Abstract: A cooling system (11) is provided for electrical components (10, 90) in which passageways (21) are inserted in non-magnetic cores of the electrical components, and in which the passageways (21) provide both inflow and outflow of a cooling medium. The passageways (21) can be formed by drilling holes in a core of an electrical component or by mounting closed-end tubes (16–19) on a base plate-cooling manifold (20) or can be part of a conduit assembly (70). The tubes (16–19, 71) are split-flow closed-end tubes inserted from one end of the electrical component (10, 90). The tubes and passageways (16–19, 21, 71) may be partitioned into two halves or into two concentric portions. O-ring seals (28) are provided around the base of the tubes to seal the areas where the passageways communicate with hollow portions of base plates for supplying the cooling medium.

Abstract: An system and method are disclosed for isolating and grounding a load device, where grounding only occurs after the voltage(s) on the load device have been reduced to acceptable levels. The system includes power and grounding contacts, a sensing device, and a control device. The power contact determines whether a power line is coupled to a terminal of the load. The grounding contact determines whether the terminal is coupled to ground. The sensing device is coupled to the terminal, and the control device communicates with the contacts and sensing device. Upon a signal being provided to the control device, the control device causes the power contact to decouple the terminal from the power line and, upon the sensing device determining that a condition has been met concerning the terminal, the control device causes the grounding contact to couple the terminal with ground and a system indication light to be illuminated.

Abstract: An energy monitoring and management system and method are provided herein. The system and method centralize load metering by utilizing at least one sensor for observing load characteristics (e.g., Volts, Amperes, Watts, active energy . . . ) communicatively coupled via a backplane to a waveform analyzer component of a control component. The waveform analyzer component generates metered data values after receiving input from the at least one sensor. Subsequently and if so desired, the control component can send a control signal to the load to alter the state of the load or simply reduce the power to a load. Such input, output, and processing functionality, according to an aspect of the present invention, are employed using a backplane to facilitate high-speed communication among components and to allow metered data to be centrally stored, manipulated, analyzed or communicated to other components or sub-components.

Abstract: A circuit for inhibiting a protection device of a motor includes first, second, and third comparators and an inhibit signal generator. The first comparator is operable to determine if a motor current signal associated with the motor exceeds a starting threshold to identify a starting state of the motor. The second comparator is operable to determine if the motor current signal exceeds an inrush threshold to identify a transition from the starting state to an inrush state of the motor. The third comparator is operable to determine if the motor current signal falls below a running threshold to identify a transition from the inrush state to a running state of the motor. The inhibit signal generator is operable to deassert an inhibit signal for inhibiting the protection device responsive to the third comparator identifying the running state.

Abstract: A current loop drive module includes a drive circuit and a compliance voltage controller. The drive circuit is configured to receive a compliance voltage and operable to generate a current loop signal based on the compliance voltage for receipt by an associated load coupled to the drive circuit. The compliance voltage controller is operable to adjust the compliance voltage based on the associated load. A method for generating a current loop signal includes generating a current loop signal based on a compliance voltage for receipt by an associated load and adjusting the compliance voltage based on the associated load.

Abstract: A system that facilitates damping of mechanical vibration associated with machinery that is subject to such mechanical vibration. The system comprises machinery with at least one moveable part and a piezoelectric actuator that is selectively applied to the machinery. The piezoelectric actuator receives voltages and is employed to facilitate damping of mechanical vibration associated with the machinery.

Abstract: Messages in a high reliability industrial control system are associated with safety messages that enable reliable detection of data errors caused during transmission of the message over the network. In particular, error detection codes are generated and transmitted along with message data. At a receiving node, an expected EDC is generated and compared to the EDC transmitted over the network to determine whether any data was corrupted.

Abstract: A control system for a complex distribution network uses autonomous control units that may bid among themselves to reconfigure the distribution network in light of fluctuation demand or failures. The autonomous control units may also be enlisted to detect and isolate as well as reconfigure the network to correct for the damage.

Abstract: A system and method for splicing reeled media using operational feedback. According to certain embodiments, the method of operating a media production system involves sensing speed parameters of first and second reeled media, tracking an unwinding parameter of the first reeled media, and positionally tracking a leading end position of the second reeled media. The method also involves controlling splicing between the first and second reeled media based at least partially on the speed parameters, the unwinding parameter, and the leading end position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and methodology facilitating remote maintenance in an industrial control environment. An industrial control system is provided that includes an industrial controller to communicate with a network. Explicit and/or implied maintenance events are determined, wherein one or more automated actions are configured or adapted to interact with remote users over the network in response to the events. This can include configuring and communicating human-readable schemas describing the events in support of remote maintenance procedures. The schemas can include embedded documentation to further aid diagnosis and correction of potential problems. Other aspects can include automated actions such as automatically generating component orders and providing remote firmware and/or documentation upgrades.

Abstract: Indexing agents and/or data brokers are leveraged to provide search query results related to manufacturing processes. The indexing agents allow different manufacturing configuration data types to be “sub-indexed,” allowing them to be easily searched. In one instance, the sub-indices can be aggregated together to create an overall index to facilitate in query searches of the configuration data. Separate indexing agents can be utilized for indexing contents of the configuration components for the human-machine interface (HMI) and control system and the like. Data brokers can be employed to facilitate in responding to query searches by indexing/searching real-time process variables (tags) and historical data in persistent storage. A search engine can then be employed to aggregate the search results and present them to a user in a selectable fashion. User selected results are then rendered in the proper format and displayed to the user.

Abstract: Architecture that provides high availability (quick, robust, redundant) data to users by the use of peer-to-peer technology, where the decentralized storage and multi-access paths provide the complete data set without dependence on a specific or pre-defined data source or access paths, including sourcing data from other users of the data applying the large file transfer techniques of file sharing. When a client requests a file the system automatically calculates all the locations of that file, and which is the quickest source to retrieve the file. The client then stores a copy of the file for instant retrieval later and to serve that file out to other clients that request it. A versioning scheme ensures that the only the newest version of files are shared on the network. A machine learning and reasoning component is provided that employs a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that enable various interface applications that more efficiently communicate data to users in an industrial control system. In one aspect, an industrial automation system is provided. The system includes a base presentation component to display one or more elements of an industrial control environment. Various display items can be dynamically superimposed on the base presentation component to provide industrial control information to a user. In another aspect of the industrial automation system, a location component is provided to identify a physical or a virtual location for a user in an industrial control environment. This can include a context component to determine at least one attribute for the user in view of the physical or virtual location. A presentation component then provides information to the user based in part on the physical or virtual location and the determined attribute.

Abstract: A human-machine interface generation system comprises a voice recognition component that receives voice commands relating to generation of a human-machine interface within an industrial automation environment. The voice recognition component further translates the voice commands into machine code, such as into a query that conforms to a database query language. A view generation component communicatively coupled to the voice recognition component generates a human-machine interface based at least in part upon the received voice commands. For example, the view generation component can access a data store that includes graphical depictions of portions of a plant relating to the received voice commands.

Abstract: The subject disclosure pertains to transparent communications in an industrial automation environment amongst automation system components and IT systems. Systems and methods are provided that send and receive data to, from and amongst automation devices and transactional based IT systems. The system is viewed as a control system to the automation device and as a transactional system to the IT system. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a custom interface between automation devices and the IT systems.

Abstract: Historical and real-time data access is leveraged to provide unified data access for interacting with manufacturing process entities such as, for example, process overview displays, charting systems, reporting systems, logging systems, and/or recipe systems and the like. The unified data, for example, allows for playback of historical process overviews for a user selected period of time. In one instance, a “VCR like” user interface can be employed to allow ‘rewinding’ and ‘replaying’ of a historical process overview. This facilitates in proper monitoring and/or troubleshooting of manufacturing processes. The unified availability of past and current data also enables reporting systems to provide “living” reports that automatically update with real-time data. This can allow for efficient comparison of current data with historical data for a given manufacturing process.

Abstract: Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in a data management scheme that combines both distributed as well as a hierarchical (object-oriented) data management structure. The hierarchical databases will store data records such that each or selected entities of the record will be associated with a pointer that can be written into an RFID tag of an item as the item progresses through manufacturing, production, transportation, and consumer user, for example. Thereafter, once the RFID tag is read, the pointer information can be processed to directly access the data in the database associated with the pointer.

Abstract: A safety switch assembly includes a body constructed to be mounted in a support structure and generally enclose the operative structure of the safety switch. The safety switch assembly includes an actuator constructed to pass through one of the support structure or the base to operatively engage the operative structure of the safety switch to control the safety switches electrical orientation to communicate or terminate communication of electrical power to a device equipped with the safety switch.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a controller that facilitates implementing a workflow within an industrial automation environment system. An interface component can facilitate the receipt of data associated with a workflow at the programmable logic controller. A controller communicatively coupled to the interface component incorporates an execution engine that can execute the workflow and allow a seamless data flow between applications to provide at least one service.

Abstract: An organizational model of a hierarchical system can be distributed across various elements of an enterprise. Such elements include representations of the system that are maintained on higher-level business servers and other representations that serve control elements of the system such as programmable logic controllers and/or other industrial control components. In one aspect, an industrial automation system is provided. The system includes at least one controller to instantiate a portion of an organizational hierarchy. A communications component in the controller interacts with at least one other portion of the organizational hierarchy to facilitate data exchange and control between various components of an enterprise.