Using cloud-based data for virtualization of an industrial automation environment

• US 9,989,958 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Asenjo, Juan, Strohmenger, John, Nawalaniec, Stephen, Hegrat, Bradford H., Harkulich, Joseph A., Korpela, Jessica Lin, Wright, Jenifer Rydberg, Hessmer, Rainer, Dyck, John, Hill, Edward Alan, Conti, Sal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huntley, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/087,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20140336785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A cloud-based virtualization generation service collects industrial-automation-system-related data from multiple industrial automation systems of multiple industrial customers for storage and analysis on a cloud platform. A virtualization management component analyzes the data and generates a virtualized industrial automation system of the industrial automation system based on the analysis results. The virtualization management component updates the virtualized industrial automation system based on operation of, and user interactions with, the industrial automation system. The virtualization management component receives user interactions with the virtualized industrial automation system to facilitate remotely interacting with and/or controlling the industrial automation system and/or generates corresponding control signals that it sends to the industrial automation system to facilitate controlling operation of the industrial automation system. The virtualization management component also customizes a user'"'"'s view of the virtualized industrial automation system based on user'"'"'s role, authorization, or location.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-executable components;

a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes computer-executable components, the computer-executable components comprising;

a collection component configured to collect a subset of industrial data from a set of industrial devices of an industrial automation system and store the industrial data in a cloud based data store on a cloud platform, wherein the industrial automation system is communicatively coupled to the cloud platform via a public network; and

a virtualization management component configured to;

generate a virtualized industrial automation system that corresponds to the set of industrial devices of the industrial automation system, based on a result of an analysis of the subset of industrial data,

generate a customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system for display on a communication device based on a determined distance of a user of the communication device to an industrial device of the set of industrial devices, and

remotely control operation of the set of industrial devices over the public network in response to an interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the collection component or the virtualization management component are part of the cloud platform.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an interface component configured to interface the cloud platform with the industrial automation system via a cloud gateway device of the industrial automation system to facilitate communication of the subset of industrial data from the industrial automation system to at least one of the collection component or the virtualization management component over the public network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to receive real-time data from the set of industrial devices.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to generate one or more control signals, based on the interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system, and transmit the one or more control signals over the public network to the industrial automation system to remotely control the set of industrial devices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to monitor an operational response of the industrial automation system in response to the one or more control signals.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the collection component is further configured to collect a second subset of industrial data relating to the operational response of the industrial automation system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to update the virtualized industrial automation system based on a subset of data relating to the user interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system and the second subset of industrial data relating to the operational response of the industrial automation system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the collection component is further configured to:

receive, over the public network from a newly added industrial device, an indication of the newly added industrial device being added to the industrial automation system, and

inform at least one industrial device of the set of industrial devices over the public network of the newly added industrial device being added to the industrial automation system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to share the customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system to enable the customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system to be displayed on a second communication device associated with a second user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualized industrial automation system presents at least one of a three-dimensional virtualized view of the industrial automation system or a two-dimensional virtualized view of the industrial automation system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualized industrial automation system presents a virtualized dashboard that comprises a set of operational data associated with operation of the industrial automation system, wherein the virtualized dashboard is displayed on a communication device associated with a user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtualization management component is configured to customize the virtualized dashboard based on one or more customization factors associated with the user of the communication device, wherein the virtualization management component filters the set of operational data to generate a subset of operational data for display on the virtualized dashboard to facilitate the customization of the virtualized dashboard.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more customization factors comprise at least one of a device identifier associated with the communication device, a radio-frequency identification tag associated with the user, a location of the user in relation to the industrial automation system, a location of the communication device in relation to the industrial automation system, or a location of the radio-frequency identification tag associated with the user in relation to the industrial automation system.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualized industrial automation system is further configured to overlay video images, recorded by one or more cameras, of a portion of the industrial automation system on the virtualized industrial automation system to generate a modified virtualized industrial automation system to facilitate providing a subset of visual data associated with the industrial automation system via the modified virtualized industrial automation system.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the collection component is further configured to collect a subset of data from a second industrial automation system of a set of industrial automation systems associated with the cloud platform, and wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to generate the virtualized industrial automation system, based on a result of an analysis of the subset of industrial data and the subset of data.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of industrial data comprises at least one of data relating to an industrial device of the set of industrial devices, data relating to an industrial process associated with the set of industrial devices, data relating to an industrial asset, data relating to a network-related device of the set of industrial devices that facilitates data communications associated with the industrial automation system, data relating to an operating system associated with the industrial automation system, data relating to software associated with the industrial automation system, or data relating to firmware associated with the industrial automation system.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of industrial data comprises data relating to at least one interrelationship between the at least one industrial device and at least one other industrial device of the set of industrial devices, and wherein the virtualization management component is further configured to generate at least one virtualized interrelationship that virtualizes the interrelationship between the at least one industrial device and the at least one other industrial device, based on the data relating to the at least one interrelationship, to facilitate the generation of the virtualized industrial automation system.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a cloud-based system comprising a processor, a subset of industrial data from a set of industrial devices of an industrial automation system communicatively coupled to the cloud-based system via a public network;

generating, by the cloud-based system, a virtualized industrial automation system that corresponds to the set of industrial devices of the industrial automation system, based on a result of analyzing the subset of industrial data;

generating, by the cloud-based system, a customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system for display on a communication device based on a determined distance of a user of the communication device to an industrial device of the set of industrial devices; and

remotely controlling, by the cloud-based system over the public network, operation of the set of industrial devices in response to an interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

monitoring, by the cloud-based system, the industrial automation system to facilitate receiving real-time industrial data from the set of devices.

21. The method of claim 19, where the remotely controlling operation of the set of industrial devices comprises:

generating one or more control signals, based on the interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system; and

communicating the one or more control signals to the industrial automation system over the public network.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

monitoring, by the cloud-based system, an operational response of the industrial automation system in response to the one or more control signals;

receiving, by the cloud-based system, a second subset of industrial data relating to the operational response of the industrial automation system; and

updating, by the cloud-based system, the virtualized industrial automation system based on a subset of data relating to the interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system and the second subset of industrial data relating to the operational response of the industrial automation system.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

communicating, by the cloud-based system, the customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system to the communication device for display on the communication device.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, by the cloud-based system over the public network, from a newly added industrial device an indication of the newly added industrial device being added to the industrial automation system, and

notifying, by the cloud-based system over the public network, at least one industrial device of the set of industrial devices of the newly added industrial device being added to the industrial automation system.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

communicating, by the cloud-based system, the customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system to a second communication device associated with a second user for display on the second communication device to facilitate sharing the customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the generating the virtualized industrial automation system further comprises:

generating, by the cloud-based system, at least one of a three-dimensional virtualized industrial automation system or a two-dimensional virtualized industrial automation system.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the generating the virtualized industrial automation system further comprises generating a virtualized dashboard that comprises a set of operational data associated with operation of the industrial automation system, wherein the virtualized dashboard corresponds to and interfaces with the industrial automation system;

and

wherein the method further comprises communicating, by the cloud-based system, the virtualized dashboard to a communication device associated with a user to facilitate displaying the virtualized dashboard on the communication device.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

filtering, by the cloud-based system, the set of operational data to generate a subset of operational data for display on the virtualized dashboard, based on one or more customization factors associated with the user of the communication device, to facilitate customizing the virtualized dashboard to generate a customized virtualized dashboard;

generating, by the cloud-based system, the customized virtualized dashboard based on the subset of operational data; and

communicating, by the cloud-based system, the customized virtualized dashboard to the communication device to facilitate displaying the customized virtualized dashboard on the communication device.

29. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

overlaying, by the cloud-based system, video images, recorded by one or more cameras, of a portion of the industrial automation system on the virtualized industrial automation system to generate an augmented virtualized industrial automation system to facilitate providing a subset of visual data associated with the industrial automation system via the augmented virtualized industrial automation system.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the subset of industrial data comprises data relating to at least one interrelationship between at least one industrial device and at least one other industrial device of the set of industrial devices, the method further comprising:

generating, by the cloud-based system, at least one virtualized interrelationship that virtualizes the interrelationship between the at least one industrial device and at least one other industrial device, based on the data relating to the at least one interrelationship, to facilitate the generating of the virtualized industrial automation system.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a cloud-based system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

collecting over a public network a subset of industrial data from a set of industrial devices of an industrial automation system, wherein the industrial automation system is communicatively coupled to the cloud-based system via the public network;

generating a virtualized industrial automation system that corresponds to the set of industrial devices of the industrial automation system, based on a result of analyzing the subset of industrial data;

generating a customized view of the virtualized industrial automation system for display on a communication device based on a determined distance of a user of the communication device to an industrial device of the set of industrial devices; and

remotely controlling, over the public network, operation of the set of industrial devices in response to an interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the remotely controlling operation of the set of industrial devices comprises:

generating one or more control signals based on the interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system; and

transmitting the one or more control signals to the industrial automation system over the public network.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring an operational response of the industrial automation system in response to the one or more control signals;

receiving a second subset of industrial data relating to the operational response of the industrial automation system; and

updating the virtualized industrial automation system based on a subset of data relating to the user interaction with the virtualized industrial automation system and the second subset of industrial data relating to the operational response of the industrial automation system.