Industrial automation information contextualization method and system

Abstract

An industrial data presentation system leverages structured data types defined on industrial devices to generate and deliver meaningful presentations of industrial data. Industrial devices are configured to support structured data types referred to as basic information data types (BIDTs) comprising a finite set of structured information data types, including a rate data type, a state data type, an odometer data type, and an event data type. The BIDTs are discoverable by a gateway device on which models of industrial assets can be defined, where the models reference the BIDTs defined on the industrial devices. The gateway device can retrieve industrial data from the data tags, formatted in accordance with the data types and associated user-defined metadata specific to the respective data types. The gateway device or a separate application server system can then generate graphical presentations of the industrial data in accordance with the model and the metadata.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device configuration system, comprising:
 a processor that executes computer-executable instructions stored in a computer-readable memory, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions causes the processor to:
 render, on a client device, a program development environment that generates, based on user design input, an industrial control program and data tag definitions defining data tags associated with the industrial control program, wherein at least a subset of the data tags respectively conform to one of a set of basic information data types, and wherein
 the data tags comprise fields for storing current values of the data tags and metadata fields, specific to the basic information data types, that store user-defined metadata for the data tags, and 
 the set of basic information data types comprise at least a state data type comprising a first metadata field defining names of available states associated with an industrial asset, a rate data type comprising a second metadata field defining a maximum value of a rate associated with the industrial asset, and an event data type comprising a third metadata field defining one or more event names of an instantaneous event or a persistent event associated with the industrial asset; and 
 
 send the industrial control program and the data tag definitions to an industrial controller. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the set of basic information data types further comprises an odometer data type that represents a cumulative quantity associated with the industrial asset.   
     
     
         3 . The device configuration system of clam  2 , wherein the odometer data type comprises a fourth metadata field defining at least one of a rollover value of a cumulative quantity associated with an industrial asset, identities of one or more of the data tags that determine the cumulative quantity, a definition of a time interval over which the cumulative quantity is tracked, or a unit of measure for the cumulative quantity. 
     
     
         4 . The device configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the state data type represents a current state of the available states associated with the industrial asset, and   the state data type further comprises a fourth metadata field defining identities of one or more of the data tags that determine the current state of the available states.   
     
     
         5 . The device configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the rate data type represents the rate associated with the industrial asset, and   the rate data type further comprises a fourth metadata field defining at least one of a minimum value of the rate, identities of one or more of the data tags that determine a value of the rate, or a unit of measure for the rate.   
     
     
         6 . The device configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the event data type represents the instantaneous event or the persistent event associated with the industrial asset, and   the event data type further comprises a fourth metadata field defining identities of one or more of the data tags that determine the instantaneous event or the persistent event.   
     
     
         7 . The device configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein the current values of the data tags and the user-defined metadata for the data tags are discoverable, from the industrial controller, by an external system that generates a graphical presentation of industrial data retrieved from one or more of the data tags. 
     
     
         8 . The device configuration system of  claim 7 , wherein the graphical presentation is formatted in accordance with the user-defined metadata and an asset model that defines a hierarchical arrangement of the data tags. 
     
     
         9 . The device configuration system of  claim 8 , wherein the hierarchical arrangement defines at least a first node representing a production rate that is linked to a first of the data tags having the rate data type, a second node representing a machine state that is linked to a second of the data tags having the state data type, and a third node representing a line event that is linked to a third of the data tags having the event data type. 
     
     
         10 . A method, comprising:
 rendering, by a system comprising a processor, program development interfaces;   generating, by the system based on design input received via interaction with the program development interfaces, an industrial control program;   defining, by the system based on the design input, data tags associated with the industrial control program, wherein at least a subset of the data tags respectively conform to one of a set of basic information data types; and   sending, by the system, the industrial control program and the data tags to an industrial controller,   wherein   the data tags comprise fields for storing current values of the data tags and metadata fields, specific to the basic information data types, that store user-defined metadata for the data tags, and   the set of basic information data types comprise at least a state data type comprising a first metadata field defining names of available states associated with an industrial asset, a rate data type comprising a second metadata field defining a maximum value of a rate associated with the industrial asset, and an event data type comprising a third metadata field defining one or more event names of an instantaneous event or a persistent event associated with the industrial asset.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising setting, by the system, metadata values of the user-defined metadata in accordance with the design input. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the set of basic information data types further comprises an odometer data type that represents a cumulative quantity associated with the industrial asset. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the odometer data type comprises a fourth metadata field defining at least one of a rollover value of a cumulative quantity associated with an industrial asset, identities of one or more of the data tags that determine the cumulative quantity, a definition of a time interval over which the cumulative quantity is tracked, or a unit of measure for the cumulative quantity. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein
 the state data type represents a current state of the available states associated with the industrial asset, and   the state data type further comprises a fourth metadata field defining identities of one or more of the data tags that determine the current state of the available states.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein
 the rate data type represents the rate associated with the industrial asset, and   the rate data type further comprises a fourth metadata field defining at least one of a minimum value of the rate, identities of one or more of the data tags that determine a value of the rate, or a unit of measure for the rate.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein
 the event data type represents the instantaneous event or the persistent event associated with the industrial asset, and   the event data type further comprises a fourth metadata field defining identities of one or more of the data tags that determine the instantaneous event or the persistent event.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the current values of the data tags and the user-defined metadata for the data tags are discoverable, from the industrial controller, by an external system that generates a graphical presentation of industrial data retrieved from one or more of the data tags. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the graphical presentation is formatted in accordance with the user-defined metadata and an asset model that defines a hierarchical arrangement of the data tags. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a device configuration system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 rendering program development interfaces;   generating, based on design input received via interaction with the program development interfaces, an industrial control program;   defining, based on the design input, data tags associated with the industrial control program, wherein at least a subset of the data tags respectively conform to one of a set of basic information data types; and   sending the industrial control program and the data tags to an industrial controller,   wherein   the data tags comprise fields for storing current values of the data tags and metadata fields, specific to the basic information data types, that store user-defined metadata for the data tags, and   the set of basic information data types comprise at least a state data type comprising a first metadata field defining names of available states associated with an industrial asset, a rate data type comprising a second metadata field defining a maximum value of a rate associated with the industrial asset, and an event data type comprising a third metadata field defining one or more event names of an instantaneous event or a persistent event associated with the industrial asset.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the set of basic information data types further comprises an odometer data type that represents a cumulative quantity associated with the industrial asset