Industrial Data Contextualization with BIDTs for Asset Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in collecting and formatting data from various industrial devices into a common presentation that is meaningful to users, as the data is often unstructured and distributed across multiple devices, requiring developers to define the meaning of each data item for proper visualization.
Innovation Solution
The system employs structured data types, referred to as basic information data types (BIDTs), which include rate, state, odometer, and event types, allowing users to define associations between physical assets and data tags, and a gateway device that retrieves and formats this data into a graphical presentation based on user-defined asset models.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If developers manually define the meaning of each data item from industrial devices, then data can be properly visualized, but the complexity of data collection and formatting increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by allowing industrial devices to automatically publish their own data descriptions and meanings through standardized data types. Each device can self-describe its data tags with inherent semantics (e.g., rate, state, odometer, event types), eliminating the need for external developers to manually define and interpret each data item's meaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing standardized data type parameters that automatically convey the meaning and context of industrial data. By categorizing data into predefined types with inherent semantics, the system transforms raw data into contextualized information without requiring manual interpretation, thus reducing collection complexity while preserving data meaning.
2Ease of operation
If structured data types are implemented across all industrial devices, then data visualization is simplified, but the initial system setup and standardization effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements universality by creating a common standardized data type framework that can be applied across diverse industrial devices. The same data type definitions (rate, state, odometer, event) serve multiple devices and applications, enabling simplified visualization once established. This universal framework reduces per-device configuration effort despite initial standardization requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining standardized data types and their semantics before actual data collection begins. By establishing the data type framework in advance, the system prepares the groundwork for simplified visualization, making the initial setup effort a one-time investment that yields ongoing operational simplicity.
3Productivity
If unstructured data is collected from multiple industrial devices, then data collection is straightforward, but data formatting and contextualization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary layer of standardized data types that sits between raw industrial device data and visualization applications. This intermediary framework automatically formats and contextualizes data as it passes through, maintaining high collection speed while eliminating complex formatting requirements. The standardized types act as a mediator that translates diverse device data into uniform, meaningful information.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial data presentation system leverages structured data types defined on industrial devices to generate and deliver meaningful presentations of industrial data. Industrial devices are configured to support structured data types referred to as basic information data types (BIDTs) comprising a finite set of structured information data types, including a rate data type, a state data type, an odometer data type, and an event data type. The BIDTs are discoverable by a gateway device on which models of industrial assets can be defined, where the models reference the BIDTs defined on the industrial devices. The gateway device can retrieve industrial data from the data tags, formatted in accordance with the data types and associated user-defined metadata specific to the respective data types. The gateway device or a separate application server system can then generate graphical presentations of the industrial data in accordance with the model and the metadata.