Automation Object Collaboration for Cross-Routine Issue Debugging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation software engineers often work on overlapping automation routines with shared hardware components and software logic, leading to inefficiencies in diagnosing and fixing bugs, as there is no direct mechanism for users to collaborate on common issues across routines.
Innovation Solution
The system facilitates user communication and collaboration through comment sharing, messaging, and flagging of issues related to software automation objects, allowing users to notify and navigate other users to specific issues in real-time, enabling cross-domain collaboration and reducing processing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple engineers work in parallel on automation routines with shared hardware components, then productivity increases, but collaboration efficiency deteriorates due to lack of direct communication mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a collaboration layer with messaging constructs and comment sharing as intermediary mechanisms between engineers working on different automation routines. This layer enables indirect communication through shared objects without requiring direct real-time interaction, thus maintaining parallel productivity while improving collaboration efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to collaboration by implementing asynchronous communication mechanisms. Engineers can leave comments and messages that are processed and delivered when other engineers are ready, transforming synchronous collaboration requirements into asynchronous operations that preserve parallel development speed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If engineers work on same software automation objects simultaneously, then adaptability improves, but time to diagnose and fix bugs increases due to lack of issue tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by automatically creating issue tickets and notifications when bugs or problems are detected in shared automation objects. This pre-prepared tracking infrastructure is in place before multiple engineers start working, enabling immediate issue capture and assignment without manual intervention, thus reducing bug diagnosis time while maintaining design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes feedback loops where issue notifications are automatically sent to relevant engineers when problems are detected in shared automation objects. This continuous feedback mechanism ensures that bugs are quickly identified, communicated, and addressed, reducing overall diagnosis time while allowing multiple engineers to work adaptively on the same objects.
3Device complexity
If no direct collaboration mechanism exists for shared automation objects, then device complexity decreases, but information sharing efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the collaboration functionality into distinct, modular components including messaging constructs, comment sharing, issue notifications, and flagging mechanisms. Each component handles a specific aspect of information sharing independently, maintaining overall system simplicity while enabling efficient multi-dimensional information exchange between engineers working on shared automation objects.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods and devices for facilitating user communication for industrial automation system design. A first user's input for flagging an issue for review by a second user may be received in relation to a software object integrated in an industrial automation routine. A flag may be associated with the software object. A request to access the flagged issue may be received from the second user, and a location in the industrial automation routine corresponding to the flagged issue and the software object may be caused to be displayed on a computing device associated with the second user.