Edge Deployment Platform for Machine Tool Application Portability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The heterogeneity of manufacturing environments, with different machine configurations and protocols, makes it difficult to create generic industrial applications that can be deployed across various manufacturing settings, requiring multiple versions of applications and limiting compatibility and incremental functionality.
Innovation Solution
A method and platform that provide a generic machine tool model, transforming machine tool data into a machine instance model, and converting generic industrial application requirements into machine tool-specific requirements, allowing for the deployment of a single, customizable industrial application on edge computing devices across diverse environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple versions of industrial applications are provided for different manufacturing environments, then compatibility with various machine configurations is improved, but application complexity and deployment overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal application architecture where a single industrial application can operate across multiple manufacturing environments with different machine configurations. The application is designed to adapt to various protocols (OPC-UA, MTConnect, VDW) and machine types through configurable parameters and abstracted hardware interfaces, eliminating the need to create separate application versions for each environment while maintaining broad compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter-based configuration where applications can be customized for different environments by modifying runtime parameters rather than recompiling or redeploying entire application versions. The system allows dynamic adjustment of protocol settings, machine-specific parameters, and data point configurations, enabling a single application to serve multiple manufacturing environments with varying requirements
2Adaptability or versatility
If standard protocols like OPC-UA are used for generic applications, then application portability across different manufacturers' controllers is improved, but access to device-specific data and features is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data access architecture into multiple layers: a standardized protocol layer for basic communication and a device-specific extension layer for accessing proprietary data points. This segmentation allows the application to use standard protocols for universal compatibility while simultaneously accessing manufacturer-specific features through dedicated data point extensions without compromising either portability or data access capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the standard protocol and device-specific data sources. This intermediary handles protocol-specific data mappings and provides a unified interface that translates between standard protocol requests and manufacturer-specific data formats, enabling seamless access to device-specific features while maintaining standard protocol compatibility
3Ease of manufacture
If a single generic industrial application is deployed across all manufacturing environments, then deployment simplicity is improved, but the ability to leverage environment-specific capabilities is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic application deployment system where a single generic application automatically adapts its behavior and configuration based on the specific manufacturing environment it encounters. The application dynamically detects the target environment's capabilities, protocols, and machine configurations, then adjusts its operation accordingly without requiring manual configuration or version selection, thus maintaining both deployment simplicity and environment-specific optimization
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a deployment platform for deployment of an industrial application on an edge computing device, ECD, connected to the controller of a machine tool, MT, the deployment platform including a model management component, MMC, adapted to instantiate a generic machine tool model, GMTM, stored in a memory to provide a machine instance model, MIM, of the respective machine tool, MT, on the basis of a machine tool data report, MTDR, received by the model management component, MMC, from the edge computing device, ECD, of the respective machine tool, MT, and further adapted to convert generic data requirements, gR, of a generic industrial application into machine tool specific requirements, mtsR, using the machine instance model, MIM, of the respective machine tool, MT, wherein an instantiated industrial application for the machine tool, MT, is provided by instantiating the generic industrial application by extending its configuration data with machine tool specific requirements.