Industrial data analytics in a cloud platform

• US 10,257,310 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2018
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• 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 L., Strohmenger, John, Nawalaniec, Stephen Thomas, Hegrat, Bradford Henry, Harkulich, Joseph A., Korpela, Jessica Lin, Wright, Jenifer Rydberg, Hessmer, Rainer, Dyck, John, Hill, Edward Alan, Conti, Salvatore T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/923,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20180205803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Cloud-aware industrial devices feed robust sets of data to a cloud-based data analyzer that executes as a service in a cloud platform. In addition to industrial data generated or collected by the industrial devices, the devices can provide device profile information to the cloud-based analyzer that identifies the device and relevant configuration information. The industrial devices can also provide customer data identifying an owner of the industrial devices, contact information for the owner, active service contracts, etc. The cloud-based data analyzer leverages this information to perform a variety of custom analytics on the data and generate reports or notifications catered to the particular industrial assets'"'"' optimal performance and business goals of the owner'"'"'s industrial enterprise, as well as perform real-time decision making and control.

Claims

1. A system for processing industrial data, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components;

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

a device interface component configured to receive data from an industrial device of an industrial enterprise, wherein the data comprises at least process data relating to an industrial process appended with a plant site identifier identifying a plant site at which the industrial device is located, a production line identifier identifying a production line associated with the industrial device, and device identification data identifying the industrial device, and wherein the device interface component is further configured to store the data in a data storage with other data collected from other industrial from other industrial enterprises;

an analysis component configured to filter the data and the other data in the data storage according to an industry type and a type of industrial application defined on a customer model to yield filtered data, perform an analysis on the filtered data, and identify at least one of a predicted performance issue of the industrial device or a configuration modification for improving performance of the industrial device based on a result of the analysis; and

a communication component configured to send notification data identifying at least one of the predicted performance issue or the configuration modification to a client device via the cloud platform.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the analysis component is further configured to generate, based on another analysis of the filtered data, comparative performance metrics across different device configurations represented by the filtered data, and

the communication component is configured to send report data to the client device or another client device rendering the comparative performance metrics.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the analysis component is further configured to identify a device compatibility issue between the industrial device and another industrial device based on the result of the analysis, and

the communication component is configured to send report data to the client device or another client device rendering information about the device compatibility issue.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the device identification data comprises at least one of a device identifier of the industrial device, a firmware revision identifier, a software code identifier, an operating system identifier, a configuration parameter setting for the industrial device, a status indicator for the industrial device, or a role identifier that identifies a role of the industrial device in the industrial process.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

the analysis component is further configured to identify, based on the result of the analysis, a correlation between downtime occurrences of machines that perform the type of industrial application and a device firmware version of industrial devices respectively associated with the machines, and

the communication component is configured to send report data to the client device or another client device identifying the correlation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis component is further configured to perform the analysis based on a correlation of the filtered data with extrinsic data collected from one or more sources that are external to the industrial enterprise.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the extrinsic data is at least one of energy cost data, material cost data, material availability data, transportation schedule data, market indicator data, web site traffic statistics, security information data identifying current information security breaches, or health statistic data.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein

the analysis component is further configured to predict, based on another result of the analysis and a subset of the extrinsic data, an increase in a demand for a product produced by the industrial process, and

the communication component is configured to send report data to the client device or another client device rendering information identifying the increase in demand.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the analysis component is further configured to make a determination that a current predicted inventory level for the product is insufficient to satisfy the demand, and

the communication component is configured to, in response to the determination, send report data to the client device or another client device that renders a recommendation to increase a production rate of the industrial process.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein

the process data is further appended with information identifying one or more other devices communicatively connected to the industrial device and a functional relationship between the industrial device and the one or more other devices, and

the analysis component is further configured to perform the analysis based on the functional relationship.

11. A method for analyzing industrial data, comprising:

receiving, at a cloud platform by a system comprising at least one processor, data from an industrial device of an industrial enterprise, wherein the data comprises at least process data relating to an industrial process controlled at least in part by the industrial device appended with a plant site identifier identifying a plant site at which the industrial device is located, a production line identifier identifying a production line associated with the industrial device, and device identification data identifying the industrial device;

storing, by the system, the data in cloud-based storage with other data collected from other industrial devices of other industrial enterprises;

filtering, by the system, the data and the other data in the cloud-based storage according to an industry type and a type of industrial application defined on a customer model to yield filtered data;

identifying, by the system based on an analysis on the filtered data, at least one of a predicted performance issue of the industrial device or a configuration modification for improving a performance metric of the industrial device; and

in response to the identifying, sending, by the system, output data to a client device via the cloud platform, the output data identifying at least one of the predicted performance issue or the configuration modification.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the system and based on another analysis of the filtered data, comparative performance metrics for different device configurations represented by the filtered data; and

sending, by the system, report data to the client device or another client device rendering the comparative performance metrics.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying, by the system based on another analysis of the filtered data, a device compatibility issue between the industrial device and another industrial device; and

sending, by the system, report data to the client device or another client device rendering information about the device compatibility issue.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying, by the system and based on another analysis of the filtered data, a correlation between downtime occurrences of machines that perform the type of industrial application and a device firmware version of industrial devices that at least partially control the machines, and

sending, by the system, report data to the client device or another client device identifying the correlation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifying comprises performing the analysis on the filtered data based on a correlation of the filtered data with extrinsic data received from one or more sources that are external to the industrial enterprise.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

predicting, by the system based on the correlation of the filtered data with the extrinsic data, an increase in a demand for a product produced by the industrial process,

wherein the sending comprises sending a notification of the increase in the demand to the client device or another client device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by the system and based on the predicting, that a current predicted inventory level for the product is insufficient to satisfy the demand, and

in response to the determining that the current predicted inventory level is insufficient to satisfy the demand, including, in the notification, a recommendation to increase a production rate of the industrial process.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein

the receiving comprises receiving the process data further appended with information identifying one or more other devices communicatively connected to the industrial device and a functional relationship between the industrial device and the one or more other devices, and

the identifying comprises identifying at least one of the predicted performance issue or the configuration modification based on the functional relationship.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving data from an industrial device of an industrial enterprise via a cloud interface and storing the data on one or more cloud storage devices of a cloud platform, wherein the data comprises at least

production data associated with an industrial process controlled in part by the industrial device,

plant site identifier identifying a plant site at which the industrial device is located, a production line identifier identifying a production line associated with the industrial device, and

device identification data identifying the industrial device;

aggregating the data with other data received from other industrial devices of other industrial enterprises;

filtering the data and the other data in the cloud storage devices according to an industry type and a type of industrial application defined on a customer model to yield filtered data;

determining, based on an analysis performed on the filtered data, at least one of a predicted performance issue of the industrial device or a configuration modification for improving a performance metric of the industrial device; and

in response to the determining, sending output data to a client device via the cloud platform, the output data identifying at least one of the predicted performance issue or the configuration modification.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

generating, based on another analysis performed on the filtered data, comparative performance metrics for different device configurations represented by the filtered data; and

sending, to the client device or another client device, report data rendering the comparative performance metrics.