Task-Filtered Industrial IDE Layout for Cluttered Automation Workflows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in integrated, multi-discipline programming and configuration due to segregated development environments and limited user interface options, leading to cluttered workspaces and inefficient project development.
Innovation Solution
An integrated development environment (IDE) with a user interface that allows for customizable panel visibility and layout, filtering of editing tools based on current tasks, and an object-based data model for unified project development across control, visualization, and other aspects of industrial automation systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple panels and editing tools are displayed simultaneously in the development interface, then tool accessibility is improved, but the workspace becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The development interface is segmented into multiple configurable panels (project panel, file panel, property panel, etc.) that can be independently displayed, hidden, or docked in different regions. This allows the workspace to be divided into functional zones, reducing clutter while maintaining tool accessibility through selective panel visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel visibility and layout are made dynamic through user preferences and contextual awareness. The system automatically adjusts which panels are visible based on the current development task, allowing the interface to adapt between showing comprehensive tools when needed and maintaining a clean workspace during focused editing sessions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all editing tools and panels are always visible, then comprehensive functionality is available, but the interface becomes overwhelming and debugging becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the interface provide different levels of information density appropriate to their function. The property panel provides detailed local information about selected elements, while the main canvas provides an overview. This local quality approach allows comprehensive functionality without overwhelming the entire interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The property panel acts as an intermediary between the main workspace and detailed element properties. When debugging, developers can focus on the canvas while accessing detailed property information through the panel, separating the visualization of the problem from the inspection of details.
3Ease of manufacture
If segregated development environments are used for different automation aspects, then specialized control is maintained, but integration and unified project development become inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges previously segregated development environments into a single integrated IDE that handles control logic, visualization, motion planning, and other automation aspects uniformly. The shared project model and common file system allow seamless integration while maintaining specialized editing capabilities for each automation domain.
Solution Approach 2:
The development interface is designed with universal panels and tools that can handle multiple automation disciplines simultaneously. The property panel, for example, can display and edit properties for controllers, visualization elements, motion parameters, and other automation components within a unified interface framework.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) comprises a development interface that affords a user a great deal of control over the editing tools, workspace canvases, and project information rendered at a given time. The industrial IDE system automatically filters the tools, panels, and information available for selection based on a current project development task, such that a focused subset of editing tools relevant to a current development task or context are made available for selection while other tools are hidden. The development interface also allows the user to selectively render or hide selected tools or information from among the relevant, filtered set of tools. This can reduce or eliminate unnecessary clutter and aid in quickly and easily locating and selecting a desired editing function. The IDE's development interface can also conform to a structured organization of workspace canvases and panels that facilitates intuitive workflow.