Digital data processing apparatus and methods for improving plant performance

• US 20070233664A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Hardin, David, Kagan, Harris
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention provides, in one aspect, human machine interface (HMI) methods and apparatus that permit users to search and/or view plant and other real-time process automation data in a manner similar to that with which they search and/or view pages on the Internet (web). Related aspects of the invention provide such methods and apparatus as permit users to search and/or view such real-time process automation data concurrently with such Internet web pages. Further related aspects of the invention provide such methods and apparatus as permit users to search and/or view such real-time process automation data concurrently with business data maintained in pages on an enterprise network (e.g., a LAN, WAN or otherwise).

Claims

1. A digital data processing system comprising,

A. a web browser,

B. the web browser responding to a user query by generating and displaying a plurality of display elements, wherein

i. at least one said display element represents one or more aspects of plant and/or real-time automation data, and

ii. at least one said display element represents characteristics of one or more pages of an Internet, wide area network, local area network, and/or enterprise network, other than plant and/or real-time automation data.

2. The digital data processing system of claim 1, wherein at least one said display element represents one or more aspects of business data maintained on an enterprise network.

3. The digital data processing system of claim 1 further comprising, a web crawler search engine, in communication coupling with the web browser, that collects real-time automation data for such display and query by users.

4. The digital data processing system of claim 3, wherein the web crawler search engine indexes one or more pages of the Internet, wide area network, and/or local area network, and/or enterprise network.

5. The digital data processing system of claim 1, comprising a digital data processor that transfers real-time process automation data from a repository of plant automation data to the web crawler search engine for indexing and resolving user queries.

6. The digital data processing system of claim 5, wherein said digital data processor transfers field device tool (FDT) data and/or object linking and embedding for process control (OPC) data to the web crawler for such indexing and resolving user queries.

7. The digital data processing system of claim 6, wherein such transfers are effected by presenting the real-time process automation data, the FDT data and/or OPC data to the web crawler as if that data were web pages with related attributes.

8. The digital data processing system of claim 3, wherein the real-time process automation data, the FDT data and/or OPC data is input into the web crawler with metadata for any of control point, state, alarm condition, description, status, and value.

9. The digital data processing system of claim 7, wherein the transfers are effected by an interface that updates the real-time automation data, the FDT data and/or the OPC data indexed by the web crawler as change driven data.

10. The digital data processing system of claim 5, wherein the index is updated based on a schedule and/or a demand by an application programming interface (API).

11. The digital data processing system of claim 1, wherein one or more policies direct behavior of the web crawler, the policies controlled such that they can be interrupted and redirected in a new direction based on a forcing policy associated with any of process state, alarm conditions or events.

12. A digital data processing system comprising,

a web crawler search engine that collects and indexes real-time process automation data and any of (i) one or more pages of an Internet or (ii) one or more pages of a wide area network, local area network, and/or other enterprise network.

13. The digital data processing system of claim 12, wherein the index is updated based on a schedule and/or a demand by an application programming interface (API).

14. The digital data processing system of claim 12, wherein such data provided to the web crawler with metadata for any of control point, state, alarm condition, description, status, and value.

15. The digital data processing system of claim 12 further comprising,

A. a web browser,

B. the web browser responding to a user query by generating and displaying a plurality of display elements, wherein

i. at least one said display element represents one or more aspects of plant and/or real-time automation data, and

ii. at least one said display element represents characteristics of one or more pages of an Internet, wide area network, local area network, and/or other enterprise network, other than plant and/or real-time automation data.

16. The digital data processing system of claim 15, wherein at least one said display element represents one or more aspects of business data maintained on the wide area network, local area network, and/or other enterprise network.

17. The digital data processing system of claim 12, comprising one or more digital data processors transfers real-time process automation data from a repository of plant automation data to the web crawler for indexing and resolving user queries.

18. The digital data processing system of claim 17, wherein the one or more digital data processors transfers field device tool (FDT) data and object linking and embedding for process control (OPC) data to the web crawler for such indexing and resolving user queries.

19. The digital data processing system of claim 17, wherein such transfers are effected by presenting the real-time process automation data, the FDT data and/or OPC data to the web crawler as if that data were web pages with related attributes.

20. The digital data processing system of claim 18, wherein the transfers are effected by an interface that updates the real-time automation data, the FDT data and/or the OPC data indexed by the web crawler as change driven data.

21. The digital data processing system of claim 12, wherein one or more policies direct behavior of the web crawler, the policies controlled such that they can be interrupted and redirected in a new direction based on a forcing policy associated with any of process state, alarm conditions or events.

22. A digital data processing system comprising,

A. a web browser executing on a first digital data processor,

B. the web browser responding to a user query by generating and displaying one or more display elements, wherein at least one said display element represents one or more aspects of plant and/or real-time automation data, and

C. a web crawler search engine executing a second digital data processor that is in communications coupling with the first digital data processor,

D. the web crawler search engine collecting and indexing real-time automation data transferred from a repository of automation data for such display and query by users.

23. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein at least one said display element represents characteristics of one or more pages of an Internet, wide area network, local area network, and/or other enterprise network, other than plant and/or real-time automation data.

24. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein at least one said display element represents one or more aspects of business data maintained on the wide area network, local area network and/or other enterprise network.

25. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein the web crawler search engine indexes one or more pages of the Internet, wide area network, local area network and/or other enterprise network.

26. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein a digital data processor transfers field device tool (FDT) data and object linking and embedding for process control (OPC) data to the web crawler for such indexing.

27. The digital data processing system of claim 26, wherein such transfers are effected by presenting the real-time process automation data, the FDT data and/or OPC data to the web crawler as if that data were web pages with related attributes.

28. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein such data is input into the web crawler with metadata for any of control point, state, alarm condition, description, status, and value.

29. The digital data processing system of claim 28, wherein the transfers are effected by an interface that updates the real-time automation data, the FDT data and/or the OPC data indexed by the web crawler as change driven data.

30. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein the index is updated based on a schedule and/or a demand by an application programming interface (API).

31. The digital data processing system of claim 22, wherein one or more policies direct behavior of the web crawler, the policies controlled such that they can be interrupted and redirected in a new direction based on a forcing policy associated with any of process state, alarm conditions or events.