OPC UA Server Digital Twin for Offline Field Device Configuration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to configure field devices with embedded OPC UA servers when they are offline, hindering effective configuration and management.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to create a digital twin of the OPC UA server, storing its parameters in a separate storage medium, enabling configuration of field devices even when the server is offline by using the stored parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the OPC UA server is used for configuring the field device, then the configuration can be performed with real-time data access, but the configuration cannot be performed when the server is offline
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital twin (copy) of the OPC UA server that contains all necessary configuration parameters and data structures. This digital twin can be accessed and used for configuration purposes even when the original OPC UA server is offline, thereby maintaining configuration availability while eliminating the dependency on the original server being online.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-generating and storing the digital twin of the OPC UA server before the actual configuration is needed. This digital twin is prepared in advance with all necessary parameters, allowing configuration work to proceed without requiring the original server to be online at the moment of configuration.
2Measurement precision
If the OPC UA server is required to be online for configuration, then data accuracy is ensured, but system productivity decreases due to connection dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
By creating a digital twin that replicates the OPC UA server's data structure and parameters, the system maintains data accuracy while enabling offline configuration operations. The digital twin preserves the integrity of parameter data without requiring continuous connection to the original server, thus improving configuration efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The digital twin acts as an intermediary between the configuration tool and the original OPC UA server. It mediates configuration operations by providing access to necessary data without requiring direct connection to the original server, thereby maintaining data accuracy while eliminating connection dependencies that reduce productivity.
3Ease of operation
If a digital twin of the OPC UA server is created and stored separately, then offline configuration is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The digital twin is created as a structured copy of the OPC UA server's data model, organizing parameters and configuration data in a manageable format. This structured approach to copying enables offline configuration while maintaining reasonable complexity through systematic data organization rather than arbitrary duplication.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of configuring a field device includes identifying an original Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) server provided for a field device of the same type; creating a data set of values of parameters of the original OPC UA server; storing the created data set of the values of parameters of the original OPC UA server in a storage medium separate to the original OPC UA server; and generating a configuration for the field device comprising utilizing the created data set of the values of parameters of the original OPC UA server in the storage medium separate to the original OPC UA server.