US 12,066,804 B2
Integrating container orchestration systems with operational technology devices
Tim Biernat, Franklin, WI (US); Nathaniel S. Sandler, Chagrin, OH (US); James J. Kay, Chardon, OH (US); David A. Johnston, Painesville, OH (US); and Karl Staas, Willoughby, OH (US)
Assigned to Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc., Mayfield Heights, OH (US)
Filed by ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Mayfield Heights, OH (US)
Filed on Sep. 22, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/028,709.
Prior Publication US 2022/0091572 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 9/50 (2006.01); G05B 19/042 (2006.01); G06F 8/61 (2018.01); G06F 9/455 (2018.01)
CPC G05B 19/0425 (2013.01) [G06F 8/63 (2013.01); G06F 9/45558 (2013.01); G06F 9/5027 (2013.01); G06F 9/5044 (2013.01); G06F 9/5083 (2013.01); G06F 2009/4557 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a first computing node of a cluster of processor-based computing nodes that are part of a container orchestration system;
a plurality of processor-based control systems for controlling a plurality of operations of a plurality of operational technology (OT) devices, wherein a first control system of the plurality of processor-based control systems is communicatively coupled to the first computing node, and wherein the first control system is configured to communicatively couple to a first OT device of the plurality of OT devices;
a second computing node of the cluster of processor-based computing nodes, wherein the second computing node is configured to:
receive a request to coordinate one or more operations of one or more containers using at least a portion of the plurality of control systems;
retrieve a plurality of machine state datasets from the plurality of control systems via a portion of the cluster of computing nodes, wherein each of the plurality of machine state datasets correspond to an operational state associated with each of the plurality of control systems and each of the plurality of OT devices, and wherein the operational state comprises available processing resource data of a respective control system and an operational mode or status of a respective OT device;
determine that a first operational state associated with the first control system does not correspond with a desired operational state;
transmit a pod to the first computing node, wherein the pod is configured to modify operations associated with the first control system to cause the first control system to modify processes performed thereon to achieve the desired operational state; and
transmit an additional pod to the first computing node to cause the first control system to execute the one or more operations in response to determining that the first control system is at the desired operational state.