Concepts

Connector

A cloud connector builds the bridge between two systems (hardware or software) enabling bi-directional communication. It consists of a server application that connects to a system without a standardised interface in the local network, translates, and exposes the interface in a standardised way in the same network (The “Driver”). A connector broadcasts its interface in the local network via mDNS (Auto-discovery). The encrypted connection to the cloud is created by the Edge Gateway. Communication to the cloud is enabled by a server-initiated connection of the connector, allowing for secure connection beyond local networks and firewalls.

Driver

The Driver is the part of the Connector that connects to the hard- or software system in the lab and translates its proprietary interface to a standardised interface. It is an application that runs either on a machine’s firmware or on a local machine that is connected to the system.

Edge Gateway

The Edge Gateway is the part of the Cloud Connector that connects the standardised interface to the cloud endpoint of a UniteLabs Connectivity Platform instance.

Module

WIP

Property

A Property is an attribute of the connector itself or the connected system, that is static. Properties therefore cannot be subscribed and return a single value immediately. In some rare cases, Properties can contain values that change over time, since the categorisation is automatically generated based on the SiLA interface of the connector. Properties could include for example the system's serial number or calibration data.

Sensor

A Sensor returns a stream of responses consisting of intermediate responses and a final response. Sensors can be subscribed and provide values that are typically dynamic, such as temperature readings or the speed of a stirrer.

Control

A control requires input parameters for the execution. All input fields are mandatory. A control either returns a stream of responses consisting of intermediate responses and a final response or just a single response. Controls trigger an action on the target system of the connector which may also have additional meta-data attached, such as progress information, time remaining, and execution state. Controls could be commands to change setpoints, or trigger for the execution of a workflow such as a readout on a plate reader or the method start on a LHS.