Industrial Development Hub for Control Project Analysis and 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 development and testing, facilitating project analysis, backup, restore, code conversion, and version management, including user interface, project telemetry, and project analysis components to improve industrial control project design and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If industrial automation systems are developed using traditional methods, then development cycles are extended and costs increase, but the systems can be customized to specific industrial needs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the industrial automation system into modular components including control modules, I/O modules, communication modules, and device profiles that can be independently configured and assembled. This modular architecture enables faster development through reuse of standardized modules while maintaining the ability to customize specific functions for different industrial applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs parameter-based configuration where device profiles contain configurable parameters that can be modified to adapt standard modules to specific industrial needs. This allows the same hardware platform to serve multiple applications by changing software parameters rather than redesigning the entire system, thus accelerating development while preserving customization.
2Reliability
If comprehensive testing and analysis are performed on control projects, then system reliability improves, but development time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary analysis and validation of control projects during the configuration phase rather than waiting until deployment. The system performs automated checks on device profiles, control logic, and system configuration before the project is executed, identifying potential issues early in the development process. This preliminary action ensures reliability without adding significant time to the overall development cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-validation through automated analysis of control projects, checking for consistency, completeness, and compliance with industrial standards. The analysis component automatically generates reports and identifies potential failures without requiring extensive manual testing, thus maintaining high reliability while minimizing the time investment required for validation.
3Ease of operation
If cloud-based platforms are used for project management, then collaboration and version control improve, but data security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a secure cloud-based platform that acts as an intermediary between multiple users and the control project data. The platform provides centralized version control, collaboration tools, and project management capabilities while incorporating security measures such as authentication, authorization, and data encryption. This intermediary approach enables easy collaboration and version management while mitigating security risks through controlled access and protected data transmission.
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.