System and method for the aggregation and communicating of process metadata of heterogeneous production process chains

• US 8,866,625 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Original Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Inventors: Schlenther, Christina, Spuehler, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US12/123,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,346 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/386, 709/200, 348/143, 705/7, 705/7.11, 707/1, 707/10, 707/999.001, 707/999.1, 707/999.2, 340/635
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99941 Database schema or data structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99951 File or database maintenance

Abstract

A system and a method for aggregating and transmitting process metadata of a heterogeneous production system, the production system including a plurality of process devices to manufacture a product, the method comprising the steps of sending a user request from a communication device to a central unit, generating a metadata profile based on the user request at the central unit, accessing at least one of the plurality of the process devices of the process via an aggregation module of the central unit by using standardized control signals that were generated upon a user request, the aggregation module having access to the process devices, locating and authenticating the manufactured product in the process by the aggregation module based on authentication data; capturing process-specific data specific to the manufactured and authenticated product from the process at the aggregation module based on standardized control signals; transmitting the process-specific data from the aggregation module to the central unit, and generating the process metadata at the central unit.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating and transmitting process metadata of a heterogeneous production system, comprising the steps of:

sending a user request, from a communication device to a central unit that is in communication with the heterogeneous production system;

generating, by processing circuitry, a metadata profile based on the user request at the central unit, the metadata profile including authentication data for authenticating a manufactured product in a production process, the manufactured product being manufactured by performing the production process by the heterogeneous production system, and standardized control signals for accessing a plurality of process devices that co-act to perform the production process of the heterogeneous production system, the standardized control signals being specific to the user request;

establishing, by the processing circuitry, a first signaling channel from the central unit to an aggregation module to send the authentication data to the aggregation module, the plurality of the process devices of the process accessible via the aggregation module;

locating and authenticating, by the processing circuitry, the manufactured product in the process by the aggregation module based on the authentication data;

establishing, by the processing circuitry, a second signaling channel from the central unit to the aggregation module to send the standardized control signals;

capturing, by the processing circuitry, process-specific data specific to the manufactured and authenticated product from the production process at the aggregation module based on the generated standardized control signals of the metadata profile;

transmitting, by the processing circuitry, the process-specific data from the aggregation module to the central unit, and generating the process metadata at the central unit, the process metadata being related to interrelated stages of the production process via which the manufactured product is manufactured; and

transmitting, by the processing circuitry, the process metadata from the central unit to the communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating structural data at the central unit independently from the user request and including the structural data to the metadata profile, the structural data defining property parameters of groups of manufactured products by the process;

establishing, by the processing circuitry, a third signaling channel from the central unit to the aggregation module to send the structural data; and

transmitting the property parameters of the groups of manufactured products to the aggregation module based on the structural data.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the processing circuitry, an electronic authentication label to the manufactured product of the process by using the aggregation module.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said user request determines and selects the manufactured product of the process by an interaction of the user with the communication device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step of generating the metadata profile, the standardized control signals are automatically generated.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said step of generating the metadata profile further includes:

using a look-up table to generate the standardized control signals, the look-up table stored at the central unit and linking different manufactured products to product-specific control signal data.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

repackaging, by the processing circuitry, the process metadata that is specific to the manufactured product by a repackaging module at the central unit, by taking into an account a user profile that is stored at the central unit, before said step of transmitting the process metadata.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the processing circuitry pointers to the generated process metadata at the central unit that are accessible by the communication device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the standardized control signals included in the metadata profile are dynamically generated by the central unit circuitry.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the standardized control signals enable dynamic access to the plurality of process devices.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the manufactured product includes an electronic authentication label that is detectable by at least one of the plurality of process devices.

20. The method according to claim 9, wherein the standardized control signals are generated based on a user profile independently of the user request, and without additional user input.

12. A system for aggregating and transmitting process metadata of a heterogeneous production system, comprising:

central unit circuitry for data processing and being in communication with the heterogeneous production system;

aggregation module circuitry having access to a plurality of process devices of the production system; and

communication device circuitry that is controlled by a user and in communication with the central unit circuitry, wherein

the communication device circuitry is configured to send a user request to the central unit circuitry,

the central unit circuitry is configured to generate a metadata profile based on the user request, the metadata profile including authentication data for authenticating a manufactured product in a production process, the manufactured product being manufactured by performing the production process by the heterogeneous production system, and standardized control signals for accessing the plurality of process devices that co-act to perform the production process of the heterogeneous production system, the standardized control signals being specific to the user request, to establish a first signaling channel from the central unit circuitry to the aggregation module circuitry to send the authentication data, and to establish a second signaling channel from the central unit circuitry to the aggregation module circuitry to send the standardized control signals,

the aggregation module circuitry is configured to locate and authenticate the manufactured product in the process based on the authentication data received from the central unit circuitry, to capture process-specific data specific to the manufactured and authenticated product from the production process based on the generated standardized control signals, of the metadata profile, received from the central unit circuitry, and to transmit the process-specific data from the aggregation module circuitry to the central unit circuitry, and

the central unit circuitry is further configured to generate the process metadata based on the process-specific data and to transmit the process metadata to the communication device circuitry, the process metadata being related to interrelated stages of the production process via which the manufactured product is manufactured.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the central unit circuitry is further configured to

generate structural data independently from the user request and including the structural data to the metadata profile, the structural data defining property parameters of groups of manufactured products by the process, establish a third signaling channel from the central unit circuitry to the aggregation module circuitry to send the structural data;

and to transmit the property parameters of the groups of manufactured products to the aggregation module circuitry based on the structural data.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the aggregation module circuitry is further configured to provide an electronic authentication label to the manufactured product of the process.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the communication device circuitry is further configured to determine and select the manufactured product of the process by user interaction.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the central unit circuitry is further configured to generate the standardized control signals automatically.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the central unit circuitry is further configured to

use a look-up table to generate the standardized control signals, the look-up table stored at the central unit circuitry and linking different manufactured products to product-specific control signal data.

18. The system according to claim 12, further comprising:

repackaging module circuitry configured to package the process metadata that is specific to the manufactured product, by taking into an account a user profile that is stored at the central unit circuitry, before transmitting the process metadata to the communication device circuitry.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein the central unit circuitry is further configured to generate pointers to the generated process metadata that are accessible by the communication device circuitry.