Industrial automation service templates for provisioning of cloud services

• US 9,568,909 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawson, Douglas C., Reichard, Douglas J., Harkulich, Joseph A., Hessmer, Rainer, Chand, Sujeet, Farchmin, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cam-Linh
• Application Number:
  US14/815,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 707/779, 707/803
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31326 Database to manage communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31334 Database with devices, configuration, of plant
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33139 Design of industrial communication system with expert system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A library of cloud templates for configuring cloud-based industrial solutions is provided. A cloud template provisioning system provides a platform for location and retrieval of a variety of cloud templates that facilitate configuration of cloud-based industrial applications, including control panel templates, dashboard templates, data historian templates, virtual machine management templates, and other such templates. The cloud templates can be installed and executed on a client device to provide an intuitive interface for configuring various aspects of the cloud-based solution.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning cloud templates, comprising:

a memory that stores cloud dashboard templates in a template library, wherein the cloud dashboard templates are categorized in the template library according to industry types and industrial control project types;

a processor that executes computer-executable components stored in the memory to implement the system, the computer-executable components comprising;

a search component configured to receive first query input specifying an industry type, of the industry types, and second query input specifying an industrial control project type, of the industrial control project types, and to select a subset of the cloud dashboard templates corresponding to the industry type and the industrial control project type;

an interface component configured to display information identifying the subset of the cloud dashboard templates; and

a retrieval component configured to send a selected cloud dashboard template of the subset of the cloud dashboard templates to a client device,

wherein the selected cloud dashboard template is configured to display, on the client device, system data generated by a cloud-based industrial system that pertains to the industry type and the industrial control project type.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the search component is further configured to receive third query input specifying a vendor, and to filter the subset of the cloud dashboard templates according to the vendor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the search component is further configured to receive third query input specifying a type of industrial device, and to filter the subset of the cloud dashboard templates according to the type of industrial device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system data comprises at least an indication of an amount of cloud resources utilized by the cloud-based industrial system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system data comprises at least status information for one or more industrial devices operating on a plant floor, and wherein the status information is based on device data generated by the one or more industrial devices and stored on the cloud platform.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud dashboard template is further configured to receive configuration data from the client device and to send a configuration instruction, based on the configuration data, to the cloud platform, and wherein the configuration data facilitates configuration of a portion of the cloud-based industrial system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the industry types comprise at least one of an automotive industry, a pharmaceutical industry, a waste water treatment industry, a food and drug industry, an oil industry, a coal industry, a gas industry, a power generation industry, a life sciences industry, or a mining industry.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the template library resides on at least one of a cloud platform or a web server.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a publishing component configured to receive a cloud template submission comprising a new cloud dashboard template and metadata indicating one of the industry types and one of the industrial control project types, and to catalog the new cloud dashboard template in the template library according to the one of the industry types and the one of the industrial control project types.

10. A method for provisioning cloud templates, comprising:

storing cloud dashboard templates in a template library, wherein the storing comprises categorizing the cloud dashboard templates according to industry types and industrial control project types;

receiving, by a cloud template provisioning system that includes a processor, first query input from a client device specifying an industry type of the industry types;

receiving, by the cloud template provisioning system, second query input from the client device specifying an industrial control project type of the industrial control project types;

selecting a subset of the cloud dashboard templates that correspond to the industry type and the industrial control project type;

rendering, on the client device, identification information for the subset of cloud dashboard templates;

in response to receiving selection data from the client device indicating a selected cloud dashboard template of the subset of cloud dashboard templates, delivering the selected cloud dashboard template to a memory location associated with the client device; and

displaying, on the client device via the cloud template, system data generated by a cloud-based industrial system that pertains to the industry type and the industrial control project type.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the cloud template provisioning system, third query input from the client device specifying a vendor; and

filtering the subset of the cloud dashboard templates according to the vendor.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the cloud template provisioning system, third query input from the client device specifying an industrial device type; and

filtering, by the cloud template provisioning system, the subset of the cloud dashboard templates according to the industrial device type.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying comprises at least displaying an indication of an amount of cloud resources being utilized by the cloud-based industrial system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying comprises at least displaying status information for one or more industrial devices operating on a plant floor, wherein the status information is based on data generated by the one or more industrial devices and stored on the cloud platform.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the cloud template provisioning system, configuration data from the client device; and

sending, by the cloud template provisioning system, a configuration instruction to the cloud platform based on the configuration data, wherein the configuration instruction facilitates configuration of a portion of the cloud-based industrial system.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the first query input comprises receiving a selection of at least one of an automotive industry, a pharmaceutical industry, a waste water treatment industry, a food and drug industry, an oil industry, a coal industry, a gas industry, a power generation industry, a life sciences industry, or a mining industry.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a cloud template submission comprising a new cloud dashboard template and metadata indicating one of the industry types and one of the industrial control project types, and

storing the new cloud dashboard template in the template library, wherein the storing comprises cataloging the new cloud dashboard template according to the one of the industry types and the one of the industrial control project types.

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

categorizing a set of cloud dashboard templates in a template library according to industry types and industrial control project types;

receiving first query input from a client device identifying an industry type of the industry types;

receiving second query input from the client device identifying an industrial control project type of the industrial control project types;

identifying a subset of the cloud dashboard templates that correspond to the industry type and the industrial control project type;

displaying, on the client device, identification information for the subset of cloud dashboard templates;

in response to receiving selection data from the client device identifying a selected cloud dashboard template of the subset of cloud dashboard templates, delivering the selected cloud dashboard template to a memory location associated with the client device; and

displaying, on the client device via the cloud template, system data generated by a cloud-based industrial system that relates to the industry type and the industrial control project type.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

receiving third query input identifying a type of industrial device; and

filtering the subset of the cloud dashboard templates according to the type of industrial device.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the system data comprises at least status information for one or more industrial machines operating on a plant floor, and wherein the status information is based on operational data stored on the cloud platform.