Criticality-Based Control Services for Cloud and Edge Plants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current control applications for industrial plants are limited by the need for on-premise dedicated hardware, making it difficult to leverage cloud and edge-server capabilities due to reliability and response time requirements, resulting in conservative approaches that do not fully utilize the advantages of cloud and edge-server technologies.
Innovation Solution
A method that automatically segments initial control code into code blocks and creates services based on criticality, allowing for deployment across a heterogeneous computing environment, including PLCs, local edge clusters, and cloud services, enabling fine-granular updates and improved scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If control applications are deployed on on-premise dedicated hardware (PLCs), then reliability and response time are improved, but hardware maintenance complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of control applications that can run on standardized hardware platforms. Instead of requiring dedicated specialized hardware, the control logic is copied into virtual machine images that can be deployed across multiple identical servers, eliminating the need for proprietary PLC hardware while maintaining functional equivalence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables a single standardized hardware platform to serve multiple control application functions simultaneously. By using virtualization, the same physical server can host multiple isolated control applications, making the hardware universal and eliminating the need for dedicated specialized equipment for each control function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If control code is partitioned into fine-grained code blocks for cloud deployment, then scalability and update flexibility are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments control applications into modular virtual machine images that can be independently developed, tested, and deployed. Each virtual machine represents a discrete functional unit that can be updated without affecting others, enabling fine-grained control over application lifecycle management while keeping individual units simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated deployment system that acts as an intermediary between developers and the distributed infrastructure. This system automatically handles the complex tasks of packaging, distributing, and coordinating updates across multiple virtual machines, shielding users from the underlying system complexity while enabling flexible updates.
3Ease of manufacture
If control applications are externalized to cloud or edge servers, then hardware cost and maintenance are reduced, but response time and reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing different regions of the system to have different characteristics. Critical control functions can be deployed closer to the process (edge servers) for low-latency response, while less time-sensitive functions can use remote cloud resources. Each location is optimized for its specific requirements, maintaining overall reliability while enabling externalization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic deployment architecture where control applications can be moved, replicated, or scaled across different infrastructure locations based on real-time requirements. The system can dynamically adjust where control logic executes, enabling it to respond to changing reliability and latency requirements without fixed hardware constraints.
4Productivity
If automated service creation based on criticality is implemented, then deployment efficiency is improved, but automation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically analyze control code, determine criticality levels, and generate appropriate deployment configurations without human intervention. The automated system serves itself by making intelligent decisions about service packaging and distribution based on embedded metadata and analysis of control logic dependencies.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a computer-implemented method for providing a service-based control application for an industrial plant. The method comprises automatically segmenting an initial control code for the industrial plant into a plurality of code blocks and automatically creating a plurality of services, each service implementing the functionality of one or more of the plurality of code blocks. The automatically creating of the plurality of services is carried out taking into account a similarity of a criticality assigned to each of the plurality of code blocks, such that code blocks having more similar criticality are more likely to be implemented within the same service.