APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEAMLESS DATA TRANSFER TO A CLOUD NETWORK

• US 20150334164A1
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Intelligent Platforms Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Intelligent Platforms Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: CRAWFORD, Kenneth Wayne, PAVLOSKY, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/277,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334164A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/054 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0695 the faulty arrangement being the maintenance, administration or management system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A seamless and secure communication path from a control network to a cloud server is created. The network is coupled to one or more control devices. Tag information from a control network is obtained. The tag information includes one or more programmed variables associated with the one or more control devices controlled by a control system. The tag information is seamlessly and automatically uploaded from the control network to the cloud server via the seamless communication path according to at least one predetermined criteria.

Claims

1. A method of seamlessly uploading tag information from a control network to a cloud server, the method comprising:

creating a seamless and secure communication path from a control network to a cloud server, the network coupled to one or more control devices;

obtaining tag information from the control network, the tag information including one or more programmed variables associated with the one or more control devices controlled by a control system;

seamlessly and automatically uploading the tag information from the control network to the cloud server via the seamless communication path according to at least one predetermined criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined criteria is a criteria selected from the group consisting of:

a time frequency to upload the information, and a time of day to upload the information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the information at the cloud server, evaluating the data, and taking an action based upon the evaluating.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the action is selected from the group consisting of:

sending an email, generating a report, issuing an alarm message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the variables comprises a variable associated with a machine characteristic, and the machine characteristic is selected from the group consisting of:

a temperature, a pressure, a frequency, a time, a yield, an electrical characteristic, and a machine state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud server is configured to be accessible to users via an internet connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag information includes a time stamp.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the seamless and secure connection utilizes at least one of a cellular connection, a Wi-Fi connection, and Ethernet connection, a local area network (LAN) connection, or a cable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining tag information comprises manually configuring a set of criteria to select the tag information and obtaining the tag information according to the criteria.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining tag information comprises automatically configuring a set of criteria to select the tag information and obtaining the tag information according to the criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria comprises one or more of:

a number of tags to obtain information and a frequency for how often the information is to be obtained.

12. An apparatus that is configured to seamlessly upload tag information from a control network to a cloud server, the apparatus comprising:

a control network interface;

a secure cloud interface;

a processor coupled to the control network interface and the secure cloud interface, the processor being configured to create a seamless and secure communication path from a control network to a cloud server, the control network being coupled to one or more control devices, the processor being configured to obtain tag information from the control network via the control network interface, the tag information including one or more programmed variables associated with the one or more control devices controlled by a control system, the processor further being configured to seamlessly and automatically upload the tag information from the control network to the cloud server via the seamless communication path and the secure cloud interface according to at least one predetermined criteria.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the predetermined criteria is selected from the group consisting of:

a time frequency to upload the information, and a time of day to upload the information.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cloud server receives the information, evaluates the data, and takes an action based upon the evaluation.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the action is selected from the group consisting of:

sending an email, generating a report, issuing an alarm message.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the variables comprises variables associated with a machine characteristic, and the machine characteristic is selected from the group consisting of:

a temperature, a pressure, a frequency, a time, a yield, an electrical characteristic, and a machine state.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cloud server is configured to be accessible to users via an internet or cellular connection.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the tag information includes a time stamp.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the seamless and secure connection utilizes at least one of a cellular connection, a Wi-Fi connection, and Ethernet connection, a local area network (LAN) connection, and a cable.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the criteria comprises one or more of:

a number of tags to obtain information and a frequency for how often the information is to be obtained.