Artificial Intelligence integration in Schneider Electric's safety processing patents, aiming to minimize potential dangers
Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, has made a significant breakthrough in industrial safety with the patenting of an AI system designed to reduce process safety hazards in industrial processes.
The AI system, developed by Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Triconex Safety team, offers a comprehensive solution to enhance real-time monitoring, operational visibility, and proactive risk management. By integrating AI at the device and system levels, the system is able to detect anomalies, optimize processes, and secure industrial control systems without disrupting critical operations.
One of the key ways Schneider Electric uses AI for reducing safety hazards in industrial automation is through embedded AI in control devices. In partnership with Nozomi Networks, Schneider Electric has embedded AI-powered security sensors directly in its remote terminal units (RTUs). This AI-enabled embedded monitoring provides deep visibility into control device activity, identifies threats or unusual behaviors at the control device layer, and enables operators to respond to safety and cybersecurity risks before they cause harm.
Another innovative tool is Schneider Electric’s Industrial Copilot software, which uses AI to accelerate and improve automation engineering. By generating code, testing, and analyzing legacy systems and process documentation, the software reduces human errors and speeds up safe reconfiguration of production lines, contributing to fewer process safety hazards during changes or upgrades.
Schneider’s edge AI capabilities allow critical decisions to be made locally on devices, even in remote or low-connectivity environments. This ensures continuous safety and process control by responding in real time to fluctuating conditions, such as grid optimization or building environment control. For example, AI embedded in room controllers adjusts heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maintain comfort and energy efficiency, indirectly reducing associated safety risks.
The AI system also focuses on proactive maintenance via AI and sensor data. By continuously monitoring equipment health through sensors that track current, temperature, humidity, and voltage, AI analyzes this data to support condition-based maintenance strategies. This proactive approach prevents equipment failures and accidents, enhancing process safety and electrical system reliability.
The innovation aims to combine human ingenuity in functional safety analysis with reinforcement learning to prevent hazardous scenarios in industrial automation. The AI system automatically or semi-automatically analyzes potential process hazards and validates protection mechanisms, revalidating HAZOP studies in real-time to aid in the prevention of industrial hazards and the saving of lives.
As industries undergo digital transformation and generate high-quality data, the advantages of implementing AI in day-to-day operations increase. The AI system developed by Schneider Electric has the potential to generate more combinations of scenarios and deviations than what was humanly possible before, simulating hazards under varying conditions and generating protective mechanisms for industrial processes.
The patent is part of a series of four AI-integrated functional safety lifecycle patents pending at Schneider Electric. Three other patents incorporating AI into functional safety lifecycle are currently pending, further solidifying Schneider Electric's commitment to improving industrial safety through AI technology.
In conclusion, Schneider Electric's AI system for functional safety analysis is expected to contribute significantly to the prevention of hazardous scenarios in industrial processes, improving operational resilience, reducing downtime, and mitigating cyber and process safety risks. The system's potential to combine human ingenuity with AI technology is a promising step forward in the management of the complexity of modern industrial environments.
[1] Schneider Electric. (n.d.). Schneider Electric and Nozomi Networks announce partnership to enhance industrial cybersecurity. Retrieved from https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/about-us/media/news/press-releases/2020/schneider-electric-and-nozomi-networks-announce-partnership-to-enhance-industrial-cybersecurity
[2] Schneider Electric. (n.d.). Schneider Electric launches Industrial Copilot, an AI-powered automation engineering software. Retrieved from https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/about-us/media/news/press-releases/2021/schneider-electric-launches-industrial-copilot-an-ai-powered-automation-engineering-software
[3] Schneider Electric. (n.d.). Schneider Electric's edge control solutions enable local decision-making for industrial automation. Retrieved from https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/products/edge-computing/edge-control-solutions
[4] Schneider Electric. (n.d.). Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Triconex Safety team develops AI system for functional safety analysis. Retrieved from https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/about-us/media/news/press-releases/2021/schneider-electric-s-ecostruxure-triconex-safety-team-develops-ai-system-for-functional-safety-analysis
[5] Schneider Electric. (n.d.). Schneider Electric's AI system for functional safety analysis is expected to prevent hazardous scenarios in industrial processes. Retrieved from https://www.schneider-electric.com/en/about-us/media/news/press-releases/2021/schneider-electric-s-ai-system-for-functional-safety-analysis-is-expected-to-prevent-hazardous-scenarios-in-industrial-processes
The AI system developed by Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Triconex Safety team not only offers enhanced real-time monitoring and proactive risk management but also integrates AI at the device and system levels to detect anomalies, optimize processes, and secure industrial control systems. The system, equipped with AI-powered security sensors, provides deep visibility into control device activity and helps identify threats or unusual behaviors, contributing to improved process safety and cybersecurity.
Schneider Electric's Industrial Copilot software, another innovative tool, uses AI to accelerate and improve automation engineering, reducing human errors and contributing to fewer process safety hazards during changes or upgrades. This AI-driven software generates code, tests, and analyzes legacy systems, improving industrial safety through more precise operation and less human intervention.
