Cloud Gateway Data Ingestion Adapter for Industrial Migration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems generate vast amounts of data, but access is typically limited to applications on the same network as the industrial controllers, restricting the use of this data for broader analytics and reporting across geographically diverse industrial enterprises.
Innovation Solution
An on-premise cloud gateway system collects industrial data from various sources and transfers it to a cloud repository for processing and storage, enabling intelligent sorting and organization based on contextual parameters, with store-and-forward capabilities to ensure data integrity during communication disruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If industrial data is collected and stored locally on the same network as industrial controllers, then data access is simple and fast, but data availability is restricted to local applications only and cannot be accessed remotely for enterprise-wide analytics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension to data access by implementing a cloud-based data repository that enables remote access to industrial data over networks beyond the local industrial network. The gateway device bridges the local network and remote cloud infrastructure, allowing data to be accessed from multiple locations and devices across the enterprise without compromising the original local data collection system
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device serves as an intermediary component between the industrial controllers/local network and the remote cloud platform. It collects data from industrial devices, formats it according to cloud platform requirements, and transmits it to the remote repository, enabling seamless data migration while maintaining compatibility between different systems
2Reliability
If industrial data is continuously transmitted to a cloud platform, then real-time remote monitoring is enabled, but data loss may occur during communication disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring the communication status with the cloud platform and maintaining a local buffer for data storage. When communication is available, data is transmitted in real-time; when communication fails, the buffered data is preserved locally and transmitted once connectivity is restored, preventing data loss without requiring constant transmission attempts
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the gateway device continuously monitors communication link status and adjusts its data transmission behavior accordingly. When the cloud platform is unreachable, the gateway detects this condition and switches to local buffering mode, then automatically resumes transmission when connectivity is restored, ensuring data integrity while optimizing transmission efficiency
3Adaptability or versatility
If data is formatted and encapsulated with header information before transmission, then data compatibility with cloud platform is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device performs data formatting and encapsulation with header information in advance, before transmission to the cloud platform. This preliminary processing ensures that data is ready in the correct format when transmission occurs, reducing delays during actual data transfer and improving overall system efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts data formatting parameters based on the specific requirements of the cloud platform and the type of industrial data being transmitted. By optimizing formatting parameters and using efficient data structures, the system achieves high data compatibility while minimizing processing time and computational resource consumption
Data Source
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AI summary
A cloud gateway device facilitates collection of industrial data from one or more data sources on the plant floor and migration of the collected data to a cloud platform for storage and processing. The cloud gateway device collects historical, live, and/or alarm data directly from industrial devices networked to the gateway device, formats and encapsulates the data with customer-specific header information, and sends the resulting data packets to a cloud platform for processing by cloud-level analytics services. To keep local memory requirements low, the cloud gateway device supports store-and-forward functionality in the event of a communication loss to the cloud platform, whereby the collected industrial data is redirected to an external data storage repository until communication to the cloud platform is reestablished.