Analytical Server Integrated in a Process Control Network

• US 20070142936A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Wojsznis, Peter, Mehta, Ashish, Lewis, Marty, Denison, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/29
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0275 using fuzzy logic only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/042 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/048 using a predictor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31121 Fielddevice, field controller, interface connected to fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31378 Queue control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31422 Upload, download programs, parameters from, to station to, from server
• 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

A process control system integrates the collection and analysis of process control data used to perform certain computationally expensive process control functions, like adaptive model generation and tuning parameter generation, in the same control device in which one or more of the process control routines are implemented, to thereby provide for faster and more efficient support of the process control routines. This system replaces a layered approach using multiple processing devices by integrating an analytical server which performs computationally expensive analyses used by one or more control routines directly into the real-time control device in which the one or more control routines are located. This integration provides the ability to analyze large quantities of data for multiple process loops controlled by a particular device in a fast and efficient manner.

Claims

1. A process control device for use in controlling one or more field devices to implement a process within a process environment, comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors;

one or more control routines stored on the memory and executable a processor to implement one or more control loops within the process environment using the one or more field devices; and

a server stored in the memory and executable on a processor, the server including;

a support algorithm to be executed on the processor; and

an interface for communicating with the one or more control routines;

wherein the one or more control routines interact with the server via the interface to cause the server to execute the support algorithm to produce controller data and the one or more control routines use the controller data to perform a control activity with respect to the one or more control loops within the process environment.

2. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the server further includes an external interface for communicating with an external device to provide the controller data to the external device.

3. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the server further includes an external interface for communicating with an external device and wherein the external interface enables reconfiguration of the support algorithm used by the server.

4. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the one or more control routines interact with the server via the interface using calls, and wherein the server includes a queue for storing information indicating the order in which the calls are to be processed using the support algorithm.

5. The process control device of claim 4, wherein the server includes a scheduler which places the information in the queue based on a priority associated with each of the calls.

6. The process control device of claim 5, wherein the priority associated with each of the calls is based on priority information within each of the calls.

7. The process control device of claim 5, wherein the priority associated with each of the calls is based on an identity or type of control routine which makes the call.

8. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the support algorithm is a process model generation algorithm.

9. The process control device of claim 8, wherein one of the one or more control routines is an adaptive control routine which changes its control operation based on a process model of the process.

10. The process control device of claim 8, wherein one of the one or more control routines is a model predictive control routine which uses a process model to perform process control activities.

11. The process control device of claim 8, wherein one of the one or more control routines is an adaptive proportional-integral-derivative control routine that uses a process model to perform adaptive control.

12. The process control device of claim 8, wherein the server further includes a model store that stores one or more process models generated by the process model generation algorithm.

13. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the support algorithm is a control optimizer algorithm.

14. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the support algorithm is a controller tuning algorithm.

15. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the support algorithm is an online controller generation algorithm.

16. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the support algorithm is a fast Fourier transform algorithm.

17. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the server executes on one of the one or more processors asynchronously with respect to the one or more control routines.

18. The process control device of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more processors which executes the one or more control routines executes the one or more control routines at a higher priority than the server.

19. The process control device of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more processors executes one of the one or more control routines once every execution period, and wherein the one of the one or more control routines interacts with the server via the interface by sending a call to cause the server to execute the support algorithm at a rate that is less than once every execution period.

20. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the controller data includes a process model.

21. The process control device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors includes a first processor and a second processor and wherein the one or more control routines execute on a first processor and the server executes on the second processor.

22. A method of controlling a process, comprising:

implementing a process control routine within a process control device by executing the process control routine on a processor of the process control device to implement on-line process control operations with respect to the process;

implementing a server routine in the process control device, the server routine including a support algorithm, including executing the server routine on a processor of the process control device;

making one or more calls from the process control routine to the server routine;

running the support algorithm within the server routine on process data associated with the process control routine to generate controller data in response to each of the one or more calls from the process control routine; and

using the controller data in the process control routine to effect the manner in which the process control routine implements the on-line process control operations.

23. The method of claim 22, including executing the server routine asynchronously with respect to executing the process control routine.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein running the support algorithm includes executing a process model generation routine to create a process model.

25. The method of claim 24, including using the process control routine to collect real-time process data and sending the collected process data to the server routine as part of a first one of the calls.

26. The method of claim 25, including using the process control routine to collect further real-time process data for a subsequent call to the server while the server routine is running the support algorithm on the collected real-time process data sent as part of the first one of the calls.

27. The method of claim 22, further including sending the controller data from the server routine to a second device external to the process control device.

28. The method of claim 22, including simultaneously processing multiple calls from the process control routine via the server routine.

29. The method of claim 28, including determining an order in which to process the multiple calls based on priority information associated with the multiple calls.

30. The method of claim 28, including processing the multiple calls at the server routine using a queue.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein executing the process control routine on the processor of the process control device to implement on-line process control operations with respect to the process includes executing the process control routine on a processor once every execution period associated with the process control routine, and wherein making the one or more calls from the process control routine to the server routine includes making a call from the process control routine to the server routine less than once every execution period associated with the process control routine.

32. The method of claim 22, including executing the process control routine on the same processor as the server routine.

33. The method of claim 22, including executing the process control routine on a first processor disposed within a control device and executing the server routine on a second processor disposed within the control device, wherein the second processor is separate from the first processor.

34. A method of controlling a process, comprising:

implementing multiple process control routines within a single process control device by executing the multiple process control routines on a processor of the process control device to implement multiple on-line process control operations with respect to the process;

implementing a server routine in the process control device, the server routine including a support algorithm, including executing the server routine on a processor of the process control device;

making at least one call from each of the multiple process control routines to the server routine at different times;

in response to each of the calls from the multiple process control routines, running the support algorithm within the server routine on process data associated with one of the multiple process control routines to generate controller data for the one of the multiple process control routines; and

using the controller data generated by the server routine in the multiple process control routines to effect the manner in which the multiple process control routines implement the on-line process control operations.

35. The method of claim 34, including executing the server routine on a processor of the process control device asynchronously with respect to executing the multiple process control routines on a processor of the process control device.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein running the support algorithm includes executing a process model generation routine to create a process model.

37. The method of claim 36, including collecting real-time process data at one of the multiple control routines and sending the collected real-time process data to the server routine as part of a call from the one of the multiple process control routines.

38. The method of claim 34, including using the server routine to simultaneously process multiple calls from different ones of the multiple process control routines.

39. The method of claim 38, including determining an order in which to process the multiple calls based on priority information associated with the multiple calls.

40. A process control system, comprising:

a plurality of field devices disposed within a process plant environment to perform measurement and process parameter manipulation functions;

a process controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of field devices, the process controller including;

a memory;

one or more processors;

one or more control routines stored on the memory and executable on a processor to implement one or more control loops using the plurality of field devices; and

a server stored in the memory and executable on a processor, the server including a support algorithm to be executed on a processor;

wherein the one or more control routines interact with the server to cause the server to execute the support algorithm to produce controller data and wherein the one or more control routines use the controller data to perform a control activity with respect to one or more control loops; and

a further device communicatively coupled to the process controller to interact with the server.

41. The process control system of claim 40, wherein the further device comprises a database that stores the controller data generated by the server.

42. The process control system of claim 40, wherein the further device is a user interface device that enables a user to reconfigure the server.

43. The process control system of claim 42, wherein the user interface device enables the user to change the support algorithm run by the server.

44. The process control system of claim 42, wherein the user interface device enables a user to delete controller data stored within the server.

45. The process control system of claim 40, wherein the one or more control routines interact with the server using calls, and wherein the server includes a queue for storing an indication of the order in which the calls are to be processed using the support algorithm.

46. The process control system of claim 45, wherein the server includes a scheduler which places information in the queue based on a priority associated with each of the calls.

47. The process control system of claim 40, wherein the support algorithm is a process model generation algorithm.

48. The process control system of claim 47, wherein one of the one or more control routines is an adaptive control routine which changes its control operation based on a process model of the process.

49. The process control system of claim 47, wherein the server further includes a model store that stores one or more process models generated by the process model generation algorithm.

50. The process control system of claim 40, wherein the server executes on a first processor of the process controller asynchronously with respect to the one or more control routines which execute on the first processor of the process controller.

51. The process control system of claim 40, wherein one of the one or more control routines executes once every execution period, and wherein the one of the one or more control routines interacts with the server by sending a call to cause the server to execute the support algorithm to produce controller data less than once every execution period.

52. The process control system of claim 40, wherein the process controller is a primary process controller device of a redundant pair of process controllers and further including a redundant process controller device communicatively coupled to primary process controller device and to the plurality of field devices, the redundant process controller device including a further memory, a further processor, a copy of the one or more control routines stored in the further memory, and a copy of the server stored in the further memory, wherein the primary process controller device communicates with the redundant process controller device to keep the copy of the server in synchronization with the server to enable the copy of the server to continue operations upon switch over of control from the primary process controller device to the redundant process controller device.