Remote Line Integration via Virtual Private Network
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Integrating new industrial assets into existing production lines is cumbersome and time-consuming, as machines are typically developed and tested independently and not connected to other machines on the plant network until physically installed, requiring extensive startup and commissioning processes for data exchange and control instruction responses.
Innovation Solution
A computing system provides a virtual private network (VPN) service to establish secure connections between remote industrial assets, allowing them to interact as if directly connected over a local network, enabling remote setup, configuration, and line integration testing before deployment, thereby reducing the time and effort required for physical installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If machines are developed and tested independently at isolated sites, then machine development and testing can be completed separately, but integration time and commissioning effort increase significantly when physically installed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes VPN connections and network configurations in advance before physical machine installation. This preliminary network setup allows integration testing to be performed remotely before the machines are physically co-located, eliminating the need to wait until physical installation to begin integration verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a VPN service as an intermediary that creates a virtual network environment, allowing machines at isolated sites to communicate as if they were on the same local network. This intermediary enables remote integration testing without requiring physical proximity between machines.
2Reliability
If extensive startup and commissioning processes are performed after physical installation, then proper data exchange and control instruction responses can be verified, but production line deployment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs startup and commissioning verification activities in advance through remote VPN connections. Data exchange protocols, control instruction responses, and integration functionality are tested before physical installation, so that when machines are deployed, minimal commissioning is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the production network environment using VPN connections, allowing integration testing to be performed in this virtual environment before physical deployment. This copying enables verification of all data exchange and control functions remotely.
3Ease of operation
If VPN services are used to connect remote industrial assets, then remote setup and integration testing become possible, but network configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal VPN service infrastructure that can connect multiple different industrial assets and machines through a standardized interface. This multi-functional VPN system handles various communication protocols and machine types through a single unified network service, reducing overall configuration complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques to facilitate communication between remote industrial assets are disclosed herein. In at least one implementation, a computing system provides a virtual private network (VPN) service for an industrial automation network of an industrial automation enterprise. The computing system communicates with a first gateway system to establish a first connection between a first industrial asset and the VPN service for the industrial automation network. The computing system also communicates with a second gateway system to establish a second connection between a second industrial asset and the VPN service for the industrial automation network, wherein the second industrial asset is located at a disparate location than the first industrial asset. Bi-directional communications are routed between the first industrial asset and the second industrial asset to enable interactions between the first industrial asset and the second industrial asset as if they were directly connected over a same local communication network.