Distributed industrial performance monitoring and analytics

• US 10,649,424 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark John, Enver, Alper Turhan, Bell, Noel Howard, Kidd, Joshua Brian, Muston, Paul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elamin, Abdelmoniem I
• Application Number:
  US15/274,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20170102678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31088 Network communication between supervisor and cell, machine group
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31167 Object, data object as network variable
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Distributed industrial process monitoring and analytics systems and methods are provided for operation within a process plant. A plurality of distributed data engines (DDEs) may be embedded within the process plant to collect and store data generated by data sources, such as process controllers. Thus, the data may be stored in a distributed manner in the DDEs embedded throughout the process plant. The DDEs may be connected by a data analytics network to facilitate data transmission by subscription or query. The DDEs may be configured as a plurality of clusters, which may further include local and centralized clusters. The local clusters may obtain streaming data from data sources and stream selected data to a data consumer. The centralized cluster may register the local clusters, receive data therefrom, and perform data analytic functions on the received data. The analyzed data may be further sent to a data consumer.

Claims

1. A distributed industrial process monitoring and analytics system, comprising:

a plurality of distributed data engines (DDEs) embedded within a process plant that is operating to control a process, each of the DDEs coupled to respective one or more data sources that are generating data as a result of the process being controlled by the process plant, and each of the DDEs storing the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources;

a data analytics network supporting streaming of analytics data amongst the plurality of distributed data engines and transmission of queries for data stored at the plurality of DDEs; and

a data analytics model executing in the data analytics network to obtain data stored at the one or more DDEs and perform one or more data analytics functions on the obtained data to generate analytic output, wherein the one or more data analytics functions includes a descriptive analytic function, and wherein the analytic output includes a characteristic of the process plant determined by performing the descriptive analytic function.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data analytics network is overlaid over other process control communication networks of the process plant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data analytics network is disposed in parallel with other process control communication networks of the process plant.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one DDE of the plurality of DDEs is integral with a process control device operating to control the process.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the process control device transmits signals over a process control communication network to another process control device to control the process.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a query for data that is stored at the plurality of DDEs is generated by one or more of the DDEs, a user interface, or an application.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the query for the data that is stored at the plurality of DDEs comprises a query for data that is stored across more than one DDE.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored data at the plurality of DDEs is periodically transferred, via the data analytics network, to an analytics data historian.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the analytics data historian is independent of a process control data historian that is accessible via process control communication networks of the process plant.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the DDEs includes a cache in addition to a data storage area storing the data generated by the respective one or more data sources.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein a first DDE of the plurality of DDEs advertises a cluster with which the respective one or more data sources coupled to the first DDE register.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the respective one or more data sources coupled to the first DDE publish, to the cluster advertised by the first DDE, the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources as a result of the process being controlled.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein data published by the first DDE includes a result of a data analysis performed by the first DDE using at least some of the data generated by the respective one or more data sources coupled to the first DDE.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the cluster advertised by the first DDE is a local cluster, and wherein a second DDE advertises a regional cluster with which the first DDE registers and to which the first DDE publishes data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second DDE corresponding to the regional cluster provides at least one of a location service or a data dictionary used to establish data exchange with another regional cluster.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein one or more additional DDEs corresponding to one or more additional local clusters are registered with the regional cluster and publish data to the regional cluster.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein a third DDE advertises a centralized cluster with which the second DDE registers and to which the second DDE publishes data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second DDE publishes, to the centralized cluster via the data analytics network, at least a portion of the data stored at the second DDE.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data published by the second DDE to the centralized cluster includes a result of a data analysis performed by the second DDE using data received at the second DDE from another DDE.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein one or more additional DDEs corresponding to one or more additional regional clusters are registered with the centralized cluster and publish data to the centralized cluster.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the centralized cluster is hosted in a cloud computing environment.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the process plant is a first process plant, and wherein other clusters corresponding to other process plants are registered with the centralized cluster and publish data to the centralized cluster.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the centralized cluster stores a set of rules for the data analytics network, the set of rules including rules corresponding to at least one of replication or backup.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface to administrate a set of rules for the data analytics network, the set of rules including rules corresponding to at least one of replication or backup.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the DDEs publishes, to the data analytics network, at least some of the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources corresponding to the one of the DDEs.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein another one of the DDEs subscribes to the at least some of the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources corresponding to the one of the DDEs and published by the one of the DDEs.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the another one of the DDEs performs one or more data analytics functions on the subscribed data.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein a result of the one or more data analytics functions performed by the another one of the DDEs is published to the data analytics network.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more data analytics functions includes a predictive analytic function, and wherein the analytic output includes one or more predicted values determined by performing the predictive analytic function.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more predicted values includes at least one of:

a value indicative of a predicted performance, a value indicative of a predicted fault or failure, a value indicative of a predicted time interval, or a value indicative of another characteristic of at least a portion of the process plant.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more data analytics functions includes a prescriptive analytic function, and wherein the analytic output includes one or more prescriptive actions for the process plant.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more prescriptive actions mitigate effects of a fault or failure within the process plant.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more prescriptive actions decreases a likelihood of an occurrence of a predicted event or condition, the predicted event or condition corresponding to a fault, a failure, a level of performance, or a level of degradation of at least a portion of the process plant.

34. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data analytics user interface application via which a user develops a data analytics model that obtains data stored at one or more DDEs and predicts one or more values of the process plant based on the data obtained from the one or more DDEs.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein:

the data obtained by the data analytics model from the one or more DDEs includes continuously updated data generated by the process plant while controlling the process; and

the data analytics model continuously executes on the continuously updated data obtained from the one or more DDEs, thereby generating a continuous output, the continuous output including continuous updates to the one or more predicted values of the process plant.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the continuously updated data obtained by the data analytics model from the one or more DDEs comprises data streamed via the data analytics network from the one or more DDEs to the data analytics model.

37. The system of claim 35, where the data analytics model transmits, via the data analytics network, a query to the one or more DDEs to obtain the continuously updated data.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the continuous output generated by the data analytics model is displayed on a user interface using a continuously updated graphical visualization.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the continuously updated graphical visualization of the one or more predicted values is displayed on the user interface in conjunction with a continuously updated graphical visualization of one or more actual values generated by the process plant and corresponding to the one or more predicted values.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising presenting an indication of an accuracy of the data analytics model, the accuracy based on a comparison of the one or more predicted values and the one or more actual values.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the continuous output generated by the data analytics model is streamed to at least one of the plurality of DDEs.

42. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for the user to obtain data stored at any of the plurality of DDEs.

43. The system of claim 1, wherein the analytics data streamed via the data analytics network includes results of data analytics functions performed by the plurality of DDEs and at least one of:

data generated by process control devices while controlling the process within the process plant, historized data, and other data.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the results of the data analytics functions performed by the plurality of DDEs include a new analytic function generated by another data analytic function.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein:

the data generated by process control devices while controlling the process within the process plant is (i) transmitted over one or more process control communication networks to control the process, and (ii) transmitted over the data analytics network; and

the historized data is (iii) transmitted over one or more process control communication networks to a process control data historian for storage, and (iv) transmitted over the data analytics network to an analytics data historian for storage.

46. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the DDEs respectively store the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources using different formats.

47. A distributed industrial process monitoring and analytics system, comprising:

a plurality of distributed data engines (DDEs) embedded within a process plant that is operating to control a process, each of the DDEs coupled to respective one or more data sources that are generating data as a result of the process being controlled by the process plant, and each of the DDEs storing the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources; and

a data analytics network supporting streaming of analytics data amongst the plurality of distributed data engines and transmission of queries for data stored at the plurality of DDEs,

wherein (i) one of the DDEs publishes, to the data analytics network, at least some of the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources corresponding to the one of the DDEs and (ii) another one of the DDEs subscribes to the at least some of the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources corresponding to the one of the DDEs and published by the one of the DDEs.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein at least one DDE of the plurality of DDEs is integral with a process control device operating to control the process.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the process control device transmits signals over a process control communication network to another process control device to control the process.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein a query for data that is stored at the plurality of DDEs is generated by one or more of the DDEs, a user interface, or an application.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the query for the data that is stored at the plurality of DDEs comprises a query for data that is stored across more than one DDE.

52. The system of claim 47, wherein the stored data at the plurality of DDEs is periodically transferred, via the data analytics network, to an analytics data historian, and wherein the analytics data historian is independent of a process control data historian that is accessible via process control communication networks of the process plant.

53. The system of claim 47, wherein each of the DDEs includes a cache in addition to a data storage area storing the data generated by the respective one or more data sources.

54. The system of claim 47, wherein a first DDE of the plurality of DDEs advertises a cluster with which the respective one or more data sources coupled to the first DDE register.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the respective one or more data sources coupled to the first DDE publish, to the cluster advertised by the first DDE, the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources as a result of the process being controlled.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein data published by the first DDE includes a result of a data analysis performed by the first DDE using at least some of the data generated by the respective one or more data sources coupled to the first DDE.

57. The system of claim 53, wherein the cluster advertised by the first DDE is a local cluster, and wherein a second DDE advertises a regional cluster with which the first DDE registers and to which the first DDE publishes data.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the second DDE corresponding to the regional cluster provides at least one of a location service or a data dictionary used to establish data exchange with another regional cluster.

59. The system of claim 57, wherein one or more additional DDEs corresponding to one or more additional local clusters are registered with the regional cluster and publish data to the regional cluster.

60. The system of claim 57, wherein a third DDE advertises a centralized cluster with which the second DDE registers and to which the second DDE publishes data.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the second DDE publishes, to the centralized cluster via the data analytics network, at least a portion of the data stored at the second DDE.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the data published by the second DDE to the centralized cluster includes a result of a data analysis performed by the second DDE using data received at the second DDE from another DDE.

63. The system of claim 60, wherein one or more additional DDEs corresponding to one or more additional regional clusters are registered with the centralized cluster and publish data to the centralized cluster.

64. The system of claim 60, wherein the centralized cluster is hosted in a cloud computing environment.

65. The system of claim 60, wherein the process plant is a first process plant, and wherein other clusters corresponding to other process plants are registered with the centralized cluster and publish data to the centralized cluster.

66. The system of claim 60, wherein the centralized cluster stores a set of rules for the data analytics network, the set of rules including rules corresponding to at least one of replication or backup.

67. The system of claim 47, further comprising a user interface to administrate a set of rules for the data analytics network, the set of rules including rules corresponding to at least one of replication or backup.

68. The system of claim 47, wherein the another one of the DDEs performs one or more data analytics functions on the subscribed data.

69. The system of claim 68, wherein a result of the one or more data analytics functions performed by the another one of the DDEs is published to the data analytics network.

70. The system of claim 47, further comprising a data analytics user interface application via which a user develops a data analytics model that obtains data stored at one or more DDEs and predicts one or more values of the process plant based on the data obtained from the one or more DDEs.

71. The system of claim 70, wherein:

the data obtained by the data analytics model from the one or more DDEs includes continuously updated data generated by the process plant while controlling the process; and

the data analytics model continuously executes on the continuously updated data obtained from the one or more DDEs, thereby generating a continuous output, the continuous output including continuous updates to the one or more predicted values of the process plant.

72. The system of claim 71, wherein the continuously updated data obtained by the data analytics model from the one or more DDEs comprises data streamed via the data analytics network from the one or more DDEs to the data analytics model.

73. The system of claim 71, where the data analytics model transmits, via the data analytics network, a query to the one or more DDEs to obtain the continuously updated data.

74. The system of claim 71, wherein the continuous output generated by the data analytics model is displayed on a user interface using a continuously updated graphical visualization.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein the continuously updated graphical visualization of the one or more predicted values is displayed on the user interface in conjunction with a continuously updated graphical visualization of one or more actual values generated by the process plant and corresponding to the one or more predicted values.

76. The system of claim 75, further comprising presenting an indication of an accuracy of the data analytics model, the accuracy based on a comparison of the one or more predicted values and the one or more actual values.

77. The system of claim 71, wherein the continuous output generated by the data analytics model is streamed to at least one of the plurality of DDEs.

78. The system of claim 47, further comprising a user interface for the user to obtain data stored at any of the plurality of DDEs.

79. The system of claim 47, wherein the analytics data streamed via the data analytics network includes results of data analytics functions performed by the plurality of DDEs and at least one of:

data generated by process control devices while controlling the process within the process plant, historized data, and other data.

80. The system of claim 79, wherein the results of the data analytics functions performed by the plurality of DDEs include a new analytic function generated by another data analytic function.

81. The system of claim 79, wherein:

the data generated by process control devices while controlling the process within the process plant is (i) transmitted over one or more process control communication networks to control the process, and (ii) transmitted over the data analytics network; and

the historized data is (iii) transmitted over one or more process control communication networks to a process control data historian for storage, and (iv) transmitted over the data analytics network to an analytics data historian for storage.

82. The system of claim 47, wherein at least some of the DDEs respectively store the data being generated by the respective one or more data sources using different formats.