Abstract: An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) supports collaborative tools that allow multiple designers and programmers to remotely submit design input to the same automation system project in parallel while maintaining project consistency. The industrial IDE also permits localized development of system projects, and provides an infrastructure for intelligently brokering between conflicting edits submitted to common portions of the system project.

Abstract: An industrial automation system may include an automation device and a control system communicatively coupled to the automation device. The control system may include a first module of a number of modules, such that the first module may receive an indication of a target variable associated with the industrial automation device. The first module may then receive parameters associated with the target variable, identify a portion of data points associated with controlling the target variable with respect to the parameters, generate a model of each data point of the portion over time with respect to the parameters based on the data points, determine functions associated with the model. The functions represent one or more relationships between the each data point of the portion with respect to controlling the target variable. The first module may then adjust one or more operations of the automation device based on the functions.

Abstract: Protective cover devices for associated electrical connectors include a one-piece molded polymeric body including at least one of: (i) at least one stud that is closely slidably received into a corresponding socket of the connector; (ii) a skirt that comprises a recess that receives at least part of the electrical connector therein. The protective cover device is adapted to be engaged with the associated electrical connector to inhibit contact between a surrounding corrosive atmosphere and at least one electrical contact of the associated electrical connector.

Abstract: System and method for improving operation of an industrial automation system, which includes a control system that controls operation of an industrial automation process. The control system includes a feature extraction block that determines extracted features by transforming process data determined during operation of an industrial automation process based at least in part on feature extraction parameters; a feature selection block that determines selected features by selecting a subset of the extracted features based at least in part on feature selection parameters, in which the selected features are expected to be representative of the operation of the industrial automation process; and a clustering block that determines a first expected operational state of the industrial automation system by mapping the selected features into a feature space based at least in part on feature selection parameters.

Abstract: A logic circuit for managing reception of secure data packets in an industrial controller snoops data being transferred by a Media Access Controller (MAC) between a network port and a shared memory location within the industrial controller. The logic circuit is configured to perform authentication and/or decryption on the data packet as the data packet is being transferred between the port and the shared memory location. The logic circuit performs authentication as the data is being transferred and completes authentication shortly after the MAC has completed transferring the data to the shared memory. The logic circuit coordinates operation with the MAC and signals a Software Packet Processing (SPP) module when authentication is complete. The logic circuit is further configured to decrypt the data packet, if necessary, and to similarly coordinate operation with the MAC and delay signaling the SPP module that data is ready until decryption is complete.

Abstract: A system comprises a set of power conversion components powered by a power line system, and a time domain reflectometry apparatus coupled to the power line system. The time domain reflectometry apparatus is configured to acquire a reflection signal that results from reflection of an incident signal injected on the power line system, compute a difference signal based on the reflection signal and a baseline signal, and detect a fault in the set of power conversion components based on the difference signal and a fault pattern.

Abstract: To improve integrity of time synchronization, a node in the safety rated system takes steps to ensure the time to which it is synchronized has not become corrupted. The node receives a synchronize request message from an adjacent network device, which includes the master time, and the node generates an offset value corresponding to a difference between a local time and the master time. The node stores the offset time into a safety memory to ensure that the offset value has data integrity and does not become corrupted. The node performs periodic skew detection between two devices to verify that the clocks remain synchronized. In addition, the node performs a local drift detection to detect if the frequency of the local oscillator on which the local clock value is based begins to change.

Abstract: A logic circuit for generation of data signatures and/or encryption of data packets to be transferred from an industrial controller snoops data as it is written to an output buffer within the industrial controller. The logic circuit generates a secure signature and/or coordinates encryption of the data packet being transferred between the shared memory location and the output buffer. If encryption of the data is required, an encryption module may both encrypt the data and generate a secure signature. If encryption is not required, the logic circuit generates the secure signature. In either case, the logic circuit controls ownership of the memory address in which the secure signature is to be written to coordinate with the MAC transferring the secure signature to the output buffer, providing a uniform interface between the SPP module and the MAC.

Abstract: A system has a processor that may receive an order of an industrial device assembly having multiple industrial automation devices. The processor may also generate a first data file based on the order of the industrial device assembly. The first data file may have specification data associated with each industrial automation device and hierarchical information associated with each industrial automation device. Additionally, the processor may generate a second data file based on the first data file. The second data file has one or more control blocks of code associated with each industrial automation device. Further, the processor may transmit the second data file to a control system associated with the industrial device assembly. The control system is automatically programmed based on the second data file to control one or more operations of each industrial automation device in the industrial device assembly.

Abstract: An independent mover transport system and related method. The system comprises a mover having an axis, and a track. The track includes first and second track segments, and a controller operative to drive a first coil of the first track segment to control movement of the mover along the first track segment towards the second track segment. The controller is further operative to define a first zone for the first track segment, define a second zone for the first track segment, drive the first coil to control movement of the mover with the first set of controller gain values when the location of the axis is in the first zone, and drive the first coil to control movement of the mover with second set of controller gain values when the location of the axis is in the second zone.

Abstract: An industrial controller that integrates execution of a control program on the industrial controller with execution of additional functions on an external processing device is disclosed. Integrating the external processing device provides an improved system for third party development of control functions which may be unique to specific applications. The system manages communication between the industrial controller and the external processing device, manages access to data stored in the industrial controller, and makes the details of the integration transparent to the programmer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dual rail track system for independently moveable carts in an industrial control environment in which upper and lower rails of a track are substantially “L” shaped to allow upper and lower groups of rollers of a cart to orthogonally contact the upper and lower rails, respectively, to provide vertical and horizontal control of the cart while in motion along the track. The shape of the rails and arrangement of the rollers, orthogonal with respect to the rails in vertical and horizontal planes, provides an efficient support system allowing high speed. movement of carts, including through turns, with only two rails and with symmetric weight distribution of the cart. Flexible members provided with respect to each roller also provide resiliency to allow the rollers to adapt to variations in the track.

Abstract: A method for determining contact thickness change in a contactor includes sensing a first displacement distance moved by an armature of the contactor from a reference location to a first transition point during a switch-off operation of the contactor at a first contactor life reference time when movable contacts and fixed contacts of the contactor define a first contact thickness. The method further includes sensing a second displacement distance moved by the armature from the reference location to a second transition point during a switch-off operation at a second contactor life reference time that is after the first contactor life reference time when the movable and fixed contacts define a second contact thickness that is less than the first contact thickness. The first displacement distance and the second displacement distance are used to determine a contact thickness change between the first contact thickness and the second contact thickness. A contactor adapted to implement the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) provides a development framework for designing, programming, and configuring multiple aspects of an industrial automation system using a common design environment and data model. Projects creating using embodiments of the IDE system can be built on an object-based model rather than, or in addition to, a tag-based architecture. To this end, the IDE system can support the use of automation objects that serve as building blocks for this object-based development structure. Project data models defining collections of automation objects and their functional relationships can be stored in a model library for selective inclusion in system projects.

Abstract: An indicator is provided that can couple, without a fastener, to a housing of an industrial device.

Abstract: A system includes a training system configured to display first image data and a remote expert system configured to display second image data that corresponds to the first image data, receive feedback data associated with the second image data, and transmit a command to the training system based on the feedback data. The command is configured to modify the first image data presented via the training system.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause the at least one processor to receive an inquiry from a training system, in which the inquiry includes a request for assistance to perform a first operation, retrieve a training profile for the first operation from a database based on the inquiry, and transmit the training profile to the training system, in which the training system is configured to present image data, audio data, or both regarding the first operation based on the training profile. The computer-executable instructions are also configured to cause the at least one processor to receive variant feedback from the training system, generate an updated training profile based on the variant feedback, store the updated training profile in the database.

Abstract: A model-based industrial security policy configuration system implements a plant-wide industrial asset security policy in accordance with security policy definitions provided by a user. The configuration system models the collection of industrial assets for which diverse security policies are to be implemented. An interface allows the user to define zone-specific security configuration and event management policies for a plant environment at a high-level based on a security model that groups the industrial assets into security zones. When new industrial devices are subsequently installed on the plant floor, the system determines whether a security policy defined by the model is applicable to the new device and commissions the new device to comply with any relevant security policies. This mitigates the necessity for a system administrator to manually configure individual devices to comply with plant-wide security policies.

Abstract: An industrial data pipeline architecture described supports annotation of raw data streams into scalable and durable cloud-level storage. A dynamic data mapping process collects industrial data from data tags that have been annotated with metadata indicating that the tags are to be made available for visualization, and connects data from these tags to a data aggregator object of a node-level or edge-level visualization tool. The data aggregator object dynamically adjusts its data collection footprint to include the annotated data tags, which are dynamically associated with the physical layout of the industrial equipment in the visualization. Visualization objects for a specified plant configuration act as data context containers that can be added to a plant visualization panel, and allows the annotated tags to be selected to build visualizations of selected data items.

Abstract: A reactive buffering system for use in IIoT data pipelines dynamically adjusts data accumulation and delivery by a node of a pipeline based on aggregated downstream metrics representing current data processing latencies of downstream nodes. Based on these downstream performance metrics, a reactive node that adjusts the size of the next data batch to be sent to an adjacent downstream node. The nodes of the data pipeline are configured to support a request-response based handshaking protocol whereby the nodes that send data to downstream nodes maintain up-to-date performance level information from adjacent downstream nodes. With this performance information, together with pipeline priorities, the sending node (or reactive node) adjusts the transmission rate and intermediate buffering of data. In this way, the nodes of the pipeline can dynamically regulate interim data storage to avoid overwhelming the pipeline system with too much data during periods of high latency.