Agile control model system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9389606-B2
Application number	US-201213662258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Priority date	Nov 11, 2011
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

A control and monitoring system is provided that includes an automation controller. The system includes a distributed model stored on the automation controller. Changes to the distributed model are provided via delta scripts that define only the changes to the model. Further, the control and monitoring system 24 includes distributed execution engines that execute commands based upon trigger events determined in the system. a plurality of automation control components networked together and with the automation controller, wherein the plurality of automation control components are capable of load balancing among the plurality of automation control components in response to performance demands of the control and monitoring system. These features of the control and monitoring system enable load balancing, data and processing redundancy, and collaborative design within the control and monitoring system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control and monitoring system, comprising:
at least one automation controller, configured to control one or more aspects of a plurality of automation control components;
a distributed data model, comprising a plurality of copies of a data model, stored on the at least one automation controller, at least a subset of the plurality of automation control components, or both; and
a redundancy pool, comprising a set of pointers to the at least one automation controller, the at least subset of the plurality of automation control components, or both that are storing one of the plurality of copies of the data model;
wherein changes to the distributed data model are compiled into delta scripts;
wherein the delta scripts are distributed to the at least one automation controller, the at least subset of the plurality of automation control components, or both associated with the set of pointers, such that the changes may be applied to the plurality of copies of the data model; and
wherein the at least one automation controller, the plurality of automation control components, or both that apply the changes based upon the delta scripts are configured to execute commands based upon an occurrence of trigger events determined by the automation controller, by at least one of the plurality of automation control components outside the at least one automation controller, or both;
wherein the occurrence of the trigger events is caused by the changes being applied to at least one of the plurality of copies of the data model, based upon the delta scripts.

2. The control and monitoring system of claim 1 , comprising:
the plurality of automation control components networked together and with the at least one automation controller;
wherein the distributed data model comprises a representation of one or more aspects of the plurality of networked components and the distributed data model is stored on the at least subset of the plurality of automation control components.

3. The control and monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein pointers to the at least one automation controller, the plurality of automation control components, or both storing an unstable copy of the plurality of copies are removed from the redundancy pool until the unstable copy is replaced with a stable copy.

4. The control and monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one automation controller, the at least subset of the plurality of automation control components, or both storing the plurality of copies are configured to synchronize the changes by: receiving the delta scripts; and applying the delta scripts to a corresponding local copy of the data model.

5. The control and monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein a client request for data in the distributed model may be served by any one of the plurality of copies.

6. The control and monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein a client request for data is served by a specific one of the plurality of copies based upon performance efficiencies.

7. The control and monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein a client request for data is served by a less utilized automation controller of a set of automation controllers comprising the at least one automation controller, a less utilized one of the plurality of automation control components, or both, to avoid flooding of higher utilized automation controllers, higher used automation control components, or both, with data requests.

8. The control and monitoring system of claim 7 , comprising supplying requests from a single component for a threshold number of requests, a threshold amount of data, or both; and supplying requests from an overflow component when the threshold number of requests, the threshold amount of data, or both is breached.

9. The control and monitoring system of claim 3 , comprising a monitoring application configured to detect one or more unstable versions of the plurality of copies that do not accurately represent the data model.

10. The control and monitoring system of claim 9 , wherein the monitoring application is configured to obtain a stable version of the data model from among the plurality of copies to replace the unstable version.

11. The control and monitoring system of claim 10 , wherein the control and monitoring system is configured to replace the unstable version with the stable version.

12. The control and monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the control and monitoring system is configured to:
detect one or more unstable versions of the plurality of copies of the data model from the at least one automation controller, the plurality of automation control components, or both storing an unstable copy of the plurality of copies of the data model, wherein the unstable versions are copies of the distributed model that do not accurately represent the distributed model; and
remove pointers to the at least one automation controller, the plurality of automation control components, or both storing an unstable copy of the plurality of copies of the data model.

13. The control and monitoring system of claim 12 , wherein the control and monitoring system is configured to:
replace the unstable versions with stable versions; and
return pointers to the at least one automation controller, the plurality of automation control components, or both storing the replaced stable versions.

14. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising computer-readable instructions to:
compile changes to a distributed data model of an control and monitoring system into one or more delta scripts, the distributed data model comprising a plurality of copies of a data model stored on an automation controller, at least a subset of a plurality of automation control components, or both;
provide the one or more delta scripts to the automation controller, the at least subset of the plurality of automation control components, or both that store a copy of the plurality of copies and subscribe to change notifications of the distributed model, such that the changes may be applied to the plurality of copies using the one or more delta scripts; and
execute commands, at the automation controller, at one or more of the plurality of automation control components, or both, wherein the commands apply the changes using the one or more delta scripts and the commands are executed based upon an occurrence of trigger events determined by the automation controller, the at least one of the plurality of automation control components, or both, wherein the occurrence of the trigger events is caused by the changes being applied to at least one of the plurality of copies of the data model.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , comprising computer-readable instructions to cache a version of the distributed model for one or more human-machine interfaces (HMIs) configured to read from, write to, or both specific registers, such that the HMIs reflect an operating state of the automation controller, at least a subset of a plurality of automation control components, or both, that access data in the distributed model.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , comprising computer-readable instructions to consume the one or more delta scripts at an at least one of the HMIs and apply changes defined in the one or more delta scripts to the cached version of the distributed data model via the at least one of the HMIs.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , comprising computer-readable instructions to divert data requests provided by at least one of the HMIs to the cached version of the distributed data model, when the

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Govindaraj Subbian
• Bronikowski Joseph
• Kalan Michael
• Kowal Steven John
• Jasper Taryl
• Plache Kenneth
• Reichard Douglas J
• Reid Douglas W
• Rischar Charles

Classifications

• Y02P90/10

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02P90/16

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G05B2219/25057

  Configuration stored in distributed database for real time use · CPC title

• G05B19/41845 Primary

  characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity · CPC title

• G05B19/054

  Input/output · CPC title