US20070055386A1 - Abstracted display building method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine can be accessed and controlled with the help of an interface device. The customizable interface device contains device elements that define features relating to the external representation and internal functionality of the interface device, as linked to one or more machines. An operator can use a configuration station to implement single or reoccurring queries that interact with the interface device and corresponding machines. In particular, the queries target the configuration of device elements in the interface device. The process can include temporarily unloading unused features from active memory and mirroring property changes initialized by a source. An emulator can assist in the configuration process by providing a preliminary software representation of the interface device hardware. A user can develop, test, and reconfigure functions on the emulator before loading the finalized platform to the interface device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/980,588, filed Nov. 3, 2004, entitled, “HMI RECONFIGURATION METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/050,923, filed Feb. 4, 2005, entitled, “CONFIGURABLE INTERFACE CONFIGURATION METHOD AND SYSTEM USING A REMOIE INTERFACE”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,586, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “REAL TIME PARALLEL INTERFACE CONFIGURATION AND DEVICE REPRESENTATION METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,604, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “ABSTRACTED DISPLAY BUILDING METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,590, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “ENHANCED SPEED INTERFACE METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,603, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “DYNAMIC REPRESENTATION OF COMPONENT CONFIGURATION METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,582, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “UNIVERSAL WEB-BASED REPROGRAMMING METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,591, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “EVENT-DRIVEN COMPONENT MIRRORING METHOD AND SYSTEM”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,607, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INTERFACE CONFIGURATION VIA DEVICE-SIDE SCRIPTING”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,588, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “EMULATOR FOR GENERAL PURPOSE VIEWER CONFIGURABLE INTERFACE”, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/147,589, filed Jun. 7, 2005, entitled, “RELEGENDABLE INTERFACE DEVICE DESIGN-TIME ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD”. The entireties of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
• The subject invention relates generally to interface devices, and more particularly to the configuration of such interface devices to effectively manage industrial control systems.
BACKGROUND
• Factories that utilize machines to produce products depend on reliable industrial control systems. Machines can be responsible for building, refining, and testing various objects. The machines themselves may also require regular or sporadic monitoring, maintenance, adjustment, management, testing, and repair. Skilled workers may be allowed to turn off a machine to complete a task or be required to work on the machine as it is running. However, such equipment can expose individuals to dangerous conditions. Those who work directly with machines usually have to wear protective clothing to minimize impact of potential injuries from accidents. In addition, workers need to adapt to the operating environment of the machines. For example, if specific products or machines operate in a low temperature environment, the workers on the production floor have no choice but to endure the cold. This can be uncomfortable or inconvenient for the workers.
• Likewise, people working with such equipment can expose manufactured products to contamination. Hair, dirt, oil, and germs from humans may damage certain highly sensitive products. Protective clothing therefore must protect not only the person from injuries, but also the machine from contamination through human contact. Unfortunately, such precautions are not always sufficient to guard against these risks. For example, time and resources are often wasted to discard unrecoverable products in order to maintain quality control standards.
• Interface devices provide a safe intermediate link between operators and machines. The employment of interface devices allows people to monitor and control equipment without working in immediate physical proximity of the machines. While interface devices are useful because operators can maintain a distance from the machines for safety and quality concerns, interface devices also enable operators to work on machines without being in their direct view (e.g., machines that are enclosed in a case or that reside in another room). Operators depend on the accuracy, convenience, and ease of use of interface devices. It is therefore beneficial that interface devices be as versatile, efficient, and reliable as possible.
SUMMARY
• The following presents a simplified summary of the subject matter in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of subject matter embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of the subject matter. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the embodiments or to delineate the scope of the subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
• An industrial automation setting includes an operator that interacts with a machine via a customizable interface device and corresponding configuration station. The customizable interface device can be configured in a unique manner that is more efficient and personalized over conventional interface devices. Settings may be implemented that dictate when and how configuration takes place, supporting seamless operation during configuration. Within an interface device, device elements (also referred to as control objects) are software components that define features of the device, such as properties, methods, connections, and communications interfaces. Together, the device elements represent most if not all aspects of the interface device and can be configured or reconfigured through remote or direct access.
• A configuration station is a tool used by an operator to access the interface device, as well as send commands to the machine it is linked to. A user can interact with the interface device via a configuration station by setting up queries for single or recurring processes. The device elements can be reconfigured in the configuration station (by first uploading the device elements from the interface device to the configuration station) or directly in the interface device (through local or remote access). When device elements are reconfigured without first being uploaded to the configuration station, the interface device can switch between a development environment (to support a configuration mode) and an operational environment (to support an execution mode). At times, it may be preferable for the interface device not to switch between environments, and in those situations the interface device may be configured to accommodate changes while remaining in an operational environment.
• The device elements can reside in their respective interface devices. In another configuration, some device elements can be located in the interface device and other device elements located at a remote location. Different interface devices can efficiently share device elements that are housed in a central remote location. One feature of interface devices is the ability to alter their appearances to suit a user's preferences. Not only can visual templates be customizable, they can be saved and sent to other interface devices. Furthermore, a single interface device can switch among various visual templates to easily serve the specific needs of multiple users.
• Additional aspects of interface devices provide for conserving memory and optimizing overall efficiency. One approach supports temporarily unloading unused features from active memory until they are needed again. Another approach targets device element mirroring for property changes. Rather than waste network resources to transmit redundant information, an identical or related device element can mirror a change of another device element. To further conserve resources, users can enlist the help of an emulator to mimic the configuration of an interface device without a dependence on such additional hardware means of an extra interface device. Any development or customization can occur on the emulator as a convenient testing base to view and implement new functions through the customization of a user application file. The user application file can be perfected before it is downloaded to hardware (e.g., an interface device).
• To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of embodiments are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the subject matter may be employed, and the subject matter is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the subject matter may become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an industrial control system.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration station.
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an interface device unloading system.
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a device element mirroring system.
• FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an emulation system.
• FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method of facilitating industrial control.
• FIG. 7 is another flow diagram of a method of facilitating industrial control.
• FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of facilitating an unloading module.
• FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method of facilitating device element mirroring.
• FIG. 10 is another flow diagram of a method of facilitating device element mirroring.
• FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method of facilitating emulation.
• FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a suitable operating environment.
• FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a sample-computing environment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• The subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter. It may be evident, however, that subject matter embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are illustrated in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the embodiments.
• As used in this application, the terms “component” and “system” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a computer component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.
• InFIG. 1, a block diagram of an industrial control system100 that facilitates indirect control of a machine is depicted. The industrial control system100 comprises aninterface device120 andconfiguration station140 that together provide a working link between anoperator150 and amachine110. Theinterface device120 is fully configurable in terms of visual and operational functionalities, providing for a flexible, efficient, and user-friendly tool. In addition, the manner in which configuration proceeds is also flexible, such as through real time configuration in a plurality of operating states. Examples of such an interface device include a human-machine interface (HMI), man-machine interface (MMI), graphical user interface (GUI), user interface (UI), and an operator interface (OI). The interface device120 (along with the operator150) can be located in a close physical proximity to the machine or can be located at a considerable distance from the machine, allowing the operator to completely and effectively interact with the machine as if he was working directly on the equipment. Theinterface device120 houses at least onedevice element130 that defines features relating to theinterface device120 or themachine110. For example, device elements can define properties (e.g., adjustable attributes, such as the image representation of an element on a screen), methods (e.g., executable functions that define the operation performed by the element), connections (e.g., links that enable data to be exchanged among separated elements), and communications interfaces (e.g., the setup that enables communications to occur) of an interface device and can include software pushbuttons, timers, gauges, PLC communication servers, screens, and applications for their corresponding machines. A particular example of adevice element130 is a temperature gauge that records temperature of themachine110.
• Theoperator150 can be a person, group of individuals, entity, program, or artificial intelligence unit that is mainly responsible for at least initial setup and direction of themachine110, along with regularly monitoring themachine110. Theoperator150 employs theconfiguration station140 as a tool to accessdevice elements130 in theinterface device120. When theoperator150 desires to measure, observe, test, extract, or alter something on themachine110 orinterface device120, theoperator150 can generate a query by way of theconfiguration station140. Theconfiguration station140 can proceed in various ways.
• A configuration station may control one or more interface devices at once. Theconfiguration station140 can be integrated with the interface device or it can function as stand-alone tool. In one example, an operator can use a configuration station to develop appearance and organization of the interface device. In another example, the operator can use a configuration station to set up a continuous monitoring tool to detect high levels of contamination exposed to the machine in a cleansing phase of the production process. With respect to reconfiguration procedure, theconfiguration station140 can upload the necessary device element(s)130 from theinterface device120 to theconfiguration station140, reconfigure thedevice element130 in theconfiguration station140, and download the reconfigureddevice element130 back to theinterface device120. As an alternative, theconfiguration station140 may reconfigure thedevice element130 directly in the interface device120 (where uploading thedevice element130 to theconfiguration station140 is unnecessary). This technique eliminates the need for a special program to retrieve and store the code, since the changes are made directly in the environment of the interface device. Furthermore, additional external code is not required to accomplish the necessary editing operations.
• For this type of reconfiguration, theinterface device120 can switch between a development environment (to support a configuration mode) and an operational environment (to support an execution mode). While theinterface device120 is operating in a development environment, a parallel visual representation (e.g., in the form of a JPEG file, or any suitable static or sub-static representation) of the device elements can remain on the interface device (and refreshed when appropriate) as viewed by a user to minimize impact of obvious interruptions in operation. To accomplish this view, relevant elements are queried to extract respective image(s) or equivalent visual representation(s) and stored in a virtual frame buffer or memory display context. This content can be displayed on a general purpose viewer or browser while theinterface device120 is being configured in a development environment.
• However, theconfiguration station140 may reconfigure thedevice element130 in theinterface device120 while theinterface device120 remains in execution mode so as to not interrupt operation of themachine110. As certain device elements are actively running a process, other device elements may be edited. When configuration of those device elements is complete, they may be activated as soon as they become available or upon predetermined times (e.g., according to a refresh rate)—effectively achieving seamless operation of a continuous process. In an example, during a semiconductor heating process, an engineer may decide to increase the frequency in which the temperature reading is transmitted. Since it is inefficient to stop production of the batch in order to change that setting, the interface device supports reconfiguration during execution. As a result, the temperature is read more often, starting at the next wafer, once the setting is finalized, thus avoiding interruption of the process. Regardless of which environment is used for reconfiguration, such reconfiguration of device elements is not dependent on their prior configuration. Theconfiguration station140 does not utilize or require any prior knowledge of the nature, function, and properties of the device elements. Thus, specialized customization of the reconfiguration tool is not necessary.
• Depending on the ability and resources of theinterface device120, the particular situation, and the needs of theoperator150, theconfiguration station140 may select the most appropriate approach for a particular query. For instance, where a complete and thorough reconfiguration of multiple device elements is required, it may be more effective for theinterface device120 to switch to a development environment while theconfiguration station140 is implementing the reconfiguration process. In another situation, where a simple reconfiguration that only affects one device element is required, if may be more efficient for theconfiguration station140 to directly access that device element while the rest of theinterface device120 continues uninterrupted execution of its regular procedure.
• In appropriate situations, theconfiguration station140 may not be required. Theoperator150 can create a query that self-generates reoccurring processes. In that case, theinterface device120 essentially creates its own commands, tests, and adjustments without need for constant monitoring or individualized queries.
• In addition, theinterface device120 can access an externaldevice element store160 for device elements with additional features not found on theinterface device120. Thedevice element store160 can be available to a select group of interface devices or it can have open availability. Thedevice element store160 enables different machines to efficiently have access to a wide range of device elements. If necessary, theinterface device120 can optionally reach more than one device element store.
• Theinterface device120 relays and implements the corresponding controls, as specified by theoperator150, to themachine110. The information communicated between theinterface device120 andmachine110 may be related to functions that monitor (e.g., a command to record the temperature of a particular chamber of themachine110 at a certain time) or alter (e.g., a command to rotate a robotic arm of themachine110 to a different chamber) themachine110. The setup can be a single or repetitive function, dependent on various constraints. One example of a single function is a process for the purpose of testing or troubleshooting an aspect of themachine110. An example of a repetitive function is a process that measures temperature of a chamber of themachine110 at one-hour intervals (e.g., a time-based constraint), or turns off the heating mechanism once the temperature reaches a predetermined point (e.g., an event-based constraint).
• It is to be appreciated that embodiments described herein can employ various artificial intelligence-based schemes for carrying out various aspects thereof. For example, control of a configuration station can involve using an automatic classifier system and process. The classifiers can be employed to determine and/or infer a need for changing settings of the interface device, as well as assisting with when and how to implement those changes. The classifiers can also apply a utility-based analysis that considers the cost associated with implementing the wrong setting against the cost of time and resources for manual operation. Moreover, current user state (e.g., amount of free time, urgency, need for accuracy, user frustration, display device capabilities . . . ) can be considered in connection with recognition in accordance with the embodiments described herein.
• A classifier is a function that maps an input attribute vector, X=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(X)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (for example, factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed (e.g., implement a change to the interface device through the configuration station).
• A support vector machine (SVM) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not identical to, training data. Other directed and undirected model classification approaches include, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, and probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of independence can be employed. Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority.
• As will be readily appreciated from the subject specification, the subject invention can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained (such as by generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (such as by observing user behavior and/or receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVM's are configured by a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor and feature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automatically perform a number of functions as described herein. Accordingly, theoperator150 can optionally employ classifiers in connection with effecting the functionalities associated therewith.
• Referring toFIG. 2, a block diagram of aconfiguration station140 that facilitates flexible interaction between an operator and an interface device is illustrated. Not only can theconfiguration station140 respond to direct instructions from an operator, theconfiguration station140 may dynamically alter settings based on preferences, past behavior, and capabilities of the device and surrounding environment. For example, the configuration station may automatically optimize brightness and contrast of a screen view based on the current level of light. In another example, the configuration station may alter the amount of information displayed on a screen view based on the limitations of the displaying device (e.g., by reducing the amount of information displayed for a small screen or limited memory device). Theconfiguration station140 comprises aconnection component220 that establishes a working connection between the configuration station and the interface device, aconfiguration component230 that facilitates the configuration of the interface device, and anoperation component240 that implements such configuration on the interface device. Theconfiguration station140 may supply direct access between an operator and an interface device through a cable or other physical connection. In addition, theconfiguration station140 may also be housed in abrowser210 to provide remote access to one or more operators and one or more interface devices through an Internet or intranet connection.
• The operator initiates configuration by sending a query to theconfiguration station140. This signals theconnection component220 to establish a connection between theconfiguration station140 and the interface device (as well as corresponding device elements residing on the interface device and device elements linked to the interface device). Upon verification that such connection has been established, theconfiguration component230 selects the appropriate device elements to develop an interface screen for the interface device. Theconfiguration component230 may need to modify some device elements for them to be properly implemented. A resulting user-friendly interface screen accommodates the operator. Theoperation component240 implements the interface screen onto the interface device. The interface screen may be displayed on the interface device itself, or on an application linked to the interface device. The interface screen displays functions and options that are altered by the operator via the device elements.
• In addition, the interface screen can be customized as a template structure. Such template can be saved and sent to other interface devices, as well as automatically generated according to specific roles, profiles, and historical data. In one instance, a set of identical machines may operate on a production floor. Each machine may have its own interface screen that could be individually customized. However, having identical or consistent interface screens for all the machines greatly enhances the comfort of the operator because the operator would not need to readjust his thought process each time he works on a particular machine to familiarize himself with a different screen. When the operator determines one interface screen template, that template can be saved and implemented onto other interface devices without repeating the customization process. An interface device can switch among multiple saved interface screens, and thus is adaptable for a variety of users. Furthermore, generation of templates can occur with explicit or implicit training, using various classifiers. Through explicit training, a user sets forth the particular configuration scheme with detailed commands. Through implicit training, the system monitors and evaluates behavior of the operator, interface device, and machine, and intelligently implements changes for more convenient and efficient operation.
• It is to be appreciated that various aspects described herein can be automated (e.g., through employment of artificial intelligence). Accordingly, automated action can be performed in connection with implementing one or more functionalities. The action can be triggered for example based on user and/or computing state, environment, preferences, tasks at hand, goals, historical information, and other extrinsic information. Moreover, a utility-based analysis can be employed in connection with such automated action where for example the cost of taking an incorrect or undesired automated action is factored against the benefit of taking a correct or desired automated action. In connection with the discussion supra related to training classifiers, such classifiers can be implicitly and/or explicitly trained in connection with taking automated action.
• Theconfiguration station140 can be housed within abrowser210. Through abrowser210, theconfiguration station140 can be functionally connected to, but physically apart from, the interface device. For instance, when a technician has an urgent problem, he may contact an engineer. Instead of troubleshooting the problem on the production floor, the engineer may access theconfiguration station140 through an intranet connection from his cubicle office. Moreover, the engineer can also access theconfiguration station140 from his home computer, using the Internet.
• In view ofFIG. 3, a block diagram of an interface device unloading system300 that conserves memory and optimizes overall efficiency is depicted. As indicated in this example, themain interface screen310 incorporates device element X320 and device element Y330 (e.g., all device elements that support the interface device), while the unloadedinterface screen340 incorporates just device element X350 (e.g., eliminatingdevice element Y330 that was not required for continuous operation of the interface device).
• Themain interface screen310 maintains a global container of all initial device elements, while the unloaded interface screen maintains only the aspects necessary for the present view. Display properties (e.g., color, location, size, and text) can represent one aspect of a visual representation. Functional properties (e.g., count, interval, time, and reset) can represent another aspect of a visual representation. For example, this situation applies when a graphical view of a clock remains at 1:00 PM for 59 seconds until it turns into 1:01 PM. Although the functional features of the clock must be retained in order to keep track of the time, the visual features of the clock are constant for these 59 seconds. Therefore, the visual features of the clock do not need to be implemented again during the time period and can be temporarily unloaded from memory.
• In one example, themain interface screen310 comprises all device elements, which in this case are device element X320 anddevice element Y330. Themain interface screen310 is a display of a graphical clock that represents the current time, e.g., 1:00 PM.Device element X320 incorporates the functional aspect of keeping track of the time, whiledevice element Y330 incorporates the visual aspect of graphically presenting the time. The unloadedinterface screen340 represents a subsequent view of the interface device, e.g., a few seconds after 1:00 PM. Since the visual aspect that displays 1:00 PM remains the same until 1:01 PM,device element Y330 is unloaded from memory, butdevice element X350 must be maintained to keep track of the progressing time. While an unloaded device element is temporarily removed from memory, that device element still remains instantiated and active.
• In another example,device element Y330 is not fully unloaded from memory, but partially suppressed. In this situation,device element Y330 is only partially maintained as necessary in the unloadedinterface screen340.
• By fully or partially unloading unessential device elements from active memory, overall system performance improves. Memory conservation allows use of available memory space to be efficient, which in turn reduces processing time. Remaining memory can be allocated towards other tasks that may all run concurrently. In addition to memory conservation, transmission of redundant data wastes network resources and may impede network traffic flow. Such benefits with respect to memory and network traffic conservation apply to device element mirroring as well.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a device element mirroring system400, another approach to memory conservation and optimization. As an example, the device element mirroring system400 comprises a representativedevice element X410 with properties (X1-X4) that are mirrored by device element Y420 (Y1-Y4). The properties ofdevice element X410 correspond with the properties of device element Y420 (e.g., X1 and Y1 represent a color attribute, X2 and Y2 represent a location attribute, X3 and Y3 represent a size attribute, and X4 and Y4 represent a text attribute).
• Device element X410 anddevice element Y420 may each act individually upon shared data. If device element X410 anddevice element Y420 have identical or related attributes, device element mirroring may be used to conserve memory and improve performance without sharing properties. Device element mirroring enables more flexible operation than property sharing. While property sharing requires multiple device elements to point to a single shared attribute, device element mirroring efficiently and selectively transmits necessary data from one device element to one or more other device elements. The transfer of signals between device elements can be based on events that are manual or automatic in nature. A manual event is one that is directed by forced input from a user (e.g., a command entered by the click of a mouse). An automatic event is one that is based on circumstances unique to a situation (e.g., a detection of a dangerous condition that automatically triggers a warning message).
• For example,device element X410 comprises four properties, X1, X2, X3, and X4, which represent the color, location, size, and text, respectively.Device element Y420 comprises its own four properties, Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4, which correspond to the same category types as those found indevice element X410.Device element X410 receives data from a source. This data communicates a warning message, which triggers a change in X1, the color property, ofdevice element X410 from green to red. The property change of X1 indevice element X410 triggers device element mirroring indevice element Y420 to change its color property, Y1, from green to red as well.
• Device element mirroring ofdevice element Y420 fromdevice element X410 does not necessarily require thatdevice element Y420 mirror an identical or analogous property ofdevice element X410. For instance, color property X1's change from green to red can trigger text property Y4's change from “GO” to “STOP”—in addition to (or instead of) the Y1 color property change described above.
• In another example, the data communicated from the source todevice element X410 can trigger device element mirroring. Rather than wait for a property change indevice element X410,device element Y420 may initiate the mirroring function upon indication thatdevice element X410 has received the appropriate data from the source. For example, color property Y1 can be set to always match color property X1, regardless of what color it is or what type of data was triggered at the source.
• As depicted inFIG. 5, a block diagram of an emulation system500 for software mimicking of a hardware implementation is represented. The emulation system500 comprises ahardware interface device510, containing full-scale applications520,device elements530, and screen views540, and asoftware emulator550, containing the corresponding software instances of theapplications560,device elements570, and screen views580. Multiple emulators can be created for a single hardware device, and a single emulator can contain elements extracted from more than one hardware device.
• Theinterface device510 is a hardware representation of the tool used by an operator to interact with a machine. Theinterface device510 is configured withapplications520,device elements530, and screen views540 for a user-friendly presentation to the operator. Theemulator550 is a software implementation of theinterface device510. Theemulator550 provides a simple and inexpensive platform to develop, test, and finalize the configuration of aninterface device510 before such implementation occurs on an actual piece of hardware.
• Theemulator550 is created by extracting copies of theapplications520,device elements530, and screen views540 of theinterface device510. The resulting product is a software version of the hardware device, with fully functional and configurable features. Theapplications560,device elements570, and screen views580 on theemulator550 will behave identically to theapplications520,device elements530, and screen views540 on theactual interface device510. For instance, a developer may want to test a heating function that heats a chamber of the machine after an item counter reaches a certain count. The developer may want to reconfigure this feature by adding supplementary functions, such as a rotation task at certain intervals of time. While test procedures in hardware can be expensive and dangerous, troubleshooting problems in the software can be debugged simply by altering the code. The process can be continuously adjusted on theemulator550 until the full reconfiguration is finalized.
• Upon satisfactory completion of the reconfiguration process of theemulator550, the newly developed features are ready to be transferred to thehardware interface device510. Theapplications560,device elements570, and screen views580 on theemulator550, as modified, are loaded onto theinterface device510 to replace the originally configuredapplications520,device elements530, and screen views540. The behavior of theinterface device510 has already been mimicked and predicted by theemulator550, therefore minimizing the more time-consuming hardware implementation and adjustment by a developer.
• In view of the exemplary systems illustrated and described above, methodologies that may be implemented in accordance with the embodiments will be better appreciated with reference to the flow charts ofFIGS. 6-11. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are depicted and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the embodiments are not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may, in accordance with an embodiment, occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from that shown and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methodologies in accordance with the embodiments.
• The embodiments may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more components. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various instances of the embodiments.
• FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method600 of facilitating industrial control, e.g., configuration or reconfiguration of an interface device. In particular, the method600 outlines a general process for interface device configuration through instructions from an operator. The method600 starts by verifying the connection between the configuration station and the interface at610. Such connection can be a direct connection, an intranet connection, or an Internet connection and can be indicated on the configuration station. Without initial verification of a connection, efforts to transmit and receive data are futile.
• Once the connection has been established, at620, the operator configures the interface device using the configuration station. Configuration of the interface device through its device elements can be performed in a development environment or an operational environment. To support configuration within a development environment, the interface device temporarily pauses the execution of all running processes and allows an operator to freely modify, delete, or add device elements. To support configuration within an operational environment, the interface device's execution process is not interrupted while the operator configures device elements that are not active at the moment. In either environment, configuration is accomplished without using a special program to retrieve and harbor the code using external resources.
• If configuration of the interface device is desired in a development environment, display views can be maintained to provide a continuous visual representation of the interface device. In preparation for this view, each device element is first queried to extract its image or equivalent visual representation. Then, these images are collected and stored in a virtual frame buffer or memory display context. Therefore, this content is displayed on a general purpose viewer or browser while the interface device switches from an operational environment to a development environment for device element configuration.
• After the interface device is fully configured, operation of the newly configured interface device resumes at630. If the interface device switched to a configuration mode at620, the interface device would then switch back to the execution mode after the reconfiguration was complete. If the interface device did not switch to a configuration mode and instead remained in execution mode at620, transition from configuration to operation of the interface device appears to occur almost uninterrupted.
• FIG. 7 is another flow diagram of a method700 of facilitating industrial control, affording various options in which device elements of an interface device are managed and configured. The method700 begins by detecting an interface device through a configuration station at705. The detection can be triggered upon an event or regular or sporadic occurrences. At710, if the device is recognized as valid and configurable, the method700 proceeds to determine at715 whether a password is required for access to the interface device. If a password is required, at720 the password entered in response to a prompt is verified for accuracy. At725, if the password is correct, the method700 continues to735, where the interface device receives and processes configuration information from the configuration station. If a password is not required at715, the method700 immediately proceeds to735 to receive and process configuration information. In a circumstance where the interface device is not valid and configurable at710, or where the submitted password is incorrect at725, the configuration process does not occur.
• The configuration of the device elements can occur in the interface device or in the configuration station. At740, the operator determines whether he would like to download the device elements to the configuration station. If so, the device elements are downloaded from the interface device at745, configured in the configuration station at750, and uploaded back to the interface device at755. At740, if the operator determines he would not like to download the device elements to the configuration station, at760, configuration of the device elements occur directly in the interface device.
• Regardless of where the configuration occurs (in the interface device or in the configuration station), the connection can be supported by numerous ways. One option is to have a direct link between the configuration station and the interface device. In particular, the configuration station may be housed in the interface device or connected through a direct line. In the alternative, the configuration station may access the interface device remotely with a browser, enabling one or more operators to view the configuration station from any computer connected to the intranet or Internet.
• FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method800 of facilitating an unloading module that supports memory conservation and efficiency by temporarily removing unessential device elements from active memory. The method800 starts at810, in view of an initial interface screen that retains all aspects (visual and operational) of the necessary device elements in a global memory container. For example, the first screen may present a digital temperature display such as 50° F. If the numeric view is set to display only integers, it is irrelevant from the perspective of the display whether the actual temperature is 49.6° F. or 50.2° F. because in either situation (rounded to the nearest one), the appearance remains at 50° F. Before proceeding to the next screen, the method800 checks for such idle elements at820. Status checking can occur at regular or random time intervals or can be triggered based on certain events or changes to the interface device.
• If there are idle elements, at830, the interface device temporarily unloads those unnecessary device elements from the global memory container. In the above example, the device elements representing display property features (e.g., font, color, position, and text) is unloaded from memory. The remaining device elements (e.g., features relating to monitoring and measurement of temperature) are retained in memory for the next screen view at840. In the example discussed above, if the temperature were to rise to 50.2° F., the device elements supporting the screen view would be unloaded, but the device elements supporting the internal monitoring, measuring, and recording of the temperature would be retained so that the interface device contains a current and accurate determination of the actual temperature. Returning to820, if all device elements are active and required for the subsequent screen, then all device elements are retained in memory at840.
• FIG. 9 refers to a flow diagram of a method900 of facilitating device element mirroring, another option for conserving memory by directly communicating a change between two device elements with an identical or similar property. One device element processes received information relating to a property change and at least one other device element mirrors this change by performing the same or a related change without processing the information again.
• To begin, at910 the source sends data to a first device element. The data indicates an instruction with respect to a setting or changing one or more properties. The first device element receives and processes the data at920, and adjusts one or more properties according to the processed data at930. At940, if the property change triggers device element mirroring, then the first device element sends data indicating the property change to the second device element at950. The second device element receives and processes this information at960 and automatically adjusts an identical or related property at970. The adjustment can occur immediately or after a random or predetermined period of time. Returning to940, if the first device element's property change does not trigger device element mirroring, then the second device element does not receive further information regarding the present situation.
• In addition, device element mirroring may work as a chain, a group, or a combination of the two. As a chain, the second device element may trigger mirroring of another device element, which may trigger mirroring of yet another device element, and so on. As a group, a property change in one device element can trigger the function of multiple device elements that concurrently mirror that device element. In a combination of chain and group process, many device elements can be variously mirrored in a web of interconnections.
• Turning toFIG. 10, another flow diagram of a method1000 of facilitating device element mirroring based on source-triggering events is presented. In this situation, at1010, the source sends data to the first device element. The data can originate from an event based on manual or automatic sources. For example, a user can manually submit a command to force device element mirroring. In addition, a detected emergency occurrence can trigger a warning message that necessitates device element mirroring. This data transmission leads to the prompt at1020 to determine whether device element mirroring is triggered. If so, at1030, the first device element receives and processes the data from the source. At1040, the first device element sends data to the second device element and at1050, the second device element receives and processes the data from the first device element. Finally, at1060, the first device element and the second device element adjust their respective properties at the same time. In the alternative, the first device element could have adjusted its property at1050, while the second device element was receiving and processing its data. Yet another option is to hold the adjustment of the first device element's property until after the second device element has completed its adjustment.
• Going back to1020, if the data transmission from the source does not trigger device element mirroring, then at1070, only the first device element receives and processes the data from the source and at1080, adjusts its property accordingly. Since device element mirroring is not triggered, the second device element is left alone.
• As illustrated,FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method1100 of creating an emulator in order to execute the same firmware on a personal computer as is executed by an interface device. Emulation enables versatile software development of an interface device without committing the configuration to hardware, conserving time and resources. Starting with1110, an emulator is created by extracting a software copy of the interface device. This copy is a full duplication of the interface device with fully functioning features. At1120, a user connects to the emulator and creates a user application file on the emulator, which behaves exactly as it would on the actual interface device. The user application file is a template with user-customizable properties. For example, properties can be configured for functionality, accuracy, and user-friendliness. If those properties are not satisfactory, they can be adjusted as necessary. At1130, if a developer feels that the user application file requires further customization, he may return to1120 and run test programs and change the code as many times as he wishes. When the user application file is configured to the developer's satisfaction, he may download the user application file to the interface device hardware at1140.
• In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter,FIGS. 12 and 13 as well as the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be implemented. While the subject matter has been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on a computer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention also may be implemented in combination with other program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA), phone, watch . . . ), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. However, some, if not all aspects of the invention can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
• With reference toFIG. 12, an exemplary environment1210 for implementing various aspects disclosed herein includes a computer1212 (e.g., desktop, laptop, server, hand held, programmable consumer or industrial electronics . . . ). Thecomputer1212 includes aprocessing unit1214, asystem memory1216, and asystem bus1218. Thesystem bus1218 couples system components including, but not limited to, thesystem memory1216 to theprocessing unit1214. Theprocessing unit1214 can be any of various available microprocessors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures also can be employed as theprocessing unit1214.
• Thesystem bus1218 can be any of several types of bus structure(s) including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available bus architectures including, but not limited to, 11-bit bus, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association bus (PCMCIA), and Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI).
• Thesystem memory1216 includesvolatile memory1220 andnonvolatile memory1222. The basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines to transfer information between elements within thecomputer1212, such as during start-up, is stored innonvolatile memory1222. By way of illustration, and not limitation,nonvolatile memory1222 can include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory.Volatile memory1220 includes random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).
• Computer1212 also includes removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media.FIG. 12 illustrates, for example,disk storage1224.Disk storage1224 includes, but is not limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flash memory card, or memory stick. In addition,disk storage1224 can include storage media separately or in combination with other storage media including, but not limited to, an optical disk drive such as a compact disk ROM device (CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CD rewritable drive (CD-RW Drive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive (DVD-ROM). To facilitate connection of thedisk storage devices1224 to thesystem bus1218, a removable or non-removable interface is typically used such asinterface1226.
• It is to be appreciated thatFIG. 12 describes software that acts as an intermediary between users and the basic computer resources described in suitable operating environment1210. Such software includes anoperating system1228.Operating system1228, which can be stored ondisk storage1224, acts to control and allocate resources of thecomputer system1212.System applications1230 take advantage of the management of resources byoperating system1228 throughprogram modules1232 andprogram data1234 stored either insystem memory1216 or ondisk storage1224. It is to be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented with various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
• A user enters commands or information into thecomputer1212 through input device(s)1236.Input devices1236 include, but are not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, TV tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and the like. These and other input devices connect to theprocessing unit1214 through thesystem bus1218 via interface port(s)1238. Interface port(s)1238 include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, and a universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s)1240 use some of the same type of ports as input device(s)1236. Thus, for example, a USB port may be used to provide input tocomputer1212 and to output information fromcomputer1212 to anoutput device1240.Output adapter1242 is provided to illustrate that there are someoutput devices1240 like displays (e.g., flat panel and CRT), speakers, and printers, amongother output devices1240 that require special adapters. Theoutput adapters1242 include, by way of illustration and not limitation, video and sound cards that provide a means of connection between theoutput device1240 and thesystem bus1218. It should be noted that other devices and/or systems of devices provide both input and output capabilities such as remote computer(s)1244.
• Computer1212 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)1244. The remote computer(s)1244 can be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance, a peer device or other common network node and the like, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative tocomputer1212. For purposes of brevity, only amemory storage device1246 is illustrated with remote computer(s)1244. Remote computer(s)1244 is logically connected tocomputer1212 through anetwork interface1248 and then physically connected via communication connection(s)1250.Network interface1248 encompasses communication networks such as local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN). LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet/IEEE 802.3, Token Ring/IEEE 802.5 and the like. WAN technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links, circuit-switching networks like Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packet switching networks, and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL).
• Communication connection(s)1250 refers to the hardware/software employed to connect thenetwork interface1248 to thebus1218. Whilecommunication connection1250 is shown for illustrative clarity insidecomputer1212, it can also be external tocomputer1212. The hardware/software necessary for connection to thenetwork interface1248 includes, for exemplary purposes only, internal and external technologies such as, modems including regular telephone grade modems, cable modems, power modems and DSL modems, ISDN adapters, and Ethernet cards or components.
• FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a sample-computing environment1300 with which the present invention can interact. The system1300 includes one or more client(s)1310. The client(s)1310 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The system1300 also includes one or more server(s)1330. Thus, system1300 can correspond to a two-tier client server model or a multi-tier model (e.g., client, middle tier server, data server), amongst other models. The server(s)1330 can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). Theservers1330 can house threads to perform transformations by employing the present invention, for example. One possible communication between aclient1310 and aserver1330 may be in the form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes. The system1300 includes acommunication framework1350 that can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s)1310 and the server(s)1330. The client(s)1310 are operatively connected to one or more client data store(s)1360 that can be employed to store information local to the client(s)1310. Similarly, the server(s)1330 are operatively connected to one or more server data store(s)1340 that can be employed to store information local to theservers1330.
• It is to be appreciated that the systems and/or methods of the embodiments can be facilitated with computer components and non-computer related components alike. Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that the systems and/or methods of the embodiments are employable in a vast array of electronic related technologies, including, but not limited to, computers, servers, and/or handheld electronic devices, and the like.
• What has been described above includes examples of the embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the embodiments, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Claims (20)

1. A system that facilitates industrial control, comprising:

an interface screen that includes all device elements related to operation of an interface device; and

an unloaded interface screen that retains a subset of all the device elements related to the operation of the interface device.

2. The system ofclaim 1, the subset of all the device elements represents aspects necessary to maintain operation of the interface device.

3. The system ofclaim 1, all the device elements represent display properties and functional properties of the interface device.

4. The system ofclaim 3, the display properties comprise features in font, size, color, position, and text and the functional properties comprise features in measurement and observation.

5. The system ofclaim 1, the subset of all the device elements represents functional properties of the interface device.

6. The system ofclaim 5, the functional properties comprise features in measurement and observation.

7. The system ofclaim 1, the unloaded interface screen unloads device elements that are not required for continuous operation of the interface device and maintains device elements that are required for continuous operation of the interface device.

8. The system ofclaim 1, the unloaded interface screen suppresses device elements that are not required for seamless operation of the interface device.

9. A method that facilitates industrial control, comprising the following acts:

maintaining device elements of a main interface screen; and

unloading a subset of the device elements of an unloaded interface screen for a temporary period of time.

10. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising reinstating the unloaded subset of the device elements after the temporary period of time lapses.

11. The method ofclaim 9, the device elements of the main interface screen comprise visual and operational aspects of an interface device.

12. The method ofclaim 9, the unloaded subset of the device elements comprises visual aspects of an interface device.

13. The method ofclaim 9, each device element is loaded when necessary for operation of the interface device and unloaded when not necessary for operation of the interface device.

14. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising suppressing at least one device element during the temporary period of time.

15. The method ofclaim 14, the at least one suppressed device element is not required for continual operation of the interface device.

16. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising adding new device elements to the unloaded interface screen.

17. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising checking status of the device elements at regular time intervals, the device elements that are idle are marked for unloading.

18. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising checking status of the device elements at random time intervals, the device elements that are idle are automatically unloaded.

19. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising checking status of the device elements upon an event predetermined by the user or triggered by the interface device, the device elements that are idle are immediately unloaded.

20. A system that facilitates industrial control, comprising:

means for temporarily unloading device elements unnecessary for continuous operation of the interface device; and

means for reinstating the temporarily unloaded device elements when necessary for continuous operation of the interface device.

Images