Proxy-Based Application Commissioning for Live Automation Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial automation systems face challenges in accessing and integrating external data into the local process image, particularly for 'brownfield' and 'legacy' applications, which hinders the testing of updated versions and requires manual configuration, leading to difficulties in parallel operation with live data and separate test systems.
Innovation Solution
A proxy service integrates sensor data from the industrial automation system into a separate test system's process image, allowing external data to be accessed uniformly, and transfers actuator values from the test application to the productive system, enabling seamless transition without altering the application or reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications access external data through different interfaces (OPC UA for external data, direct access for local process image), then data access is possible, but application complexity and configuration effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy service as an intermediary component that sits between the test application and the production process image. This proxy service receives requests from the test application and forwards them to the appropriate production system components, enabling uniform access to both local and external data through a single interface without requiring application-specific configuration changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The proxy service is designed to handle multiple functions through a single uniform interface: it can access local process image data, retrieve external data from other control units, and forward requests to test systems. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for different access methods and reduces configuration complexity while maintaining versatile data access capabilities.
2Productivity
If test applications run in parallel with production applications, then testing can be performed with live data, but data access and synchronization become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy service acts as a mediator between the parallel-running test application and production application, managing data access and synchronization automatically. It handles the complexity of coordinating data flows between the two applications, allowing them to run simultaneously without direct interference while maintaining data consistency through centralized management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the production process image accessible to the test application through the proxy service. This allows the test application to operate with live production data in parallel without modifying the actual production system, enabling efficient testing while maintaining system integrity and simplifying data synchronization through the proxy layer.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual data linking is performed during engineering phase, then data exchange between applications is possible, but updates and commissioning time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy service implements self-service functionality by automatically discovering and establishing data connections between applications. Instead of requiring manual configuration of data exchange paths during the engineering phase, the proxy service autonomously manages the data linking process, reducing commissioning time while maintaining versatile data exchange capabilities through automated connection establishment and management.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and arrangement for commissioning an updated application (app2n) for an industrial automation system. For this purpose, a first, existing application (app2) on a first controller (ES) and the updated application (app2n) on a test setup (TE) are operated in parallel. Local software, in particular a so-called proxy service (proxy), writes the sensor data acquired in an industrial automation system and present in the process image of the first controller (ES) into the process image of the separate test setup (TE). Memory cells (e.g., I/O values, variables, or registers) that do not yet belong to the local process image of the test setup (TE) are created or allocated there.Thus, the "external" data and values of the production system (first controller ES) are available in the local process image of the test setup (TE) without requiring any changes to either the production or the application under test version (app2, app2n). The output values of the updated application (app2n) are checked; if successful, the updated application (app2n) is released for operation.