Usage-Based Asset Data Distribution Across Edge and Cloud Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern cloud-based storage systems for industrial plants face challenges with high-frequency asset data management, including high costs, scalability issues, latency, and data availability, while local storage systems lack scalability and advanced analytical capabilities.

Innovation Solution

A distributed data storage system that integrates on-premises storage, edge devices, and cloud servers, which distributes asset data based on usage patterns, allowing local processing for real-time data and cloud-based storage for long-term data, optimizing data accessibility and analytical capabilities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If cloud-based storage systems are used to store high-frequency asset data, then storage capacity and scalability are improved, but storage costs and bandwidth costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidstorage costs and bandwidth costs

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments asset data into different categories (frequently accessed data, less frequently accessed data, archived data) and distributes them to different storage locations (edge devices, cloud storage). This segmentation allows the system to optimize storage costs by keeping only essential data in expensive cloud storage while maintaining adequate storage capacity through a hierarchical storage architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local quality by storing frequently accessed asset data locally at edge devices close to the industrial plant, while less frequently accessed data is stored in cloud storage. This approach reduces bandwidth consumption and storage costs by eliminating redundant cloud storage of commonly accessed data, while still providing adequate total storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If cloud-based storage systems are used, then data accessibility and analytical capabilities are improved, but latency in data access increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata accessibility and analytical capabilitiesVSAvoidlatency in data access

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing frequently accessed asset data at edge devices before it is needed for processing. This allows the system to maintain high data accessibility and analytical capabilities for real-time operations while avoiding the latency associated with retrieving data from remote cloud storage during time-critical operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a spatial dimension to data storage by creating a multi-layered storage architecture that combines local edge devices with remote cloud storage. This dimensional approach allows the system to achieve both low latency (through local storage for real-time access) and high data accessibility (through cloud storage for comprehensive analytics) simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Speed

If local storage systems are used in industrial plants, then latency is reduced and data accessibility is improved, but scalability and storage capacity are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata access speedVSAvoidstorage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a nested doll architecture where local edge storage devices are nested within a larger cloud storage system. Frequently accessed data is stored in the inner layer (local edge devices) for fast access, while less frequently accessed data is stored in the outer layer (cloud storage) to provide extended capacity. This nested structure allows the system to achieve both fast data access speeds and large storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

4Quantity of substance

If all asset data is stored in cloud storage, then storage capacity is sufficient, but bandwidth consumption and storage costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidbandwidth consumption and storage costs

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts frequently accessed asset data from cloud storage and places it in local edge devices. This extraction eliminates the need to continuously transfer this data between cloud and local systems, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption and associated storage costs while maintaining sufficient total storage capacity through the combination of local and cloud storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20250377787A1Method for Distributing Asset Data

Publication Date: 2025.12.11 ABB (SCHWEIZ) AG

AI summary

A method for distributing asset data among multiple storage locations of a distributed data storage system for one or more industrial plants, the asset data relating to one or more assets of the one or more industrial plants, the method comprising: obtaining usage data indicative of a usage of the asset data; and distributing the asset data among the multiple storage locations based on the obtained usage data, wherein the asset data is distributed among storage locations of different entities of the distributed data storage system, the entities including at least one storage device of the one or more industrial plants, at least one edge device and at least one storage device of a cloud server.