Abstract: A safety system for autonomously mobile machinery (e.g., automated guided vehicles) achieves safety-rated collision avoidance functionality by detecting objects located in the field of view of a three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight (TOF) vision system or camera. Incorporating a 3D TOF camera into a collision avoidance system allows a large volume to be monitored for object intrusion, improving reliability of object detection. To ensure reliability of the safety system's obstacle detection capabilities, the collision avoidance system also includes self-diagnostic capabilities that verify the accuracy of the TOF camera's distance measurements even in the absence of a test object within the camera's field of view. This is achieved by tilting the TOF camera downward to include the floor within the camera's field of view, allowing the floor to act as a test object that can be leveraged to verify accuracy of the camera's distance measurements.
Abstract: An industrial transportation system includes one or more movers and a robot system. The robot system is configured to load one or more items on the surface of respective movers and unload the one or more items from the surface of respective movers. Each of the one or more movers includes a first surface configured to provide reversible adhesion between the mover and an item loaded on the mover. The reversible adhesion of the surface is activated at loading and deactivated at unloading.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 17, 2021
Date of Patent:
June 6, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Kyle A. Crum, Robert H. Schmidt, David A. Vasko, Neil R. Bentley, Tracy M. Clark, Michael D. Cook
Abstract: Techniques for employing augmented reality or virtual reality information are presented. An information management component (IMC) of an augmented reality device (ARD) can monitor and detect user activities and conditions in area in proximity to ARD. Based on user activities and conditions, IMC can determine augmented reality information that can enhance user experience, performance of user activities, or security and safety of user. IMC can present, via an interface component of ARD, the augmented reality information to the user. The augmented reality information can relate to user location; navigation by the user; tasks to be performed by the user; product assembly; maintenance work; system or product design or configuration; remote control of assembly, maintenance, design, or configuration; environmental and/or hazardous conditions; security, identification, and authentication of users; or training the user to perform tasks. IMC can translate information from a language to a different language of the user.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 27, 2022
Date of Patent:
June 6, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Thong T. Nguyen, John M. Van Hecke, Alex L. Nicoll, Paul D. Schmirler, Mark Bjerke
Abstract: For machine learning data reduction and model optimization,a method randomly assigns each data feature of a training data set to a plurality of solution groups. Each solution group has no more than a solution group number k of data features and each data feature is assigned to a plurality of solution groups. The method identifies each solution group as a high-quality solution group or a low-quality solution group. The method further calculates data feature scores for each data feature comprising a high bin number and a low bin number. The method determines level data for each data feature from the data feature scores using a fuzzy inference system. The method identifies an optimized data feature set based on the level data. The method further trains a production model using only the optimized data feature set. The method predicts a result using the production model.
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. These collaborative features can include, for example, brokering between different sets of design input directed to the same portion of the system project, generating notifications to remote designers when a portion of the system project is modified, sharing of development interfaces or environments, facilitating involvement of outside technical support experts to assist with design issues, and other collaborative features.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 11, 2022
Date of Patent:
May 30, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Andrew R Stump, Anthony Carrara, Eashwer Srinivasan, Christopher W Como, Sharon M Billi-Duran, Matthew R Ericsson, Ryan P Dunn
Abstract: An analytics engine is provided for industrial automation applications. The engine may be modular, and may be instantiated upon receipt of a data structure, such as containing annotated data from or relating to a monitored and/or controlled machine or process. The module may be data-driven so that it is instantiated only as needed, upon receipt of the input data structure. The module then carries out analysis on the data, and outputs a data structure that can be used for further analysis, or directly by other modules for modeling, classification, optimization and/or control.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 31, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 30, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Bijan Sayyarrodsar, Alexander B. Smith, Kadir Liano
Abstract: A modular I/O system for an industrial automation network includes a network adapter including first and second adapter modules, wherein each adapter module is configured for connection with an industrial network. The I/O system further includes a first I/O device with first and second I/O modules each configured for operative connection to a controlled system for input/output of data with respect to the controlled system. The I/O system further includes first and second independent backplane data networks that connect each of the first and second adapter modules to each of the first and second I/O modules. The network adapter includes first and second removable backplane network switches and the first I/O device includes third and fourth removable backplane network switches that establish the backplane networks. The backplane network switches can be Ethernet gigabit switches.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 7, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 30, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Daniel E. Killian, Sivaram Balasubramanian, Kendal R. Harris, Chandresh R. Chaudhari
Abstract: A modular analysis engine provided classification of variables and data in an industrial automation environment. The module may be instantiated upon receipt of an input data structure, such as containing annotated data for any desired variables related to the machine or process monitored and/or controlled. The data may be provided in a batch or the engine may operate on streaming data. The output of the module may be a data structure that can be used by other modules, such as for modeling, optimization, and control. The classification may allow for insightful analysis, such as for textual classification of alarms provided in the automation setting.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 29, 2017
Date of Patent:
May 30, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Bijan SayyarRodsari, Alexander B. Smith, Kadir Liano, Wei Dai, Yash P. Puranik
Abstract: A system includes a first asset disposed in an industrial environment configured to perform one or more operations, a second asset disposed in the industrial environment, and a server device communicatively coupled to the first asset and the second asset. The server device is configured to receive a first set of stream-based data from the first asset, receive a second set of stream-based data from the second asset, wherein the first set of stream-based data and the second set of stream-based data are received in real time or near real time, determine whether the one or more operations are within a threshold based on a comparison of the first set of stream-based data with respect to the second set of stream-based data, and send a command to the first asset or the second asset in response to the one or more operations being outside the threshold.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 27, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 23, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Edward A. Gray, Norman A. Weatherhead, Srikanth G. Mashetty
Abstract: An industrial gateway device supports interactive feature engineering tools that guide a user through an intuitive process for configuring data analytics for key performance indicators (KPIs) of interest. A feature engineering interface renders an interactive model view that displays available data points such that the data points are organized hierarchically according to plant, machine, machine property, or other elements. The user can select, from this model view, data points having an impact on the KPI of interest. The interface also allows the user to define an executable script that defines a mathematical relationship between the selected data points and the KPI. This configuration yields an output model that defines a reduced set of data points to be collected and analyzed, as well as an executable script for assessing a state of the KPI as a function of the reduced data point values.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 7, 2022
Date of Patent:
May 23, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Achim Thomsen, Cyril Perducat, Manuel Sukerman, Arvind Vijayanagar Rao, Chirayu Shah, Stephen C. Briant, Bijan SayyarRodsari
Abstract: Various embodiments of the present technology generally relate to power topology discovery in industrial environments. More specifically, some embodiments relate to automatic power topology discovery for factories based on device data that is already recorded for other purposes. Systems and methods described herein may be used to generate an accurate electrical network topology by collecting power data from power devices that may provide real-time or recorded measurements, detecting power change events, and matching power change signatures over power events for the devices in order to calculate the likelihoods of possible topology assumptions. Power change event data is used to recursively update topology probabilities using the Bayesian formula until a system topology can be produced with satisfactory confidence.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 9, 2020
Date of Patent:
May 23, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Xiaolong Zhang, Benfeng Tang, Linglai Li, David B. Berman, Phillip R. Bush, Steven T. Haensgen, Michael L. Gasperi, Sean C. Schmelzer, Alex Nicoll
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. Project edits submitted to the IDE system, both applied and unapplied, are stored as edit records, allowing edits to be selectively undone or applied either manually or as part of a rollback to a milestone version.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 19, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 23, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Andrew R Stump, Anthony Carrara, Eashwer Srinivasan, Srdjan Josipovic, Adam J Gregory, Michael J Coan
Abstract: A system may include a switching device. The switching device may include an armature that may move 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 switching device may also include a coil that may receive a voltage that magnetizes a core, thereby causing the armature to move from the first position to the second position. The system may also include a control system that may monitor a voltage waveform associated with the coil during an open operation of the switching device.
Abstract: A line interface filter apparatus to couple a drive or group of drives to a shared multiphase AC bus, including individual phase circuits having an inductor coupled between a respective bus and drive phase lines, a tapped resistor coupled to the respective drive phase line, and a capacitor coupled between the resistor and a common connection of the capacitors of the individual phase circuits, where the capacitance of the capacitors is 5 to 15 times a per-phase equivalent capacitance of the drive or group of drives, and the resistance of the resistors is two times a damping ratio times a square root of a ratio of the filter inductance to the filter capacitance, where the damping ratio ? is greater than or equal to 1.0 and less than or equal to 2.0.
Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a first electronic device to receive data generated by a plurality of components of an industrial automation system and characterize one or more portions of the data by applying metadata to the one or more portions of the data. The metadata enables a second electronic device receiving the data to determine one or more contexts of the one or more portions of the data. Furthermore, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to rearrange an order of the one or more portions of the data and cause the characterized and rearranged data to be sent to the second electronic device.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2020
Date of Patent:
May 9, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Abhishek Mehrotra, Steven P. Taylor, Braun C. Brennecke, Evan J. Kausalik, John D. Mayer, Tyler C. Tamburlin, Richard S. Turk, Timothy R. Brennan
Abstract: The embodiments described herein include one embodiment that provides a control method that includes connecting a first controller to a control system; receiving control system configuration data from a database, in which the configuration data comprises holistic state data of a second controller in the control system; and configuring operation of the first controller based at least in part on the configuration data received.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 31, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 9, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Bijan Sayyarrodsari, Kadir Liano, Alexander B. Smith
Abstract: A method and system for motion control of movers in an independent cart system is disclosed. In one implementation, the independent cart system includes a plurality of track segments, each section having a respective controller. One of the controllers receives a motion command for a plurality of carts, respectively. The controller generates a force command for each of the plurality of carts and transmits the respective commands to the track segments commutating the plurality of carts.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 26, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 9, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Mark R. Cooper, David D. Van Dorpe, Patrick E. Ozimek, Shankernarayan Ramanarayanan
Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods and devices for facilitating object-based cross-domain industrial automation control. An object library comprising a plurality of objects may be maintained. One or more of the objects may represent physical counterparts for use in an industrial automation process. Each object of the plurality of objects in the object library may have at least one property that an automated control device operation can be programmed to act on. Each object of the plurality of objects may also have at least one property that a human machine interface component can utilize in generating display elements corresponding to the objects for display on the human machine interface. When modifications to objects in the object library are received, those modifications may be automatically deployed and incorporated in controller logic and HMI graphics and control.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 13, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 9, 2023
Assignee:
Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Andrew R. Stump, Srdjan Josipovic, Matthew R. Ericsson, Michael D. Kalan, Anthony Carrara, Christopher W. Como, Sharon M. Billi-Duran