IIoT Edge Virtualization for Cloud-Agnostic Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems face challenges in scaling and deployment due to the need for custom operating system images and difficulty in complying with client data residency requirements, which diverts resources from value-adding features and limits their adaptability to hardware improvements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing virtualization at the edge using hypervisors to create hardware portable edge devices that support heterogeneous workflows, eliminating the need for custom OS images and enabling compatibility with various IIoT clouds through standardized communication protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom operating system images are used for each hardware device, then device compatibility and control are improved, but system complexity and resource expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal hypervisor-based virtualization layer that can run multiple custom operating system images simultaneously on different hardware devices. This allows a single standardized IIoT platform to adapt to various hardware configurations without requiring separate customizations for each device, thereby maintaining device compatibility while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hypervisor as an intermediary layer between the hardware and the operating system images. This mediator abstracts the hardware-specific details, allowing custom OS images to run on diverse hardware platforms without direct hardware customization, thus improving adaptability while managing complexity.
2Reliability
If IIoT systems are tailored to particular hardware devices or cloud providers, then device performance and integration are improved, but scalability and deployment flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal virtualized platform that can deploy standardized IIoT solutions across multiple hardware devices and cloud providers. The hypervisor enables the same virtualized OS image to run on different hardware configurations and cloud infrastructures, ensuring reliable device integration while maintaining scalability and deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the IIoT system into virtualized components that can be independently deployed and managed. By dividing the system into virtual machines or containers running on a standardized hypervisor, each component can be optimized for specific hardware while the overall system remains scalable and adaptable to different deployment environments.
3Adaptability or versatility
If resources are expended to tailor IIoT systems to specific hardware, then customization and control are improved, but productivity and time-to-deployment worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares standardized virtualized operating system images in advance that are pre-configured and optimized for IIoT deployments. These pre-prepared images can be rapidly deployed to multiple hardware devices without requiring on-site customization, thereby maintaining adaptability through virtualization while significantly improving productivity and reducing time-to-deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying of standardized virtualized OS images to multiple hardware devices instead of customizing each device individually. The hypervisor enables the same virtualized image to be copied and executed on different hardware platforms, preserving customization capabilities through virtualization while dramatically accelerating deployment speed and resource efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) edge device includes a memory configured to store first executable code. The IIoT edge device also includes a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the first executable code to implement a hypervisor in the IIOT edge device in place of an Operating System (OS) image, virtualize the memory of the IIOT edge device to generate a virtualized memory, and virtualize the processor of the IIoT edge device to generate a virtualized processor. The virtualized processor is configured to execute second executable code to implement a communication protocol in the IIoT edge device to agnostically communicate with an IoT cloud.