URL-Based Industrial Equipment Access Without On-Site Presence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial sensors and actuators are difficult to access, leading to increased operational costs and user dissatisfaction due to the need for physical presence at the industrial plant, which complicates interactions and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
Associating uniform resource locators (URLs) or identifiers (URIs) with industrial equipment and data objects, enabling access and control through Internet addresses, allowing machine-to-machine and user interactions via web browsers or applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors and actuators are physically deployed in industrial processes, then measurement and control functions are achieved, but access difficulty and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces URL/URI constructs as intermediaries between users and industrial equipment. Instead of directly accessing physical sensors and actuators at the plant location, users interact with web-enabled interfaces that translate URL requests into device commands, eliminating the need for physical presence while maintaining reliable control functions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical access system with an information-based web access system. Physical travel to the plant is substituted by electronic communication through web browsers and applications, where URL-based interfaces provide remote access to industrial equipment without requiring physical presence
2Ease of operation
If physical access to industrial equipment is required, then direct control is achieved, but operational costs and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
URL/URI constructs serve as mediators that enable direct control of industrial equipment through web interfaces. The intermediary translates user-friendly web requests into device-specific commands, providing direct control capability while eliminating the time loss associated with physical travel and on-site access
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the industrial equipment interface through web-enabled displays. Instead of requiring users to be physically present at the equipment, a digital representation or interface of the equipment is made accessible via URL, allowing users to interact with controls and monitor status remotely as if physically present
3Ease of operation
If uniform resource locators are linked to industrial equipment, then accessibility and user convenience improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universal URL/URI constructs that can link to any industrial equipment or data object regardless of its physical location or type. This single universal addressing mechanism replaces multiple specialized access methods, improving accessibility while the standardized protocol actually reduces overall system complexity by providing a consistent interface layer
Solution Approach 2:
The URL/URI construct acts as an intermediary layer that abstracts away the underlying system complexity. Users interact with simple web addresses rather than complex device protocols or physical access procedures, and the system handles the translation and routing automatically, shielding users from complexity while maintaining ease of access
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and approaches for interacting with industrial equipment are provided that include an interface having an input and an output, and a processor coupled to the interface. The processor is configured to link a uniform identification construct to a device and receive a request to access the uniform identification construct. The processor is further configured to translate the uniform identification construct into an internet protocol (IP) address and route the request to the device having the uniform identification construct according to the IP address via the output.