Industrial Information Hub for Digital Twin Automation Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in development and testing due to complexity and custom nature, leading to long development cycles, cost overruns, and difficulty in managing proprietary intellectual property and protecting against cyber-attacks, with current virtualization and simulation capabilities being inadequate.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based Industrial Development Hub (IDH) provides enhanced storage and design tools, facilitating easy discovery, management, and testing of industrial automation projects, including backup, restore, code conversion, and version management, using a digital twin approach with asset models and simulation capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If industrial automation systems are developed and tested using traditional methods, then development and testing can be performed, but the complexity and custom nature lead to long development cycles and cost overruns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies (digital twins) of industrial automation systems, devices, and processes that can be used for development and testing in a virtual environment. These digital twins replicate the behavior and characteristics of physical systems, enabling developers to test and validate automation logic without requiring actual hardware, thereby reducing development cycle time while managing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtualization layer that acts as an intermediary between the physical industrial automation systems and the development/testing environment. This intermediary layer provides standardized interfaces and abstraction, allowing developers to work with virtual representations rather than dealing directly with complex physical systems, thus reducing development time and costs
2Reliability
If proprietary intellectual property is protected in industrial automation systems, then security is improved, but access and collaboration become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts proprietary intellectual property and sensitive data from the virtualized system representations. By removing or masking sensitive information while maintaining the functional behavior of systems in the digital twin, the patent enables collaboration and access without compromising security or exposing proprietary data
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different levels of data protection and access control to different parts of the virtualized system. Sensitive proprietary information is protected while non-sensitive functional data is made accessible for collaboration, allowing selective access based on local quality requirements
3Adaptability or versatility
If current virtualization and simulation capabilities are used, then some testing can be performed, but the capabilities are inadequate for complex industrial automation systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple virtualization and simulation capabilities into a unified digital twin platform that can handle complex industrial automation systems. By combining device-level virtualization, process simulation, and system-level modeling in a single integrated environment, the patent provides comprehensive testing capabilities that can accommodate system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial information hub (IDH) serves as a single industrial ecosystem platform where multiple participants can deliver repeatable and standardized services relevant to their core competencies. The IIH system is centered around the development of an ecosystem that creates and delivers value to users—including industrial enterprises, OEMs, system integrators, vendors, etc.—through the aggregation of digital content and domain expertise. The IIH system serves as a trusted information broker between the ecosystem and the OT environments of plant facilities, and provides a platform for connecting assets, contextualizing asset data and providing secure access to the ecosystem. Additionally, the IIH system provides tools and support to OEMs and other subject matter experts, allowing those experts to enable their digital assets for use in the ecosystem. The IIH system reduces the cost and risks for digital transformation of industrial assets.