Manufacturing Service Bus Bridge for Domain Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems between enterprise software applications and manufacturing controllers in industrial automation systems are unpredictable, fault-intolerant, and not performance scalable, struggling with overhead burdens and application coupling, and face challenges in message processing distribution and diagnostic complexity.
Innovation Solution
A communication system employing a manufacturing service bus with internal service busses and a bridge, utilizing a predefined messaging framework with standard instructions and service-oriented architecture, enabling reliable and scalable message exchange between modules across different domains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If customized code is used to enable communication between enterprise software applications and manufacturing controllers, then communication between different domains is enabled, but the system becomes unpredictable and fault intolerant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that mediates communication between enterprise software applications and manufacturing controllers. The gateway translates messages between different protocols and domains, providing a standardized interface that eliminates the need for customized code while ensuring reliable and predictable communication. This intermediary layer handles protocol conversion, message routing, and error management, thereby improving system reliability without sacrificing adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the communication parameters by implementing a standardized message format and protocol that replaces customized communication code. By defining standard message structures, transmission protocols, and error handling mechanisms, the system achieves predictable behavior and fault tolerance while maintaining the ability to communicate across different domains through parameterized message templates.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple messaging protocols are used to support different applications and controllers, then communication versatility is improved, but system complexity and diagnostic difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a protocol intermediary that supports multiple messaging protocols on both the enterprise software side and the controller side. Instead of requiring each application and controller to directly support multiple protocols, the gateway handles protocol conversion, allowing each component to use its native protocol while maintaining overall system versatility. This significantly reduces configuration complexity and simplifies diagnostics.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway is designed as a universal communication component that can handle multiple messaging protocols simultaneously. It provides multi-functional capability to translate between enterprise messaging protocols and industrial controller protocols, eliminating the need for separate communication channels for each protocol type. This universal approach reduces system complexity while maintaining broad protocol support.
3Adaptability or versatility
If customized communication code is implemented for each application-controller pair, then specific communication requirements are met, but overhead burden and application coupling increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway eliminates the need for customized communication code at the application and controller levels by providing centralized protocol translation. Instead of each application-controller pair requiring custom code, the gateway handles all protocol conversions in one location, significantly reducing memory footprint and CPU cycle overhead. The standardized message formats and translation routines in the gateway replace numerous custom code implementations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses template-based message structures and standardized communication patterns that can be copied and reused across different application-controller interactions. Instead of creating custom communication code for each pair, standardized message templates and translation rules are replicated and applied universally, reducing development overhead and resource consumption while maintaining communication flexibility.
4Productivity
If message processing load is concentrated in specific system parts, then processing efficiency is improved, but system scalability and fault tolerance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the message processing function into multiple distributed components: the gateway handles protocol translation, while message routing and processing are distributed across the enterprise software and controller domains. This segmentation allows message processing load to be distributed rather than concentrated, improving both scalability and fault tolerance. Each segment can operate independently, and failure in one segment does not necessarily cause system-wide failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional layer in the communication architecture by inserting the gateway as an intermediate processing layer between enterprise software and controllers. This additional dimension allows message processing to be distributed across multiple layers and domains, preventing load concentration in a single location while maintaining processing efficiency through specialized handling at each layer.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved industrial automation system and communication system for implementation therein, and related methods of operation, are described herein. In at least some embodiments, the improved communication system allows communication in the form of messages between modules in different control or enterprise domains. Further, in at least some embodiments, such communications are achieved by providing a communication system including a manufacturing service bus having two internal service busses with a bridge between the internal busses. Also, in at least some embodiments, a methodology of synchronous messaging is employed.