US 11,675,936 B2Granted

Unifying multiple simulation models

AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.

InventorsIan McGregor, Adam Davidson, David Dawkins

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A design and testing simulation scales an industrial simulation across multiple different processing nodes, and generates a unified view of the distributed industrial simulation based on simulation and graphics data collected from the multiple processing nodes. The system can allow the user to designate different portions of the a digital model of an automation system to be executed on respective different distributed processing nodes, such that each portion of the model is executed on its designated node and the nodes exchange data as necessary to simulate the aggregate automation system as a whole. In order to visualize this aggregated simulation, the design and testing system unifies the distributed portions of the model into a unified three-dimensional presentation at a single node, and this unified view is animated based on data received from the nodes on which the distributed simulation is executed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for rendering industrial simulations, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components;
and
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:
a user interface component configured to receive, via interaction with a graphical representation of a digital model of an industrial automation system, node designation data that identifies portions of the digital model that are to be executed on respective different processing node devices;
a model deployment component configured to generate multiple model portions corresponding to the portions of the digital model based on the node designation data and to deploy the multiple model portions to the respective different processing node devices;
and
a node interface component configured to communicatively connect to the processing node devices, wherein
the processing node devices respectively execute the multiple model portions to yield a distributed simulation of the industrial automation system,
the node interface component is further configured to collect graphical data and simulation data from the processing node devices and to aggregate the graphical data and simulation data to yield unified presentation data, and
the user interface component is further configured to render, on a client device, a unified presentation of the industrial automation system based on the unified presentation data.

7 more elements

A method for generating presentations of industrial simulations, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, node designation data via interaction with a graphical representation of a digital model of an industrial automation system, wherein the node designation data identifies portions of the digital model to be executed on respective different processing node devices;
generating, by the system, model portions representing the portions of the digital model based on the division defined by the node designation data;
deploying, by the system, the model portions to the respective different processing node devices;
communicatively connecting, by the system, to the processing node devices, wherein the processing node devices respectively execute the multiple model portions to yield a distributed simulation of the industrial automation system;
collecting, by the system, graphical data and simulation data from the processing node devices;
aggregating, by the system, the graphical data and simulation data to yield unified presentation data;
and
rendering, on a client device, a unified presentation of the industrial automation system based on the unified presentation data.

5 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, via interaction with a graphical representation of a digital model of an industrial automation system, node designation data that specifies portions of the digital model that are to be executed on respective different processing nodes;
generating model portions corresponding to the portions of the digital model based on the division defined by the node designation data;
deploying the model portions to the respective different processing node devices;
communicatively connecting to the processing node devices, wherein the multiple model portions are respectively simulated by the processing node devices to yield a distributed simulation of the industrial automation system;
collecting graphical data and simulation data from the processing node devices;
aggregating the graphical data and simulation data to yield unified presentation data;
and
rendering a unified presentation of the industrial automation system based on the unified presentation data.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/034,688Filed 28 Sep 2020
Published: US 2022/0100917 A131 Mar 2022
Granted: 13 Jun 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

G05B 17/02
Systems involving the use of models or simulators of said systems: electric
G06F 30/12
Geometric CAD: characterised by design entry means specially adapted for CAD, e.g. graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for CAD
G05B 19/41885
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G06T 13/20
Animation: three-dimensional [3D] animation