Wireless Automation Performance Inspection for Latency Failure Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automation systems face challenges in handling the performance issues of wireless communication networks, particularly in latency and reliability, which are crucial for effective communication between automation functions and equipment environments.

Innovation Solution

An automation system and method that includes performance inspecting functions to monitor and handle failures in wireless communication networks by inspecting latency and reliability, and performing failure handling activities when performance criteria are not met, using hardware assigning units to reassign resources and ensuring deterministic communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If wireless communication network is used for automation control, then automation function can be placed in cloud or edge node, but latency and reliability problems occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation function deployment flexibilityVSAvoidwireless communication reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by inspecting wireless communication performance before automation control tasks are affected. The performance inspecting function continuously monitors latency and reliability metrics in advance, allowing the system to detect potential issues before they disrupt automation operations, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving deployment flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where performance inspection results are fed back to trigger failure handling activities. When latency or reliability thresholds are exceeded, the system responds by executing predefined failure handling routines, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains reliable operation despite using wireless communication for flexible deployment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If wireless communication network is used for automation control, then automation function can be placed in cloud or edge node, but latency issues occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation function deployment flexibilityVSAvoidcommunication latency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary performance inspection to detect latency issues before they affect automation control timing. By continuously monitoring communication latency in advance and comparing it against thresholds, the system can identify timing problems early and trigger appropriate failure handling activities, preserving both deployment flexibility and timing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by implementing performance inspection and failure handling mechanisms that counteract latency effects before they disrupt automation control. When latency exceeds acceptable levels, the system proactively executes failure handling activities to prevent timing-critical automation tasks from being affected, thus neutralizing the harmful time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Reliability

If performance inspection is implemented in automation function environment, then wireless communication performance can be monitored, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewireless communication performance monitoringVSAvoidautomation system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary performance inspecting function that acts as a mediator between the automation control function and the wireless communication infrastructure. This dedicated inspection component monitors communication performance without requiring changes to the core automation logic, thereby improving reliability while adding minimal complexity through a specialized monitoring layer rather than complicating the entire system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250358172A1Automation System and Method for Investigating, In the Automation System, The Performance of a Wireless Communication Network
Publication Date: 2025.11.20 ABB (SCHWEIZ) AG
  • US20250358172A1 patent drawing
  • US20250358172A1 patent drawing
  • US20250358172A1 patent drawing

AI summary

An automation system having an automation function environment including at least one automation function, a first performance inspecting function as well as a hardware assigning function and hardware for the at least one automation function and the first performance inspecting function, where a first automation function controls an automation device in a first automation equipment environment via a wireless communication network using hardware in the automation function environment that has been assigned to the first automation function by the hardware assigning function and the first performance inspecting function inspects the performance of the wireless communication network and performs a first performance failure handling activity in the automation function environment if the performance fails a corresponding performance criterion.