Abstract: Exemplified herein is a graphical user interface for an industrial automation system that provides, in a single aggregated and eloquent view, a configuration workspace to discover and present configuration details of control components within an industrial automation system. These components may include industrial controllers, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, programmable automation controllers (PACs), and the like, which have modules (as well as submodules) connected thereto. Among other things, the configuration workspace enables a holistic view of identified hardware configuration and the modular reconciliation and troubleshoot of the network device and module configurations.

Abstract: Electronics assemblies and methods of manufacturing electronics assemblies having improved thermal performance. One example of these electronics assemblies includes a printed circuit board (PCB), an integrated circuit package mounted to the PCB, the integrated circuit packing having a heat generating component, and a heat spreader soldered to the PCB such that the heat spreader is thermally coupled to the heat generating component of the integrated circuit package to dissipate heat generated by the heat generating component.

Abstract: An electronic device is coupled to electronic paper display. The electronic device may be utilized as part of an industrial control system. The central processing unit programmatically and automatically updates the electronic paper display with information to be displayed.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided. The apparatus including a plurality of network interfaces, including a first network interface and a second network interface. The apparatus also includes a processor with two or more independent processing units, including a first independent processing unit and a second independent processing unit. The apparatus further includes a memory having first instructions and second instructions stored thereon. Execution of the first instructions, cause the first independent processing unit to execute operations associated with a first operating system and communicate, via the first network interface, over a bi-direction communication, with one or more platform computing devices. Execution of the second instructions, cause the second independent processing unit to execute real-time operations associated with a second operating system and communicate, via the second network interface, with one or more computing devices each having one or more sensors thereon.

Abstract: Electronics assemblies and methods of manufacturing electronics assemblies having improved thermal performance. One example of these electronics assemblies includes a printed circuit board (PCB), an integrated circuit package mounted to the PCB, the integrated circuit packing having a heat generating component, and a heat spreader soldered to the PCB such that the heat spreader is thermally coupled to the heat generating component of the integrated circuit package to dissipate heat generated by the heat generating component.

Abstract: Exemplified methods and systems provide a graphical HMI having an interface that mitigate or prevent touch errors and/or inadvertent touches through the use of multiple touch inputs, at a graphical user interface, of a touch-screen input device, to trigger an associated user interface command. In some embodiments, the multiple touch inputs comprise an input at two locations, one in relative association, with a displayed interface command, to trigger the command.

Abstract: Exemplified herein is a system and method to accept password on a touch-screen HMI (human-machine interface) device. The system and method uses a combination of tactile gestures that are each received at predefined quadrants (or regions) or the touch-screen. The combination of such tactile gestures and quadrant information are used as a shortcut sequence to a user-interface (UI) function call, e.g., change zoom parameter of a presented screen of the display, navigate to a next presented screen, navigate to a previous presented screen.

Abstract: The exemplified methods and systems facilitates the configuring of IO devices and its IO modules (and submodules) in enabling an operator to retrieve, via a single input, in a development workspace, a list of IO modules and submodules that is compatible to a given IO device. The exemplified methods and systems facilitates retrieval of compatible IO modules and submodules based parameters of the IO modules and submodules. The exemplified methods and systems provide an intuitive interface, in a development workspace for configuring an IO device, to add a retrieved (i.e., searched) module or submodule from a list thereof to an existing project for a given IO device.

Abstract: A system and method for configuring a cloud-enabled industrial control system is disclosed involving a cloud computing system receiving instrument data, configuring the instrument data to create an instrument index, alerting and automatically correcting, by a cloud service, configuration errors in the instrument index that occurred during the configuration of the instrument data; creating, by at least a rules engine cloud service using the instrument index, a hardware layout for at least a portion of the cloud-enabled industrial control system; and assigning, by the rules engine cloud service, input/output (I/O) points from the instrument index to the hardware layout to create an I/O configuration file for the cloud-enabled industrial control system.

Abstract: A system and method for testing a control system is disclosed. The control system includes a field device located in one area and a controller located in a different area. A mobile application running on a mobile computing device is used by a technician to test the control system. Because both the mobile computing device and the controller are coupled to a cloud computing system, the technician may interface with the controller while located at the field device. This remote access to the controller allows a single technician to test the control system by interfacing with the controller and the field device simultaneously. In addition, the mobile application may retrieve data from the cloud computing system to facilitate testing and may transmit test results to the cloud for storage. Others having access to the stored results may view the progress and results of the testing.

Abstract: An industrial control system and a method of controlling an industrial control system having two communications protocols is described. The method comprises sending, by a controller, communications over a first communications network to a first device, the communications intended to control the first device and a second device, the communications transmitted to the first device from the controller in a first communications protocol; translating, by the first device, the communications from the controller in the first communications protocol intended for the second device into a second communications protocol; and transmitting, by the first device, the translated communications to the second device over a second communications network using the second communications protocol, wherein the first device is used to control or monitor one or more first processes in an industrial system and the second device is used to control or monitor one or more second processes in the industrial system.

Abstract: Exemplified system and method facilitates update/upgrade and validation of controls systems in an uninterrupted manner. An update/upgrade agent operates with a multiple-processor or multi-processor core system to simultaneously and concurrently implement two real-time embedded controllers in which a first controller executes a current firmware or control application installed at the site while a second controller executes an updated controller firmware or control application.