WoT Asset Descriptions for Cross-Protocol IIoT Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial devices often communicate using proprietary protocols, limiting interoperability, accessibility, and security, and existing IoT paradigms rely on centralized cloud services, leading to latency and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
Utilize the Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description to enable direct communication and interaction between IoT devices, applications, and services, employing AI/ML engines to map protocol-specific device descriptions to WoT Thing Descriptions, facilitating interoperability and connectivity through web technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary protocols are used for device communication, then device-specific functionality is optimized, but interoperability and accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a protocol translation layer that acts as an intermediary between proprietary device protocols and standardized web protocols (HTTP, WebSockets). This translator converts device-specific communication formats into universal web-compatible formats, enabling interoperability without sacrificing device functionality. The translation layer mediates between the specialized needs of individual devices and the general requirements of web-based communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes communication parameters by detecting the device's native protocol and automatically adapting the communication format. When a device connects, the system identifies its protocol type (Modbus, HART, PROFIBUS, etc.) and transforms the communication parameters to match web standards, thereby maintaining device-specific optimization while achieving universal interoperability.
2Ease of operation
If centralized cloud services are used for IoT connectivity, then device management is simplified, but latency and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized cloud management architecture into distributed edge computing nodes. Instead of routing all device communications through a central cloud server, the system distributes intelligence to edge devices and local gateways. This segmentation allows devices to communicate directly with each other and with local control systems, reducing latency while maintaining simplified management through hierarchical oversight.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimensional layer to the architecture by implementing Web of Things (WoT) descriptions that enable direct peer-to-peer web-based communication. This creates a parallel communication dimension that bypasses the traditional centralized cloud path, allowing devices to interact directly through standardized web protocols while the cloud provides high-level management and coordination.
3Ease of manufacture
If device description languages are vendor-specific, then vendor device integration is optimized, but compatibility with other vendors' devices deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal WoT Thing Description framework that can represent devices from any vendor using a common schema. The system maintains multi-functionality by supporting both vendor-specific device description languages and the universal WoT format simultaneously. Devices can be described in their native vendor format while automatically generating equivalent WoT descriptions, enabling cross-vendor compatibility without losing vendor-specific optimization.
Data Source
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AI summary
System and method of interoperability for managing assets of an industrial process. An artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) engine receives a protocol-specific device description associated with each of the assets, maps the protocol-specific device description associated with each of the assets to a corresponding Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description, and generates code enabling Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity of the asset to a control system and/or to other assets of the industrial process via the Web.