Automation Object Inheritance for Consistent Industrial IDE Projects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face inefficiencies due to the need for separate configuration tools for disparate aspects, leading to piecemeal design approaches and significant testing and debugging efforts to ensure proper integration.
Innovation Solution
An integrated development environment (IDE) that supports integrated, multi-discipline programming of industrial automation systems using a common design environment and data model, featuring a library of modular code and visualizations, automation objects with inheritance capabilities, and cloud-based collaboration tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate configuration tools are used for disparate aspects of industrial automation systems, then each tool can be specialized and optimized for its specific function, but the overall system complexity increases and integration testing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate configuration tools into a single integrated development environment that can handle disparate aspects of industrial automation systems (control logic, HMI screens, device configurations) within one unified platform, thereby reducing integration complexity while maintaining specialization through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated development environment is designed to perform multiple functions across different automation disciplines simultaneously, allowing a single tool to serve various configuration needs through standardized automation objects that can be instantiated and configured for different purposes
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate configuration tools are used for different automation aspects, then each tool can operate independently, but significant testing and debugging efforts are required to ensure proper integration
Solution Approach 1:
By merging configuration capabilities for control logic, HMI, and device settings into one integrated environment, the system enables unified testing and debugging across all components simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate integration testing phases and reducing overall debugging time
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated development environment implements feedback mechanisms that allow developers to test and validate automation objects and their interactions in real-time within the same environment where they are configured, providing immediate feedback on integration issues without requiring separate testing tools or phases
3Stability of the object's composition
If automation objects are modified in the library, then consistency across all projects is improved, but all existing projects using those objects must be updated and re-tested
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically detecting and propagating changes to automation objects across all projects that use those objects, preparing the necessary updates before manual intervention is required, and enabling batch processing of project updates to minimize re-testing requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated development environment implements feedback mechanisms that automatically notify developers of object changes and their impact on existing projects, allowing for selective updating and validation only of affected functionality rather than requiring comprehensive re-testing of all projects
4Productivity
If a common design environment and data model are used for multi-discipline programming, then development consistency and reuse are improved, but the initial setup and standardization effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal data model and common design environment that serves multiple automation disciplines (control, HMI, device configuration) through standardized automation objects, enabling reuse across projects and reducing long-term development effort despite initial standardization investment
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary standardization work by providing pre-defined automation objects and templates that encapsulate common patterns and best practices, allowing developers to benefit from standardized approaches without having to create standards from scratch for each new project
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) provides a development framework for designing, programming, and configuring multiple aspects of an industrial automation system using a common design environment and data model. Projects creating using embodiments of the IDE system can be built on an object-based model rather than, or in addition to, a tag-based architecture. To this end, the IDE system can support the use of automation objects that serve as building blocks for this object-based development structure. To ensure consistency within and between projects, as well as to ensure that a given industrial project is dynamically updated to reflect changes to an industrial asset's attributes (e.g., control code, visualization definitions, testing scripts, analytic code, etc.), embodiments of the IDE system can use automation object inheritance features to propagate changes made to an automation object definition to all instances of the automation object used throughout a control project.