OPC UA Gateway Mapping for Legacy Data-Driven Controllers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data-driven controllers and control systems in industrial settings face challenges in communicating effectively with modern OPC UA systems and devices, as they have long service lives and it is not economically viable to replace them solely to adopt OPC UA compatibility.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of gateway devices that translate OPC UA client calls into control variable accesses, allowing existing data-driven controllers to communicate with OPC UA systems and devices by mapping OPC UA methods to control variables and values, enabling seamless interaction without modifying the existing control systems or devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing data-driven controllers are replaced with new OPC UA-compatible controllers, then communication compatibility with modern OPC UA systems is improved, but investment costs increase and existing functional knowledge is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary component that sits between the existing data-driven controller and the OPC UA system. This gateway translates OPC UA method calls into control variable accesses that the legacy controller understands, enabling communication compatibility without replacing the original controller. The gateway acts as a mediator that bridges the protocol gap while preserving the investment in existing control hardware.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing data-driven controllers are replaced with new OPC UA-compatible controllers, then communication compatibility with modern OPC UA systems is improved, but functional knowledge and expertise accumulated over years are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device preserves the existing controller that contains years of functional knowledge and control logic. By introducing the gateway as an intermediary layer rather than replacing the controller, the system maintains the proven functional expertise embedded in the legacy controller while adding OPC UA compatibility through the gateway's translation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the communication functionality into separate components: the existing controller retains its data-driven control logic, while the gateway handles OPC UA protocol translation. This segmentation allows the functional knowledge in the controller to be preserved independently while adding new communication capabilities through the gateway component.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing data-driven controllers are modified to support OPC UA, then communication compatibility is improved, but system complexity and modification costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than modifying the existing controller to support OPC UA directly, the patent introduces an external gateway as an intermediary. This approach avoids increasing the complexity of the original controller system while achieving OPC UA compatibility. The gateway handles all protocol translation externally, keeping the modification scope limited and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device serves multiple functions: it translates OPC UA method calls to control variable accesses, handles protocol conversion, and maintains communication with both the legacy controller and OPC UA systems. This multi-functional gateway approach avoids the need to modify the existing controller's core functionality, thereby limiting complexity increases.
Data Source
AI summary
A first gateway device for connecting an OPC UA client to a data-driven controller and/or control system includes a first interface implementing an OPC UA server and is configured to receive, from the OPC UA client, at least one call to invoke an OPC UA method on an OPC UA object, and a second interface that sends a request to write at least one value to at least one control variable of the data-driven controller and/or control system, and first translation logic therebetween. A second gateway device connects a data-driven controller and/or control system to a controlled device or subsystem of an industrial plant and includes a third interface that receives a value of a control variable, and a fourth interface that sends a call to invoke an OPC UA method on an OPC UA object, and second translation logic therebetween.