CLOUD-BASED OPERATOR INTERFACE FOR INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

• US 20130211559A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawson, Douglas C., Reichard, Douglas J., Harkulich, Joseph A., Hessmer, Rainer, Chand, Sujeet, Farchmin, David W., Pantaleano, Michael John
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41855 by local area network [LAN], network structure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31151 Lan local area network
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33148 CLS client server architecture, client consumes, server provides services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A cloud-based operator interface system is provided that runs as a cloud service on a cloud platform. The cloud-based operator interface system collects industrial data from one or more industrial systems via respective cloud gateway devices. A set of predefined operator interface screens are stored on cloud storage associated with the operator interface system, and delivered to authorized Internet-capable client devices upon request. The industrial data received from the cloud gateways can be delivered to the client devices from the cloud platform via the operator interface screens. Additional cloud-side services can correlate and analyzes the industrial data on the cloud platform to facilitate additional reporting, alarming, and notification features.

Claims

1. A system that provides operator interface services using a cloud platform, comprising:

a memory;

a processor that executes computer-executable components stored in the memory to implement the system, the computer-executable components comprising;

a gateway interface component that receives industrial data from an industrial system, wherein the gateway interface receives the industrial data on a cloud platform; and

a client interface component configured to deliver at least a subset of the industrial data from the cloud platform to a client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises cloud storage that stores a plurality of display screens, and the client interface component is configured to serve one or more of the display screens to the client device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises cloud storage that stores a plurality of user profiles that define at least one of access privileges or preferences for a respective plurality of users.

4. The system claim 1, further comprising a context component that adds contextual metadata to at least a subset of the industrial data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the contextual metadata comprises at least one of a time, a date, a geographical location, a plant facility, a production area, a product, a machine status, an employee identifier, a lot number, an active alarm, or a hierarchical organizational tag.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising an analytics component that at least one of aggregates one or more subsets of the industrial data or determines a correlation between one or more subsets of the industrial data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the analytics component analyzes the industrial data to determine whether a parameter associated with the industrial system has met a defined condition.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a notification component that delivers a notification to a destination device in response to a determination by the analytics component that the parameter has met the defined condition.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the client interface component identifies a type of the client device, and formats the one or more display screens based in part on the type.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the client interface component receives customization input, from the client device, that specifies a display preference for the one or more display screens, and stores the customization input in a user profile, of the plurality of user profiles, corresponding to the client device.

11. A method for remotely monitoring an automation system, comprising:

receiving, on a cloud platform, industrial data from one or more automation systems;

serving an operator interface screen to a client device from the cloud platform in response to receiving a request from the client device for a subset of the industrial data; and

displaying the subset of the industrial data on the client device via the operator interface screen.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing, on cloud storage of the cloud platform, a set of operator interface screens including the operator interface screen.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising rendering the operator interface screen on the client device in accordance with one or more display preferences defined in a user profile associated with the client device.

14. The method claim 11, further comprising appending contextual metadata to the subset of the industrial data on the cloud platform, the contextual metadata including at least one of a time, a date, a geographical location, a plant facility, a production area, a product, a machine status, an employee identifier, a lot number, an active alarm, or a hierarchical organizational tag.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, on the cloud platform, a correlation between one or more subsets of the industrial data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the industrial data from multiple industrial systems at respective different geographical locations.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying, on the cloud platform, that the industrial data has satisfied a defined criterion.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising delivering a notification via an Internet layer to a destination device in response to the identifying.

19. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, including:

interfacing with a cloud gateway associated with an industrial system;

receiving industrial data relating to the industrial system from the cloud gateway;

interfacing with a client device over an Internet layer; and

rendering at least a subset of the industrial data to the client device over the Internet layer.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the rendering includes serving an operator interface display to the client device over the Internet layer, and rendering at least the subset of the industrial data via the operator interface display.