Interface apparatus for a data interchange between a field bus network and a cloud

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11438409-B2
Application number	US-201816767404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2018
Priority date	Nov 27, 2017
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

Described is an interface apparatus for performing data interchange, or exchange, between a fieldbus network and a cloud. The interface apparatus includes a first interface, via which the interface apparatus is connectable with at least one fieldbus component of the fieldbus network, and a second interface, via which the interface apparatus is connectable with the cloud. The first interface is embodied as an interface corresponding to the application programming interface of the cloud, wherein an interface definition of the first interface agrees with an interface definition of the application programming interface of the cloud. The interface apparatus is embodied to convert a request for a cloud service received via the first interface from a fieldbus component of the fieldbus network into a request addressed to the cloud for a cloud service and to transfer such via the second interface to the cloud.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fieldbus network, comprising:
a fieldbus;
at least one fieldbus component connected to the fieldbus; and
an interface apparatus for performing a data exchange between the fieldbus network and a cloud, the interface apparatus including:
a first interface via which the interface apparatus is connectable with the at least one fieldbus component; and
a second interface via which the interface apparatus is connectable with the cloud,
wherein the first interface corresponds to an application programming interface of the cloud such that an interface definition of the first interface agrees with an interface definition of the application programming interface of the cloud and such that the first interface has a same syntax and a same semantics as the application programming interface of the cloud, and
wherein the interface apparatus is embodied to:
receive via the first interface a request sent from the at least one fieldbus component to the interface apparatus for a cloud service;
convert the request for the cloud service received via the first interface into a request for a cloud service addressed to the cloud by re-addressing the request to an address of the cloud; and
transfer the converted request for the cloud service via the second interface to the cloud.

2. The fieldbus network as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one fieldbus component includes at least one of the following: at least one field device, at least one gateway device, at least one other fieldbus component,
wherein the at least one fieldbus component of the fieldbus network is configurable such that requests for cloud services are addressed to the address of the interface apparatus,
wherein at least one of the fieldbus components of the fieldbus network is embodied to transfer requests for cloud services directed to the cloud to a domain name of the interface apparatus,
wherein the domain name is transformable by means of a name server into an address of the interface apparatus, or
the fieldbus network includes a plurality of interface apparatuses in cascaded arrangement.

3. The fieldbus network as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one fieldbus component is provided with an HTTP- or HTTPS protocol stack, which is embodied to produce requests for cloud services,
wherein the at least one fieldbus component is provided with an HTTP- or HTTPS protocol stack, which is embodied selectively to produce requests for cloud services directed to the interface apparatus or directly to the cloud,
wherein the at least one fieldbus component is embodied to transfer requests for cloud services to the interface apparatus in the form of Ethernet packets, or
wherein the interface apparatus provides an HTTP- or HTTPS protocol stack, which is embodied to process requests for cloud services received from a fieldbus component.

4. A method for transferring requests for cloud services from a fieldbus network to a cloud, wherein the fieldbus network includes:
a fieldbus;
at least one fieldbus component connected to the fieldbus network; and
an interface apparatus for performing a data exchange between the fieldbus network and the cloud, the interface apparatus including;
a first interface via which the interface apparatus is connectable with the least one fieldbus component; and
a second interface via which the interface apparatus is connectable with the cloud,
wherein the first interface is corresponds to an application programming interface of the cloud such that an interface definition of the first interface agrees with an interface definition of the application programming interface of the cloud and such that the first interface has a same syntax and a same semantics as the application programming interface of the cloud, and
wherein the interface apparatus is embodied to convert a request for a cloud service received via the first interface from the at least one fieldbus component of the fieldbus network into a request addressed to the cloud for a cloud service and to transfer the converted request via the second interface to the cloud, the method comprising:

receiving by the interface apparatus via the first interface a request sent from the at least one fieldbus component to the interface apparatus for a cloud service;
converting the request for the cloud service received via the first interface by the interface apparatus into a request for a cloud service addressed to the cloud by re-addressing the request to an address of the cloud; and
transferring the converted request for the cloud service via the second interface to the cloud.

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Process Solutions Ag

Inventors

• Mayer Michael
• Pöschmann Axel
• Maneval Michael

Classifications

• H04L63/0227

  Filtering policies (mail message filtering H04L51/212) · CPC title

• H04L67/1031 Primary

  Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests · CPC title

• H04L12/40 Primary

  Bus networks · CPC title

• H04L67/565

  Conversion or adaptation of application format or content (adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561) · CPC title

• H04L63/0428

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title