Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Johnson Controls Technology Company

Joseph Francis Mann

Clinton Duane Britt

Robert F Lloyd

Steven Mark Cisler

Krista Kummerfeldt Mann

William N Schroeder

Gary Dan Dotson

John Robert Figie

A controller configured to provision on a surface of an environment includes a projector configured to project light for a user interface through an opening in the surface, wherein the projector is located on a first side of the surface. The controller includes a waveguide located within the opening of the surface, wherein the waveguide is configured to transmit the light from the projector through the opening in the surface. The controller further includes a direction element located on a second side of the surface, wherein the direction element is configured to direct the light from the projector to a user.

Device using projector for display

A technique is provided for configuring an interface device. The interface device includes a plurality of device elements, such as objects configured in accordance with object-oriented programming concepts. A query from a general purpose viewer is received by the interface device, such as originating from a configuration station where the general purpose viewer is operative. The query is interpreted by server-side scripting executed in the interface device to identify the device elements and to display visual representations of the device elements in a design-time environment. The design-time environment and the visual representations are then transmitted to a configuration station. The device elements, their properties and functionalities may be altered by means of the design-time environment and the server-side scripting to create interface screens, alter device elements and their properties and functions, and so forth.

Method and system for interface configuration via device-side scripting

A technique is disclosed for facilitating editing of editable code in an interface device or similar apparatus. Properties of device elements are enumerated by a general purpose engine resident on the interface device. The general purpose engine enumerates the properties in response to a query in a design-time environment. The device element includes a specific property type and editable code consistent with the property type. A server module on the device serves the editable code and an editing environment from the interface device to a configuration station. The code can be edited on the configuration station in the editing environment and restored to the interface device. The technique alleviates the need for separate editing software or storage of the editable code in any location other than on the interface device itself.

Universal web-based reprogramming method and system

A machine can be accessed and controlled with the help of an interface device. The customizable interface device contains device elements that define features relating to the external representation and internal functionality of the interface device, as linked to one or more machines. An operator can use a configuration station to implement single or reoccurring queries that interact with the interface device and corresponding machines. In particular, the queries target the configuration of device elements in the interface device. The process can include temporarily unloading unused features from active memory and mirroring property changes initialized by a source. An emulator can assist in the configuration process by providing a preliminary software representation of the interface device hardware. A user can develop, test, and reconfigure functions on the emulator before loading the finalized platform to the interface device.

Abstracted display building method and system

A technique is provided for configuring and interface device. The interface device includes a plurality of device elements, each having visual representation and a state engine defining a functionality. A server module in the interface device receives a query from a user viewable screen that includes the visual representations. The server module serves the user viewable screen to a general purpose viewer or browser, which may include a design-time environment. An access module, then, prompts each device to send an image defining its visual representation to a memory display context for inclusion in the user viewable screen. The access module works without reference to the respective functionality of the device elements.

A technique is provided for configuring an interface device. Individual device elements are stored on the interface device and each element includes a functionality and a visual representation. A general purpose engine resident on the interface device enumerates properties of the device elements in response to a query in a design-time environment. Design-time environment may be served to a general purpose computer working as a configuration station. The general purpose engine is independent of the device elements enumerated. A user viewable screen is then generated for viewing in the design-time environment, with the potential for altering properties of the enumerated device elements. The viewable screen and design-time environment may be displayed in a general purpose viewer or browser by collecting the visual representations associated with the device elements.

Dynamic representation of component configuration method and system

A technique is provided for enhancing the performance of an interface device. A collection of device elements having properties including a visual representation and a functionality are instantiated in a global container. The global container includes the device elements that are required for various screen views. Device elements that are not required in a currently displayed screen view are torn off in the global container so that memory and processing requirements are reduced, while increasing the speed and performance of the interface, particularly in switching between screen views.

Interface method and system for enhanced data and memory management

An operator interface system with respect to an industrial automation device comprises text/symbol translation strings persisted in a computer-readable medium for utilization with the operator interface system. An interface component relays the translation strings to a client device that includes fonts that enables the client device to graphically render text/symbols abstracted by the translation strings in a desired language. For example, the translation strings can be Unicode strings.

Multiple language development environment using shared resources

An emulator is provided for an interface device. The emulator includes all functional software of the physical interface device, including configuration software, operating system, design-time environment, run-time engine, and so forth. Device elements, which may be standard COM elements objects, may be configured via the emulator, as may particular interface screens, applications, and so forth. The emulator may be used to try interface devices before their specification for a particular product. The emulator may also be used to develop software and interface screens that will be downloaded to interface device hardware prior to product introduction, thereby facilitating and improving time-market for new product introductions.

Emulator for general purpose viewer configurable interface

A software installation system comprises an interface component that receives a request to access data resident upon a flash memory card. An installation component compares a unique identifier associated with the data with a unique identifier embedded within the flash memory card, and the installation component determines whether to allow access to the data based at least in part upon the comparison. The installation component prohibits access to the data if the unique identifier associated with the data does not match the unique identifier embedded within the flash memory card.

Memory card with embedded identifier

An electrical device may be configured by coupling the device to a human machine interface (HMI) that is equipped with software for interacting with a configuration station. The software may include components that can enumerate properties of objects on the device to be configured. The device to be configured provides a file to the server-enabled HMI, such as a schema file. The server-enabled HMI then enumerates properties of the objects or otherwise provides an indication of the properties to the configuration station. The properties may be altered by a user at the configuration station. The reconfigured properties are then transmitted from the server-enabled HMI back to the device to be configured.

Growing community of inventors

Milwaukee, WI, United States of America

Joseph Francis Mann