INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION SERVICE TEMPLATES FOR PROVISIONING OF CLOUD SERVICES

• US 20130212129A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 9,128,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/779
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31326 Database to manage communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31334 Database with devices, configuration, of plant
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33139 Design of industrial communication system with expert system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A library of cloud templates for configuring cloud-based industrial solutions is provided. A cloud template provisioning system provides a platform for location and retrieval of a variety of cloud templates that facilitate configuration of cloud-based industrial applications, including control panel templates, dashboard templates, data historian templates, virtual machine management templates, and other such templates. The cloud templates can be installed and executed on a client device to provide an intuitive interface for configuring various aspects of the cloud-based solution.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning cloud templates, comprising:

a memory that stores cloud templates in a template library;

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

a search component that receives a query and selects a subset of the cloud templates relating to the query;

an interface component that displays information identifying the subset of the cloud templates; and

a retrieval component that provisions a selected cloud template of the subset of the cloud templates to a client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected cloud template is configured to receive configuration data from the client device and to send a set of configuration instructions, based on the configuration data, to the cloud platform, wherein the set of configuration instructions facilitate configuration of a portion of a cloud-based industrial system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected template comprises a control panel template, and the set of configuration instructions comprises an instruction to at least one of define a user profile, set an access permissive for the user profile, or define a billing structure relating to usage of the cloud-based system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected template comprises a dashboard template configured to render data on the client device relating to a current state of at least a portion of the cloud-based system.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected template is a data historian template, and the set of configuration instructions comprises an instruction to at least one of define a device tag from which data is to be collected by a cloud-based data historian, define a data collection frequency for the cloud-based data historian, or define a hierarchical data model of an enterprise for use by the cloud-based data historian in connection with locating and storing industrial data.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected template is a virtual machine management template, and the set of configuration instructions comprises an instruction to at least one of define a virtual machine to be deployed on the cloud-based industrial system, associate the virtual machine with a hypervisor, start the virtual machine, stop the virtual machine, or delete the virtual machine.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the template library resides on a cloud platform.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the template library resides on a web-server.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a publishing component that receives a cloud template submission and catalogs the cloud template submission in the template library according to at least one of an industry-specific search hierarchy or a device-specific hierarchy.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the search component selects the subset of the cloud templates based on selection of a classification node of the at least one of the industry-specific or device-specific search hierarchy.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the retrieval component makes the selected cloud template available to the client device using a set of cloud resources provisioned to an industrial enterprise associated with the client device.

12. A method for provisioning cloud templates, comprising:

receiving, at a cloud template provisioning system that includes a processor, a query from a client device;

selecting a subset of cloud templates stored in a template library that correspond to the query;

rendering identification information for the subset of cloud templates; and

delivering a selected cloud template of the subset of cloud templates to a memory location associated with the client device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving one or more configuration instructions from the client device that facilitate configuration of a portion of a cloud-based industrial system, the one or more instructions based on configuration data provided to the selected cloud template.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the delivering comprises delivering a control panel template, and the receiving the one or more instructions comprises receiving an instruction to at least one of define a user profile, set an access permissive for the user profile, or define a billing structure relating to usage of the cloud-based industrial system.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the delivering comprises delivering a dashboard template configured to display data on the client device indicating a current state of at least a portion of a cloud-based industrial system.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the delivering comprises delivering a data historian template, and the receiving the one or more instructions comprises receiving an instruction to at least one of define a device tag from which data is to be collected by a cloud-based data historian, define a data collection frequency for the cloud-based data historian, or define a hierarchical data model of an enterprise for use by the cloud-based data historian in connection with locating and storing industrial data.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the delivering comprises delivering a virtual machine management template, and the receiving the one or more instructions comprises receiving an instruction to at least one of define a virtual machine to be deployed on the cloud-based industrial system, associate the virtual machine with a hypervisor, start the virtual machine, stop the virtual machine, or delete the virtual machine.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the template library on a cloud platform.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the template library on a web server.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a cloud template submission; and

cataloging the cloud template submission in the template library according to at least one of an industry-specific search hierarchy or a device-specific hierarchy.

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

receiving a query from a client device;

identifying a subset of cloud templates, stored in a template library, that relate to the query;

displaying identification information for the subset of cloud templates; and

provisioning a selected cloud template of the subset of cloud templates to a memory location associated with the client device.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, the instructions further comprising receiving one or more configuration instructions from the client device that facilitate configuration of a portion of a cloud-based industrial system, the one or more instructions based on configuration data provided to the selected cloud template