Patent Application
20250138515
Aspects of the disclosure are related to the field of industrial devices within industrial applications, in particular, to processes for distributing updated configurations to industrial devices.
In the realm of industrial applications, configuring industrial devices is a pivotal technical endeavor that involves tailoring the settings and parameters of industrial devices to suit specific operational needs. System developers design the configurations to optimize performance, energy efficiency, and safety across a wide array of industrial machinery. The process typically encompasses setting parameters like motor speed, torque limits, acceleration and deceleration profiles, and control modes to align with the precise demands of the application. Moreover, industrial device configurations often integrate sophisticated control algorithms and communication interfaces to enable seamless integration into larger automation systems, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. This technical customization not only ensures that the industrial device function in harmony with other equipment but also enhances overall system reliability and the ability to respond to real-time production variations, making it a fundamental aspect of modern industrial automation.
Industrial devices commonly run into issues, and updating configurations for a respective industrial device is often necessary to address the issue. For example, a motor drive issues an error notification due to a motor malfunction or a power surge. To address the error identified by the motor drive, an analysis of the current configuration of the motor drive is performed, and an updated configuration is identified to address the issue.
Extracting and updating configuration information for industrial devices, however, can be a burdensome and dangerous task. Using existing options, a worker extracts or updates a configuration for an industrial device by physically connecting a handheld device, such as a laptop or tablet, to the industrial device. Generally, each industrial device takes 5-10 minutes to configure. Since industrial applications, such as operation or manufacturing facilities, typically house hundreds if not thousands of industrial devices, individually configuring each industrial device is time and resource intensive. Moreover, since industrial devices are generally configured after they are installed in the field or facility, a worker performing the configuration typically has to don personal protection equipment (PPE), thereby adding to the time intensity of the configuration process.
Moreover, since industrial devices are located within an industrial application, access to the industrial devices for the configuration process can be complicated and at times unsafe. For example, industrial devices located within an oil refinery may be located in areas containing noxious fumes or dangerous equipment. As such, accessing the industrial devices or remaining for extended periods of time within the facility to physically connect to the industrial device for configuration purposes, poses safety and health concerns for the configuring worker.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for analyzing current configurations and updating configurations for industrial devices within industrial applications.
Technology disclosed herein includes software applications and services for updating a configuration of an industrial device. In particular, a configuration distribution process is provided herein for establishing a secure session between an industrial device and an end-point device, such as a service application or provider. In an aspect, the configuration distribution process provided herein includes establishing, by a client device, a first channel with an industrial device. The first channel is established using a short-range communications protocol, such as near-field communication (NFC) or Bluetooth. The client device also establishes a second channel with an end-point device. The end-point device may be another client device at another location, may be a cloud-service, or may be a service provider.
Using the first channel, a software application executing the configuration distribution process on the client device, extracts configuration information from the industrial device. Once extracted, the software application generates modified configuration information based on the configuration information extracted from the industrial device. For example, the configuration information may be a binary protocol and the software application may modify the binary protocol into text, such as an email, document, or Short Message Service (SMS) message. Once the modified configuration information is generated, the client device transmits the modified configuration information to the end-point device via the second channel.
As will be described below, the software application creates a bridge between the industrial device and the end-point device. The bridge may be a secure session in which any communications between the industrial device and the end-point device are automatically routed, via the software application running on the client device, between the industrial device and the end-point device. That is, the client device may act as a server by automatically routing configuration information between the industrial device and the end-point device.
As can be appreciated, the configuration distribution process provided herein, including the extraction and updating configuration techniques, provide for an improved means of distributing updated configuration information for industrial devices. Not only does the configuration distribution process improve the efficiency and safety of the extraction and configuration distribution process, but the configuration distribution process reduces human error in extracting and transmitting configuration information to an end-point device and flags issues for industrial devices without requiring human identification of the issue.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Technical Disclosure. It may be understood that this Overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Many aspects of the disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. While several embodiments are described in connection with these drawings, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
As noted above, configuring industrial devices within industrial applications using conventional techniques is time intensive, burdensome, and at times, unsafe. Generally, industrial applications, such as production facilities, include hundreds if not thousands of industrial devices. Industrial devices perform a variety of functions within industrial applications, including operating and controlling processes within the industrial application. A common example of an industrial device is a drive. Drives, such as motor drives, optimize performance, safety, and energy efficiency of industrial machinery, such as conveyors, pumps, and robotic equipment. Other examples of industrial devices can include, but are not limited to, actuators, controllers, instrumentation, and the like.
An important part of utilizing an industrial device is the configuration process. Configuring an industrial device involves tailoring a variety of settings and parameters for the industrial device based on the specific application of the industrial device. That is, the configuration settings and parameters for an industrial device are designed to meet the specific requirements of an operation process. For example, configuration for an industrial device can include operating parameters, such as motor speeds, torque limits, load limits, control modes, and the like.
In some cases, configuration of an industrial device includes configuring identification information for the industrial device. Often, industrial devices are integrated into larger automation systems, such as PLCs or distributed communication systems (DCSs). As such, configuring the identification information for the industrial device can be a vital part of the overall system configuration process. For example, if the industrial application includes 50 motor drives, each running a different part of the industrial process, configuring each motor drive to have individual identification information is important for controlling the overall system. In other words, since each motor drive likely requires different operational parameters, being able to readily and easily identify what motor drive is associated with what piece of industrial equipment or part of the industrial process is important.
Configuration of an industrial device is also an important component of addressing issues that may arise during a manufacturing process. Since the configuration of an industrial device contains the operating parameters of the industrial device and often impacts associated industrial equipment, when issues arise within the industrial process, configuration information of industrial devices is often a starting point for addressing the issue. For example, when addressing issues within an industrial application, the configuration information of an industrial device associated with the issues is often the starting point for resolving the issue.
Current techniques for extracting configuration information from industrial devices and configuring industrial devices, such as with updated configuration information, require a client device, such as a laptop or tablet, to physically connect to an industrial device. Once connected, traditional configuration processes generally take between five and 10 minutes. Since industrial facilities commonly have hundreds if not thousands of industrial devices, configuring industrial devices is often time and cost intensive.
Moreover, because industrial devices are installed within manufacturing or industrial facilities, accessing and spending extended periods of time at the location of the industrial devices can pose health and safety risks. For example, many manufacturing facilities contain dangerous equipment that can pose risks to workers who are performing the configuration process or industrial devices within the manufacturing facility are placed in locations at make accessing them dangerous.
For extraction processes, conventional techniques are also burdensome. Beyond also requiring physical connection between the client device and the industrial device, once the configuration information is extracted from the industrial device, a user of the client device has to manually modify the configuration information into a format that is appropriate for communicating with an end-point device, such as technical service provider or cloud service. Since configuration information is generally in a format that is executable by the industrial device, the configuration information itself may not be useful to an end-point device. For example, the configuration information may be a binary command protocol for the industrial device. As such, to address any issues with the configuration of the industrial device, the configuration information is converted into another format that is legible to a worker. As used herein, configuration information that is converted into another format is referred to as “modified configuration information.”
As noted above, this extraction process is traditionally a manual process completed by the operator of the client device. Once the configuration information is converted into modified configuration information, to receive assistance with addressing any issues, conventional techniques require a user of the client device to call or otherwise communicate with a technical service provider or end-point device to discuss the modified configuration information. As can be appreciated, not only are conventional techniques time intensive because they require a user of the client device to physically connect to the industrial device, but they also require the user of the client device to manually convert configuration information into an appropriate format for addressing issues with the configuration information.
Furthermore, conventional techniques require a user of the client device to identify the issues with the industrial device. As such, if an issue arises that a worker does not notice or readily appreciate, the issue may perpetuate. As can be appreciated, failing to address an issue for an industrial device may cause downstream issues, even cause property damage or risk to the facility's workers' health and safety.
To provide a safe and effective process for extracting and updating configurations for industrial devices within industrial applications, improved systems and methods are provided herein. Specifically, techniques for establishing a secure session between an industrial device and an end-point device are provided herein. As will be described in greater detail below, the configuration distribution processes provided herein allow for a secure channel to be established between a client device and an industrial device and another secure channel to be established between the client device and an end-point device. Once the secure channels are formed, the client device may act as a server by automatically routing communications between the industrial device and the end-point device. The bridge formed by the client device between the industrial device and the end-point device provides a secure session between the two, thereby allowing for secure and direct communication exchange between the end-point device and the industrial device.
The configuration distribution process provided herein also extracts the configuration information from the industrial device using a short-range communication protocol, such as NFC or Bluetooth. This allows for the client device to extract the configuration information without physically connecting it with the industrial device. For example, using NFC as the connection protocol, a user can use a client device executing the software that extracts configuration information from an industrial device by tapping the industrial device. As can be appreciated, not only is this more efficient than conventional techniques but it also is safer for the worker who is performing the extraction.
Additionally, the configuration distribution process also generates modified configuration information based on the configuration information extracted from the industrial device. Since conventional techniques require manual generation of the modified configuration information, the configuration process not only provides a more efficient means of generating modified configuration information, but it also reduces errors in the modified configuration information. Because generation of modified configuration information using conventional techniques is performed manually, errors are bound to happen due to a variety of reasons on the worker's front (e.g., exhaustion, preoccupation, rushing). As such, moving away from manual generation of modified configuration information can prevent these errors.
In sum, distributing updated configurations for industrial devices using the disclosed techniques offers many benefits. For example, the techniques provided herein save configuring users time and cost by extracting configuration information via a single tap between the client device and the industrial device and modifying the extracted configuration information to a format that can readily be transmitted to an end-point device. Moreover, the techniques herein provide a secure session between an end-point device and the industrial device, thereby not requiring a configuring worker to be a middleman between the end-point device and the industrial device to address any issues with the industrial device. As can be appreciated, this saves the configuring worker's time, as well as cost for the industrial facility by providing a fast response time to issues and reducing human error in communications between the industrial device and the end-point device. Furthermore, the techniques herein automatically route configuration information to the end-point device in the event of an issue. This can prevent issues going unaddressed by workers, thereby safeguarding against property damage, a reduction in production due to the issues, and, in some cases, a reduction in safety risk to the industrial facility.
Turning now to
In the illustrated example, the industrial devices 110A-D are drives associated with motors 112A, 112B, 112C, and 112D, respectively. The motors 112A-D may provide mechanical energy to a variety of industrial equipment 114A-114D, respectively. Examples of industrial equipment 114A-114D include a conveyor belt, a pump, or a robotic arm. As can be appreciated, because each of the industrial equipment 114A-114D may require different operating parameters, each respective industrial devices 110A-D may require individualized configuration.
Configuration of the industrial devices 110A-D may determine a variety of information associated with the industrial devices 110A-D. For example, configuration information for the industrial devices 110A-D may include operating parameters, such as, motor speed, torque limits, acceleration and deceleration profiles, and control modes. In another example, configuration information for the industrial devices 110A-D may also include identification and communication parameters, such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, device tag names, I/O information, and the like.
To extract configuration information from or update the configuration of one or more of the industrial devices 110A-D, the client device 120 first connects with a given industrial device. For ease of explanation, the remaining discussion will be with respect to industrial device 110A. To connect with the industrial device 110A, the client device 110 establishes a short-range protocol connection 122 with the industrial device 110A. Examples of short-range protocol connections include Bluetooth and near-field communication (NFC). To establish the short-range protocol connection 122 with the industrial device 110A, the client device 120 may scan a connection tag, such as an NFC tag, a bar code, or a quick response (QR) code, on the industrial device 110A. In some embodiments, the industrial device 110A may transmit a signal, such as a Bluetooth signal that allows the client device 120 to discover and connect with the industrial device 110A.
As illustrated, the environment 100 also includes an application service 124. The application service 124 employs one or more server computers 126 co-located with respect to each other or distributed across one or more data centers. Example servers include web servers, application servers, virtual or physical servers, or any combination or variation thereof, of which computing system 701 in
The client device 120 communicates with application service 124 via one or more internets and intranets, the Internet, wired and wireless networks, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), or any other type of network or combination thereof. Examples of the client device 120 include personal computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, gaming consoles, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and any other suitable devices, of which computing system 701 in
Broadly speaking, the application service 124 provides software application services to end points, such as the client device 120. The client device 120 can load and execute software applications locally that interface with services and resources provided by the application service 124. The applications may be natively installed and executed applications, web-based applications that execute in the context of a local browser application, mobile applications, streaming applications, or any other suitable type of application. Example services and resources provided by the application service 124 include front-end servers, application servers, content storage services, authorization and authentication services, and the like.
In the illustrated example, the application service 124 provides the client device 120 with one or more features of the configuration distribution process described herein. The following discussion of the configuration distribution process is made with respect to
The industrial device 210A may be an industrial device that is part of an industrial facility, such as the industrial device 110A as part of the industrial facility 102. As such, the industrial device 210A may be operably coupled to a piece of industrial equipment, such as motor 212A. That is, the industrial device 210A is configured with operating parameters such to operate the motor 212A as required within the industrial application. For case of explanation, the following discussion will be within the context that there is an issue with the industrial device 210A and/or the motor 212A. However, it should be appreciated that the configuration distribution process 300 may be used within scenarios in which there is not an issue with the industrial device 210A or any related equipment.
An issue has arisen with the industrial device 210A, requiring extraction of the configuration information for the industrial device 210A. To address the issue, the configuration distribution process provided herein is implemented. Referring now to
As shown in
Once the first secure channel 204 is established, configuration information may be extracted from the industrial device 210A via the first secure channel 204 (310). For example, a software application that is hosted and executed by the application services 124, may automatically extract the configuration information from the industrial device 210A upon establishment of the first secure channel 204.
A second secure channel 206 is established by the client device 220 with an end-point device 230 (315). The end-point device 230 may be a cloud-based service or another client device. In an illustrative example, the end-point device 230 may be technical support for the industrial device 210A. In some embodiments, the client device 220 may use a software application executing on the client device 220 to establish the second secure channel 206 with the end-point device. In some embodiments, the second secure channel 206 is a different type of connection than the first secure channel 204. For example, the second secure channel 206 may be a Wide Area Network (WAN) connection, such as 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G. In other embodiments, the second secure channel 206 may be the same type of connection as the first secure channel 204.
Once the second secure channel 206 is established, the software application executing on the client device 220 may establish a secure session 208 between the industrial device 210A and the end-point device 230. The secure session 208 may be a bridge, formed by the client device 220, between the industrial device 210A and the end-point device 230. In other words, the client device 220 may act as a server in that it automatically routes any communication between the end-point device 230 and the industrial device 210A to the respective device.
The secure session 208 may be understood to be a connection via which communications between the industrial device 210A and the end-point device 230 remain confidential and temper-proof. For example, the first secure channel 204 and/or the second secure channel 206 may be encrypted and authenticated channels. That is, the secure session 208 may be established to include cryptographic protocols to protect against eavesdropping, data manipulation, and unauthorized access. As such, the secure session 208 serves as a trustable conduit for confidential data transmission, safeguarding the privacy and integrity of any communication exchanged between the industrial device 210A and the end-point device 230.
After the configuration information is extracted from the industrial device 210A, the client device 220 generates modified configuration information based on the configuration information (320). That is, prior to transmitting the configuration information extracted from the industrial device 210A, the software application executing the configuration distribution process 300 on the client device, generates modified configuration information. As noted above, the configuration information extracted from the industrial device 210A is generally in a format that is executable by the industrial device, such as in binary or code. As such, prior to transmitting the configuration information to the end-point device 230, the client device 220 translates the configuration information into the modified configuration information. In other words, the client device 220 translates the configuration information from a first format into a second format (e.g., the modified configuration information).
As noted above, the generation of modified configuration information is traditionally performed manually. As such, errors commonly arise during this step in the process. By using the software application executing the configuration distribution process 300, in which the configuration information is automatically extracted from the industrial device 210A and used to generate modified configuration information, errors can be avoided, and the issue can be more easily rectified by the end-point device.
Once the modified configuration information is generated by the client device, the modified configuration information is transmitted to the end-point device 230 via the second secure channel 206 (325). It should be appreciated, these steps of the configuration distribution process 300 may automatically occur upon a command received from the client device 220. For example, the client device 220 may indicate to establish a secure session with the industrial device 210A or may indicate a request for help with the end-point device 230 to resolve the issue identified with the industrial device 210A. In still another example, the industrial device 210A itself may transmit a push notification to the client device 220 if it identifies an issue. For example, the industrial device 210A may experience a power surge and automatic to the power surge, transmit a notification to the client device 220 of the issue.
In some cases, once the secure session 208 is established with the industrial device 210A and the end-point device 230, the secure session 208 may perpetuate until ended by the client device 220. During the time that the secure session 208 is present, the industrial device 210A may automatically communicate with the end-point device 230, and the end-point device 230 may automatically communicate with the industrial device 210A without input from the client device 220. Following the above example in which the industrial device 210A experiences a power surge, the industrial device 210A may transmit a notification of the power surge, along with its configuration information to the end-point device 230 via the secure session 208. Since the communication is transmitted via the client device 220, the client device 220 may generate the modified configuration information upon receipt of the communication from the industrial device 210A and route the modified configuration information, along with the notification, directly to the end-point device 230.
Responsive to receiving the modified configuration information, the end-point device 230 may analyze the modified configuration information and provide updated configuration information for the industrial device 210A. The updated configuration information may address an identified issue present in the configuration information provided by the industrial device 210A. The end-point device 230 provides the updated configuration information to the industrial device 210A via the secure session 208. In other words, the end-point device 230 transmits the updated configuration information to the client device 220 via the second secure channel 206, which is then routed by the client device 220 to the industrial device 210A via the first secure channel 204.
In some embodiments, as part of the routing process of communications between the end-point device 230 and the industrial device 210A, the configuration distribution process 300 includes determining, by the software application executed on the client device 220, a binary command protocol for the industrial device 210A. The software application may also validate the binary command protocol for the industrial device 210A to confirm that the accuracy and validity of the binary command protocol. Once the binary command protocol is validated, the client device 220 via the software application, may transmit the updated configuration information to the industrial device 210A.
Referring now to
As illustrated, to establish a secure session between the industrial device 410A and the end-point device 430, a client device 420, transmits a request 440 to connect to the industrial device 410A. As will be described in greater detail below with respect to
A second secure channel 406 is established between the client device 420 and the end-point device 430. In some cases, the second secure channel 406 may be established prior to establishing the first secure channel 404 or may be established simultaneously. To establish the second secure channel 406, a request 448 may be transmitted by the client device 420 to the end-point device 430. For example, the client device 420 may login to a cloud service and the request 448 may be made by providing login information via a login portal. Responsive to receiving the request 448, the end-point device 430 may establish the connection 450 with the client device 420.
The second secure channel 406 may also be a secure connection in which encryption keys or tokens are exchanged during establishment of the connection. For example, a first token 452 may be transmitted by the client device to the end-point device 430 and the end-point device 430 may transmit a second token 454 to the client device 420. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exchange of tokens 452 and 454 may occur as part of the request 448 and the establishment of the connection 450. After the second secure channel 406 is established, a secure session 408 is established between the industrial device 410A and the end-point device 430.
At some point after the secure session 408 is established, the client device 420 requests configuration information 456 from the industrial device 410A. Responsive to receiving the request for configuration information 456, the industrial device 410A transmits the configuration information 458 to the client device 420 via the secure session 408. Upon receiving the configuration information 458, the client device 420 generates modified configuration information 460. As described above, the configuration information 458 may be in a format that is readable by the industrial device 410A, such as in binary or code. As such, the client device 420, using a software application executing thereon the configuration distribution process provided herein, translates the configuration information 458 from a first format into a second format, thereby forming the modified configuration information 460.
Once generated, transmission 462 including the modified configuration information 460 is sent to the end-point device 430. The end-point device 430 may analyze the modified configuration information 460 and determine that updated configuration information 464 is required. As such, the end-point device 430 generates the updated configuration information 464 and sends transmission 466 the updated configuration information 464 to the industrial device 410A via the secure session 408. As described above, within the secure session 408, the client device 420 acts as a bridge between the industrial device 410A and the end-point device 430. As such, the transmission 466 may be sent to the client device 420 first before it is automatically routed to the industrial device 410A.
In some cases, the updated configuration information 464 is in a format that is not readable by the industrial device 410A. In such cases, the client device 420 may translate the format of the updated configuration information 464 into a format that is readable by the industrial device 410A. In other cases, such as the illustrated example, the updated configuration information 464 is in a readable format, such as a binary protocol command. In such cases, the client device 420 validates the updated configuration information 470 prior to sending the updated configuration information 464 via transmission 472 to the industrial device 410A. Upon receipt of the transmission 472, the industrial device 410A updates a current configuration with the updated configuration information 464. For example, the industrial device 410A updates the configuration information 458 with the updated configuration information 464.
Turning now to
Starting with
If the first secure channel 204 is not yet established between the client device 220 and the industrial device 510A, the GUI 500B may be provided. As illustrated by
To establish the second secure channel 206, a user of the client device 220 logs in via MyAutomation portal, as shown by GUI 500D. The login portal may be provided via an application executing on the client device 220 or may be a web-based application. The second secure channel 206 may be established once the login information is validated. The GUI 500E of
Turning now to
The GUI 500G provides a display requesting that the user confirms overwriting the current configuration. It should be appreciated that in some cases, the overwriting of the current configuration with the updated configuration information may be automatically performed by the industrial device 510A upon receipt of the file 519. As shown, the GUI 500G shows that the file 519 is selected for the industrial device 510A. The GUI 500G includes a confirm option 521 and a save a backup option 523. If the user selects the confirm option 521, then the GUI 500H is provided. A shown, the GUI 500H shows that the file 519 is being transmitted to the industrial device 510A. If the user selects, the save a backup option 523, then the user may be directed to the GUIs 500L-O.
Referring now to
As noted above, if the user selects the option 523 from GUI 500G, then the GUIs 500L-O on
Referring now to
Once the configuration information from the industrial device 510A is copied to the client device 220, the client device 220 may determine which end-point device 230 to transfer the copied configuration information to. In the illustrated example, the end-point device 230 is another industrial device, such as the industrial device 110B. Prior to transferring the copied configuration information to the industrial device 110B, the client device 220 first establishes a connection with the industrial device 110B. As shown by
Once the seconds secure channel 206 is established between the industrial device 510B and the client device 220, either via the connection method illustrated in
If the option 521 to confirm the instructions to overwrite the current configuration information is selected, then the GUI 500CC of
Referring now to
The power source 604 provides power to the industrial device 600 when in a powered-on state. The power source 604 may be or include any variety of power sources, such as batteries, A/C power, D/C power, solar panels, and the like. The user I/F system 606 may be or include a display or UI that allows a user to interact with the industrial device 600, for example, by manually adjusting operating parameters of the industrial device 600.
In some cases, the industrial device 600 may include a controller 608 (e.g., one or more processors), storage system 610, and software 612. The software 612 may be operating software that is stored in the storage system 610 that, when executed by the controller 608, causes the industrial device 600 to perform one or more functions. For example, an operating profile may be stored as instructions in the storage system 610 that, when executed by the controller 608, cause the industrial device 600 to operate a piece of industrial equipment (e.g., conveyor belt, motor) according to the operating profile. The storage system 610 may include any computer readable storage media readable by the controller 608 and capable of storing software 612. The storage system 610 may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of storage media include random access memory, read only memory, magnetic disks, optical disks, flash memory, virtual memory and non-virtual memory, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other suitable storage media. In no case is the computer readable storage media a propagated signal.
In some embodiments, the industrial device 600 may receive configuration information, such as the configuration information 674, from the client device 120 when in a powered-off state. When the industrial device 600 receives the configuration information 674 in a powered-off state, the configuration information 674 may be temporarily stored by the communications I/F system 602. For example, if the communications I/F system 602 includes an NFC chip, then the communications I/F system 602 may have power harvesting capabilities. As such, the communications I/F system 602 is able to store the configuration information 674 using the residual power harvested by the NFC chip. Once the industrial device 600 is powered on, the configuration information 674 is transferred to the storage system 610 for permanent storage. That is, once the industrial device 600 is powered on, a current configuration that is stored in the storage system 610 is updated to the configuration information 674. In cases where the industrial device 600 receives the configuration information 674 in a powered-on state, then the configuration information 674 may be automatically updated and stored in the storage 610.
Turning now to
The storage system 703 may comprise any computer readable storage media readable by processing system 702 and capable of storing software 705. The storage system 703 may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of storage media include random access memory, read only memory, magnetic disks, optical disks, flash memory, virtual memory and non-virtual memory, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other suitable storage media. In no case is the computer readable storage media a propagated signal.
In addition to computer readable storage media, in some implementations the storage system 703 may also include computer readable communication media over which at least some of the software 705 may be communicated internally or externally. The storage system 703 may be implemented as a single storage device but may also be implemented across multiple storage devices or sub-systems co-located or distributed relative to each other. The storage system 703 may comprise additional elements, such as a controller capable of communicating with the processing system 702 or possibly other systems.
The software 705 (including configuration distribution process 706) may be implemented in program instructions and among other functions may, when executed by the processing system 702, direct the processing system 702 to operate as described with respect to the various operational scenarios, sequences, and processes illustrated herein. For example, the software 705 may include program instructions for providing the configuration distribution process as described herein. For example, the software 705 may include program instructions for providing one or more steps of the configuration distribution process 300.
In particular, the program instructions may include various components or modules that cooperate or otherwise interact to carry out the various processes and operational scenarios described herein. The various components or modules may be embodied in compiled or interpreted instructions, or in some other variation or combination of instructions. The various components or modules may be executed in a synchronous or asynchronous manner, serially or in parallel, in a single threaded environment or multi-threaded, or in accordance with any other suitable execution paradigm, variation, or combination thereof. The software 705 may include additional processes, programs, or components, such as operating system software, virtualization software, or other application software. The software 705 may also comprise firmware or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions executable by the processing system 702.
In general, the software 705 may, when loaded into the processing system 702 and executed, transform a suitable apparatus, system, or device (of which computing system 701 is representative) overall from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computing system customized to support insights features, functionality, and user experiences. Indeed, encoding the software 705 on the storage system 703 may transform the physical structure of the storage system 703. The specific transformation of the physical structure may depend on various factors in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to, the technology used to implement the storage media of the storage system 703 and whether the computer-storage media are characterized as primary or secondary storage, as well as other factors.
For example, if the computer readable storage media are implemented as semiconductor-based memory, the software 705 may transform the physical state of the semiconductor memory when the program instructions are encoded therein, such as by transforming the state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements constituting the semiconductor memory. A similar transformation may occur with respect to magnetic or optical media. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate the present discussion.
Communication interface system 707 may include communication connections and devices that allow for communication with other computing systems (not shown) over communication networks (not shown). Examples of connections and devices that together allow for inter-system communication may include network interface cards, antennas, power amplifiers, RF circuitry, transceivers, and other communication circuitry. The connections and devices may communicate over communication media to exchange communications with other computing systems or networks of systems, such as metal, glass, air, or any other suitable communication media. The aforementioned media, connections, and devices are well known and need not be discussed at length here.
Communication between the computing system 701 and other computing systems (not shown), may occur over a communication network or networks and in accordance with various communication protocols, combinations of protocols, or variations thereof. Examples include intranets, internets, the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, wireless networks, wired networks, virtual networks, software defined networks, data center buses and backplanes, or any other type of network, combination of network, or variation thereof. The aforementioned communication networks and protocols are well known and need not be discussed at length here.
While some examples of methods and systems herein are described in terms of software executing on various machines, the methods and systems may also be implemented as specifically-configured hardware, such as field-programmable gate array (FPGA) specifically to execute the various methods according to this disclosure. For example, examples can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in a combination thereof. In one example, a device may include a processor or processors. The processor comprises a computer-readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) coupled to the processor. The processor executes computer-executable program instructions stored in memory, such as executing one or more computer programs. Such processors may comprise a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and state machines. Such processors may further comprise programmable electronic devices such as PLCs, programmable interrupt controllers (PICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), electronically programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or EEPROMs), or other similar devices.
Such processors may comprise, or may be in communication with, media, for example one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which may store processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, can cause the processor to perform methods according to this disclosure as carried out, or assisted, by a processor. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable medium may include, but are not limited to, an electronic, optical, magnetic, or other storage device capable of providing a processor, such as the processor in a web server, with processor-executable instructions. Other examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, a floppy disk, CD-ROM, magnetic disk, memory chip, ROM, RAM, ASIC, configured processor, all optical media, all magnetic tape or other magnetic media, or any other medium from which a computer processor can read. The processor, and the processing, described may be in one or more structures, and may be dispersed through one or more structures. The processor may comprise code to carry out methods (or parts of methods) according to this disclosure.
Examples are described herein in the context of systems and methods for modifying configuration of industrial devices, in particular, a process for establishing a secure session between an industrial device and an end-point device. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the foregoing description is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Reference is made to various implementations of examples as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators are used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or like items.
In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the examples described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another.
The foregoing description of some examples has been presented only for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications and adaptations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Reference herein to an example or implementation means that a particular feature, structure, operation, or other characteristic described in connection with the example may be included in at least one implementation of the disclosure. The disclosure is not restricted to the particular examples or implementations described as such. The appearance of the phrases “in one example,” “in an example,” “in one implementation,” or “in an implementation,” or variations of the same in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same example or implementation. Any particular feature, structure, operation, or other characteristic described in this specification in relation to one example or implementation may be combined with other features, structures, operations, or other characteristics described in respect of any other example or implementation.
Use herein of the word “or” is intended to cover inclusive and exclusive OR conditions. In other words, A or B or C includes any or all of the following alternative combinations as appropriate for a particular usage: A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B only; A and C only; B and C only; and A and B and C.
These illustrative examples are mentioned not to limit or define the scope of this disclosure, but rather to provide examples to aid understanding thereof. Illustrative examples are discussed above in the Detailed Description, which provides further description. Advantages offered by various examples may be further understood by examining this specification.
As used below, any reference to a series of examples is to be understood as a reference to each of those examples disjunctively (e.g., “Examples 1-4” is to be understood as “Examples 1, 2, 3, or 4”).
Example 1 is a method of establishing a secure session between an industrial device and an end-point device, the method comprising: establishing, by a client device, a first channel with an industrial device, wherein the first channel is established using a short-range communication protocol; extracting, by a software application executing on the client device, configuration information for the industrial device via the first channel: establishing, by the client device using the software application, a second channel with an end-point device; generating, by the software application, modified configuration information based on the configuration information extracted from the industrial device; and transmitting, by the client device, the modified configuration information to the end-point device via the second channel.
Example 2 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the method further comprises: establishing, by the software application, the secure session between the industrial device and the end-point device via the first channel and the second channel, wherein the secure session comprises a bridge between the industrial device and the end-point device; and automatically routing, by the software application, updated configuration information from the end-point device via the bridge to the industrial device, wherein the updated configuration information is generated by the end-point device.
Example 3 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the software application, updated configuration information from the end-point device via the second channel, wherein the updated configuration information is generated by the end-point device; and routing, by the software application, the updated configuration information to the industrial device via the first channel.
Example 4 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the software application, updated configuration information from the end-point device via the second channel, wherein the updated configuration information is generated by the end-point device; determining, by the software application, a binary command protocol for the industrial device from the updated configuration information; validating, by the software application, the binary command protocol for the industrial device; and transmitting, by the client device, the binary command protocol to the industrial device via the first channel.
Example 5 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein receiving, by the software application, the updated configuration information from the end-point device comprises receiving, by an email account associated with the client device, an email comprising the updated configuration information.
Example 6 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the second channel is established via a Wide Area Network (WAN) connection.
Example 7 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the end-point device comprises a cloud service.
Example 8 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the short-range communication protocol includes one of Bluetooth or near-field communication (NFC).
Example 9 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein generating, by the software application, the modified configuration information based on the configuration information extracted from the industrial device further comprises: generating, by the software application, the modified configuration information based on the configuration information, wherein: the configuration information comprises a first format; the modified configuration information comprises a second format; and the generating comprises translating the configuration information from the first format to the second format.
Example 10 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the second format consists of a short message service (SMS) or an email.
Example 11 is the method of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein establishing, by the client device, the first channel with the industrial device comprises: exchanging tokens between the client device and the industrial device; validating, by the client device, the exchange of tokens; and establishing, by the client device, the first channel with the industrial device based on validation of the token exchange.
12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: extract, from an industrial device, configuration information for the industrial device via a first channel established with the industrial device using a short-range communication protocol; generate modified configuration information based on the configuration information extracted from the industrial device; and transmit, to an end-point device, the modified configuration information via a second channel established with the end-point device.
Example 13 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the processor-executable instructions, upon execution by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: establish a secure session between the industrial device and the end-point device via the first channel and the second channel, wherein the secure session comprises a bridge between the industrial device and the end-point device; and automatically route, to the industrial device, updated configuration information from the end-point device via the bridge, wherein the updated configuration information is generated by the end-point device.
Example 14 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the processor-executable instructions, upon execution by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: receive updated configuration information from the end-point device via the second channel, wherein the updated configuration information is generated by the end-point device; and automatically route the updated configuration information to the industrial device via the first channel.
Example 15 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the processor-executable instructions, upon execution by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: receive updated configuration information from the end-point device via the second channel, wherein the updated configuration information is generated by the end-point device; determine a binary command protocol for the industrial device from the updated configuration information; validate the binary command protocol for the industrial device; and transmit the binary command protocol to the industrial device via the first channel.
Example 16 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the processor-executable instructions to receive the updated configuration information from the end-point device via the second channel further cause, upon execution by the one or more processors, the one or more processors to: extract the updated configuration information from one of an email or a short message service (SMS).
Example 17 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the processor-executable instructions to generate modified configuration information based on the configuration information extracted from the industrial device further cause, upon execution by the one or more processors, the one or more processors to: generate the modified configuration information based on the configuration information, wherein: the configuration information comprises a first format; the modified configuration information comprises a second format; and the generating comprises translating the configuration information from the first format to the second format.
Example 18 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the second channel is established via a Wide Area Network (WAN) connection.
Example 19 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the first channel is established via a Bluetooth connection or a near-field communication (NFC) connection.
Example 20 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of any previous or subsequent Example, wherein the end-point device comprises a cloud service.
Example 21 is a method of establishing a secure session between an industrial device and an end-point device, the method comprising: receiving, by an industrial device, a request to establish a first secure channel from a client device; establishing, by the industrial device, a connection with the client device, wherein the connection comprises a short-range communications protocol; establishing, by the industrial device, the first secure channel based on a token exchanged performed as part of the short-range communications protocol; transmitting, by the industrial device, configuration information to the client device via the first secure channel; receiving, by the industrial device, updated configuration information from an end-point device via the client device, wherein the client device establishes a second secure channel with the end-point device; and updating, by the industrial device, the configuration information to the updated configuration information.
Example 22 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to: receive, from a client device, a request to establish a first secure channel; establish a connection with the client device, wherein the connection comprises a short-range communications protocol; establish the first secure channel based on a token exchanged performed as part of the short-range communications protocol; transmit, to the client device, configuration information via the first secure channel; and receive, from an end-point device, updated information via the first secure channel with the client device, wherein the client device establishes a second secure channel with the end-point device.
