Control environment change communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9864365-B2
Application number	US-201213662280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Priority date	Nov 11, 2011
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

An automation control system is provided that includes delta scripts that describe one or more changes of the stored state information. The delta scripts may be useful to enable one or more other components of the control system and the one or more other components apply the one or more delta scripts to update state information stored on the one or more other components based upon the one or more changes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automation control system, comprising:
a control system device that hosts a persistent object model, comprising a computer model of a state of one or more objects in the automation control system;
an instrument of change component configured to request one or more state changes to the one or more objects of the automation control system, the one or more state changes comprising a modification, addition, deletion or combination thereof of the one or more objects;
an arbiter of change component configured to:
process the request on the persistent object model to implement the one or more state changes in the persistent object model;
create one or more delta scripts, the delta scripts comprising one or more state deltas representative of the implemented one or more state changes to the persistent object model of the automation control system, without object elements that remain unchanged; and
publish the one or more delta scripts to a distributed automation component of the automation control system; and

the distributed automation component configured to:
receive the one or more delta scripts; and
alter a distributed copy of the persistent object model stored on the distributed automation component.

2. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the delta scripts are useful for apprising the distributed automation component of the automation control system of the one or more state changes processed by the arbiter of change component.

3. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the distributed automation component is configured to request a subsequent one or more state changes to the one or more objects of the automation control system, for implementation at a second distributed automation control component.

4. The automation control system of claim 3 , comprising the second distributed automation control component, configured to receive and interpret a second set of delta scripts based upon the subsequent one or more state changes;
wherein the delta scripts are created by the instrument of change component; and
wherein the distributed automation component, the second distributed automation component, or both comprise a programming terminal, a programmable logic controller, an input/output (I/O) module, a human machine interface (HMI) terminal, or any combination thereof.

5. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more objects comprise a control program, a tag, a module configuration, an HMI screen, or any combination thereof that are modifable in the distributed copy by the one or more delta scripts.

6. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the delta scripts are data-driven and not dependent on a particular programming technology.

7. The automation control system of claim 1 , comprising a golden copy of the data model that is considered correct by the automation control system and is used as an authoritative reference copy of the state of the object, wherein the one or more delta scripts are provided from the golden copy.

8. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the delta scripts comprise at least one of: an identifier of the object, an element of the object that has changed, data relating to the change of the element, or an attribute regarding an environment of the change.

9. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the delta scripts comprise information useful for authenticating a source of the change.

10. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the delta scripts are encrypted or otherwise tamperproof.

11. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the delta scripts are configured such that either all of the changes in the delta scripts are applied or none of the changes in the delta scripts are applied.

12. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more delta scripts comprise a revision number, such that one or more components that are configured to apply the one or more delta scripts may authenticate whether the one or more delta scripts should be applied to a local copy of the object's state based on a comparison of a current revision number of the local copy with the revision number of the one or more delta scripts.

13. The automation control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more delta scripts comprise a unique identifier useful to distinguish different revisions to the stored state information.

14. A method for communicating state changes of an object of an automation control system, comprising:
detecting, at an arbiter of change component of the automation control system, one or more requested changes of a state of one or more objects in the automation control system-made by an instrument of change;
updating, at the arbiter of change component of the automation control system, a persistent object model, based upon the one or more requested changes;
generating, via the arbiter of change, one or more delta scripts, wherein the delta scripts comprise technology-independent data representative of the one or more changes without unchanged object elements;
publishing the one or more delta scripts to a distributed automation component of the automation control system, such that the distributed automation component may alter a distributed copy of the persistent object model stored on the distributed automation component in accordance with the one or more changes, using the delta scripts.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising storing, in a data storage, the change in a golden copy of the state of the object in the automation control system, wherein the golden copy is considered correct by the automation control system and is used as an authoritative reference copy of the state of the object, such that all revisions of the golden copy are performed on the distributed copy of the persistent object model via the one or more delta scripts.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
publishing, via the arbiter of change component, the delta scripts to an audience subscribing to notifications of the one or more state changes.

17. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
determining, via the arbiter of change component, a reference revision number representative of the current revision of state information stored on an authoritative reference copy of the state of the object; and
providing, via the arbiter of change, the reference revision number in the delta scripts.

18. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
generating more than one delta script; and
aggregating the more than one delta scripts into a composite delta script.

19. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
generating a compression delta script that compresses one or more intermediate changes of a common element to the resultant value of the intermediate changes, bypassing the intermediate changes.

20. A method, comprising:
determining, with at least one processor, one or more pending changes to an element of an object's state information made by an instrument of change in an automation control system, wherein the changes have not yet been committed to persistent object model of the automation control system;
processing, with the at least one processor, the one or more pending changes to the persistent object model;
generating, with the at least one processor, one or more first delta scripts representative of the pending changes, wherein the delta scripts are data-driven, do not require a particular programming technology to be consumed, and are configured to describe the processed one or more pendin

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc
• Rockwell Automation Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• Y02P90/16

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title