Open API Industrial IDE for Unified Automation Programming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in integrated development environments (IDEs) due to piecemeal design approaches, limited user interfaces, and the need for separate configuration tools for disparate system aspects, leading to complex programming and debugging efforts.
Innovation Solution
An integrated development environment (IDE) is provided that supports a common design environment and data model for designing, programming, and configuring industrial automation systems, featuring a user interface component, project generation component, editor definition component, and project deployment component to facilitate integrated multi-discipline programming and customization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate configuration tools are used for different system aspects, then each tool can be specialized for its specific function, but the overall system complexity increases and integration becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate configuration tools into a single integrated development environment that provides unified access to control logic, visualization, and device configuration functions. This consolidation eliminates the need for users to switch between disparate tools while maintaining specialized capabilities for each function type through organized toolboxes and context-aware interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The development environment implements a universal platform that handles multiple configuration tasks across different system aspects. A single IDE provides comprehensive functionality for controlling PLCs, configuring devices, developing visualizations, and managing project data, allowing users to perform diverse operations within one consistent interface rather than requiring separate specialized tools.
2Device complexity
If a unified IDE platform is implemented, then system complexity is reduced and integration is improved, but customization capability for different user needs may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The development environment implements dynamic customization capabilities that allow the interface and functionality to adapt to different user needs and project contexts. Users can customize toolboxes, palettes, and workspace layouts based on their specific requirements, and the system dynamically adjusts available tools and options based on the current project type and selected components.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified IDE is segmented into modular, independently customizable components such as toolboxes, palettes, property editors, and tool windows. Each module can be individually configured, shown or hidden, and arranged according to user preferences, allowing extensive customization while maintaining the benefits of a consolidated platform.
3Ease of manufacture
If piecemeal design approaches are used, then each aspect can be configured independently, but the programming and debugging effort becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines independent configuration capabilities within a unified development environment that enables simultaneous work on control logic, visualization, and device configuration. The integrated architecture allows these previously separate tasks to be performed together with automatic data exchange and consistency checking, reducing the overall programming and debugging effort while maintaining independent configurability.
Solution Approach 2:
The development environment implements feedback mechanisms that automatically detect inconsistencies between control logic, device configurations, and visualizations. The system provides real-time validation, error detection, and cross-referencing that highlights issues affecting multiple aspects of the system, enabling faster debugging compared to separate independent configuration approaches.
Data Source
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AI summary
An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) supports open or extensible application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable end users (e.g., plant asset owners, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), system integrators, etc.) to build upon the IDE's development platform to create custom views or to code custom functionality. This can include, for example, defining a control programming syntax supported by the industrial IDE, customizing a development environment view afforded by the IDE's interface, modifying or creating project editing functions, defining customized programming guardrails designed to guide compliance with in-house programming standards, or other such IDE customizations.