Automated Host Interface for Multi-Vendor Industrial Control Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems face challenges in interoperability and consistency among products from different vendors, leading to complex integration and management issues, with engineers often focusing on technical details rather than functional requirements, and lacking seamless transitions for changes in system configurations.
Innovation Solution
A device with an interface component providing functional connections and controls for automated host implementations, supporting multiple platform configurations, and a deployment component that aggregates and separates platform configurations, enabling updates without affecting others, and exposing subsets of functionality for user access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple products from different vendors are integrated into an industrial control system, then system functionality and versatility are improved, but integration complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal service-oriented architecture where platform configurations are standardized across different vendors' products. Services are defined with common interfaces and protocols, allowing multiple products from different vendors to be integrated into a unified control system without increasing integration complexity. The service registry and discovery mechanism enables automatic interoperability between heterogeneous components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a service registry and discovery mechanism as an intermediary layer between control engineers and the underlying technical implementation details. This mediator abstracts away vendor-specific protocols and communication methods, allowing engineers to interact with a standardized service interface while the intermediary handles the complexity of integrating multiple vendor products.
2Ease of manufacture
If engineers focus on underlying technical details and implementation logic, then system integration is achieved, but time spent on functional requirements and value-added design decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automated service discovery, configuration, and deployment mechanisms. The system automatically registers services, discovers available platform configurations, and handles the technical integration details without requiring engineers to manually configure each component. This automation frees engineers from tedious technical implementation tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The service-oriented architecture acts as an intermediary that handles technical implementation details automatically. Engineers interact with high-level service definitions while the intermediary layer manages the complex technical integration, protocol translation, and configuration automatically, significantly reducing the time spent on implementation logistics.
3Adaptability or versatility
If platform configurations are updated to improve functionality, then system capabilities are enhanced, but stability and consistency of existing configurations may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into independent, loosely-coupled services with well-defined interfaces. Each service can be updated, modified, or replaced without affecting other services, as long as the interface contracts are maintained. This segmentation allows incremental updates to enhance capabilities while preserving the stability of existing configurations through interface compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic service registration and discovery mechanisms that allow the system to adapt to configuration changes automatically. When platform configurations are updated, the service registry dynamically registers new services and updates existing ones without requiring system shutdown or reconfiguration of other components. This dynamic approach enables continuous operation and stable coexistence of multiple configuration versions.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects describe multiple machine interfaces that provide automated implementations of a host that executes at least one service. The service comprises internal aspects, which include a reusable definition and a specification, which are hidden from a user or selectively exposed but not modifiable by the user. Functional connections and controls are provided for the automated implementations of the host. Platform configurations, which include the at least one service, interact with the automated implementation of the host. One or more functionalities of the functional connections can be selectively exposed based on a user credential. The automated implementation of the host comprises execution of the at least one service.