Gateway Data Model Adaptation for External Platform Integration

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial automation systems face challenges in efficiently communicating data between components due to the lack of context provided with the data, leading to unstructured and unorganized data transmission, which hinders effective analysis and synthesis.

Innovation Solution

A computing device within the industrial automation system determines the data structure of incoming datasets and matches it with the structure of external components, converting the data to ensure contextualization and structured transmission, using data models and SmartTags to maintain relationships between datasets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If data is transmitted without context from industrial automation components, then transmission simplicity is maintained, but data usability and analysis effectiveness deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission simplicityVSAvoiddata context
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an information gateway as an intermediary component between industrial automation components and external systems. This gateway enriches raw data with contextual information (metadata, data models, relationships) before transmission, resolving the contradiction by maintaining transmission simplicity while preventing data context loss through the mediator's data enrichment capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If data structures are standardized across all components, then data organization is improved, but system adaptability to different external platforms deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata structure organizationVSAvoidplatform compatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic data structure adaptation where the information gateway detects the data structure requirements of external platforms and automatically adapts the standardized internal data structures to match external requirements. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining stable internal organization while providing dynamic adaptability to different external platforms through automated structure transformation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes data structure parameters (format, schema, organization) based on the target external platform's requirements. The information gateway transforms standardized internal data into platform-specific formats, resolving the contradiction between maintaining stable internal organization and adapting to varying external platform requirements through parameter transformation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If data conversion and contextualization are performed, then data quality and analysis capability are improved, but processing complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata qualityVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining data models, relationships, and contextual information structures within the information gateway before data transmission occurs. This resolves the contradiction by performing data enrichment and contextualization in advance, improving data quality while reducing real-time processing complexity through pre-prepared data frameworks

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The information gateway performs automated self-service data contextualization by automatically detecting external platform requirements, selecting appropriate data models, and transforming data structures without manual intervention. This resolves the contradiction by improving data quality through automated enrichment while minimizing processing complexity through self-service capabilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3907611B1Adapting data models for data communication to external platforms
Publication Date: 2024.11.20 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH INC
  • EP3907611B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3907611B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3907611B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An adapter of a common gateway platform associated with an industrial automation system is described for communicating data acquired from various devices using a data model of the common gateway platform with external components using various data models. The computing device may determine a relationship between datasets of the native data model and datasets of an external component based on obtaining an application programming interface (API) and/or software development kit (SDK) of the external component. Accordingly, the adapter may enable the common gateway platform to interact with the external component by providing functionalities of the external component as native functions of the computing device. That is, the adapter may provide functions to connect, create, read, write, update, delete, run commands and queries, and disconnect from the external component using native commands and actions of the common gateway platform.