Common Gateway Broker for Protocol-Independent Industrial Data Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems generate vast amounts of data from various sources, requiring applications to discover and interact with multiple data storage locations and protocols, leading to complexity and the need for frequent updates when protocol or location changes occur.
Innovation Solution
A common gateway platform system with adapters, brokers, and applications that use a universal protocol to facilitate data acquisition from industrial automation environments, allowing applications to request data without direct connection to storage and enabling protocol independence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications directly connect to multiple data storage locations and protocols to acquire industrial automation data, then data acquisition capability is improved, but system complexity and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a broker as an intermediary component that sits between applications and multiple data storage locations. The broker handles protocol translation and data routing, allowing applications to acquire data from multiple sources without directly implementing knowledge of each storage location's protocol. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high adaptability while reducing application complexity through the mediating broker layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The broker is designed as a universal component that can handle multiple data storage protocols and formats through a single interface. Rather than requiring separate connection logic for each data source, the broker provides multi-functional capability to access diverse industrial automation data sources, thereby improving adaptability without increasing system complexity.
2Reliability
If applications are modified to track protocol or location changes in data storages, then data acquisition accuracy is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The broker acts as an intermediary that absorbs the complexity of tracking protocol and location changes. When data storage locations or protocols change, only the broker needs to be updated, not the applications. This maintains data acquisition accuracy while significantly improving ease of operation, as applications remain unchanged despite underlying data source modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The broker implements self-service functionality by automatically discovering and adapting to changes in data storage locations and protocols. Rather than requiring manual updates to applications, the broker autonomously manages connections to multiple data sources, maintaining reliability while eliminating the operational burden of tracking changes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If applications implement knowledge of every data storage protocol to acquire data, then protocol compatibility is improved, but adaptability to new protocols deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The broker serves as a protocol intermediary that translates between various data storage protocols and a unified application interface. Applications only need to know the broker's standard interface, not the specifics of each data storage protocol. This maintains broad protocol compatibility while keeping applications simple, as the broker handles protocol-specific complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The broker is designed with universal protocol support, enabling it to handle multiple data storage formats through a single component. Rather than requiring applications to implement knowledge of every protocol, the broker provides multi-functional protocol translation capabilities, maintaining compatibility while reducing application complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and software disclosed herein relate to a common gateway platform system. In an implementation, program instructions direct a computing system to execute a common gateway platform environment comprising an adapter comprising an adapter name identification, a broker connected to the adapter, and an application connected to the adapter. The application also generates an action configured according to a common gateway platform protocol, transmit the action to the broker, and receive a reaction from the broker. The broker is configured to identify the adapter based on the adapter identifier and transmit the action to the adapter. The broker also receives the reaction from the adapter and transmit the reaction to the application. The adapter is configured to acquire the data from the industrial automation environment based on an adapter instruction in the action, generate the reaction comprising the acquired data, and transmit the reaction to the broker.