Using cloud-based data for industrial automation system training

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10984677-B2
Application number	US-201715714333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2013
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

A cloud-based performance enhancement service captures and collects data relating to interactions of users with industrial automation systems of multiple industrial customers for storage and analysis on a cloud platform. The service employs a performance enhancement component that analyzes the data to facilitate determining correlations between certain user interactions and favorable performance of an industrial automation system, determining user interactions that are less favorable or unsafe, determining alternative actions that a user can take to achieve a same or similar preferred operational result, generating recommendations relating to the alternative actions, determining or designing components or techniques that can automate a preferred user action, determining improved user assignments in connection with the industrial automation system, and/or generating training modules or presentations based on preferred user actions that can be used to train users to more efficiently interact with an industrial automation system to achieve improved system performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a memory that stores computer-executable components; and
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the computer-executable components, the computer-executable components comprising:
a collection component configured to collect a set of data associated with a set of devices of an industrial automation system, and store the set of data in a data store that is part of a cloud platform; and
a performance enhancement component configured to determine a correlation between performance of industrial automation work tasks associated with operation of the industrial automation system and a defined favorable performance of the industrial automation system, based on a first result of an analysis of at least a portion of the set of data, to facilitate improvement of performance of the industrial automation system,
wherein, based on the first result of the analysis, the performance enhancement component is configured to determine an action of a user that is performed as part of performance of an industrial automation work task of the industrial automation work tasks and correlates with the defined favorable performance of the industrial automation system,
wherein, as part of the analysis, the performance enhancement component simulates the action of the user to facilitate determining whether the action is able to be automated to have a component or a subset of devices of the set of devices perform the action,
wherein, in response to the performance enhancement component determining based on the simulation of the action, that the action is able to be automated to have the component or the subset of devices perform the action, and based on a second result of the analysis of at least the portion of the set of data, the performance enhancement component is configured to design and generate the component or machine-executable code that emulates performance of the action to automate the performance of the action by having the component or the subset of devices in response to execution of the machine-executable code, perform the action in the industrial automation system in place of the user, wherein, to facilitate the designing, the performance enhancement component simulates operation of the component or the subset of devices, based on the machine-executable code, to verify that the component or the subset of devices perform the action in accordance with a defined performance criterion relating to the defined favorable performance, and

wherein the component or the subset of devices perform the action based on the machine-executable code.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the action is a first action, wherein the industrial automation work tasks comprise a second industrial automation work task, and wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine performance of a second action as part of performance of the second industrial automation work task associated with the operation of the industrial automation system results in a defined unfavorable performance of the industrial automation system, based on another result of at least another analysis of another portion of the set of data.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine a modification relating to the performance of the second action as part of the second industrial automation work task, based on the other result of the other analysis, to facilitate the improvement of the performance of the industrial automation system.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the defined performance criterion is a first defined performance criterion, wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to modify a simulation model of the industrial automation system, based on the modification, to generate a modified simulation model, wherein the modified simulation model facilitates simulation of a modified industrial automation system that results from implementation of the modification in the industrial automation system,
wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine a predicted response of the modified industrial automation system under a set of operating conditions, based on the modified simulation model, and
wherein, based on the predicted response, the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine whether performance of the modified industrial automation system satisfies a second defined performance criterion relating to a favorable performance of the modified industrial automation system.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to generate a set of instructions relating to the modification and communicate the set of instructions to at least one of a device of the set of devices or the user associated with the industrial automation system, to facilitate implementation of the modification relating to the performance of the second action.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine operational responses of a device of the set of devices under various operating conditions over a period of time and, based on the operational responses of the device, generate a virtual device that at least one of simulates or emulates operation of the device under the various operating conditions, and wherein the virtual device is usable in a simulation model of the industrial automation system to simulate performance of the device or the industrial automation system under the various operating conditions.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the collection component or the performance enhancement component is part of the cloud platform.

8. The system of claim 7 , 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 set of data from the industrial automation system to at least one of the collection component or the performance enhancement component.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a set of sensor components associated with at least one of the industrial automation system or a set of users associated with the industrial automation system, wherein the set of sensor components is configured to sense conditions associated with at least one of the industrial automation system or the set of users, and generate a subset of the set of data based on the conditions associated with at least one of the industrial automation system or the set of users.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of data comprises at least one of first data relating to an industrial device of the set of devices, second data relating to an industrial process associated with the set of devices, third data relating to an industrial asset associated with the industrial automation system, fourth data relating to a network-related device of the set of devices that facilitates data communications associated with the industrial automation system, fifth data relating to an operating system associated with the industrial automation system, sixth data relating to software associated with the industrial automation system, seventh data relating to firmware associated with the industrial automation system, eighth data relating to the user of a set of users associated with the industrial automation system, ninth data associated with a communication device associated with the user, or tenth data relating to at least one customer entity associated with the industrial automation system.

11. A method, comprising:
re

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech 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

Classifications

• G06Q10/06 Primary

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G09B19/18 Primary

  Book-keeping or economics · CPC title

• G06Q10/1097

  using calendar-based scheduling for task assignment · CPC title