METHOD FOR ORCHESTRATING SERVICES OF A SERVICE-ORIENTED AUTOMATION SYSTEM AND ORCHESTRATION MACHINE

• US 20100292810A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Automation GmbH (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Automation GmbH (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Leitao, Paolo, Mendes, Joao Marco, Colombo, Armando Walter
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/29
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4188 characterised by CIM planning or realisation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31196 SOAP, describes available services and how to call them remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32379 Object oriented petrinets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method for orchestrating services of a service-oriented automation system (SOAS), system components (SMC, LCC) offering services (S, WS) that represent the functionality thereof and requesting services (S) of other system components (SMC, LCC), the behavior of the automation system (SOAS) being controlled by the orchestration of the services (S) of the system components (SMC, LCC) using an orchestration machine (OE), and to an orchestration machine for orchestrating services of a service-oriented automation system (SOAS). In order to achieve an orchestration of services at a device level, it is provided that the orchestration machine (OE) uses high-level Petri nets tailored to service-oriented systems and the orchestration of the services (S) at the device level is performed by interpretation and execution of various HLPN models, which represent the behavior of the automation system (SOAS) and/or the system components (SMC, LCC).

Claims

1. Method for orchestration of services (S, WS) of a service-oriented automation system (SOAS), with system components (SMC, LCC) offering services (S, WS) depicting their functionality and querying services (S, WS) of other system components, with the behavior of the automation system (SOAS) being controlled through orchestration of the services (S, WS) of the system components (SMC, LCC) by means of an orchestration machine (OE),

characterized in that

the services (S, WS) are orchestrated at the device level, in that in each services (S, WS)- offering and/or querying system component (SMC, LCC) the at least one orchestration machine (OE) is implemented, with the HLPN model depicting the behavior of the automation system (SOAS) and/or the system components (SMC, LCC) interpreted and implemented by the orchestration machine integrated in each system component (SMC, LCC) while using HLPN models tailored to service-oriented systems.

2. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the orchestration machine (OE) is integrated into a computing unit like a microcontroller of a system component like a mechatronic component (SMC) and/or logical control component (LCC) and that the HLPN model of the automation system (SOAS) is interpreted and listed through the orchestration machine (OE).

3. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the orchestration machine is integrated in a computing unit of a control component at the device level like the gripper of a robot or parts of a transport system, at the machine level like a set of devices, especially a robot or complete transport mechanism and/or at the cell level like a set of machines that form a complete manufacture or assembly system, and that a previously compiled HLPN model of the automation system (SOAS) is implemented in the control component.

4. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the HLPN net is described via XML, that is interpreted via control mechanisms of the component or compiled in using out-of-system controls and then is loaded into the orchestration machine of the component.

5. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

linked to interpretation or compilation, the HPLN description is converted into data structures in the form of matrices.

6. Orchestration machine for orchestration of services (S, WS) of a service-oriented automation system (SOAS), comprising system components (SMC, LCC) like intelligent mechatronic components (SMC), control components (LCC) and/or decision components (DSC), each of which makes available a set of services (S, WS), which represent their internal functionalities and are queried by other system components (SMC;

LCC;

DSC),

characterized in that

in each of the system components (SMC, LCC) making available a set of services (S), the orchestration machine is implemented, with the orchestration machine (OE) being configured as an HLPN machine integrated in a computing unit of at least one of the system components (SMC) at the device level, which interprets and implements HLPN models of the automation system (SOAS).

7. Orchestration machine according to claim 6,

characterized in that

the orchestration machine (OE) is configured as an auto-run-capable HPLN control module in a computing unit like a microcontroller, PLC or IPC of a system component (LCC, DSC), for implementation of the HLPN model of the automation system.

8. Orchestration machine according to claim 6,

characterized in that

a control system (STS) comprises a logical control component (LCC) and/or a decision component (DSC) and/or a mechatronic component (SMC), which are linked with each other via a communication network (KN), with the orchestration machine (OE) for the coordination and aggregation of services (S) of the additional components embedded in the logical control component (LCC) and with the HLPN model of the automation system being known to the orchestration machine (OE).

9. Orchestration machine according to claim 6,

characterized in that

both the mechatronic component and the logical control component have a logical controller and that it is defined as an HLPN interpreter, to orchestrate services at the device level.

10. Orchestration machine according to claims 6,

characterized in that

simpler components instead of an HLPN interpreter comprise pre-compiled HLPN nets.