SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVISIONING A FLEET OF INDUSTRIAL ASSETS AS A COMPUTING-CLOUD

• US 20150371190A1
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electronics Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Iyer, Naresh Sundaram
• Application Number:
  US14/312,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20150371190A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• 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 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs

Abstract

A system and method for leveraging industrial asset computing capacity into a distributed computing system is disclosed. The method including receiving from a requesting entity a request for available computing capacity, the request including at least one computational task, determining the available computing capacity across a network of interconnected industrial assets, each industrial asset including at least one central controller, allocating at least one of the interconnected industrial assets to perform at least a portion of the computational request, providing the allocated industrial assets with computer executable instructions and data related to performing the computational request, performing at least a portion of the computational request at the allocated industrial assets, obtaining the results of the performing step from the allocated industrial assets; and returning the obtained results to the requesting entity. A system to implement the method and a computer-readable medium are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of leveraging industrial asset computing capacity into a distributed computing system, the method comprising:

receiving from a requesting entity a request for available computing capacity, the request including at least one computational task;

determining the available computing capacity across a network of interconnected industrial assets, each industrial asset including at least one central controller;

allocating at least one of the interconnected industrial assets to perform at least a portion of the computational request;

providing the allocated industrial assets with computer executable instructions and data related to performing the computational request;

performing at least a portion of the computational request at the allocated industrial assets;

obtaining the results of the performing step from the allocated industrial assets; and

returning the obtained results to the requesting entity.

2. The method of claim 1, including correlating the obtained results into a cohesive result prior to the returning step.

3. The method of claim 1, the determining step including at least one of estimating the available computing capacity after receiving the request and accessing a computer record.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer record contains previously estimated available computing capacity.

5. The method of claim 1, the determining step including basing the available computing capacity on each industrial asset'"'"'s specific operational computing requirements.

6. The method of claim 1, including monetizing the available computing capacity by charging users for access to the available computing capacity.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method of leveraging industrial asset computing capacity into a distributed computing system, the method comprising:

receiving from a requesting entity a request for available computing capacity, the request including at least one computational task;

determining the available computing capacity across a network of interconnected industrial assets, each industrial asset including at least one central controller;

allocating at least one of the interconnected industrial assets to perform at least a portion of the computational request;

providing the allocated industrial assets with computer executable instructions and data related to performing the computational request;

performing at least a portion of the computational request at the allocated industrial assets;

obtaining the results of the performing step from the allocated industrial assets; and

returning the obtained results to the requesting entity.

8. The medium of claim 7, including instructions to cause the processor to perform the step of correlating the obtained results into a cohesive result prior to the returning step.

9. The medium of claim 7, including instructions to cause the processor to perform the step determining step by at least one of estimating the available computing capacity after receiving the request and accessing a computer record.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the computer record contains previously estimated available computing capacity.

11. The medium of claim 7, including instructions to cause the processor to perform the determining step by basing the available computing capacity on each industrial asset'"'"'s specific operational computing requirements.

12. The medium of claim 7, including monetizing the available computing capacity by charging users for access to the available computing capacity.

13. A system for leveraging industrial asset computing capacity into a distributed computing system, the system comprising:

an original equipment manufacturer technical service center (OEM TSCC) coupled to at least one of an electronic communication network and an Internet protocol version 6 communication channel;

a plurality of industrial assets in communication with the OEM TSCC by being coupled to at least one of the electronic communication network and the Internet protocol version 6 communication channel, at least a portion of the plurality of industrial assets including at least one remotely-accessible central controller;

the OEM TSCC including a computing estimator unit structured to estimate available computing capacity for the remotely-accessible central controllers;

the OEM TSCC including a central controller structured to execute computer-readable instructions that cause the central controller to perform a method including;

receiving from a requesting entity a request for available computing capacity, the request including at least one computational task;

determining the available computing capacity;

allocating at least one of the interconnected industrial assets to perform at least a portion of the computational request;

providing the allocated industrial assets with computer executable instructions and data related to performing the computational request;

performing at least a portion of the computational request at the allocated industrial assets;

obtaining the results of the performing step from the allocated industrial assets; and

returning the obtained results to the requesting entity.

14. The system of claim 13, including instructions to cause the central controller to correlate the obtained results into a cohesive result prior to the returning step.

15. The system of claim 13, including instructions to cause the central controller to perform the determining step by including at least one of estimating the available computing capacity after receiving the request and accessing a computer record.

16. The system of claim 13, including instructions to cause the central controller to store previously estimated available computing capacity in a computer record.

17. The system of claim 13, including instructions to cause the central controller to perform the determining step by basing the available computing capacity on each industrial asset'"'"'s specific operational computing requirements.

18. The system of claim 13, including instructions to cause the central controller to monetize the available computing capacity by charging users for access to the available computing capacity.