BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a system and method for automatically updating a multi-hierarchal representation of the system.

2. Description of the Related Art

Design of large systems, such as a baggage handling system, is a multi-disciplinary project. As an example, the baggage handling system combines automation information (e.g., within the automation discipline), mechanical information (e.g., within the mechanical discipline), and electrical information (e.g., within the electrical discipline).

Traditionally, engineers within each discipline work separately to design the system, and the engineers transfer data between the different disciplines manually. For example, engineers within the automation discipline transfer data to engineers within the electrical discipline via email or through complex synchronization between programs via scripting or, for example, Microsoft Excel®.

The manual synchronization of the discipline specific data is very time consuming and error prone. For example, when an automation engineer introduces a new programmable logic controller (PLC) for automating the baggage handling system to a design or model (e.g., a project), this information is to be communicated to the electrical engineers, so that the electrical engineers can include the necessary electrical components within the programmable logic controller and can plan wiring. If this information is not communicated between the automation engineers and the electrical engineers or is distorted, then the designs by the automation engineers and the electrical engineers, respectively, may be negatively impacted.

The large system may be designed and modeled using, for example, Automation Designer from Siemens®. An Automation Designer project, for example, stores engineering objects that are organized in multiple hierarchies. Each of the stored engineering objects has multiple views (e.g., aspects) including, for example, a function aspect, a location aspect, a product aspect, and an automation aspect. Each of the stored engineering objects has one or more connections with other engineering objects within a discipline and/or across other disciplines. For example, an engineering object within the automation discipline has connections with other engineering objects within the automation discipline, and has connections with engineering objects within the mechanical discipline and the electrical discipline, respectively.

Each engineering object has a set of engineering properties (e.g., object properties) that are available to other engineering objects for collaboration. An object property for a first engineering object (e.g., a source object) may be linked to an object property for a second engineering object (e.g., a target object). This process involves extracting the object property from the source object and linking the object property with the target object. An engineer designing the system manually selects individual properties from the source object and the target object for linking. This process is repetitive, time consuming, and prone to error.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a method in which navigation schemes that automatically search for and connect to engineering objects based on predefined relations in multi-dimensional hierarchies are defined within an engineering object of the automation project in order to react to changes within a multi-disciplinary automation project, where the engineering object also includes an intelligent extraction port that automatically extracts predefined property data from a source engineering object when the source engineering object is connected to the engineering object.

This and other object and advantages are achieved in accordance with the invention by a method for automatically updating a multi-hierarchal representation of a system includes identifying, for a first component included within the multi-hierarchal representation of the system, by a processor, a connection between the first component and a hierarchical position within the multi-hierarchal representation of the system. A memory in communication with the processor stores the defined connection between the first component and the hierarchical position within the multi-hierarchal representation of the system. The processor automatically connects the first component and a second component included within the multi-hierarchal representation of the system based on the stored connection between the first component and the hierarchical position within the multi-hierarchal representation of the system.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to automatically update a multi-hierarchal representation of an engineering system. The instructions include defining, for a first component included within the multi-hierarchal representation of the system, one or more properties to be extracted from a type of component when the type of component is connected to the first component. The instructions also include storing, by a memory in communication with the processor, the one or more defined properties to be extracted, and automatically extracting the one or more properties from a second component when the second component is connected to the first component. A type of the second component is the same as the type of component, for which the one or more properties are defined.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a system for automatically updating a multi-hierarchal representation of an engineering system that includes a memory configured to store the multi-hierarchal representation of the engineering system. The stored multi-hierarchal representation of the engineering system includes a representation of a first component and a representation of a second component. The system further includes a processor in communication with the memory. The processor is configured to define, for the first component, a connection between the first component and a hierarchical position within the multi-hierarchal representation of the engineering system, one or more properties to be extracted from a predetermined type of component when a component of the predetermined type is connected to the first component, or a combination thereof. The processor is also configured to automatically connect the first component and the second component within the multi-hierarchal representation of the engineering system after the representation of the second component is stored in the memory, based on the defined connection between the first component and the hierarchical position within the multi-hierarchal representation of the engineering system. The processor is configured to automatically extract, after the first component and the second component are connected, the one or more properties from the second component when the second component is the same type of component as the predetermined type of component.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

