Device-Level Data Modeling for Faster Industrial AI Analytics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial automation systems face challenges in deriving value from large amounts of unstructured and uncorrelated industrial data, leading to inefficiencies in data processing and storage, as well as the identification of spurious correlations, which hinders the extraction of actionable insights.

Innovation Solution

A smart gateway platform that leverages domain expertise to selectively stream relevant industrial data to AI analytics, using smart objects with contextualization metadata to create device-level data models that constrain AI analytics, reducing data space and facilitating quicker derivation of insights.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If all industrial data is streamed to AI analytics systems for processing, then comprehensive analysis coverage is improved, but data processing time and storage costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanalysis coverageVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and streams only selected relevant data from industrial devices to AI analytics systems, rather than transmitting all generated data. This selective extraction approach maintains comprehensive analysis coverage for critical parameters while significantly reducing overall data processing time and storage requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments industrial data into categories based on relevance to specific analytics objectives. By dividing data streams into relevant and irrelevant portions, the system processes only necessary segments through AI analytics, reducing processing time while maintaining analysis coverage for critical parameters.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If domain expertise is integrated into data selection, then identification of spurious correlations is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecorrelation accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates domain expertise during the preliminary system configuration phase to establish data selection criteria and analytics models. By pre-configuring relevant data streams and correlation rules based on domain knowledge, the system reduces spurious correlations without requiring complex real-time processing logic during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer between industrial devices and AI analytics systems that applies domain expertise to filter and contextualize data. This intermediary component manages the complexity of domain knowledge application while presenting simplified, pre-processed data to the analytics engine.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If contextualization metadata is created for smart objects, then data relevance is improved, but data preparation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata relevanceVSAvoiddata preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates contextualization metadata for smart objects during the initial device configuration and data model establishment phase. By preparing this metadata in advance rather than in real-time, the system achieves high data relevance for analytics while minimizing the time overhead during actual data processing operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3951677A1Industrial automation control program utilization in analytics model engine
Publication Date: 2022.02.09 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH INC
  • EP3951677A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3951677A1 patent drawingFigure 2a
  • EP3951677A1 patent drawingFigure 2b

AI summary

An industrial device supports device-level data modeling that pre-models data stored in the device with known relationships, correlations, key variable identifiers, and other such metadata to assist higher-level analytic systems to more quickly and accurately converge to actionable insights relative to a defined business or analytic objective. Data at the device level can be modeled according to modeling templates stored on the device that define relationships between items of device data for respective analytic goals (e.g., improvement of product quality, maximizing product throughput, optimizing energy consumption, etc.). This device-level modeling data can be exposed to higher level systems for creation of analytic models that can be used to analyze data from the industrial device relative to desired business objectives.