Using cloud-based data to facilitate enhancing performance in connection with an industrial automation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9786197-B2
Application number	US-201314087922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2013
Priority date	May 9, 2013
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

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;
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes 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 a set of users associated with the 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 a set of user actions of a user in connection with performance of a work task associated with operation of the industrial automation system and a defined favorable performance of the industrial automation system, based on a set of results of an analysis of the set of data,
wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to simulate performance of work tasks by respective users of the set of users, based on the correlation and the set of results of the analysis, and determine respective work assignments to be assigned to the respective users to perform respective sets of work tasks in connection with the operation of the industrial automation system based on the simulation results of the simulation of the performance of the work tasks by the respective users,
wherein the set of data comprises respective subsets of data relating to respective work-performance-related characteristics associated with the respective users, comprising the user,
wherein, based on the correlation and the set of results of the analysis, the performance enhancement component is further configured to design a component that is to be employed in the industrial automation system to reproduce and perform a preferred user action of the set of user actions to automate performance of the preferred user action in connection with the operation of the industrial automation system, and
wherein the preferred user action is determined to satisfy a defined threshold performance parameter associated with the defined favorable performance.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine the set of user actions of the user is a set of preferred user actions, comprising the preferred user action, based on the set of results of the analysis of the data that indicates the set of user actions satisfies the defined threshold performance parameter associated with the defined favorable performance.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to generate a training presentation based on the set of preferred user actions to facilitate training one or more users of the set of users, wherein the user is in the set of users.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the training presentation comprises at least one of a video, an animated video, a visual illustration, an audio presentation, a training model, an interactive training simulation, printed materials, written instructions, a training manual, a training guide, a searchable training or troubleshooting database, a poster, or a placard, that presents information relating to the set of preferred user actions.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine an alternate user action for a second user of the set of users to perform to facilitate performance of the work task in place of a second preferred user action of the set of defined preferred user actions to facilitate training the second user to perform the work task to satisfy a defined threshold acceptable performance level even though it is determined that the second user is not able to perform the second preferred user action.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine the alternate user action based on the set of results of the analysis of the set of data, wherein the set of data comprises data relating to a work-performance-related characteristic associated with the second user and a performance-related characteristic relating to the second preferred user action.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine the alternate user action that the performance enhancement component determines will produce or substantially produce the defined favorable performance of the industrial automation system.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine or design at least one of the component, a device, a process, a technique, or an algorithm that emulates at least one preferred user action comprising the preferred user action, of the set of preferred user actions, based on the set of results of the analysis of the data, to facilitate automation of the at least one preferred user action for performance of the at least one preferred user action by a portion of the industrial automation system comprising at least one of the component, the device, the process, the technique, or the algorithm.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to facilitate incorporation or integration of at least one of the component, the device, the process, the technique, or the algorithm into or with the industrial automation system.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine a second set of user actions performed by a second user of the set of users in connection with performance of the work task associated with the operation of the industrial automation system is associated with a defined unfavorable performance of the industrial automation system, based on a result of the set of results of the analysis of the data that indicates the second set of user actions at least one of satisfies a defined safety threshold that indicates the second set of user actions is unsafe or does not satisfy the defined threshold performance parameter associated with the defined favorable performance.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine one or more modified user actions that are determined to be able to replace one or more user actions of the second set of user actions to facilitate the performance of the work task to achieve a performance result of the industrial automation system that is at least more favorable than the defined unfavorable performance of the industrial automation system associated with the second set of user actions.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to at least one of generate a training presentation based on the one or more modified user actions or generate a recommendation message to recommend that the one or more modified user actions be performed in place of the one or more user actions, to facilitate training the second user.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the performance enhancement component is further configured to determine an enhanced set of work assignments comprising a first work assignment that is assigned to the user to perform a first set of work tasks in connection with the operation of the industrial automation system and a second work assignment that is assigned to a second user of the set of users to perform a second set of work tasks in connection with the operation of the industrial automation system based on the set of results of the analysis of the set of data, wherein the set of data comprises a first subset of data rela

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

• G06Q10/1097

  using calendar-based scheduling for task assignment · CPC title

• G09B19/18 Primary

  Book-keeping or economics · CPC title