US 11,886,171 B2Granted

Streamlining the commission of network identifiers

AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.

InventorsRonald Bliss, Jessica E. Forguites

Life of this patent

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Abstract

To facilitate the commissioning of network identifiers (network IDs), an ordered list comprising network ID's associated with devices of an industrial automation process may be generated and stored. Based at least on the ordered list, a network ID may be identified. A prompt may be generated and displayed, the prompt comprising a notification to power-off one or more devices. Another prompt may be generated and displayed, the prompt comprising a notification to power-on a single device of the industrial automation process. In response to receiving a network-identifier request from the single device, a device identifier may be identified for the single device and stored in a list. A response comprising the network ID and a command to change the assignment mode of the device is autonomously generated and transmitted to the single device, which subsequently stores the network ID changes its mode.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, upon execution by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

graphically display a user interface comprising selectable options to import data and to commission one or more devices;
receive, via the user interface, a selection to import network Identifiers (IDs);
in response to receiving the selection:
import a set of available network IDs from memory,
generate an ordered list of the set of available network IDs, and
display the ordered list of the set of available network IDs in the user interface;
receive, via the user interface, a second selection to commission the one or more devices;
in response to the second selection, display a prompt in the user interface to sequentially initialize the one or more devices;
receive, via the prompt, an initialization command to sequentially initialize the one or more devices by assigning a unique network ID from the set of available network IDs to each of the one or more devices;
in response to the initialization command, identify a first device ID for a first device of the one or more devices and correlate the first device ID for the first device with a first network ID of the set of available network IDs based on the ordered list;
graphically display the first network ID for the first device in the prompt;
receive, via the prompt, an assignment command to assign the first network ID to the first device;
in response to receiving the assignment command, load the first network ID onto the first device;
update the ordered list of the set of available network IDs to incorporate the first device ID in association with the first network ID;
in response to loading the first network ID, identify a second device ID for a second device of the one or more devices and correlate the second device ID for the second device with a second network ID of the set of available network IDs based on the ordered list;
update the prompt to graphically display the second network ID for the second device;
receive, via the prompt, a subsequent assignment command to assign the second network ID to the second device;
in response to receiving the subsequent assignment command, load the second network ID onto the second device;
and
update the ordered list of the set of available network IDs to incorporate the second device ID in association with the second network ID.

17 more elements

A method, comprising:

graphically displaying a user interface comprising selectable options to import data and to commission one or more devices;
receiving, via the user interface, a selection to import network Identifiers (IDs);
in response to receiving the selection:
importing a set of available network IDs from memory,
generating an ordered list of the set of available network IDs, and
displaying the ordered list of the set of available network IDs in the user interface;
receiving, via the user interface, a second selection to commission the one or more devices;
in response to the second selection, displaying a prompt in the user interface to sequentially initialize the one or more devices;
receiving, via the prompt, an initialization command to sequentially initialize the one or more devices by assigning a unique network ID from the set of available network IDs to each of the one or more devices;
in response to the initialization command, identifying a first device ID for a first device of the one or more devices and correlating the first device ID for the first device with a first network ID of the set of available network IDs based on the ordered list;
graphically displaying the first network ID for the first device in the prompt;
receiving, via the prompt, an assignment command to assign the first network ID to the first device;
in response to receiving the assignment command, loading the first network ID onto the first device;
updating the ordered list of the set of available network IDs to incorporate the first device ID in association with the first network ID;
in response to loading the first network ID, identifying a second device ID for a second device of the one or more devices and correlating the second device ID for the second device with a second network ID of the set of available network IDs based on the ordered list;
updating the prompt to graphically display the second network ID for the second device;
receiving, via the prompt, a subsequent assignment command to assign the second network ID to the second device;
in response to receiving the subsequent assignment command, loading the second network ID onto the second device;
and
updating the ordered list of the set of available network IDs to incorporate the second device ID in association with the second network ID.

17 more elements

A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components;
and
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising a user interface component that:
graphically displays a user interface comprising selectable options to import data and to commission one or more devices;
receives a selection via the user interface to import network Identifiers (IDs);
in response to receiving the selection:
imports a set of available network IDs from memory,
generates an ordered list of the set of available network IDs, and
displays the ordered list of the set of available network IDs in the user interface;
receives a second selection via the user interface to commission the one or more devices;
in response to the second selection, displays a prompt in the user interface to sequentially initialize the one or more devices;
receives, via the prompt, an initialization command to sequentially initialize the one or more devices by assigning a unique network ID from the set of available network IDs to each of the one or more devices;
in response to the initialization command, identifies afirst device ID for afirst device of the one or more devices and correlates the first device ID for the first device with a first network ID of the set of available network IDs based on the ordered list;
graphically displays the first network ID for the first device in the prompt;
receives, via the prompt, an assignment command to assign the first network ID to the first device;
in response to receiving the assignment command, loads the first network ID onto the first device;
updates the ordered list of the set of available network IDs to incorporate the first device ID in association with the first network ID;
in response to loading the first network ID, identifies a second device ID for a second device of the one or more devices and correlates the second device ID for the second device with a second network ID of the set of available network IDs based on the ordered list;
updates the prompt to graphically display the second network ID for the second device;
receives, via the prompt, a subsequent assignment command to assign the second network ID to the second device;
in response to receiving the subsequent assignment command, loads the second network ID onto the second device;
and
updates the ordered list of the set of available network IDs to incorporate the second device ID in association with the second network ID.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/929,944Filed 5 Oct 2022 · continuation
Priority: 30 Sep 2020
Published: US 2023/0010215 A112 Jan 2023
Granted: 30 Jan 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G05B 19/4185
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G06F 9/3836
Concurrent instruction execution, e.g. pipeline or look ahead: instruction issuing, e.g. dynamic instruction scheduling or out of order…
G06F 9/4401
Arrangements for executing specific programs: bootstrapping
H04L 41/0803
Configuration management of networks or network elements: configuration setting

Family

Application17/039,595Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Sep 2020
US 2023/0010215 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Jan 2023
US 11,561,533 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2022/0100174 A1Published application
US 11,886,171 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.