Snapshot management architecture for process control operator training system lifecycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11222551-B2
Application number	US-201614987144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Jul 23, 2015
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A cloud-based operator training system includes a snapshot management architecture, which provides a hybrid system for generation of control system level scenarios and system-state snapshots, and which can improve the fidelity of a training simulation. By implementing the simulation system on a cloud platform, the system can generate a large and growing set of snapshot files representing various control states and corresponding process states. These files can then be leverage during operator training sessions to yield high fidelity simulated system operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a memory that stores executable components; and
a processor operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:
an emulation component configured to execute a virtualized industrial controller on a cloud platform;
a simulation component configured to execute a simulation of one or more devices or process of an industrial system on the cloud platform to generate a simulated industrial system;
an emulation data exchange component configured to execute an emulation data exchange interface that communicatively connects the virtualized controller and the simulated industrial system, wherein the simulated industrial system is controlled by the virtualized controller through the emulation data exchange interface; and
a snapshot management component configured to, in response to determinations that one or more defined conditions of the simulation have been met, capture process state data representing one or more states of the simulated system at the time of the one or more defined conditions being met and control state data representing input/output values of the virtualized industrial controller from/to the simulated industrial system at the time of the one or more defined conditions being met, and generate snapshot files to include the process state data and the control state data;

a snapshot management portal component configured to:
serve an administration interface to an administrator client device; and
receive, via the administration interface, an indication of a selected operating scenario for a training session, wherein the selected operating scenario is represented by a corresponding subset of the snapshot files that include the process state data and the control state data; and

a client interface component configured to:
generate a template virtual machine comprising instances of the virtualized industrial controller, the simulation of the industrial system, and the subset of the snapshot files corresponding to the selected operating scenario; and
send the template virtual machine to a client device as an operator-training interface that executes a training scenario in accordance with the selected operating scenario based on the subset of the snapshot files.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the emulation data exchange component simulates control of the industrial system by the virtualized industrial controller via exchange of data between the virtualized industrial controller and the simulated industrial system.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operator training interface is further configured to receive operator input representing an operator interaction with the simulated industrial system.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the snapshot management component is configured to capture new process state data representing a new process state of the simulation and new control state data representing a new control state of the virtualized industrial controller based on the operator input and a response of the simulated industrial system to the operator input.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an artificial intelligence component configured to
generate simulated operator interactions with the industrial system,
submit the simulated operator interactions to the emulation data exchange component,
receive response information from the emulated data exchange component indicating a response of the simulation to the simulated operator interactions, and
learn an operating strategy for the industrial system based on the simulated operator interactions and the response information.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the emulation component and the simulation component are configured to model behavior of the industrial system under different operating scenarios, including the selected operating scenario, based on respective subsets of the snapshot files.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein the operator training interface is configured to display the information relating to the simulation based on execution of the template virtual machine on the client device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the operator training interface is configured to display at least a portion of the information relating to the simulation as an animated three-dimensional graphic of the industrial system.

9. A method for industrial operator training, comprising:
executing, by one or more cloud platform devices comprising at least one processor, a virtualized industrial controller;
executing, by the one or more cloud platform devices, a simulation of one or more devices of process of an industrial system to generate a simulated industrial system;
executing, by the one or more cloud platform devices, an emulation data exchange interface that communicatively connects the virtualized controller and the simulated industrial system, wherein the simulated industrial system is controlled by the virtualized industrial controller through the emulation data exchange interface;
in response to determining that one or more defined conditions of the simulation have been satisfied, recording, by the one or more cloud platform devices, process state data representing one or more states of the simulated system at the time of the one or more defined conditions being met and control state data representing input/output values of the virtualized industrial controller from/to the simulated industrial system at the time of the one or more defined conditions being met;
storing, by the one or more cloud platform devices, snapshot files including the process state data and the control state data;
receiving, by the one or more cloud platform devices from an administrator client device, a selection of an operating scenario, of multiple defined operating scenarios, for a training session;
in response to the receiving, loading, by the one or more cloud platform devices, a template virtual machine with an instance of the simulation, an instance of the virtualized controller, and a subset of the snapshot files including the process state data and the control state data corresponding to the operating scenario; and
sending, by the one or more cloud platform devices, the template virtual machine to a client device as an operator-training interface that simulates the operating scenario based on the subset of the snapshot files.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising simulating, by the one or more cloud platform devices, control of the industrial system by the virtualized industrial controller by exchanging data between the virtualized industrial controller and the simulated industrial system.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying, by the one or more cloud platform devices via the operator training interface, information relating to simulation of the operating scenario on the client device; and
receiving, by the one or more cloud platform devices via the operator training interface, operator input representing an operator interaction with the simulated industrial system.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising capturing, by the one or more cloud platform devices, new process state data representing a new process state of the simulation and new control state data representing a new control state of the virtualized industrial controller based on the operator input and a response of the simulated industrial system to the operator input.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
generating, by the one or more cloud platform devices, simulated operator interactions with the industrial system;
submitting, by the one or more cloud platform devi

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Maturana Francisco P
• Siafakas Bryan N
• Stump Andrew R
• Cahalane Ryan
• Cherpakov Alexander B

Classifications

• G05B17/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G06N5/04

  Inference or reasoning models · CPC title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G09B19/0053 Primary

  Computers, e.g. programming · CPC title