Web-Based Control Programming for Collaborative Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automation systems face limitations in flexibility and efficiency due to the need for local installation of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) on desktop computers, which restricts users from creating and executing control programs across various devices and platforms.
Innovation Solution
A web-based development environment is established, allowing users to create and execute control programs through a web server connected to a controller, using a web browser on any client device, with an input module for coding and a translation module for converting programming languages into binary code, enabling platform-independent programming and collaborative editing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a local IDE is installed on a desktop computer for creating control programs, then the programming function is available, but user flexibility and platform independence are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
A web server acts as an intermediary between the user and the control program creation process. The web server hosts the development environment and translation module, allowing users to access programming functions through a web browser without installing anything locally. This resolves the contradiction by providing platform independence while maintaining full programming capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical installation of IDE software on local computers with a web-based access model. Instead of installing executable files and configuring local environments, users simply access the web interface through their browsers, eliminating the installation requirement while preserving programming functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a local IDE is installed on each computer for creating control programs, then programming capability is provided, but processing power and resources must be available on each client device
Solution Approach 1:
The web server serves as a resource intermediary, centralizing the computational workload for program creation and translation. Client devices only need to run lightweight web browsers to access the full programming environment, significantly reducing local resource requirements while maintaining platform independence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the IDE and translation module functionalities onto a single web server platform. This consolidation allows multiple users to share the same computational resources, eliminating the need for each client device to have its own full-featured IDE installation, thereby reducing overall resource consumption.
3Productivity
If multiple developers work on the same control program simultaneously, then collaboration is enabled, but version synchronization and error integration become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The web server implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors and manages code versions. When multiple developers work simultaneously, the server tracks changes, detects conflicts, and provides feedback to developers about version status. This enables real-time collaboration while maintaining code integrity through centralized version control.
Solution Approach 2:
The web server provides universal access to the development environment for multiple users simultaneously. It handles multiple connections, manages shared code repositories, and coordinates translation operations for different users, enabling efficient collaboration without the version synchronization problems that would arise from distributed local IDEs.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method (100) for creating and executing a control program for controlling an automation system (200) comprising a controller (201) and a web server (203) connected to the controller (201), the method comprising: in a code creation step (105), creating a first version of a program code (V1) of a control program for the automation system (200) in an input module of a web-based development environment (300), which input module is executed in a web browser (206); in a translation step (111), executing a translation module (303) of the web-based development environment (300) on the web server (201) and translating the program code into a program code of a binary language; and, in an execution step (115), executing the program code in the binary language by means of the controller (201) of the automation system. The invention also relates to an automation system (200).