Patents Assigned to Rockwell Automated Technologies, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11423192
    Abstract: A method includes accessing a shared industrial automation project file, creating a local copy of an industrial automation project file representative of the shared industrial automation project file on a storage component accessible by the one or more processors, receiving, via a graphical user interface (GUI), an input indicative of one or more modifications to the local copy of the industrial automation project file, implementing the one or more modifications to the local copy of the industrial automation project file based on the input, identifying one or more differences between the local copy of the industrial automation project file and the shared industrial automation project file, wherein the one or more differences are associated with the one or more modifications, and presenting a notification indicative of the one or more differences between the local copy of the industrial automation project file and the shared industrial automation project file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew R. Stump, Anthony Carrara, Christopher W. Como, Sharon Billi-Duran, Matthew R. Ericsson, Srdjan Josipovic, Eashwer Srinivasan, Michael D. Kalan
  • Patent number: 11413968
    Abstract: A motion control system for an independent cart system provides for a minimum spacing between movers that is less than the width of a coil used to control motion of the movers. Blocks are statically or dynamically defined along the length of each track segment, where the width of a block is less than the width of a coil along the same track segment. Dividing the width of each coil into smaller block widths provides for an improved resolution of control for each mover. The blocks may also establish collision prevention between movers without requiring knowledge of the position of adjacent movers. Each block is assigned to a single mover at a time, but multiple blocks may be assigned to a single mover. A mover is permitted to only move within those blocks assigned to it and cannot have blocks assigned to it that are already assigned to another mover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuhong Huang, Brian M. Perreault, Tracy M. Clark
  • Patent number: 11416231
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for providing sets of compatible firmware versions (e.g., cross-compatibility solution) for flashing (e.g., programming or re-programming) different devices of a network of devices (e.g., an industrial automation system) when using a flashing application. Providing the compatible firmware versions of such network of devices may facilitate flashing the devices with compatible firmware, based on a topology of the network of devices, to prevent functional errors in the network of devices. The present systems and methods may also be applicable to determining and providing cross-compatibility solution between different firmware, as well as software, used by different devices of a network of devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Fabio Malaspina, James A. Bizily, Chunhui Zhu, Yuan Wei, Jingfeng Chen, Emily J. Smith
  • Patent number: 11415969
    Abstract: An industrial information hub (IDH) serves as a single industrial ecosystem platform where multiple participants can deliver repeatable and standardized services relevant to their core competencies. The IIH system is centered around the development of an ecosystem that creates and delivers value to users—including industrial enterprises, OEMs, system integrators, vendors, etc.—through the aggregation of digital content and domain expertise. The IIH system serves as a trusted information broker between the ecosystem and the OT environments of plant facilities, and provides a platform for connecting assets, contextualizing asset data and providing secure access to the ecosystem. Additionally, the IIH system provides tools and support to OEMs and other subject matter experts, allowing those experts to enable their digital assets for use in the ecosystem. The IIH system reduces the cost and risks for digital modeling of industrial assets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Miller, Nathan Reynolds, Christopher Wayne Como, Nathaniel S Sandler, Ryan P Dunn, Bruce T. McCleave, Jr., Kyle Reissner, Stephen C. Briant
  • Patent number: 11418398
    Abstract: A method may include receiving topology information associated with a linear motor system that includes multiple track modules. Each track module may include one or more motors. The topology information may include one or more media access control (MAC) addresses associated with the motors. The method may also include associating one or more IP addresses with the MAC addresses associated with the motors, generating a configuration file associated with the linear motor system based on the topology information and the IP addresses, and transmitting one or more commands to the motors to control or adjust one or more operations of the motors based on the configuration file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Cassiopia H. Sullivan, Michael Chemello, Jesse R. Mendenhall, Brian Perreault, Tracy Clark, Neil Bentley, Yuhong Huang, Sergio L. Canales, Jesus Chung
  • Patent number: 11415629
    Abstract: A relay device may include an armature that moves between a first position that electrically couples the armature to a first contact and a second position that electrically couples the armature to a second contact. The relay device may also include a relay coil that receives a voltage to magnetize the relay coil, thereby causing the armature to move from the first position to the second position. The relay device may also include a drive circuit that couple the voltage to the relay coil, such that the voltage is higher than a rated voltage associated with the relay coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyle B. Adkins, Andrew E. Carlson
  • Patent number: 11417482
    Abstract: A system may include a relay device. The relay device may include an armature that moves between a first position that electrically couples a first contact to a second contact and a second position that electrically uncouples the first contact from the second contact. The relay device may also include a relay coil that receives a voltage configured to magnetize a relay coil, thereby causing the armature to move from the first position to the second position. The system also includes a control system that receives an indication that the armature is in the second position and sends a signal to an actuator in response to receiving the indication. The signal causes an arm associated with the actuator to move the armature to achieve a gap distance between the first contact and the second contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Elmiger, Patrick K. Duffy, Kyle B. Adkins
  • Patent number: 11417489
    Abstract: A circuit breaker with improved trip unit fixation is disclosed. Another circuit breaker and a system also perform the functions of the circuit breaker. A circuit breaker includes a frame and a trip unit mounted in the frame. The trip unit includes a terminal for securing a wire to the trip unit. One of a wall of the frame and the trip unit include a protrusion and the wall of the frame or the trip unit without the protrusion includes an opening. The protrusion conforms to the opening and the protrusion and opening are positioned to oppose movement of the trip unit in a direction of a force resulting from securing the wire in the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Beat Villiger
  • Patent number: 11408418
    Abstract: A method for operating a plurality of geographically distributed compressors, wherein the outputs of the geographically distributed compressors are coupled to a compressed air distribution system within an industrial automation environment, is provided. The method includes receiving performance data from the plurality of compressors, and receiving current environment data from a plurality of sensors within the industrial automation environment, including at least some sensors within the compressed air distribution system. The method also includes assigning a guide vane weight to each compressor based at least in part on a capacity of each compressor, identifying a target system air pressure, and processing the performance data, current environment data, guide vane weights, and target system air pressure to determine control settings for each of the plurality of compressors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scotty Bromfield, Andries Ernst Kruger, Jonathan Armstrong, Mithun Mohan Nagabhairava, Timothy L. Stanford, Chidiebere U. Egbuna
  • Patent number: 11409251
    Abstract: A cloud-based modeler component that generates interactive models of an industrial automation system(s) (IAS(s)) is presented. An interactive model facilitates remote viewing of, interaction with, troubleshooting of problems with, or optimization of industrial assets of an IAS. The modeler component polls industrial assets via cloud gateways to obtain information relating to the industrial assets to identify industrial assets of the IAS and relationships with other industrial assets or can receive information from a communication device that obtains information relating to legacy industrial assets to identify those legacy assets and their relationships. The modeler component generates an interactive model of the industrial assets of the IAS based on the information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Strohmenger, Jessica L. Korpela, Matthew W. Fordenwalt, Jan Pingel, Stephen L. Hickox, Douglas B. Weber
  • Patent number: 11412573
    Abstract: A non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include receiving a request to connect to the wireless access point from a computing device. The request includes a private key. The operations may also include comparing the private key to an index of public keys associated with respective users authorized to connect to the wireless access point, determining that the computing device is authorized to connect to the wireless access point based on the comparison, authorizing the computing device to connect to the wireless access point, encrypting maintenance data associated with one or more industrial automation devices, and transmitting the encrypted maintenance data to the computing device via the wireless access point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary D. Dotson, Terence S. Tenorio
  • Patent number: 11404853
    Abstract: Embodiments of a plug-in unit for an electrical enclosure are disclosed. The plug-in unit includes at least one stab configured to engage a bus, a stab shaft coupled with a base of the at least one stab, and a stab translation mechanism configured to translate the stab shaft such that the at least one stab translates from a retracted position to an extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy Micheal Bellows, Paul Thomas Krause, Dean Thomas Meyer
  • Patent number: 11404869
    Abstract: A system for distributing DC bus voltage and control power to multiple motors includes a rectifier front end supplying a DC bus voltage and a DC control voltage. Both the DC bus voltage and the DC, control voltage are distributed via a common set of conductors. Diodes are operatively connected between the DC control voltage and the common set of conductors. The diodes allow forward conduction of the DC control voltage and distribution of control power to distributed devices when the DC bus voltage is not present. Once the DC bus voltage is present, the diodes block conduction of the DC control voltage. Each of the distributed devices are configured with an internal power supply that is operative to generate an internal control voltage from either the DC control voltage or the DC bus voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Zoran Vrankovic, Mark A. Gries, Craig R. Winterhalter, Arun K. Guru
  • Patent number: 11403541
    Abstract: Industrial smart data tags conforming to structured data types serve as the basis for creating a digital twin of an industrial asset. The digital twin can comprise an automation model and a mechanical model or other type of non-automation model, both of which reference the smart tags in connection with digitally modeling the industrial asset. The structured data topology offered by the smart tags allows the digital twin to be readily interfaced with artificial intelligence (AI) systems. AI analysis can leverage the smart tags to discover new relationships between key performance indicators and other variables of the asset and encode these relationships in the smart tags themselves. These enhanced smart tags can also be leveraged to perform AI-based validation the digital twin. Additional contextualization provided by the enhanced smart tags can simplify AI analysis and assist in quickly converging on desired analytic results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joachim Thomsen, Bijan Sayyarrodsari
  • Patent number: 11402436
    Abstract: A power conversion system includes a sensing circuit to sense a system voltage of a DC bus circuit with a first DC bus terminal with a first voltage positive relative to a second voltage of a second DC bus terminal. The sensing circuit includes a first capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the second DC bus terminal, and a second terminal; a second capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor, and a second terminal coupled to a reference node; and a resistive divider circuit coupled across the first capacitor and having an output terminal that delivers a voltage signal corresponding to a voltage across the first capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jiangang Hu, Brian P. Brown, Lixiang Wei, Andrew J. Roberts
  • Patent number: 11404865
    Abstract: To avoid the catastrophic failure of a drive, protection circuitry is configured to limit current in the DC bus capacitors. The drive may include an isolation circuit and a protection circuit having a comparator. The protection circuit may be configured to compare the voltage measured across a DC bus capacitor with a threshold voltage and activate the isolation circuit when the DC capacitor voltage exceeds the threshold voltage. The drive may also include a low voltage circuit coupled to the isolation circuit, where the low voltage circuit is configured to interrupt the bypass signal to disengage the bypass circuit and activate the precharge circuit when the isolation circuit is activated. Accordingly, the current in the drive and to the DC bus capacitors is limited by the precharge circuit when the voltage of a capacitor in the DC bus exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian P. Brown, Amrita Sharma, Michael P. Albert, Rangarajan M. Tallam, Ethan B. Monroe
  • Patent number: 11403248
    Abstract: For a bi-directional bus topology, a node connection includes two select line connections for a select line of a serial network. The select line is broken at the node connection. A bus direction module configures a first select line connection for an input line and a second select line connection for an output line in response to detecting a selection event. At least a portion of the bus direction module includes one or more of hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on a memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David D. Brandt, Scott T. Griffiths, Dayin Xu, Yutao Wang, Wojciech Koczwara
  • Publication number: 20220239043
    Abstract: An electronics housing assembly includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion removably connected to the first housing portion to define an interior space that contains electronics components. A first group of the electronics components is connected to the first housing portion and a second group of the electronics components is connected to the second housing portion. A connector alignment and retention panel is connected to the first housing portion. The connector alignment and retention panel includes a connector support platform with a first connector mounting location. A first electrical connector that is part of the first group of the electronics components is operatively engaged with the first connector mounting location of the panel such that the first electrical connector is mounted on the panel and located in a select position relative to the first housing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brijeshkumar Meghpara, Ilya Gurevich, Paul Grosskreuz, Juan Fernandez, Eric Gardner, David Figie
  • Patent number: 11397419
    Abstract: Embodiments of this present disclosure may include a handle disposed on an outer surface of a housing of electrical circuitry. The handle may provide access to at least a portion of the electrical circuitry. The handle may include a status indicator that emits light in response to a control signal from control circuitry. The status indicator may be disposed around the handle. The control circuitry may detect a state of the electrical protection circuitry. The control circuitry may also transmit the control signal to the status indicator based on the state. The control signal may control one or more properties of the light emitted by the status indicator, and thus indicate to an operator the state of the electrical circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott B. Lasko, Troy M. Bellows, Maciej Branicki, Claudio Di Stefano, Karen R. Hecht, Mayo D. Hemmingson, David Main-Reade, Ian Murgatroyd, Stephen Pethick, Austen K. Scudder
  • Patent number: 11398361
    Abstract: A control system may include a processor that may receive a first dataset associated with a type of load device coupled to a relay device. The processor may then receive a second dataset associated with one or more operations of the load device over a period of time. The processor may also determine a switching profile to control moving an armature of the relay device between a first position and a second position based on the first dataset and the second dataset, such that the switching profile comprises a firing angle for moving the armature with respect to an electrical waveform. The processor may then control a current provided to a relay coil of the relay device based on the switching profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad K. Omari, Michael C. McOlash, Stefan T. Dziekonski, Andrew J. Jaap, Randall S. Langer, David Elmiger