Sequence of events recorder facility for an industrial process control environment

• US 20070244571A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Heinzelmann, Erna, Wilson, Irvine
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/11
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24055 Trace, store a working, operation history
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25249 Counter, timer plus microprocessor for real time, jitter
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25367 Control of periodic, synchronous and asynchronous, event driven tasks together
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A sequence of events (SOE) recorder facility in a process control network environment is described herein. The SOE recorder facility is hosted by a networked node that receives digital signal status change (event) data from a networked controller. The sequence of events recorder facility receives a configured set of digital data signals from the controller, temporarily buffers the events in chronological order according to timestamps assigned to the events by their sources (e.g., fieldbus modules). The data is thereafter copied/removed from the buffer and provided to multiple destinations including: a process database that maintains an archival copy of the received event data for rendering event reports, and an SOE client user interface for rendering event logs to printers and/or graphical user interface displays.

Claims

1. A sequence of events management facility for a process control network environment including control modules, the sequence of events management facility comprising:

an event data interface for receiving timestamped event data originating from a digital field control process input and provided to the sequence of events management facility via a network communications link; and

a sequence of events server comprising;

a process database providing access to an archival copy of the timestamped event data,

an event buffer, interposed between the event data interface and the process database, for temporarily storing the event data received from the event data interface prior to storing the event data in the process database, and

an event data client interface providing access to the timestamped event data received by the sequence of events management facility.

2. The sequence of events facility of claim 1 wherein the event buffer stores the received timestamped event data in chronological order.

3. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 wherein the event data client interface provides multiple modes of access, by clients, to the timestamped event data including:

a streaming mode wherein a chronologically arranged stream of event data is provided by the event client interface from the event buffer, and

a query mode wherein archived event data is selectively retrieved by the event data client interface from the process database in response to a database query.

4. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 wherein the sequence of events server resides on a workstation including a graphical user interface.

5. The sequence of events management facility of claim 4 wherein the workstation hosts a set of client applications that interface with the sequence of events server.

6. The sequence of events management facility of claim 5 wherein the set of client applications interface with the sequence of events server via the event data client interface.

7. The sequence of events management facility of claim 5 wherein the set of client applications includes configurator for specifying operating characteristics of the sequence of events server.

8. The sequence of events management facility of claim 7 further comprising a configuration database for storing operating characteristics of the sequence of events server, wherein the configuration database includes a set of digital signals provided by the control module for which value changes are to be acquired by the event data interface.

9. The sequence of events management facility of claim 5 wherein the set of client applications includes an operator client for displaying received sequence of events data.

10. The sequence of events management facility of claim 9 wherein the operator client displays received sequence of events data in the form of an event report comprising a snapshot view of a set of watched digital points at a specified time.

11. The sequence of events management facility of claim 9 wherein the operator client displays received sequence of events data in the form of an event log.

12. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 wherein the control module comprises a control processor.

13. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 further comprising an event sorting function that facilitates passing received timestamped event data in chronological order to the event buffer.

14. The sequence of events management facility of claim 13 wherein the sequence of events server further comprises:

a pre-sort buffer interposed between the event data interface and the event buffer; and

an event buffer writer that writes data, retrieved from the pre-sort buffer, in chronological order to the event buffer.

15. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 further comprising a debounce filter that suppresses changes to a watched digital parameter that does not hold a new value for greater than a specified debounce period.

16. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 wherein the sequence of events server applies a restart algorithm that determines whether a digital signal value changed during an off-line period by at least comparing a received value for the digital signal to a last stored value, if one exists, in the process database.

17. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 wherein the sequence of events server includes a data acquisition client interface, and wherein the data acquisition client interface invokes functions supported by the event data interface via calls to an application interface exposed by the event data interface.

18. The sequence of events management facility of claim 1 wherein the event buffer maintains received event data until a need arises to free space to store more recently received event data.

19. The sequence of events management facility of claim 18 wherein the event buffer is a circular buffer containing chronologically arranged received event data.

20. A method for managing, by a sequence of events management facility, sequence of events data created in a process control network environment including control modules, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by an event data interface, timestamped event data originating from a digital field control process input and provided to the sequence of events management facility via a network communications link; and

maintaining, by a sequence of events server, the received timestamped event data, the maintaining step comprising;

temporarily storing, by an event buffer interposed between the event data interface and a process database, the received timestamped event data from the event data interface,

copying the received timestamped event data from the event buffer to the process database, and

providing, by an event data client interface, access to the timestamped event data received by the sequence of events management facility.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the providing access step comprises:

providing multiple modes of client access to the timestamped event data including;

a streaming mode wherein a chronologically arranged stream of event data is provided by the event client interface from the event buffer, and

a query mode wherein archived event data is selectively retrieved by the event data client interface from the process database in response to a database query.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the sequence of events server includes a configuration database and further comprising the step of:

storing, within the configuration database, operating characteristics of the sequence of events server, wherein the configuration database includes a set of digital signals provided by the control module for which value changes are to be acquired by the event data interface.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

providing, by a buffer writer, received timestamped event data in chronological order to the event buffer.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

applying a debounce filter to received timestamped event data.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising applying a restart algorithm that determines whether a digital signal value changed during an off-line period by at least comparing a received value for the digital signal to a last stored value, if one exists, in the process database.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

maintaining, by the even buffer, received event data until a need arises to free space to store more recently received event data.

27. A computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions facilitating managing, by a sequence of events management facility, sequence of events data created in a process control network environment including control modules, the computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the steps of:

receiving, by an event data interface, timestamped event data originating from a digital field control process input and provided to the sequence of events management facility via a network communications link; and

maintaining, by a sequence of events server, the received timestamped event data, the maintaining step comprising;

temporarily storing, by an event buffer interposed between the event data interface and a process database, the received timestamped event data from the event data interface,

copying the received timestamped event data from the event buffer to the process database, and

providing, by an event data client interface, access to the timestamped event data received by the sequence of events management facility.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the providing access step comprises:

providing multiple modes of client access to the timestamped event data including;

a streaming mode wherein a chronologically arranged stream of event data is provided by the event client interface from the event buffer, and

a query mode wherein archived event data is selectively retrieved by the event data client interface from the process database in response to a database query.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the sequence of events server includes a configuration database and further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the step of:

storing, within the configuration database, operating characteristics of the sequence of events server, wherein the configuration database includes a set of digital signals provided by the control module for which value changes are to be acquired by the event data interface.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the step of:

providing, by a buffer writer, received timestamped event data in chronological order to the event buffer.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the step of:

applying a debounce filter to received timestamped event data.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating applying a restart algorithm that determines whether a digital signal value changed during an off-line period by at least comparing a received value for the digital signal to a last stored value, if one exists, in the process database.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the step of:

maintaining, by the even buffer, received event data until a need arises to free space to store more recently received event data.