Integrated fieldbus data server architecture

• US 20030004987A1
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FieldComm Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fieldbus Foundation (FieldComm Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neitzel, Lee A., Glanzer, David A., Goff, Donald B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,146,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41845 characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31118 Universal interface between asi and fieldbus, for any fielddevice
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31135 Fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31169 Object manager contains client, control and communication and start and planning server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31328 Objects report their location to directory service
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32129 Select program for specified machine from library, file server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33148 CLS client server architecture, client consumes, server provides services
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33152 Server has organisation, tree data to access user data, client sends also both
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34263 OLE object linking and embedding, OPC ole for process control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4616 LAN interconnection over a LAN backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• 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: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A new and improved control system architecture with a single server interface for application software that eliminates manual intervention by providing online, immediate access to information needed for plant/enterprise optimization, operation, configuration, maintenance and diagnostic application software. The control system architecture provides a method of dynamically creating a server directory to enable automatic access in an integrated control system. The method includes accessing a live list of fieldbus devices, building/updating a browse tree structure, the browse tree structure defining a branch and leaf node organization and naming for and data from the fieldbus devices, copying AP directories and FF objects from active fieldbus devices into a FF directory and mapping the FF Directory into the server directory.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically creating a server directory to enable automatic access in an integrated control system, comprising the steps of:

(a) accessing a live list of fieldbus devices, wherein the live list represents active fieldbus devices in the integrated control system;

(b) building/updating a browse tree structure, wherein the browse tree structure defines a branch and leaf node organization, naming for the fieldbus devices and data from the fieldbus devices;

(c) copying Application Process (“

AP”

) directories and Foundation Fieldbus (“

FF”

) objects from active fieldbus devices into a FF directory so that the FF directory has object semantics corresponding to the active fieldbus devices; and

(d) mapping the FF Directory into the server directory, wherein the object semantics in the FF directory are mapped into the server directory in a standardized format that is automatically accessible by client application software running on a server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

powering-up the integrated control system prior to executing the accessing step.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(e) determining if there is a change in the live list, wherein a change is indicated when an active fieldbus device is removed or added to the integrated control system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

if there is a change determined in the live list, repeating steps (a)-(d); and

if no change is determined in the live list, repeating step (e).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is an OLE for Process Control (“

OPC”

) server and the mapping step maps the object semantics to OPC objects.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mapping step maps, for each fieldbus device, an AP Directory and each FF object contained in the FF directory to OPC Items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping step maps device identification data, such as Link/Segment ID, Node ID, Device ID, and PD Tag data for each fieldbus device from the FF directory into the server directory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping step maps an AP Directory for each fieldbus device from the FF Directory into the server directory.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping step maps FF Objects from the FF Directory into the server directory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the building/updating step builds the browse tree structure with live list device identification information read from the fieldbus devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the copying step includes the steps of:

reading the AP directories and FF objects of the active fieldbus devices in the live list;

placing data from the AP directories and FF objects in a buffer; and

copying the data from the buffer to the FF Directory.

13. The integrated control system of claim 12, further comprising:

a client application, in communication with and operatively connected to the server application, including;

client application software; and

a client, in communication with and operatively connected to the client application software and in communication with the server browse function and the server data access function, wherein the client application software accesses the semantic information and the runtime data through the client.

14. The integrated control system of claim 13, wherein the client application software includes one or more of the following:

human/machine interface application software;

maintenance/diagnostics application software; and

configuration application software.

15. The integrated control system of claim 12, wherein the active fieldbus devices include one or more of the following types of devices:

H1 devices;

HSE devices;

or other fieldbus devices.

16. The integrated control system of claim 12, wherein the server application is an OPC server.

17. The integrated control system of claim 13, wherein the client application is an OPC client.

18. The integrated control system of claim 12, wherein the FF server module includes:

a FF directory, wherein the FF directory includes object semantics of the active fieldbus devices;

a mapping function, wherein the mapping function maps object semantics in the FF directory into a server directory; and

the server directory, wherein the server directory includes object semantics of the fieldbus devices from the FF directory mapped in a format compatible with the client application software and automatically accessible by the client application software through the client.

19. The integrated control system of claim 18, wherein the server directory includes:

a browse tree structure, wherein the browse tree structure defines a branch and leaf node organization and naming for the fieldbus devices and their objects.

12. An integrated control system providing a single interface for client application software to semantic and run-time data for fieldbus devices, comprising:

a plurality of active fieldbus devices;

a fieldbus network, wherein the fieldbus network connects the active fieldbus devices; and

a server application, in communication with and operatively connected to the active fieldbus devices via the fieldbus network, including;

a FF server module, wherein the FF server module communicates with the active fieldbus devices through the fieldbus network;

a server browse function, wherein the server browse function is used to locate semantic information for the active fieldbus devices; and

a server data access function, wherein the server data access function provides access to runtime and semantic information for the active fieldbus devices.

20. A method of client application software, in an integrated control system, accessing semantic and runtime data for fieldbus devices through a single interface, comprising the steps of:

providing a server browse function, wherein the server browse function provides access to semantic data for the active fieldbus devices;

providing a server data access function, wherein the server data access function provides access to runtime data for the active fieldbus devices;

providing a client in communication with the server browse function and the server data access function; and

the client application software accessing the semantic data and the run-time data through the client.