METHOD FOR GENERATING A DIGITAL REPRESENTATION OF A PROCESS AUTOMATION SYSTEM ON A CLOUD-BASED SERVICE PLATFORM

Abstract

Generating a digital representation of a process automation system on a cloud-based service platform uses assets integrated into measurement points. The method includes reading TAG information using an edge device, wherein the TAG information is provided in a character chain data type and represents the hierarchical structure of the respective asset. The method also includes transmitting the TAG information to the cloud-based service platform, and parsing the TAG information using an application, wherein a logic is used for the parsing process, and the name of the asset and the name of the measurement point in which the respective asset is integrated are extracted from the TAG information. A structure plan of the system is generated using the application having all of the system measurement points extracted from the TAG information together with all of the assets which are assigned to the measurement points and are extracted from the TAG information.

Claims

1.-8. (canceled)

9. A method for generating a digital representation of a process automation system on a cloud-based service platform, wherein the system has a plurality of measurement points and assets, wherein one or more assets are integrated into each of the measurement points, wherein the assets are in communication with an edge device via a communication network, and wherein the edge device contacts the cloud-based service platform via the Internet and transmits data relating to the assets to the cloud-based service platform, the method comprising: reading TAG information from each of the assets using the edge device, said TAG information being provided in a character chain data type and representing a hierarchical structure of the respective asset in the system; transmitting the TAG information from the edge device to the cloud-based service platform; parsing all of the TAG information using an application run on the cloud-based service platform, wherein a logic is used for the parsing process, and at least the name of the asset and the name of the measurement point in which the respective asset is integrated are extracted from the TAG information in each case using the logic; and generating a structure plan of the system using the application, said structure plan having all of the system measurement points extracted from the TAG information together with all of the assets which are assigned to the measurement points and are extracted from the TAG information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the logic is generated based on user-defined rules.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user-defined rules contain at least one of the following pieces of information: the format of the TAG information; a prescribed position, length or order of the name of the asset or the name of the measurement point in the TAG information; separators indicating the beginning or the end of the name of the asset or the name of the measurement point in the TAG information.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the logic uses an AI algorithm, wherein the AI algorithm is learned using training data, and wherein the training data consist of structure plans of further assets correlated with the TAG information of the assets contained in the structure plans of the further assets.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the application or a further application run on the cloud-based service platform generates a virtual two- or three-dimensional map of the system on the basis of the structure plan, on which map the location of the measurement points and the assets assigned to the measurement points are geographically visualized.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the map, if two-dimensional, is generated on the basis of an image inserted into the application, or wherein the map, if three-dimensional, is generated on the basis of a three-dimensional system model.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein a geographical position of the measurement points on the map is determined or changed manually for the first time.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein for the TAG information from which the name of the asset or the name of the measurement point in which the respective asset is integrated cannot be extracted, the corresponding name of the asset or the corresponding name of the measurement point is manually added to the structure plan.

Description

[0030] The invention is explained in greater detail with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0031] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0032] Parts of a process automation system A are depicted in FIG. 1. Specifically, these are two measurement points MS1, MS2, which have several assets AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, which are field devices. These measurement points respectively consist of a tank and a pipeline which discharges from the tank. For measuring the fill level of the tank as a process variable, a fill level measuring device is attached as asset AS1, AS4 to the tank in each case, for example with a radar as sensor unit. For measuring the flow rate in the pipeline, a flow meter is attached in each case as asset a field device AS3, AS5, whose sensor unit determines the flow rate of a medium flowing through the pipeline as a primary process variable according to the Coriolis principle. Furthermore, a temperature measuring device is attached in the measurement point MS1 as an asset AS2, which determines the temperature of the measuring medium flowing through the pipeline by means of a high-precision temperature sensor as sensor unit.

[0033] The assets AS1, . . . , AS5 are interconnected by means of a communication network KN and are in communication with one another. The communication network KN is in particular an Ethernet network. Alternatively, the communication network KN is a fieldbus according to one of the known fieldbus standards, for example Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus or HART.

[0034] The communication network KN contains a superordinate unit PLC, for example a programmable logic controller, which transmits commands to the assets AS11, . . . , AS5, whereupon the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 transmit process values, diagnostic data and status information to the superordinate unit PLC. These process values, diagnostic data and status information are forwarded by the superordinate unit PLC to a workstation PC in the control station LS of the system A. Said workstation PC is used, inter alia, for process visualization, process monitoring and engineering as well as for operating and monitoring the assets AS1, . . . , AS5.

[0035] Furthermore, the communication network KN an edge device ED, which monitors the process values, diagnostic data and status information transmitted by the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 contained in the respective measurement point MS1, MS2 to the superordinate unit PLC and, if necessary, queries further data from the assets AS1, . . . , AS5.

[0036] Via the Internet, the data processing unit DV1, DV2 establishes a communication link to a service platform SP. The service platform SP is designed to run applications. For example, one such application is a plant asset management system that is used to manage the assets AS1, . . . , AS5.

[0037] After the communication link to the cloud-based service platform SP has been established, the edge device transmits the monitored and/or recorded data relating to the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 to the cloud-based service platform SP. In order to store the data there in a structured manner, a structure plan PL is used, which in particular is provided as a tree structure and contains an assignment of all of the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 contained in the system A to their measurement points MS1, MS2.

[0038] In order not to have to generate this structure plan SP manually, the Edge Device ED queries the TAG information TAG relating to all assets AS1, . . . , AS5 to generate the structure plan ED. The TAG information TAG is assigned to an asset AS1, . . . , AS5 during installation and commissioning in the corresponding measurement point MS1, MS2 of the system and usually contains references to the system A, the measurement point MS1, MS2 and the name of the asset AS1, . . . , AS5.

[0039] The read TAG information TAG is transmitted from the edge device ED to the cloud-based service platform SP. An application run on the cloud-based service platform SP then parses the TAG information using logic and extracts at least the names of the assets AS1, . . . , AS5, as well as the measurement points MS1, MS2 in which the corresponding assets AS1, . . . , AS5 are used.

[0040] For this purpose, the logic uses either a set of rules entered by the user or an AI algorithm. In both cases, the TAG information TAG is examined for certain components, such as separators or prescribed position, length and/or order of the name of the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 and/or the name of the measurement point MS1, MS2.

[0041] For example, the read TAG information relating to the asset AS4 is:

Plant123_Unit23_LT01

[0042] The logic knows, on the basis of the user-defined rules, that the TAG information TAG contains first the name of the system A, then the name of the measurement point MS1, MS2 and finally the name of the asset AS1, . . . , AS5. The individual pieces of information are separated from one another by underscores as separators. Furthermore, the logic knows that the name of an asset AS1, . . . , AS5 has four digits in the present case. Knowing these properties, the logic extracts the name of the system A (Plant123), the name of the measurement point MS2 (Unit23), and the name of the asset AS4 (LT01).

[0043] This process is repeated for all Assets AS1, . . . , AS5. In the event that a piece of information cannot be read from the TAG information, the user receives a message after parsing or analysis has been completed, which message requires the user to enter the missing information relating to the corresponding TAG information.

[0044] Finally, the structure plan PL is generated based on the extracted or manually entered information. In the structural plan PL, the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 are assigned to their corresponding measurement points MS1, MS2. In the example described above, the asset AS4 could be sorted as follows:

TABLE-US-00001 Plant 123 Unit23 LT01

[0045] The data relating to the assets AS1, . . . , AS5 transmitted from the edge device ED to the cloud-based service platform SP are now stored in a sorted manner according to the structure plan PL and can then be called up in a sorted manner according to the structure plan PL. The structure plan PL can further be visualized in a map of the system (e.g. similar to the arrangement of the measurement points as shown in FIG. 1), which displays the spatial positions of all measurement points MS1, MS2 and the assigned assets.

[0046] The described method automatically structures the data such that they better correspond to the real system A and are more readable for the user. It also reduces the manual work required to generate the digital representation of the system in the cloud-based service platform SP, resulting in greater efficiency and a lower percentage of errors.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0047] A automation engineering installation

[0048] AS1, AS2, . . . , AS5 Assets

[0049] KN Communication network

[0050] LS Control station of the system

[0051] MS1, MS2 Measurement points

[0052] TAG TAG information

[0053] PL Structure plan

[0054] SP Cloud-based service platform

[0055] PLC Superordinate unit, controller