Industrial IDE Telemetry for Automation Design Guidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial automation systems face inefficiencies due to the need for separate configuration tools for different aspects of automation, leading to a piecemeal design approach that requires significant testing and debugging to ensure proper integration.

Innovation Solution

An integrated development environment (IDE) that provides a common platform for designing, programming, and configuring multiple aspects of an industrial automation system, including control, visualization, and device configuration, using a user interface component, project generation component, project telemetry component, and project analysis component to generate system project data, telemetry data, and recommendations for modification.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If separate configuration tools are used for different aspects of automation, then each tool can be specialized and optimized, but the overall system integration becomes complex and requires significant testing and debugging

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveSpecialization of configuration toolsVSAvoidSystem integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate configuration tools into a single integrated development environment that can handle control programming, device configuration, and visualization development simultaneously. This integration eliminates the need for multiple separate tools and reduces system integration complexity while maintaining specialized functionality through modular architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The IDE is designed as a universal platform that performs multiple functions including control code development, device configuration, visualization creation, and system debugging. This multi-functional approach allows a single tool to replace several specialized tools while maintaining the ability to perform each function effectively.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If multiple separate tools are used for automation configuration, then each tool can focus on specific tasks, but the development time increases due to extensive testing and debugging required for integration

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveTask-specific optimizationVSAvoidDevelopment and debugging time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By combining multiple configuration capabilities into one IDE, the patent eliminates the time-consuming process of integrating separate tools. The unified environment allows developers to work on control code, device configuration, and visualizations simultaneously without needing to perform extensive integration testing and debugging between separate tools.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The IDE incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms that monitor system state and provide immediate validation of configurations and code. This feedback system detects integration issues during development rather than during separate testing phases, significantly reducing the time required for debugging and validation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If traditional separate-tool approaches are used, then each tool can be independently developed and maintained, but system performance optimization becomes difficult due to lack of holistic view

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveIndependent tool developmentVSAvoidSystem performance optimization
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The IDE serves as a universal development platform that provides a holistic view of the entire automation system. This unified perspective enables comprehensive performance optimization by allowing developers to see how control code, device configurations, and visualizations interact, facilitating system-wide optimizations that would be difficult to achieve with separate tools.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates telemetry collection and analysis capabilities that provide real-time feedback on system performance. This feedback mechanism monitors resource utilization, device performance, and system efficiency, enabling continuous optimization of the entire system rather than individual components in isolation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4155903A1Industrial automation project design telemetry
Publication Date: 2023.03.29 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH INC
  • EP4155903A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4155903A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4155903A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) includes analytic features that generate control project telemetry data based on analysis of a control system design and uses this project telemetry data as the basis for control system design guidance and recommendations. The IDE system can analyze the control system design and identify industrial devices use by the control project, device features that are utilized by the control project, resource utilizations, and other such project telemetry. The IDE system can generate recommendations for improving the control system design based on this project telemetry. The project telemetry data can also be provided to product vendors, offering insights into how the vendors' products are being used by end customers.