# US 12,222,686 B2 · Application driven enhancement to industrial automation device via container implementation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,686 B2 - Document ID: US12222686B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/950,894 - Filed: 2022-09-22 - Published: 2024-03-28 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-09-22 - Assignees: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: David C. Mazur; Rob A. Entzminger; Roberto S. Marques; Bruce T. McCleave, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222686B2 ## CPC - G05B 11/01: electric - G05B 15/02: electric - G05B 19/0426: {Programming the control sequence} - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract An industrial automation device includes first processing circuitry configured to perform a first set of operations associated with controlling the industrial automation device or one or more industrial automation devices communicatively coupled to the industrial automation device. The industrial automation device includes input/output circuitry communicatively couplable to an electronic device having second processing circuitry that is configured to execute computer-readable instructions to execute a software container and receive, in the software container, data from the industrial automation device, the one or more industrial automation devices, or both. The second processing circuitry executes the computer-readable instructions to perform, using the software container, a second set of operations associated with controlling the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices. The second processing circuitry is also executes the computer-readable instructions to adjust an operation of the industrial automation device based on the second set of operations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An industrial automation device comprising: first processing circuitry configured to perform a first set of operations associated with controlling the industrial automation device or one or more industrial automation devices communicatively coupled to the industrial automation device; peripheral interface circuitry disposed on the industrial automation device and configured to receive a printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is configured to be inserted into the peripheral interface circuitry and comprises second processing circuitry configured to execute computer-readable instructions to: determine whether one or more software containers are present within the printed circuit board after the printed circuit board is inserted into the peripheral interface circuitry; in response to determining that the one or more software containers are present within the printed circuit board, executing the one or more software containers via computing resources of the printed circuit board and the first processing circuitry, wherein the one or more software containers are configured to: receive data from the industrial automation device, the one or more industrial automation devices, or both; perform a second set of operations that differs from the first set of operations, wherein the second set of operations is associated with controlling the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices; and adjust one or more operations of the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices based on the second set of operations. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the industrial automation device is a drive. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The industrial automation device of claim 2, wherein the second set of operations comprises detecting a shear pin fault of the drive or implementing a flying start for a motor of the drive. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the first processing circuitry is incapable of performing the second set of operations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the industrial automation device comprises an edge device configurable to communicatively couple the industrial automation device to a cloud computing system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the industrial automation device comprises an overload relay. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The industrial automation device of claim 6, wherein the second set of operations comprises determining detecting occurrence of an overload condition, a phase loss condition, a phase imbalance condition, or any combination thereof. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The industrial automation device of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising the computer-readable instructions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The industrial automation device of claim 2, wherein the second set of operations comprises detecting a shear pin fault. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The industrial automation device of claim 4, wherein: the industrial automation device is a drive; and the second set of operations comprises detecting a shear pin fault of the drive or implementing a flying start for a motor of the drive. ### Claim 11 An industrial automation device, comprising: first processing circuitry configured to perform a first set of operations associated with controlling the industrial automation device or one or more industrial automation devices communicatively coupled to the industrial automation device; interface circuitry disposed on the industrial automation device and configured to receive an option card, wherein the option card is configured to be inserted into the interface circuitry and comprises second processing circuitry and a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-readable instructions, wherein the second processing circuitry is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to: determine whether one or more software containers are present within the option card after the option card is inserted into the interface circuitry; in response to determining that the one or more software containers are present within the option card, executing the one or more software containers via computing resources of the option card and the first processing circuitry, wherein the one or more software containers are configured to: receive data from the industrial automation device, the one or more industrial automation devices, or both; perform a second set of operations that differs from the first set of operations, wherein the second set of operations is associated with controlling the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices; and adjust one or more operations of the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices based on the second set of operations. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The industrial automation device of claim 11, wherein the industrial automation device comprises a drive. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The industrial automation device of claim 11, wherein the industrial automation device comprises an edge device configurable to communicatively couple the industrial automation device to a cloud computing system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The industrial automation device of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable instructions correspond to container data received from the cloud computing system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The industrial automation device of claim 14, wherein the first processing circuitry is incapable of performing the second set of operations. ### Claim 16 An industrial automation device, comprising: first processing circuitry configured to perform a first set of operations associated with controlling the industrial automation device or one or more industrial automation devices communicatively coupled to the industrial automation device; input/output (I/O) circuitry communicatively couplable to an edge device configured to communicatively couple the industrial automation device to a cloud computing system, wherein the edge device comprises peripheral interface circuitry disposed on the industrial automation device and configured to receive an option card, wherein the option card is configured to be inserted into the peripheral interface circuitry and comprises second processing circuitry configured to execute computer-readable instructions to: determine whether or one or more software containers are present within the option card after the option card is inserted into the peripheral interface circuitry; in response to determining that the one or more software containers are present within the option card, executing the one or more software containers via computing resources of the option card and the first processing circuitry, wherein the one or more software containers are configured to: receive data from the industrial automation device, the one or more industrial automation devices, or both; perform second set of operations that differs from the first set of operations, wherein the second set of operations is associated with controlling the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices; and adjust one or more operations of the industrial automation device or the one or more industrial automation devices based on the second set of operations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The industrial automation device of claim 16, wherein the edge device is a drive. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The industrial automation device of claim 17, wherein the second processing circuitry is configured to cause the edge device to control a motor of the drive based on performing the second set of operations. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The industrial automation device of claim 16, wherein: the one or more industrial automation devices comprise a relay and a drive; and the first set of operations comprise causing the relay to interrupt a flow of electrical power to a motor of the drive. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The industrial automation device of claim 19, wherein the relay comprises an overload relay.