Using cloud-based data for industrial simulation

• US 10,204,191 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., 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): Phan, Thai Q
• Application Number:
  US15/599,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20170255723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 703 2, 703 5, 709238, 709246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• 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 simulation generation service collects industrial data from multiple industrial customers for storage and analysis on a cloud platform. The service employs a simulation generator component that analyzes data to facilitate generating a simulation model that simulates an industrial automation system, including simulating or emulating industrial devices, industrial processes, other industrial assets, or network-related assets or devices, and their respective interrelationships with each other. The simulation generator component also analyzes modification data to facilitate generating a modified simulation model that simulates the industrial automation system based on the modification. The simulation generator component performs operation simulations using the simulation model or modified simulation model to facilitate determining whether making the modification is appropriate, determining or predicting performance of a modified industrial automation system, determining compatibility of a modification with an industrial automation system, or determining or predicting performance of the industrial automation system when processing a work order.

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 receive a set of industrial data associated with a set of devices of an industrial automation system and store the set of industrial data in a data store; and

a simulation generator component configured to, based on a result of an analysis of a subset of the set of industrial data relating to at least one device of the set of devices, simulate the at least one device to facilitate simulation of the industrial automation system, and generate a simulation model that corresponds to the industrial automation system based on the simulation of the at least one device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the collection component, the simulation generator component, or the data store are part of a cloud platform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulation generator component is further configured to be associated with a cloud gateway component, and wherein the cloud gateway component is configured to communicate at least one device model that models the at least one device to the simulation generator component via the collection component to facilitate the simulation of the at least one device and the generation of the simulation model that corresponds to the industrial automation system based on the at least one device model.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulation generator component is further configured to be associated with a cloud gateway component, and wherein the cloud gateway component is configured to obtain the subset of industrial data from the at least one device to facilitate the simulation of the at least one device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the cloud gateway component is further configured to receive a portion of the industrial data from the at least one device, process the portion of the industrial data to generate the subset of industrial data to facilitate the simulation of the at least one device, and communicate the subset of industrial data to the simulation generator component via the collection component.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein, to facilitate the simulation of the at least one device, the cloud gateway component is further configured to receive a portion of the industrial data from the at least one device and, to facilitate generation of the subset of industrial data, at least one of filter the portion of the industrial data, timestamp the portion of the industrial data, format the portion of the industrial data, normalize the portion of the industrial data, summarize the portion of the industrial data, tag the portion of the industrial data with contextual metadata, or compress the portion of the industrial data.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the cloud gateway component is further configured to determine a location of the cloud gateway component and the at least one device associated with the cloud gateway component within a component topology associated with the industrial automation system and communicate location information indicating the location of the cloud gateway component and the at least one device associated with the cloud gateway component to the collection component.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the cloud gateway component is further configured to detect a cloud component in the cloud platform, establish communication between the cloud gateway component and the cloud component, and communicate the subset of industrial data to the cloud component, and wherein the cloud component is, or is associated with, at least one of the collection component, the simulation generator component, or the data store.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one device is an industrial device, and wherein the cloud gateway component is further configured to be integrated with the industrial device.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one device comprises multiple devices, and wherein the cloud gateway component is further configured to be associated with the multiple devices.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulation generator component is further configured to simulate a modification to the industrial automation system based on a set of data relating to the modification, integrate the simulation of the modification with at least a portion of the simulation of the industrial automation system to facilitate simulation of a modified industrial automation system based on the modification, and generate a modified simulation model that corresponds to the modified industrial automation system based on the simulation of the modified industrial automation system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the simulation generator component is further configured to evaluate at least one of a modification response of the modified simulation model or a response of the simulation model, based on application of a set of operation data to at least one of the modified simulation model or the simulation model, and determine at least one of an industrial system modification response of the modified industrial automation system or an industrial system response of the industrial automation system based on a result of the evaluation of at least one of the modification response of the modified simulation model or the response of the simulation model.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation generator component is further configured to evaluate at least one of the industrial system modification response of the modified industrial automation system or the industrial system response of the industrial automation system, and determine whether the industrial automation system is to be modified based on a defined operation criterion and a result of the evaluation of at least one of the industrial system modification response or the industrial system response.

14. A method, comprising:

to facilitate simulating an industrial automation system, simulating, by a system comprising a processor, at least one device of a set of devices of the industrial automation system, based on a result of analyzing at least a portion of a set of industrial data associated with the set of devices;

generating, by the system, a simulation model that corresponds to the industrial automation system based on the simulating of the at least one device; and

determining whether a modification to the industrial automation system is to be implemented based on a simulation of the modification that modifies the simulation model to correspond to the modification to the industrial automation system under consideration.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

interfacing, by the system, a cloud platform with the industrial automation system via at least one cloud gateway component associated with the set of devices, wherein the cloud platform comprises at least one of a collection component, a data store, or a simulation generator component;

monitoring, by the system, the industrial automation system via the interfacing; and

in response to the monitoring, receiving, by the system, the set of industrial data from the at least one cloud gateway component.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

simulating, by the system, the modification to the industrial automation system based on a set of data relating to the modification to facilitate simulating a modified industrial automation system based on the simulating of the modification and the simulating of at least a portion of the industrial automation system; and

generating, by the system, a modified simulation model that corresponds to the modified industrial automation system based on the simulating of the modified industrial automation system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining whether the modification to the industrial automation system is to be implemented further comprises determining whether to implement the modification in the industrial automation system based on an evaluation result from evaluating a modification response of the modified simulation model and a response of the simulation model in response to applying operation data to the modified simulation model and the simulation model.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining whether the modification to the industrial automation system is to be implemented comprises determining whether to implement the modification in the industrial automation system based on an evaluation result from evaluating response data relating to a modification response of the modified simulation model in response to applying historic operation data to the modified simulation model and historic response data relating to a historic response of the industrial automation system in response to applying the historic operation data to the industrial automation system.

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

simulating at least one device of a set of devices of an industrial automation system, based on a result of analyzing at least a subset of a set of industrial data associated with the set of devices, to facilitate simulating the industrial automation system, wherein the subset of industrial data relates to the at least one device;

generating a simulation model that simulates the industrial automation system based on the simulating of the at least one device; and

determining whether a modification to the industrial automation system is to be performed based on a simulation of the modification that modifies the simulation model to correspond to the modification to the industrial automation system.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

interfacing a cloud platform with the industrial automation system via at least one cloud gateway component associated with the set of devices, wherein the cloud platform comprises at least one of a collection component, a data store, or a simulation generator component that facilitates the simulating, and wherein the set of industrial data is received from the at least one cloud gateway component.