Web services-based communications for use with process control systems

• US 20030195934A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark J., Peterson, Neil J., Worek, Christopher J., Tanyous, Ebtesam S., Zhou, Ling, Deitz, David L., Wilson, Grant
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32235 Sharing of data between process control and maintenance management computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A web services-based communication system and technique uses an information server to facilitate the communication of process control data and analysis results between a plurality of web services coupled to a communication network. A graphical user interface coupled to the network enables users to store user profile information and configuration information in a database within the information server. The information server uses the configuration information and the profile information to control the operations of a scheduler and a router within the information server to enable users to selectively view process control information via the graphical user interface and to route process control information to appropriate ones of the web services.

Claims

1. A method of communicating process control information, comprising:

sending a message containing the process control information from a first web service associated with a process control system to an information server;

using a router within the information server to process the message to determine a destination for the process control information contained therein; and

sending the process control information to a second web service associated with the destination and a data consuming application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the message containing the process control information from the first web service associated with the process control system to the information server includes sending the message via a network using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the message via the network using the extensible markup language and the network transport protocol includes sending the message via an internet using XML and HTTP.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the message containing the process control information from the first web service associated with the process control system to the information server includes sending the message in response to a request from a scheduler within the information server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using the router within the information server to process the message to determine the destination for the process control information includes retrieving a schema from a database within the information server and using the schema to map the process control information for use by the data consuming application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the process control information to the second web service associated with the destination and the data consuming application includes sending the process control information to one of a communications application and a user-interactive application.

7. The method of claim 1, further including receiving communications information associated with the first and second web services from a discovery service and storing the communications information within the information server.

8. The method of claim 1, further including sending configuration information associated with one of the first and second web services from a graphical user interface to the information server.

9. The method of claim 8, further including storing a portion of the configuration information within a database of the information server and retrieving the portion of the configuration information from the database to configure one of a scheduler and the router within the information server.

10. The method of claim 8, further including using the configuration information to configure the one of the first and second web services.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the process control information to the second web service associated with the destination and the data consuming application includes sending the process control information to a graphical user interface that displays the process control information.

48. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to display the selection guide using a selection tree format.

49. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to perform a network browsing function.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the network browsing function is an internet browsing function.

12. A system for communicating process control information, comprising:

a first web service associated with a process control system;

a second web service associated with a data consuming application; and

an information server communicatively coupled to the first and second web services via a network, wherein the information server is adapted to receive a message containing the process control information from the first web service and to send the process control information via the network to the second web service to be used by the data consuming application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first web service performs one of an asset management function, a control function, a monitoring function, and a diagnostic function.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second web service performs one of a communications function and a user-interactive function.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the second web service performs one of an email function, a paging function, a computerized maintenance management function, a personal data assistant function, a file function, a campaign management function and a business rules function.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first web service includes a first web services interface coupled to a process control system and wherein the second web service includes a data consuming system coupled to a second web services interface.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the network is one of an internet and a local area network.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the information server includes a router that is adapted to convey messages between the first and second web services.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the information server further includes a scheduler that is adapted to periodically request information from the first web service for use by the second web service.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the information server further includes a database accessible by the router and the scheduler, wherein the database includes configuration information associated with the first and second web services.

21. The system of claim 12, further including a discovery service communicatively coupled to the network, wherein the discovery service is adapted to automatically provide one of communications and configuration information associated with the first and second web services to the information server.

22. The system of claim 12, further including a graphical user interface communicatively coupled to the information server via the network.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the graphical user interface is adapted to convey configuration information associated with a particular user to the information server and is further adapted to display a portion of the process control information based on the configuration information.

24. A method of communicating process control information, comprising:

sending a request for the process control information to a first web service associated with a process control system;

selecting only the process control information from process control information available to the first web service based on the request for the process control information;

sending the process control information to an information server; and

sending the process control information from the information server to a second web service associated with a data consuming application.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the request for the process control information to the first web service associated with the process control system includes sending the request for the process control information in response to a scheduler within the information server.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the request for the process control information to the first web service associated with the process control system includes sending the request for the process control information to the first web service via a network that communicatively couples the first and second web services to the information server.

27. A method of communicating process control information, comprising:

sending a first message containing the process control information from a first web service to an information server in response to a change in the process control information;

processing the first message within the information server to determine a second web service to which the process control information is to be sent; and

sending a second message containing the process control information from the information server to the second web service.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein sending the first message containing the process control information from the first web service to the information server in response to the change in the process control information includes sending the first message containing the process control information to the information server in response to a change in a value of a process control parameter.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein processing the first message within the information server includes using a router within the information server to determine the second web service based on routing information stored within a database of the information server.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein using the router within the information server to determine the second web service based on the routing information stored within the database of the information server includes using a schema stored within the database to provide the routing information.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein sending the first message containing the process control information includes sending the first message using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol, and wherein sending the second message containing the process control information includes sending the second message using the extensible markup language and the network transport protocol.

32. A system for communicating process control information, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

software stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a processor to;

establish connections with a plurality of web services via a network; and

communicate the process control information from a first one of the plurality of web services to a second one of the plurality of web services via the network based on routing information and in response to one of a change in the process control information and a scheduled request for the process control information.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to automatically establish the connections with the plurality of web services using a discovery service communicatively coupled to the network.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to communicate the process control information from the first one of the plurality of web service to the second one of the plurality of web services via the network using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to receive at least a portion of the routing information from a discovery service coupled to the network.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to receive at least a portion of the routing information from a graphical user interface coupled to the network.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to periodically request the process control information from the first web service based on a schedule defined by a user.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to establish a first one of the connections with a first one of the plurality of web services after establishing a second one of the connections without halting communications via the first one of the connections.

39. A method of communicating process control information, comprising:

receiving user profile information from a graphical user interface;

receiving web service configuration information from the graphical user interface;

storing the user profile information and the web service configuration information in a database;

requesting the process control information from a web service associated with a process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information; and

sending the process control information to the graphical user interface.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein receiving the user profile information from the graphical user interface includes receiving one of shift information, name information, a unique identifier, organizational role information and contact information associated with a particular user.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein receiving the web service configuration information includes receiving one of schedule information and routing information associated with the web service.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein requesting the process control information from the web service associated with the process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information includes sending a message using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol to the web service.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein sending the process control information to the graphical user interface includes sending a message to the graphical user interface using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein requesting the process control information from the web service associated with the process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information includes requesting the process control information in response to a schedule based on the web service configuration information.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein requesting the process control information from the web service associated with the process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information includes requesting the process control information in response to a user selecting a display view within the graphical user interface.

46. The method of claim 39, further including displaying at least a portion of the process control information based on the user profile information.

47. A system for communicating process control information, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

software stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a processor to;

display a selection guide associated with a plurality of available web services and an active display area associated with a currently selected portion of the selection guide;

send user profile information to an information server via a network in response to a user entering the user profile information in a first view displayed within the active display area and requesting submission of the user profile information;

send configuration information associated with one of the plurality of web services via the network to the information server in response to the user entering the configuration information in a second view displayed within the active display area and requesting submission of the configuration information;

receive the process control information based on the user profile information and the configuration information;

display at least a portion of the process control information within the active display area based on one of the user profile information and the configuration information.