Cloud-Based Automation Control for Remote Plant Backup Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems across geographically diverse facilities often operate independently due to lack of information connectivity, making coordinated operation challenging, especially in remote environments where access is limited, leading to difficulties in implementing control program changes and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based remote industrial automation site operation system that migrates operational data to a cloud platform for real-time control, enabling centralized control of geographically diverse systems and providing backup control services in case of local controller failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If industrial automation systems operate independently at geographically diverse facilities, then each facility maintains operational autonomy, but coordinated control and information connectivity are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges geographically distributed automation systems into a unified cloud-based control architecture. Local controllers at diverse facilities are connected through a cloud platform that enables centralized coordination while preserving local operational capabilities. This combining approach allows information connectivity across facilities without compromising individual facility autonomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based control system serves as an intermediary between geographically dispersed local controllers. This intermediary platform enables information exchange and coordinated control across facilities while allowing each local system to maintain its operational independence. The intermediary architecture resolves the contradiction by providing connectivity without centralizing control.
2Productivity
If control programs are updated at remote facilities, then system functionality is improved, but access difficulty and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service capability for control program updates through the cloud platform. Local controllers can receive and implement program updates remotely without requiring physical site access. This self-service approach allows functionality improvements while eliminating the maintenance accessibility problems associated with remote facility visits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of physical site visits for maintenance with a digital cloud-based update mechanism. Control programs are transmitted and installed remotely through the cloud platform, substituting the need for on-site technician access. This substitution resolves the contradiction by enabling functionality updates without the accessibility constraints of remote locations.
3Ease of operation
If local controllers are used at each facility, then operational independence is maintained, but backup control capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud-based control system provides multi-functionality by serving both as a coordination platform and a backup control source. Local controllers maintain operational independence during normal operation, while the cloud platform simultaneously provides backup control capability that can activate when needed. This universal approach allows the system to fulfill both operational independence and reliability requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by pre-configuring cloud-based backup control capabilities that stand ready to support local controllers. This prior preparation ensures that when local controllers fail, backup control is immediately available without compromising operational independence during normal operation. The cushioning approach resolves the contradiction by preparing redundancy in advance while maintaining operational autonomy.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cloud-based industrial automation site operation system leverages configuration and operational data generated by industrial assets of an industrial enterprise to facilitate remote control of automation systems from a cloud platform. Status and operational data generated by industrial assets on the plant floor are migrated to the cloud platform where the remote site operation system resides. The system performs substantially real-time control functions for one or more plant-side automation systems from the cloud platform based on the collected data and one or more control programs that execute on the cloud platform. In this way, the cloud based services can allow geographically diverse industrial systems to be collectively controlled using a centralized, cloud-based virtual control. The system can also provide control backup services, allowing control to be switched from a local controller to the cloud-based control in the event of a failure at the local controller.