Industrial Automation Application Commissioning With Proxy Process Images
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial automation systems face challenges in accessing external process images, requiring manual intervention and separate simulation/simulation operations, making it difficult to test updated applications in parallel with existing versions and compare their behavior directly.
Innovation Solution
A proxy service writes sensor data from the process image of a productive system to a test system, allowing the updated application to access these data without changing the production version, and a monitoring device tests the output values for compliance with predefined criteria before allowing productive operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual data access methods are used for external process images, then applications can access external data, but the complexity of application configuration and deployment increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy service as an intermediary component that mediates between the application and the external process image. The proxy service handles all complex data access operations, including automatic configuration, data translation, and communication protocols. Applications simply request data through the proxy service's standardized interface, and the proxy service automatically manages the complexity of accessing external process images, eliminating the need for manual configuration while maintaining full adaptability.
2Reliability
If separate simulation and productive operations are maintained, then application testing is possible, but the time and resources required for commissioning increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges simulation and productive operations into a unified system by enabling the proxy service to simultaneously support both modes. The same infrastructure and data access mechanisms are used for both testing and production, allowing applications to be tested with real process data in near-real-time conditions. This eliminates the need for separate simulation environments and reduces commissioning time while maintaining reliability through continuous validation against actual process images.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing applications are modified to access external process images, then data access is enabled, but the risk of introducing errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data access functionality into a separate proxy service layer, isolating the complex external access logic from the core application code. This segmentation allows existing applications to remain unchanged and stable while the proxy service handles all external process image access operations. The proxy service can be independently configured, tested, and updated without affecting application stability, while still providing the required adaptability for accessing external data.
4Productivity
If parallel testing of application versions is implemented without standardized interfaces, then version comparison is possible, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal standardized interface through the proxy service that can be used by multiple application versions simultaneously. The proxy service provides a common data access contract that works with different application versions, allowing parallel testing without requiring separate interface configurations for each version. This universal interface reduces complexity by providing a single standardized method for all applications to access process images, while enabling efficient version comparison and productivity improvements.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and arrangement for commissioning an updated application for an industrial automation arrangement, wherein a first, existing application on a first controller and the updated application on a test device are executed in parallel, where local software (in particular a proxy service (proxy)) writes sensor data to the process image of a separate test device, where memory cells (e.g., I/O values, variables or registers) not yet belonging to the local process image of the test device are applied or allocated there, such that the “external” data and values of the productive system (first controller) are available in the local process image of the test device, without needing to change the production version of the application or the version of the application to be tested, and where the output values of the updated application are tested; if successful, the updated application is cleared for operation.