Interoperability Platform for Heterogeneous System Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The lack of interoperability between heterogeneous connected systems in industrial environments hinders optimal operation, leading to additional costs, delays, and complexity in integrating systems from different vendors, and the challenge of developing a digital twin that effectively collaborates with physical systems in real time.
Innovation Solution
An interoperability platform with an orchestrator, computer driver container, internal and external communication interfaces, and a simulation module that adapts to various communication protocols, enabling seamless integration and real-time simulation of connected systems and digital services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If proprietary interfaces are used for each connected system, then each system can operate independently with its own protocol, but interoperability between heterogeneous systems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interoperability platform as an intermediary layer between heterogeneous connected systems. This platform includes protocol adapters that translate between different proprietary communication protocols and a standardized internal protocol, enabling systems to maintain their independence while achieving seamless interoperability through the mediating platform
Solution Approach 2:
The interoperability platform is designed with universal functionality to support multiple communication protocols and system types simultaneously. The platform can adapt to various proprietary interfaces while providing a unified access point, making it versatile enough to handle diverse connected systems without requiring each system to change its native protocol
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple proprietary interfaces are integrated, then comprehensive system coverage is achieved, but integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the integration complexity by separating protocol-specific translation functions into independent adapter modules within the interoperability platform. Each adapter handles a specific proprietary protocol, allowing the system to cover multiple interfaces while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The interoperability platform acts as a central intermediary that manages all protocol translations, preventing complexity from propagating throughout the entire system. By concentrating integration logic in the platform rather than distributing it across all connected systems, the overall system complexity is reduced while maintaining comprehensive coverage
3Productivity
If digital twin is developed to simulate physical systems, then predictive maintenance and optimization are enabled, but real-time collaboration between physical system and digital twin deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback loops between the physical connected systems and their digital twins through the interoperability platform. Real-time data from physical systems is continuously transmitted to update digital twins, and control commands from digital twins are fed back to physical systems, maintaining synchronous collaboration while enabling predictive maintenance capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The digital twin enables preliminary analysis and optimization of system behavior before implementing changes in the physical system. By simulating maintenance scenarios and optimization strategies in the digital twin first, the system can prepare maintenance schedules and optimization parameters in advance, reducing actual downtime when changes are implemented in the physical system
Data Source
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AI summary
Interoperability platform (100, 100a) for scheduling and simulating tasks of connected systems (200) as well as digital services (300), said platform comprising an orchestrator (10), a computer driver container (11), an internal communication interface (12), an external communication interface (13), a human-machine interface (14), a database (15) connected to the orchestrator (10), the internal communication interface (12) being used to bidirectionally transfer task orders to be performed between the orchestrator (10) and the container (11), the external communication interface (13) being used to bidirectionally transfer data between the container (11) and the human-machine interface (14) and/or an external application (44), the orchestrator (10) comprising an administrator module (101) for managing access and rights, a monitoring module (102) event logs,a scheduling module (103), the scheduling module (103) comprising a plurality of business libraries (1031, 1032, 1033); the container (11) comprising at least one computer driver (112a-c, 113a-c) for communicating tasks and retrieving data from a single connected system (200) or a single digital service (300), the container (11) comprising as many computer drivers as there are connected systems (200) and digital services (300) to be controlled; the interoperability platform (100, 100a) further comprising a simulation module (18) for the connected systems (200) and the digital services (300).,