Modular Object Model for Multi-Vendor Industrial Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges due to limited interoperability and consistency between components from different vendors, leading to user dissatisfaction and increased engineering costs, as well as difficulties in providing integrated information across diverse components and vendors.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a processor and memory that populates a library with modular objects and metadata, allowing for the search, identification, and integration of objects to create workflows and expose functionalities, facilitating the design, management, and use of objects across industrial applications regardless of vendor compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If components from multiple vendors are integrated into industrial automation systems, then system functionality and versatility are improved, but interoperability and consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal object model that can represent components from different vendors through a common interface. The object model includes standardized properties, methods, and events that allow diverse components to be integrated into a unified automation system, enabling multi-vendor interoperability while maintaining system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms component information into a standardized parameter format within the object model. By converting vendor-specific component attributes into universal parameters and properties, the system can represent and manipulate components from different vendors consistently, resolving interoperability issues while preserving versatility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If components from different vendors are integrated, then system versatility is improved, but engineering costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The universal object model serves as a common framework for representing components from any vendor, eliminating the need for vendor-specific integration work. This standardized approach reduces engineering costs by providing a consistent method for integrating diverse components while maintaining system versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates abstract object representations that copy essential characteristics of physical components into a standardized digital model. This allows engineers to work with unified object representations rather than vendor-specific implementations, reducing integration complexity and engineering costs while supporting multi-vendor versatility.
3Reliability
If a unified object model is implemented across multiple vendors, then interoperability is improved, but vendor independence deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the object model into two distinct layers: a standardized universal interface layer that ensures interoperability, and a vendor-specific implementation layer that preserves vendor independence. This segmentation allows components to communicate through a common interface while maintaining their unique vendor characteristics and capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where vendor-specific component implementations are encapsulated within the universal object model framework. The universal model contains references to vendor-specific implementations, allowing the system to maintain standardized interoperability while preserving access to vendor-specific features and capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Content management includes populating a library with modular objects and metadata associated with the modular objects. In response to a query, the library can be searched based in part on the metadata. The query can relate to implementation of an industrial process. One or more modular objects in the library can be identified as satisfying the query. A result of the query can be output and the output can include the identified modular objects and the respective metadata associated with the identified modular objects. The metadata can be anything known about the object that might not be accessible at runtime control.