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Centralized plant-monitoring controller and method

  • US 20060218266A1
  • Filed: 03/26/2003
  • Published: 09/28/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for centrally monitoring and controlling plants, comprising:

  • a centralized interactive unit for monitoring and controlling the operation of a plurality of plants;

    an individual interactive unit for monitoring and controlling a plant;

    an information network for connecting the centralized interactive unit and the individual interactive unit;

    a control unit for controlling a plant;

    a control network for connecting the control unit and the individual interactive unit; and

    gateway means which is disposed in the individual interactive unit and includes a transmission function equivalent to the control unit from the viewpoint of the individual interactive unit, wherein the control unit includes means for inputting a state quantity of a plant as a Tag into a Tag database;

    means for multicasting a significant change in the state quantity of the plant to the control network or multicasting a “

    heartbeat”

    indicating the integrity thereof to the control network if there is no significant change in the state quantity of the plant; and

    means for returning the content of the Tag database in response to a query about the state quantity input from the control network and updating the content of the Tag database in response to an operation, wherein the individual interactive unit includes means for displaying the state quantity of a Tag on an interactive screen of a plant if the Tag defined on the interactive screen exists in the Tag database of the individual interactive unit itself;

    means for multicasting a query about the state quantity to the control network if the Tag defined on the interactive screen does not exist in the Tag database of the individual interactive unit itself and for registering a response from the control unit in the Tag database for update; and

    means for setting a Tag included in the control unit as defective if a “

    heartbeat”

    indicating the integrity of the control unit is not received from the control unit for a particular period of time, and wherein the centralized interactive unit includes means for displaying the state quantity of a Tag on an interactive screen of a plant if the Tag defined on the interactive screen exists in the Tag database of the centralized interactive unit itself;

    means for multicasting a query about the state quantity to the control network via the information network and the gateway means if the Tag defined on the interactive screen does not exist in the Tag database of the centralized interactive unit itself and for registering a response from the control unit in the Tag database for update; and

    means for setting a Tag included in the control unit as defective if a “

    heartbeat”

    indicating the integrity of the control unit is not received from the control unit for a particular period of time.

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