.

5 . The method of claim 4 , comprising in response to determining that the positioning of the first user interface element within the first user-defined area does not comply with the one or more industrial automation system rules, displaying a message indicative of the positioning of the first user interface element within the first user-defined area not complying with the one or more industrial automation system rules.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual representation of the industrial automation system comprises a plurality of user-defined areas within the industrial automation system, wherein each user-defined area corresponds to a respective function of the industrial automation system.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of user-defined areas has a respective user-defined name.

8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving a command to implement the connection between the first user interface element of the first object and the second user interface element of the second object that is incompatible with the one or more industrial automation system rules based on user information.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the user information is indicative of an authority to implement the connection between the first user interface element of the first object and the second user interface element of the second object that is incompatible with the one or more industrial automation system rules.

10 . A method, comprising:
generating a graphical user interface (GUI) of an integrated design environment (IDE) for designing an industrial automation system configured to perform an industrial process, wherein the GUI comprises a first region configured to display a visual representation of the industrial automation system and a second region comprising a library of objects, wherein the visual representation comprises a schematic of the industrial automation system, and wherein each object of the library of objects corresponds to one or more industrial automation devices available from one or more industrial automation device suppliers; receiving a first input inserting a first object of the library of objects into the first region, wherein the first object is representative of a first industrial automation device; presenting a first user interface element in the first region, wherein the first user interface element corresponds to the first object; receiving a second input inserting a second object of the library of objects into the first region, wherein the second object is representative of a second industrial automation device; presenting a second user interface element in the first region, wherein the second user interface element corresponds to the second object; receiving a third input defining a connection between the first user interface element of the first object and the second user interface element of the second object within the first region, wherein the connection represents a communication link configured to transmit data between the first object and the second object; receiving a fourth input indicative of a positioning of the first user interface element within the first region, wherein the positioning of the first user interface element is within a user-defined area within the schematic of the industrial automation system corresponding to a respective function of the industrial automation system, and the user-defined area is generated in response to a user identifying points that define a boundary of the user-defined area; determining that the positioning of the first user interface element within the first region does not comply with one or more industrial automation system rules based on the first object being incompatible with the user-defined area; and in response to determining that the positioning of the first user interface element within the first region does not comply with the one or more industrial automation system rules, displaying a message indicative of the positioning of the first user interface element within the first region being incompatible with the one or more industrial automation system rules.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the visual representation of the industrial automation system comprises a plurality of user-defined areas within the industrial automation system, wherein each user-defined area corresponds to a respective function of the industrial automation system.

12 . The method of claim 11 , comprising preventing the first object from being positioned within a first area of the plurality of user-defined areas within the industrial automation system.

13 . A non-transitory, tangible, co

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Stump Andrew R
• Carrara Anthony
• Como Christopher W
• Billi-Duran Sharon
• Ericsson Matthew R
• Josipovic Srdjan
• Srinivasan Eashwer
• Kalan Michael D

Classifications

• G06F30/17

  Mechanical parametric or variational design · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• G06N20/00

  Machine learning · CPC title