A distributed database system(100) within an industrial automation environment comprises a plurality of associated programmable logic controllers(104, 106, 108), wherein each of the programmable logic controllers (104, 106, 108) includes data (110, 112, 114) relating to one of a process and a device. Furthermore, the data within the plurality of programmable logic controller (104, 106, 108) can conform to a hierarchically structured data model, which, for example, can be based upon ISA $95, ISA $88, OMAC, or any suitable combination thereof. A reception component (102) receives and services a request for data that is located within at least one of the programmable logic controllers (104, 106, 108).

Distributed database in an industrial automation environment

A user interface generation system comprises a reception component that facilitates receipt of instantiated objects from within a programmable logic controller, wherein the objects conform to a hierarchically structured data model. A view generation component communicatively coupled to the reception component utilizes a subset of the objects to dynamically generate a user interface. For example, the hierarchically structured data model can be based at least in part upon one or more of ISA S95, ISA S88 and/or OMAC.

Automatic user interface generation

An organizational model of a hierarchical system can be distributed across various elements of an enterprise. Such elements include representations of the system that are maintained on higher-level business servers and other representations that serve control elements of the system such as programmable logic controllers and/or other industrial control components. In one aspect, an industrial automation system is provided. The system includes at least one controller to instantiate a portion of an organizational hierarchy. A communications component in the controller interacts with at least one other portion of the organizational hierarchy to facilitate data exchange and control between various components of an enterprise.

Data federation with industrial control systems

A system that facilitates generation of a unique identifier comprises a random number generator. A unique identifier creator receives a number generated by the random number generator and object instance data associated with an object. The unique identifier creator utilizes the object instance data and the random number to generate a unique identifier for an object associated with the object instance data.

Time stamp methods for unified plant model

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that facilitates utilizing metadata appended to data related to an industrial automation environment with a controller that is associated with a hierarchically structured data model. An interface component can facilitate receipt of data associated with at least one of an instruction set, a configuration, and a collection. An append component can affix metadata to at least one of the instruction set, the configuration, and the collection, wherein the metadata conforms to a hierarchically structured data model.

Incremental association of metadata to production data

A system layout design program that can automatically generate an efficient system configuration. A system layout generation section associates units for performing functions indicated by logical system conditions with the logical system conditions and generates system layouts indicative of the association of the units with all of the logical system conditions. An evaluation section evaluates the system layouts generated by the system layout generation section on the basis of evaluation criteria designated in advance and stores a system layout evaluated most highly in a system layout storage section as a design result.

Junichi Kawano

Papers

System layout design program, system layout design apparatus, and system layout design method for automatically configuring systems