Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Kenwood H Hall

Michael D Kalan

Raymond John Staron

Robert J Kretschmann

Sujeet Chand

Gavan W Hood

Charles Martin Rischar

Subbian Govindaraj

David Alan Vasko

Kenneth Scott Plache

Paul R D'Mura

John Joseph Baier

Taryl Jon Jasper

Francisco Paul Maturana

Scott A Pierce

Stephen C Briant

Russell William Brandes

Eric D Decker

Richard Alan Morse

James Harry Jarrett

Douglas J Reichard

Ronald Eric Bliss

Richard J Grgic

Terence Scott Tenorio

Daniel Baliey Seger

Arthur Paul Pietrzyk

Eugene Liberman

Kenneth Andrew Tinnell

Jan Bezdicek

Vivek R Bapat

Joseph P Owen, Jr

Andreas Somogyi

Andreas P Frischknecht

Bret S Hildebran

Pavel Vrba

Brian Alan Batke

Harsh Shah

Pavel Tichy

David K Johnson

DuWayne D Mulhall

Eric G Dorgelo

Ralph L Kappelhoff

Peter M Delic

Richard O Ruggeri

Clifton Harold Bromley

Gary W Baczkowski

Filip Macurek

Petr Slechta

Vladimir Marik

David Dale Brandt

Sivaram Balasubramanian

Gregg M Sichner

Ronald Edwin Schultz

Anthony Gerard Gibart

Kendal R Harris

Raymond R Husted

Joseph A Lenner

Craig D Anderson

Mark Burton Anderson

Jonathan D Bradford

Gregory J Svetina

George Bradford Collins

Kerry W Vandesteeg

Douglas Robert Bodmann

Anatoly Moldovansky

Robert Guenther

Kevin Michael Tambascio

Ladislav Bumbalek

Steven A Zuponcic

Danny L Carnahan

Charmaine J Van Minnen

David A Pasela

Dale Sapach

Dale Robert Sapach

Jakub Slajs

Mark A Flood

David Allen Johnston

Mark A Chaffee

Gregory A Majcher

Daniel E Killian

Scot A Tutkovics

John C Wilkinson

Patrick C Herbert

Robert E Lounsbury

Anthony J Cachat

Patrick D Telljohann

Timothy Siorek

David M Fort

Edward C Korsberg

Martin George Gach

Mark Joseph Balewski

Alois Zoitl

Christopher E Stanek

Nathan Joseph Molnar

Robert C Kline

Jeffery William Brooks

Marek Obitko

James B Vitrano

Bruce J Moore

Kam-Por Yuen

Automation security in a networked-based industrial controller environment is implemented. Various components, systems and methodologies are provided to facilitate varying levels of automation security in accordance with security analysis tools, security validation tools and/or security learning systems. The security analysis tool receives abstract factory models or descriptions for input and generates an output that can include security guidelines, components, topologies, procedures, rules, policies, and the like for deployment in an automation security network. The validation tools are operative in the automation security network, wherein the tools perform security checking and/or auditing functions, for example, to determine if security components are in place and/or in suitable working order. The security learning system monitors/learns network traffic patterns during a learning phase, fires alarms or events based upon detected deviations from the learned patterns, and/or causes other automated actions to occur.

System and methodology providing automation security analysis and network intrusion protection in an industrial environment

An improved system for handling events in an industrial control system is disclosed. A module in an industrial controller is configured to generate an event responsive to a predefined signal or combination of signals occurring. The event is transferred to an event queue for subsequent execution. The event queue may also be configured to store a copy of the state of the module at the time the event is generated. The event queue may hold multiple events and each event is configured to trigger at least one event task. Subsequent events that occur during execution of the event task are stored in the event queue for later execution. An event, or combination of events, may trigger execution of an event task within the module, within the controller to which the module is connected, or within multiple controllers.

Method of managing event generation for an industrial controller

A method and system for interacting with data frames passing through a module connected to an industrial network is disclosed. Each module includes an aggregation unit located on the network interface above the physical layer. To transmit data, the aggregation unit reads a header from a dynamic data packet to determine if the module is a participant module for the packet. If so, the aggregation unit inserts data from the module into the data packet and transmits the packet to another module. To receive data, the aggregation unit reads a header from the data packet to determine whether the data packet includes data for the module. If so, the aggregation unit reads the data and passes the data packet to another module. If the aggregation unit determines that a data packet is not intended for the module, the data packet is passed to another module with no further interaction.

Method and system for data aggregation in an industrial communication protocol

An input module for an industrial controller includes configurable execution windows. The execution windows are defined by a first parameter and a second parameter stored within the input module. A third parameter defines a status bit which is compared against the execution window to set a window output signal within the input module. The execution window may define a range between the first and second parameters against which the status bit is compared. Alternately, the first and second parameters may define setpoints against which the status bit is compared. At one of the setpoints, the window output signal is set and at the other of the setpoints, the window output signal is reset.

Execution windows for an input module of an industrial controller

Aspects describe multiple interface support that provides dynamic switching between new and old interface revisions. A first interface application is selected from a set of alternative interface applications for an industrial automation system. Support for each interface application included in the set of alternative interface applications is provided. A second interface application is downloaded and associated with the first interface application. The second interface application is enabled during runtime. If needed, the second interface application can be selectively disabled and an operation resumed with the first interface application.

Multiple interface support

An industrial control configuration can be a dynamic entity where different controllers are added, are subtracted, fail, etc. When dynamic functions occur, bindings of the configuration can benefit from a modification. Therefore, automatic adjustment of bindings can occur to facilitated improved operation. Automatic adjustment can be practiced when the industrial control configuration is a distributed control configuration without reliance upon a central database.

Automatically adjustable industrial control configuration

A simulation environment is provided for running a process simulation used to validate an industrial control program. The simulation environment exposes the I/O module configurations defined in the control program and retrieves module configuration information therefrom. This I/O module configuration information is combined with generic, module-specific I/O module profiles to create a pool of available controller I/O points, which can be selectively associated with I/O points in the simulation to create an I/O point mapping. During control program validation, simulated I/O data is exchanged between the process simulation and the I/O module instances in the controller in accordance with the I/O point mapping. A variation of these techniques for use with cloud-based emulations is also described.

Industrial simulation using redirected I/O module configurations

An input module for an industrial controller is configurable to simplify setup and commissioning. The input module includes input terminals configurable, for example, as a counter input. Still other input terminals may be configured to trigger events as a function of the input signals present at the terminals. Time signals corresponding to transitions in state of the input terminals, triggering of events, or operation of the counters may be recorded. The input module is further configurable to transmit data back to the processor or to transmit data directly to another module in the industrial control network.

User configurable terminals for an input module of an industrial controller

A simulation environment for running a process simulation used to validate an industrial control program. The simulation environment exposes the I/O module configurations defined in the control program and retrieves module configuration information therefrom. This I/O module configuration information is combined with generic, module-specific I/O module profiles to create a pool of available controller I/O points, which can be selectively associated with I/O points in the simulation to create an I/O point mapping. During control program validation, simulated I/O data is exchanged between the process simulation and the I/O module instances in the controller in accordance with the I/O point mapping.

Systems and methods that facilitate messaging capabilities within a unified plant model (UPM) via employing a plurality of core messaging primitives for configuration of messages that interact with a message engine of the industrial plant. In a related aspect, initially messaging host modules can be located on a network and associated policies identified. Next, data type ID and name syntax can be defined and unique UPM system identifiers generated by the system.

Messaging configuration system

Systems and methods that efficiently simulate controlled systems are presented. A simulation management component (SMC) controls simulation of a controlled system by controlling a desired number of nodes, each comprising a controller (e.g., soft controller) and a simulated component or process, which are part of the controlled system. The simulation can be performed in a step-wise manner, wherein the simulation can comprise a desired number of steps of respectively desired lengths of time. For each step, the SMC dynamically selects a desired clock (e.g., currently identified slowest clock) as a master clock for the next step. The SMC predicts a length of time of the next step to facilitate setting a desired length of time for the next step based in part on the predicted length of time. As part of each step, components can synchronously exchange data via intra-node or inter-node connections to facilitate simulation.

Dynamically selecting master clock to manage non-linear simulation clocks

Event generation management for an industrial controller

A method of transmitting high speed serial data with reduced levels of radiated emissions is disclosed. A transmitting device scrambles data utilizing a pseudo-random number sequence generator. Scrambling the data eliminates transmission of repeated data sequences. The transmitting device similarly scrambles idle pairs of data between data transmissions to eliminate an additional source of repeated data sequences. The scrambled and encoded data is transmitted to a receiving device. The receiving device also includes a pseudo-random number sequence generator. Synchronization of the two pseudo-random number sequence generators occurs by utilizing control characters of the data frame being transmitted. Each of the pseudo-random number sequence generators is configured to generate the same sequence of numbers and is initialized to start with a first number in the sequence of numbers corresponding to the first byte of data being transmitted or received.

Method and apparatus for scrambling a high speed data transmission

An output module for an industrial controller configurable to simplify setup and commissioning is disclosed. The output module includes configurable PWM outputs that may be scheduled to start at different times within the PWM period, that may be configured to generate a fixed number of PWM pulses, and that may have an extendable PWM period. The output terminals are configurable to enter a first state upon generation of a fault and further configurable to enter a second state after a configurable time delay following the fault being generated. The output module may receive inputs signals directly from another module and set output signals at the terminals responsive to these signals.

Peer communication between modules in an industrial controller

Growing community of inventors

Hudson, OH, United States of America

Kenwood H Hall