Alias ​​Relationship Visualizer

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, and apparatus for generating visual alias relationship data. [Solution] The method involves a processor identifying a first I / O alias corresponding to a first input / output (I / O) channel provided by a first distributed control node (DCN) of a process automation facility, determining whether one or more function blocks (FBs) and one or more DCNs hosting one or more FBs have been identified, generating data usable to render a GUI that draws a visual mapping between the first I / O alias and one or more FBs, further drawing one or more visual annotations indicating which of the one or more DCNs hosts each of the one or more FBs, rendering the GUI on the display of a computing device, and determining whether user input has been received.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Process automation facilities may include numerous sensors, actuators, and distributed control nodes (DCNs) that cooperate to perform a variety of different tasks, including managing process control loops. Tracking these nodes using conventional node identification (ID) can pose various challenges. The connection string of an individual node (e.g., an IP address including a TCP port) and the node ID used to identify the individual components accessible through those nodes are not easily interpretable by humans and do not easily scale.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0002] Implementations for generating visual alias relationship data that may be processed to facilitate the rendering of a visualization of aliases of one or more components of process automation equipment and the relationships between the components represented by those aliases are described herein. For example, some process automation equipment may implement an Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) including a Global Discovery Server (GDS). The GDS may provide an Alias ​​Name Service (ANS) that facilitates the mapping of aliases (human-readable / meaningful strings) to connection strings and node IDs. In other words, the GDS can act like a "phone book" for OPC UA clients. The techniques described herein may produce various technical advantages. For example, the techniques described herein may reduce the total consumption of computing resources in response to unnecessarily long interactions by one or more users.

[0003] Visual mappings of aliases and the relationships between them may be rendered in place of, and / or in addition to, the more cryptic names often assigned to process automation components. Generating and rendering visual mappings of alias relationships may enable one or more users to more efficiently identify components (such as DCNs) when problems are detected, and thus reduce the repetitive requests (and computer-provided) for textual details of components that would otherwise be required for users to identify relationships between components. Visual mappings of alias relationships may be depicted by various graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

[0004] In some implementations, one or more processors may identify a first I / O alias corresponding to a first input / output (I / O) channel provided by a first DCN of a process automation facility, one or more function blocks (FBs) coupled to the first I / O channel corresponding to the first I / O alias, and / or one or more other DCNs hosting one or more FBs. Depending on the identification of one or more of the first I / O alias, one or more FBs, and / or one or more other DCNs, one or more processors may generate data usable to render a GUI, which may draw a visual mapping between the first I / O alias and one or more FBs, and further draw one or more visual annotations indicating which of the one or more other DCNs hosts each of the one or more FBs. One or more processors may render the GUI on the display of a computing device in response to receiving user input.

[0005] In some implementations, the GUI may depict additional visual annotations indicating that the first DCN hosts the first I / O alias. In some implementations, the first I / O alias may be located upstream of one or more FBs, and the method may further include the step of identifying one or more additional I / O aliases that are operablely coupled to one or more of the FBs and located downstream of one or more of the FBs. In some implementations, the first I / O alias may be located downstream of one or more FBs, and the method may further include the step of identifying one or more additional I / O aliases that are operablely coupled to one or more of the FBs and located upstream of one or more of the FBs. In some implementations, identifying one or more of the first I / O alias, one or more FBs, and / or one or more other DCNs may be based on processing Global Discovery Server (GDS) data corresponding to one or more of the first I / O alias, FBs, or DCNs. In some implementations, one or more FBs may be identified as function block aliases. In some implementations, one or more visual annotations may contain parentheses that span two or more graphical elements representing two or more of the FBs.

[0006] It should be understood that all combinations of the concepts described above and any additional concepts described in more detail herein are considered to be part of the subject matter disclosed herein. For example, all combinations of claims appearing at the end of this disclosure are considered to be part of the subject matter disclosed herein. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows an exemplary environment in which a selected aspect of this disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2A]This figure shows an exemplary GUI in which a graphical representation of the physical components hosting the DCN may be rendered together with an indication of the selection of I / O channels corresponding to the physical components. [Figure 2B] This figure shows an exemplary GUI in which aliases associated with one or more DCNs and one or more FBs may be rendered. [Figure 2C] This figure shows another exemplary GUI where aliases associated with one or more DCNs and one or more FBs may be rendered. [Figure 3A] This figure shows an example GUI that may not include component aliases. [Figure 3B] This figure shows an exemplary GUI that may include component aliases. [Figure 3C] This figure shows an exemplary GUI that may include component aliases and component grouping. [Figure 3D] This diagram illustrates an exemplary GUI where component aliases for a specific group may be included along with indications for additional components that belong to that group. [Figure 4] This figure shows an exemplary flowchart for carrying out an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 5] This figure schematically illustrates an exemplary computer architecture in which selected aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Implementations for generating visual alias relationship data, which may be processed to facilitate the rendering of a visualization of aliases of one or more components of process automation equipment and the relationships between the components represented by those aliases, are described herein. The implementations described herein may reduce the unnecessary consumption of computing resources associated with a set of repetitive user requests provided to facilitate the retrieval of documents that may be used to identify relationships between one or more computing components. Therefore, the implementations described herein may reduce the latency between the initial user request provided to facilitate the identification of relationships between one or more computing components and the final response thereto.

[0009] A DCN may include one or more input-output (I / O) channels associated with various types of equipment within a process automation facility. Output channels may be associated with output devices such as actuators, valves, and dampers. Input channels may be associated with input devices such as various types of sensors, flow meters, and calculation nodes. In some implementations, the I / O channels may connect the DCN to one or more function blocks hosted by another DCN. The DCN may drive output channels that control output devices based on data received from one or more data sources, such as one or more remote DCNs (or their components) that the DCN is subscribed to.

[0010] Process automation equipment such as DCNs may be configured to communicate with other process automation equipment using a variety of open (e.g., non-proprietary) and / or standardized communication protocols, which are referred to herein as “cross-platform.” Cross-platform communication protocols may be governed by a variety of regulations and / or standards, such as the Open Platform Communications (OPC) Unified Architecture (UA). Therefore, in the various examples described herein, a DCN may be described as hosting one or more “OPC UA clients” and / or one or more “OPC UA servers,” but this is not intended to be limiting. A DCN may host other types of cross-platform clients and / or cross-platform servers, and OPC UA is merely one example.

[0011] DCN may host various cross-platform clients (CPCs) and / or cross-platform servers (CPSs) that may monitor and / or control various process automation devices using DCN features (e.g., I / O channels). CPCs / CPSs (and / or their associated function block-based applications) may be able to monitor and / or control devices using IP addresses, serial numbers, etc., which can be difficult for human users to maintain and handle. Aliases, therefore, may allow humans to more intuitively identify and manage components.

[0012] Aliases may be associated with various components of process automation equipment and may contain easily interpretable strings such as "Valve1" or "Sensor2 I / OChannel". In addition, aliases may identify the function of a component and / or the relationships between one or more components, such as "Water Filtration," "Valve Control," or "Pump Control." These aliases may be generated by or without user input. For example, these aliases may be automatically generated by components within a process automation network and / or generated based on user input received by components communicating with the process automation network.

[0013] In some cases, aliases may change. For example, aliases may be modified, reallocated, orphaned, and / or deleted. These changes may be in response to various events, such as components being added, removed, and / or replaced. These changes may be made by or without user input. As a result, there may be frequent communication and / or synchronization between the GDS and the components to deal with these changes. A GUI that visualizes alias relationships between one or more components for the user may be updated in response to these changes. For example, if an alias relationship includes a first DCN aliased as "Water Filtration" and a downstream second DCN aliased as "Pump Control," and the first and second DCNs are physically swapped, the graphical user interface may be updated to depict water filtration as now downstream of pump control, indicating, for example, that a change from the DCN aliased as pump control may be used to control the process of the DCN aliased as water filtration. Similarly, DCNs may not be physically moved and / or changed, but may be assigned to new and / or additional functions, or to new and / or additional aliases, and this may also be reflected in the visualization of alias relationships rendered by the GUI.

[0014] The techniques described herein enable the visualization of alias information to reduce latency between the initial user request and the final response, and to reduce the consumption of computing resources associated with requesting text documents related to computing components. The visualization may be based on temporal considerations (e.g., time frame), the role played within the industrial equipment (e.g., participant in the process control loop), component / equipment attributes (e.g., individually or by group), security, manufacturer, location, etc. The GDS may record resources (e.g., sensors or actuators managed by the CPS) and the aliases assigned to those resources. The GDS may also record other information related to the reception and / or recording of resources and aliases, such as timestamps and grouping information.

[0015] For example, a user might request an alias visualization for a DCN aliased, for instance, "Water Filtration." The GDS might then return only the aliases used in conjunction with, for example, FindAlias("^^"WaterFiltration"). As a result, the data returned by the GDS would include alias information related to the DCN aliased "Water Filtration," and, depending on the configuration, may also include alias information for upstream and / or downstream components. Therefore, visualizing the DCN aliased "Water Filtration" would avoid and / or mitigate requests for additional documents (for example, those made to facilitate the identification of DCNs related to the "Water Filtration" DCN through analysis of text documents), thus reducing overall latency and computing resource consumption.

[0016] As another example, a user may specify a group associated with an alias visualization, such as a group to which multiple components, like a DCN, are assigned, e.g., FindAlias("[^^]GROUPID Filtration"). As a result, the data returned by GDS may not include alias information that is not associated with a DCN outside of the Filtration Group. More precisely, the data returned by GDS may include alias information that is exclusively associated with the DCN of the filtration group, and, depending on the configuration, may also include alias information for upstream and / or downstream components.

[0017] As another example, a user may specify a time frame in which alias information was active. GDS may return only aliases that were active during the specified time frame, for example, FindAlias("[^^]Between 2023-01-02T14:40:00-2024-01-02T14:40:00"). As a result, the data returned by GDS will not include alias information outside of that time frame. This may allow a user to determine historical alias information associated with one or more components, which can be helpful in troubleshooting issues (for example, if components have been moved, replaced, etc.).

[0018] In some implementations, a client device may be configured to receive a list of registered aliases from the GDS, which includes resources hosted by the DCN on the process automation network and the aliases assigned to those resources. The list of registered aliases may be recorded on the client device. Periodically, the client device may request an updated list of registered aliases. The GDS may return fewer registered aliases than all registered aliases based on the fact that one or more previously provided aliases have not been updated since. This may be done to avoid returning registered aliases that have not changed compared to previous requests, thereby reducing transmissions on the process automation network.

[0019] Criteria associated with component aliases may cause one or more aliases to be included in and / or excluded from an alias relationship visualization. For example, criteria may be specified for an alias relationship visualization so that alias information that does not meet the criteria may be excluded from the alias relationship visualization. Criteria may include temporal criteria corresponding to one or more components (e.g., timestamps related to the creation, modification, update, and / or verification of aliases), active status criteria corresponding to the activity of one or more components, performance criteria corresponding to a measure of the performance of one or more components, security criteria corresponding to the security level of one or more components, and grouping criteria corresponding to the organization and / or hierarchy of one or more components. Taking temporal criteria as an example, a DCN alias may be associated with a timestamp indicating when the alias was created, modified, updated, verified, etc. Criteria may be met based on the DCN alias being up-to-date, for example, being the most recent alias assigned to a component.

[0020] An alias may be modified over time, and the Alias Name Service (ANS) may aggregate an updated list of aliases that may include registered aliases that have been modified, added, and / or deleted after the time associated with the receipt of a previous list of registered aliases. For example, after receiving a list of registered aliases, one or more selected registered aliases may be assigned to resources hosted by another DCN on the Process Automation Network and may be included in the updated list. As another example, after receiving a list of registered aliases, one or more of the registered aliases may be deallocated from one or more of the resources hosted by other DCNs and may be included in the updated list.

[0021] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary environment in which selected aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to various embodiments. The OPC UA 100 may include one or more components including a DCN 102, a GDS 170, and a client device 180, and these components may be connected via one or more networks 160.

[0022] The DCN 102 may store in memory one or more connection strings 104, node IDs 106, and / or function blocks (FBs) 108-110. The connection string 104 may include an IP address 104A and a TCP port 104A1.

[0023] GDS 170 may include an alias-for-DCN map (ANS) 172, which may include one or more alias maps for various components, such as an alias-for-DCN map 174. As considered herein, components may be assigned cryptographic names, for example, which may be efficiently processed by a computer but may be difficult for humans to understand and / or manage. Aliases may include human-friendly characterizations of those cryptographic names. As an example, the alias-for-DCN map 174 may map DCN 102 to the alias "Pump Control" using the default identifier for DCN 102, for example, the hexadecimal code "7B316", or another cryptographic identifier (for example, opc.tcp: / / 10.0.1.1:4840; ns=5;i=5242). Therefore, the alias "Pump Control" may be visually rendered instead of, and / or in addition to, the default identifier, e.g., the hexadecimal code "7B316". As will be discussed in more detail later, ANS 172 may also include alias information for each feature of the DCN, including I / O channels, e.g., FB.

[0024] The client device 180 may include a user interface 182, which may include a graphical user interface (GUI) 182A and / or an audio interface 182B. The GUI 182A may graphically render (e.g., visualize) alias information using one or more of the following: text, non-text graphics, colors, patterns, etc. In some implementations, the audio interface 182B may render alias information audibly, independently of or in addition to the GUI 182A. The audio interface 182B may audibly render content corresponding to user input directed to the GUI 182A. For example, if user input is directed to a graphical representation (rendered by the GUI 182A) of a DCN aliased as "Water Filtration", the audio interface 182B may audibly render content related to the DCN, such as "This DCN is aliased as Water Filtration and is part of the Filtration Group". The audio interface 182B may provide supplemental audible content in accordance with changes to the GUI 182A and / or available updates from the GDS 170.

[0025] Figures 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary GUI environments. The GUI environments discussed herein may be rendered as output by one or more graphical displays of a computing device (e.g., monitors, TVs, etc.). In some implementations, output from one or more other interfaces, such as audio interfaces and / or haptic interfaces, may supplement the graphical display output. The GUI environment may be rendered based on timestamp information, update information, grouping information, performance information, manufacturer information, security information, etc., associated with one or more components. For example, the GUI environment may be rendered based on the latest update, previous updates, a specified time span, the time span since the last known update of those components, etc. Similarly, the GUI environment may be rendered based on security protocols, for example, by not rendering content that violates security protocols, rendering content that indicates that security protocols are being enforced, rendering content that has been modified / edited based on security protocols, and / or rendering content based on the user's account type.

[0026] Figure 2A shows a visualization of the GUI 182A of a server rack 202 that may host one or more DCNs. An information excerpt 204 showing information related to one or more components of the server rack 202 may be rendered. The information excerpt 204 may be rendered based on user selection of graphical elements of the server rack visualization 202, one or more events occurring in relation to a component, etc. For example, the excerpt 204 may be rendered in response to a user selection of one or more selectable components of the server rack 202 (e.g., by clicking a mouse, interacting with a touchpad, or providing voice input). As another example, the excerpt 204 may be rendered in response to an error occurring in one or more components of the server rack 202 (e.g., to draw attention to an error and provide information so that the user can quickly identify and / or correct the error). The excerpt 204 may include a component name 204A, an I / O alias 204B, and / or an FB alias 204C.

[0027] Figure 2B shows an exemplary GUI 182A illustrating how a process flow may be implemented across multiple DCNs. The GUI 182A shown in Figure 2B may be rendered, for example, when the user selects a graphical element in Figure 2A corresponding to I / O alias 204B. Figure 2B shows a representation of GUI 182A for I / O alias 204B, which connects DCN 230 to DCN 232 so that it can communicate with DCN 232, as an upstream function block in the process flow from the function block hosted by DCN 232. DCN 232 may host three function blocks, which may include a function block corresponding to alias 204C (analog input or "AI"), a function block corresponding to alias 204D (proportional, integral, and differential control or "PID"), and a function block corresponding to alias 204E (analog output or "AO"). DCN 232 may be coupled to DCN 234 so as to be able to communicate with it via an I / O channel corresponding to alias 204F. The I / O alias key 236 may indicate which aliases are associated with the I / O channel, for example, 204B and 204F. The FB alias key 238 may indicate which aliases are associated with the FB, for example, aliases 204C, 204D, and 204E.

[0028] Figure 2C shows GUI 182A in another state, illustrating another example of how a process flow may be implemented across multiple DCNs. Unlike Figure 2B, where alias 204B resided on a separate DCN 230 from the downstream function blocks 204C-E, in Figure 2C, alias 204B resides on the same DCN 240 as the downstream function blocks 204C-E. For example, GUI 182A shows that the same DCN 240, which has an I / O channel corresponding to I / O alias 204B, may also host one or more function blocks corresponding to aliases 204C, 204D, and / or 204E. DCN 250 may be connected to an I / O channel corresponding to I / O alias 204F. DCN 240 may communicate with DCN 250 based on the I / O channel corresponding to alias 204F. Therefore, in some implementations, the GUI may indicate that the DCN hosts one or more components, such as I / O channels and / or function blocks, and may show the communication flow of the components contained therein, and may include aliases associated with those components.

[0029] Figures 3A to 3D also illustrate exemplary GUI environments. GUI 182A shown in Figure 3A may not include alias information, but may show graphical nesting, layering, mapping, etc., of one or more components, which can offer many advantages despite the absence of alias information. For example, GUI 182A may provide information about DCN 302 in a graphical format, such as nesting, layering, etc., of DCN 302 features, instead of rendering a purely text document (which may render information about DCN 302 in text format independently of non-text content). Thus, while alias information about DCN 302 may not be provided, the use of computing resources and / or latency between user requests and responses may be reduced based on the reduction of a set of user requests for information in accordance with the improved rendering and / or distribution of the information.

[0030] The nesting of DCN 302 shown in Figure 3A may be depicted as DCN 302 being a box containing smaller boxes (for example, nested), where each smaller box corresponds to a feature and / or its sub-features. Furthermore, the components in Figure 3A may be depicted to include non-aliased nomenclature, such as IP address 304 and TCP port 304A. In some implementations, IP address 304 and / or TCP port 304A may be shared among one or more components. DCN 302 may include an OPC UA server 306, which may host function blocks 308 and / or 310. Function block 308 may be associated with node ID 308A, and function block 310 may be associated with node ID 310A.

[0031] DCN 302 (and other components in Figure 3A) may be depicted together with its associated IP address 304, but this may not intuitively and / or readily indicate its function and / or its relationship to one or more other components involved in the process. For example, the default name "192.843.782.1" does not indicate that DCN 302 may perform, for example, "Water Filtration" and / or that DCN 302 may be associated with the "Filtration" group.

[0032] The nesting of boxes for DCN 302 may indicate that DCN 302 is reachable at IP address 304 and includes OPC UA servers 306 and FBs 308 and 310. GUI 182A, shown in Figure 3A, also graphically depicts I / O channels 312 and 314 originating from DCN 302, indicating that DCN 302 sends and / or receives data through I / O channels 312 and / or 314. For example, I / O channel 312 may originate from DCN 302 and be associated with IP address 304, TCP port 304A, and node ID 308C. As another example, I / O channel 314 may originate from DCN 302 and be associated with IP address 304, TCP port 304A, and node ID 310C. Similar to DCN 302, the features of I / O channels 312 and 314 may be referred to using default names. A graphical representation showing that DCN 302 uses two separate I / O channels can be advantageous even when alias information is not available (for example, efficiently visually demonstrating that two I / O channels 312 and 314 communicate with DCN 302).

[0033] Alias ​​information may be selectively provided so that it may be provided for DCN 302, function block 308, and / or additional function block 310, as will be considered in more detail later. A client device 180 (which may render GUI 182A) may receive alias information from ANS 172, including an alias map 174 for DCN, which may be processed to facilitate the rendering of GUI 182A. For example, GUI 182A may render non-textual graphical content (in addition to and / or independently of text content) based on data received from ANS 172 via GDS 170.

[0034] Figure 3B shows an exemplary GUI of Figure 3A as it is updated to provide alias information. For example, GUI 182 depicts DCN 302 with alias 302A "Water Filtration". Function block 308 contains alias 308B "Pump Control", an additional function block 310 contains alias 310B "Valve Control", I / O channel 312 contains alias 312A "To Pump", and I / O channel 314 contains alias 314A "To Valve". Furthermore, some features may be assigned aliases that may not be rendered (for example, based on account and / or security configurations).

[0035] The alias information included in Figure 3B can simplify the management of process automation equipment resources for human users by making it easier and / or more efficient for them to determine, for example, which physical hardware (e.g., DCN) is hosting a problematic resource (e.g., a function block or I / O channel). For example, a DCN function may not be readily identifiable by a human user based on its default name (e.g., "192.843.782.1" associated with IP address 304, "321" associated with node ID "308A"), but may be readily identifiable based on the provided alias information (e.g., "Water Filtration"). Thus, a series of requests for additional content related to a component to facilitate the identification of the component's features and / or functions may be mitigated and / or avoided depending on whether the content rendered based on the alias information anticipates the features and / or functions (e.g., making it pointless to render further requests for information about the component and / or functions).

[0036] Figure 3C shows an exemplary GUI environment in which one or more components are grouped together. For example, DCN 302 may be associated with alias 302A "Water Filtration" and may be included in a group having alias 316 "Filtration Group". DCN 320 may be associated with alias 320A "Mixer Control" and may be included in a group having alias 318 "Mixer Group". DCN 320 may be associated with IP address 324, OPC UA server 326 (which may include IP address 324 and TCP port 324A), and FB 328 (which may be associated with alias 328B "Motor Control" and node ID 328A). DCN 320 may be connected to I / O channel 312, which may be associated with alias 312A "To Mixer Arm", IP address 324, TCP port 324A, and node ID 328C.

[0037] Component grouping can improve the efficient recognition that two components belong to related but separate groups, such as water filtration and mixing. Component grouping may be based on factors such as components physically located in the same area, being associated with a comprehensive process, or being selected for monitoring. Grouping may be included in the alias information of one or more components. Grouping may be generated and / or modified by or without user input (for example, grouping may be generated entirely and / or partially by one or more processors based on available information, similar to other alias information).

[0038] Figure 3D shows another example of GUI 182A. GUI 182A may render content related to upstream and / or downstream components associated with DCN 302. For example, DCN 302 may include an I / O channel 312 aliased as "To Pump," which connects DCN 302 to DCN 320 associated with alias 320A "Pump Control," and DCN 320 itself may connect to an I / O channel 322 associated with alias 322A "To Pump Motor," which connects DCN 320 to DCN 340 associated with alias 340A "Pump Motor."

[0039] As another example, DCN 302 may be connected to I / O channel 314 associated with alias 314A "To Valve," and I / O channel 314 may connect DCN 302 to DCN 330 associated with alias 330A "Valve Control." DCN 330 may be connected to I / O channel 332 which may be associated with alias 332A "To Motor," and I / O channel 332 may connect DCN 330 to DCN 350 associated with alias 350A "Valve Motor." I / O channel 342 may be associated with alias 342A "To Sensor," and DCN 330 may be connected to DCN 360 associated with alias 360A "Valve Sensor." Therefore, GUI 182A in Figure 3D may provide an easily interpretable stream of components of a filtering group that a user can use to facilitate monitoring, upgrading, replacing, repairing, etc., of one or more components of the group.

[0040] For example, in one scenario, a faulty component may prevent the filtering process from functioning correctly. Instead of the GUI 182A rendering purely text content, which users may iteratively request more information to facilitate the identification of functions, locations, etc., the GUI 182A may render graphical content instead of, and / or in addition to, text content. Instead of the user iteratively parsing and requesting (by aggregate) more text content to facilitate the identification of component functions and relationships, the user may parse the GUI 182A containing alias information and efficiently obtain information about component functions and / or relationships without subsequent requests for additional content.

[0041] Figure 4 shows a flowchart 400 of an exemplary method that may be implemented by one or more processors. The method may begin in block 402, in which a processor may identify a first I / O alias corresponding to a first input / output (I / O) channel provided by a first distributed control node (DCN) of a process automation facility. This I / O alias may be identified in various ways. For example, a user may interact with a GUI, such as the GUI shown in Figures 2A-2C and / or Figures 3A-3D, to select a graphical element representing the I / O alias. Block 402 may also include identifying one or more function blocks (FBs) coupled to the first I / O channel corresponding to the first I / O alias, and one or more DCNs hosting the one or more FBs.

[0042] In some implementations, the first I / O alias may be located upstream of one or more flybacks (FBs), and the operation of block 402 may further include identifying one or more additional I / O aliases located downstream of one or more of the FBs, and coupled in a manner operable to one or more of the FBs.

[0043] In some implementations, identifying one or more of the first I / O alias, one or more function blocks (FBs), or one or more function blocks (DCNs) may be based on processing Global Discovery Server (GDS) data corresponding to one or more of the first I / O alias, FB, or DCN. In some implementations, one or more FBs are identified as function block aliases. For example, once an I / O alias is identified, it may be used to identify the underlying I / O channel of the DCN. The I / O alias and / or the underlying I / O channel it represents may be used to identify one or more function blocks that are coupled to the first I / O channel in an operable manner. In some implementations, this may be achieved by querying the GDS 170 for aliases of any components (e.g., function blocks) that subscribe to the first I / O alias. These aliases for the subscribed components can then be used, for example, to determine which DCN hosts those components by performing a reverse ANS lookup.

[0044] In block 404, the processor may determine whether a first I / O alias, one or more FBs, and one or more DCNs hosting one or more FBs have been identified. If the processor determines that a first I / O alias, one or more FBs, and one or more DCNs hosting one or more FBs have been identified, the method may proceed to block 404. If the processor determines that a first I / O alias, one or more FBs, and one or more DCNs hosting one or more FBs have not been identified, the method may return to block 402.

[0045] In block 406, the processor may generate data that can be used to render a GUI that depicts a visual mapping between a first I / O alias and one or more Facebook Functions (FBs), and further depicts one or more visual annotations indicating which of one or more DCNs hosts each of the one or more FBs. In some implementations, the GUI may depict additional visual annotations indicating that the first DCN hosts the first I / O alias. In some implementations, one or more visual annotations may include parentheses spanning two or more graphical elements representing two or more of the FBs.

[0046] In block 408, the processor may render a GUI on the computing device's display. In block 410, the processor may determine whether user input has been received. The GUI may be modified in response to user input. For example, the GUI may be modified based on selecting a new I / O port as the starting point.

[0047] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device 510 that may be optionally used to perform one or more embodiments of the technology described herein. Generally, the computing device 510 includes at least one processor 515 that communicates with several peripheral devices via a bus subsystem 512. These peripheral devices may include, for example, a storage subsystem 524 including a memory subsystem 525 and a file storage subsystem 526, a user interface output device 520, a user interface input device 522, and a network interface subsystem 516. The input and output devices enable user interaction with the computing device 510. The network interface subsystem 516 provides an interface to an external network and is coupled to corresponding interface devices of other computing devices.

[0048] The user interface input device 522 may include pointing devices such as keyboards, mice, trackballs, touchpads, or graphics tablets, audio input devices such as scanners, touchscreens integrated into displays, speech recognition systems, microphones, and / or other types of input devices. In general, the use of the term “input device” is intended to include all possible types of devices and methods for inputting information into the computing device 510 or a communication network.

[0049] The user interface output device 520 may include non-visual displays such as a display subsystem, printer, fax machine, or audio output device. The display subsystem may include flat panel devices such as cathode ray tubes (CRTs) or liquid crystal displays (LCDs), projection devices, or any other mechanism for generating visible images. The display subsystem may also provide non-visual displays, such as through an audio output device. In general, the use of the term “output device” is intended to include all possible types of devices and methods for outputting information from the computing device 510 to a user or another machine or computing device.

[0050] The storage subsystem 524 stores programming and data structures that provide some or all of the functionality of the modules described herein. For example, the storage subsystem 524 may include logic for performing a selected embodiment of the method shown in Figure 5 and for implementing the various embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 4.

[0051] These software modules are generally executed by the processor 515 alone or in combination with other processors. The memory 525 used in the storage subsystem 524 may include several memories, including a main random access memory (RAM) 530 for storing program instructions and data, and a read-only memory (ROM) 532 for storing fixed instructions. The file storage subsystem 526 can provide persistent storage for program and data files and may include a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive with associated removable media, a CD-ROM drive, an optical drive, or a removable media cartridge. Modules implementing the functionality of a particular implementation may be stored by the file storage subsystem 526 within the storage subsystem 524 or on other machines accessible by the processor 515.

[0052] The bus subsystem 512 provides a mechanism for various components and subsystems of the computing device 510 to communicate with each other as intended. Although the bus subsystem 512 is schematically shown as a single bus, alternative implementations of the bus subsystem may use multiple buses.

[0053] The computing device 510 can be of various types, including workstations, servers, computing clusters, blade servers, server farms, or any other data processing systems or computing devices. Due to the ever-changing nature of computers and networks, the description of the computing device 510 shown in Figure 5 is intended only as a specific example for the purpose of illustrating several implementations. Many other configurations of the computing device 510 are possible, having more or fewer components than the computing device shown in Figure 5. The technology disclosed herein may be implemented by a system including one or more processors, a storage device having instructions executable by one or more processors, and / or a non-temporary computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more computers.

[0054] While several implementations are described and illustrated herein, various other means and / or structures may be utilized to perform the functions described herein and / or to obtain one or more of the results and / or benefits, and each of such changes and / or modifications shall be considered within the scope of the implementations described herein. More broadly, all parameters, dimensions, materials and configurations described herein are intended to be illustrative, and actual parameters, dimensions, materials and / or configurations shall depend on the particular one or more applications in which the teaching is used. A person skilled in the art can recognize or determine many equivalents of the particular implementations described herein by means of ordinary experimentation alone. Thus, it should be understood that the implementations described herein are presented merely as examples, and within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, implementations may be carried out in ways different from those specifically described and claimed. Implementations of this disclosure shall apply to each individual feature, system, item, material, kit and / or method described herein. Furthermore, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods is included in the scope of this disclosure, provided that such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 100 OPC UA 102 DCN 104 Connection string 104A IP address 104A1 TCP port 106 Node ID 108 FB 110 FB 160 Networks 170 GDS 172 Alias ​​Name Service (ANS) 174 Alias ​​Map for DCN 180 client devices 182 User Interface 182A Graphical User Interface (GUI) 182B Audio Interface 202 Server Racks 204 Excerpts from Information 204A Component Name 204B I / O alias 204C FB ​​alias 204D Alias 204E Alias 204F Alias 230 DCN 232 DCN 234 DCN 236 I / O Alias ​​Key 238 FB Alias ​​Key 240 DCN 250 DCN 302 DCN 302A Alias 304 IP address 304A TCP port 306 OPC UA Server 308 Function Blocks 308A Node ID 308B Alias 308C Node ID 310 Function Blocks 310A Node ID 310B Alias 310C Node ID 312 I / O Channels 312A Alias 314 I / O channels 314A Alias 316 Alias 318 Alias 320 DCN 320A Alias 322 I / O channels 322A Alias 324 IP addresses 324A TCP port 326 OPC UA Servers 328 FB 328A Node ID 328B Alias 328C Node ID 330 DCN 330A Alias 332 I / O channels 332A Alias 340 DCN 340A Alias 342 I / O channels 342A Alias 350 DCN 350A Alias 360A Alias 360 DCN 400 flowchart 510 Computing Devices 512 Bus Subsystem 515 Processors 516 Network Interface Subsystem 520 User Interface Output Devices 522 User Interface Input Devices 524 Storage Subsystems 525 Memory subsystem 526 File Storage Subsystem 530 Main Random Access Memory (RAM) 532 Read-only memory (ROM)

Claims

1. A method that is carried out using one or more processors, A first I / O alias corresponding to a first input / output (I / O) channel provided by the first distributed control node (DCN) of the process automation equipment, One or more function blocks (FBs) coupled to the first I / O channel corresponding to the first I / O alias, and One or more other DCNs hosting the one or more FBs mentioned above Steps to identify, Depending on the identification of the first I / O alias, the one or more FBs, and the one or more other DCNs, The steps include generating data usable for rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) that depicts a visual mapping between the first I / O alias and the one or more FBs, and further depicts one or more visual annotations indicating which of the one or more other DCNs hosts each of the one or more FBs, The steps include rendering the GUI on the display of a computing device in response to user input, and Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the GUI displays additional visual annotations indicating that one or more of the DCNs host the first I / O alias.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying one or more additional I / O aliases located downstream of the one or more FBs, wherein the first I / O alias is located upstream of the one or more FBs, and the method is coupled in an operable manner to one or more of the FBs.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying one or more additional I / O aliases located upstream of the one or more FBs, wherein the first I / O alias is located downstream of the one or more FBs, and the method is operablely coupled to one or more of the FBs.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying one or more of the first I / O alias, the one or more FBs, or the one or more other DCNs is based on processing global discovery server (GDS) data corresponding to one or more of the first I / O alias, the FBs, or the DCNs.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more FBs are identified as function block aliases.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the one or more visual annotations include parentheses that span two or more graphical elements representing two or more of the FBs.

8. One or more storage devices for storing instructions, One or more processors A first I / O alias corresponding to a first input / output (I / O) channel provided by the first distributed control node (DCN) of the process automation equipment, One or more function blocks (FBs) coupled to the first I / O channel corresponding to the first I / O alias, and One or more other DCNs hosting the one or more FBs mentioned above To identify, Depending on the identification of the first I / O alias, the one or more FBs, and the one or more other DCNs, To generate data usable for rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) that depicts a visual mapping between the first I / O alias and the one or more FBs, and further depicts one or more visual annotations indicating which of the one or more other DCNs hosts each of the one or more FBs, and In response to user input, the GUI is rendered on the computing device's display. A system including one or more processors that are operable to execute the aforementioned instructions in order to perform the above.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the GUI displays additional visual annotations indicating that one or more of the DCNs host the first I / O alias.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first I / O alias is located upstream of the one or more FBs, and the instruction causes the one or more processors to further identify one or more additional I / O aliases located downstream of the one or more FBs, which are operable to one or more of the FBs.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first I / O alias is located downstream of the one or more FBs, and the instruction causes the one or more processors to further identify one or more additional I / O aliases located upstream of the one or more FBs, which are operable to one or more of the FBs.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein identifying one or more of the first I / O alias, the one or more FBs, or the one or more other DCNs is based on processing global discovery server (GDS) data corresponding to one or more of the first I / O alias, the FBs, or the DCNs.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein one or more of the FBs are identified as function block aliases.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the one or more visual annotations include parentheses spanning two or more graphical elements representing two or more of the FBs.

15. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing software containing instructions that can be executed by one or more processors, wherein when the instructions are executed in such manner, the one or more processors A first I / O alias corresponding to a first input / output (I / O) channel provided by the first distributed control node (DCN) of the process automation equipment, One or more function blocks (FBs) coupled to the first I / O channel corresponding to the first I / O alias, and One or more other DCNs hosting the one or more FBs mentioned above To identify, Depending on the identification of the first I / O alias, the one or more FBs, and the one or more other DCNs, To generate data usable for rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) that depicts a visual mapping between the first I / O alias and the one or more FBs, and further depicts one or more visual annotations indicating which of the one or more other DCNs hosts each of the one or more FBs, and In response to user input, the GUI is rendered on the computing device's display. A non-temporary computer-readable medium that enables the execution of actions including [specific actions].

16. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the GUI depicts additional visual annotations indicating that one or more of the DCNs host the first I / O alias.

17. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the first I / O alias is located upstream of the one or more FBs, and the instruction causes the one or more processors to further specify one or more additional I / O aliases located downstream of the one or more FBs, which are operable to one or more of the FBs.

18. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the first I / O alias is located downstream of the one or more FBs, and the instruction causes the one or more processors to further identify one or more additional I / O aliases located upstream of the one or more FBs, which are operable to one or more of the FBs.

19. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein identifying one or more of the first I / O alias, the one or more FB, or the one or more other DCN is based on processing global discovery server (GDS) data corresponding to one or more of the first I / O alias, the FB, or the DCN.

20. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein one or more FBs are identified as function block aliases.

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