Cloud Development Hub for Secure Industrial Control Versioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in efficient development and testing due to complexity and custom nature, leading to long development cycles, cost overruns, and difficulty in managing and protecting proprietary intellectual property from failures or cyber-attacks.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based Industrial Development Hub (IDH) with enhanced storage and design tools supports easy development and testing, providing a repository for storing control project code, device configurations, and digital aspects, facilitating backup, restore, code conversion, and version management, along with analysis and simulation capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If industrial control projects are developed using traditional local development environments, then developers have full control over proprietary intellectual property, but development cycles are long and productivity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based IDE as an intermediary platform between the developer and the industrial control project. This cloud IDE provides centralized project management, collaborative development capabilities, and automated build/deployment functions, enabling faster development cycles while keeping the actual control logic and proprietary algorithms running locally on edge devices or industrial controllers, thus maintaining IP security while improving productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the development environment from the execution environment by moving development tools and project management to the cloud while keeping the control logic execution at the edge or locally. This dimensional separation allows developers to leverage cloud computing power for simulation, testing, and version management without compromising the security or performance of the actual control system
2Productivity
If cloud-based platforms are used for collaborative development, then productivity and collaboration are improved, but security risks and vulnerability to cyber-attacks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into three distinct parts: (1) cloud-based IDE for collaborative development and project management, (2) local edge devices or industrial controllers for executing control logic, and (3) secure communication channels between them. This segmentation allows collaborative features to be utilized in the cloud while the critical control logic remains isolated locally, reducing security risks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by ensuring that sensitive control logic and proprietary algorithms are executed locally on edge devices or industrial controllers rather than in the cloud. The cloud IDE handles non-sensitive tasks such as project management, version control, and simulation, while the local systems handle critical control functions, creating a security architecture where each component has appropriate security characteristics for its function
3Ease of operation
If comprehensive project management features are implemented in the cloud IDE, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating virtual representations of projects, devices, and configurations in the cloud IDE. Developers can work with copied project files, simulate control logic behavior, and test configurations without affecting the actual running systems. This allows comprehensive project management features to be implemented in the cloud interface while the actual industrial control devices maintain their existing simple architectures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal cloud IDE platform that can manage multiple projects, support different types of industrial controllers, and provide various development tools through a single interface. This multi-functional platform consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate tools and systems, improving ease of operation without necessarily increasing the complexity of individual control devices
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial development hub (IDH) supports industrial development and testing capabilities that are offered as a cloud-based service. The IDH comprises an enhanced storage platform and associated design tools that serve as a repository on which customers can store control project code, device configurations, and other digital aspects of an industrial automation project. The IDH system can facilitate discovery and management of digital content associated with control systems, and can be used for system backup and restore, code conversion, and version management.