Unified Application Programming Interface for a Process Control System Network

• US 20080148296A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Mok, Aloysius K., Nixon, Mark J., Aneweer, Tom, Chen, Deji, Shepard, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An application programming interface schema, method and system for communicating between first and second application programming interfaces within a process control system includes processing a call from a first application programming interface for a data request, translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface, and implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface. A first unified layer receives a transmission request from a proprietary application programming interface, and translates the transmission request into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface. A second unified layer implements methods of the unified application programming interface with the wireless network application programming interface.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface within a process control system comprising:

processing a call from a first application programming interface for a data request;

translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface; and

implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

translating the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface to one or more methods of the second application programming interface; and

calling into the second application programming interface with the translated one or more methods of the unified application programming interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second application programming interfaces comprises a proprietary application programming interface of the process control system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second application programming interfaces comprises a wireless network application programming interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface comprises a read method for reading a data item from a network node within a process control network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface comprises a write method for writing a data item to a network node within a process control network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface comprises a respond method for responding to read request or a write request from a network node within a process control network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from proprietary application programming interface for a process control application to download a process control configuration to a process controller of a control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a write method of a unified application programming interface for the process control application, wherein the call identifies the configuration data and identifies an object in the process controller for downloading the configuration data;

translating the write method to a method of a wireless network application programming interface; and

calling into the wireless network application programming interface with the translated write method.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a wireless network application programming interface to down load a process control configuration to a process controller of a control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a respond method of a unified application programming interface for the process controller, wherein the call calls into a method of the control system to implement the process control configuration and identifies the process control configuration data received from the process control application;

translating the respond method to a method of a proprietary application programming interface for the process controller; and

calling into the proprietary application pro-ramming interface with the translated respond method.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a proprietary network application programming interface for a process control application to command a process controller of a control system to change a process control value of the control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a write method of a unified application programming interface for the process control application, wherein the call identifies the process control value to be changed;

translating the write method to a method of a wireless network application programming interface; and

calling into the wireless network application programming interface with the translated write method.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a wireless network application programming interface to command a process controller of a control system to change a process control value of the control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a respond method of a unified application programming interface for the process controller, wherein the call forwards a call to a write method from the wireless network application programming interface to change the process control value of the control system;

translating the respond method to a method of a proprietary application programming interface for the process controller; and

calling into the proprietary application programming interface with the translated respond method.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a proprietary network application programming interface for a process controller of a control system to transmit process control data to a process control application, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a write method of a unified application programming interface for the process controller, wherein the call identifies a value of the process control data;

translating the write method to a method of a wireless network application programming interface; and

calling into the wireless network application programming interface with the translated write method.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a wireless network application programming interface to receive process control data from a process controller of a control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a respond method of a unified application programming interface for a process control application, wherein the call calls into the process control application to update a display of process control data;

translating the respond method to a method of a proprietary application programming interface for the process control application; and

calling into the proprietary application programming interface with the translated respond method.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a proprietary network application programming interface for a process controller of a control system to transmit process alarm/event data to a process control application, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a write method of a unified application programming interface for the process controller, wherein the call identifies an alarm or event item path;

translating the write method to a method of a wireless network application programming interface; and

calling into the wireless network application programming interface with the translated write method.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a wireless network application programming interface to receive process alarm/event data from a process controller of a control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a respond method of a unified application programming interface for a process control applications wherein the call calls into the process control application to update a display of alarm/event data;

translating the respond method to a method of a proprietary application programming interface for the process control application; and

calling into the proprietary application programming interface with the translated respond method.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a proprietary network application programming interface for a process control application to retrieve data from a process controller of a control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming interface comprises:

issuing a call to a read method of a unified application programming interface for the process control application, wherein the call identifies the data to be retrieved;

translating the read method to a method of a wireless network application programming interface; and

calling into the wireless network application programming interface with the translated read method.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the data request from the first application programming interface into one or more methods of a unified application programming interface comprises translating a request from a wireless network application programming interface to retrieve data from a process controller of a control system, and wherein implementing the one or more methods of the unified application programming interface with a second application programming, interface comprises:

issuing a call to a respond method of a unified application programming interface for a process controller, wherein the call calls into a method of the control system to read data from the process controller and identifies the data to be retrieved;

translating the respond method to a method of a proprietary application programming interface for the process controller; and

calling into the proprietary application programming interface with the translated respond method.

18. A communication layer for a wireless network within a process control system comprising:

a first unified layer communicatively coupled to a proprietary application programming interface of the process control system and to a unified application programming interface, the first unified layer arranged to receive a transmission request from the proprietary application programming interface, and arranged to translate the transmission request into one or more methods of the unified application programming interface; and

a second unified layer communicatively coupled to an application programming interface of the wireless network and to the unified application programming interface, the second unified layer arranged to implement methods of the unified application programming interface with the wireless network application programming interface.

19. The communication layer of claim 18, wherein the second unified layer is arranged to translate methods of the unified application programming interface into methods of the wireless network application programming interface and further arranged to call the translated methods into the wireless network application programming interface.

20. The communication layer of claim 18, wherein the wireless network in the process control system comprises an area control network, wherein the first unified layer is arranged to receive a transmission request from the proprietary application programming interface of at least one of the group consisting of:

a process control application or a process controller.

21. The communication layer of claim 18, wherein the unified application programming interface comprises a read method and a write method, wherein the first unified layer is arranged to translate the transmission request into one or more of the read and write methods, and wherein the second unified layer is arranged to implement the one or more of the read and write methods with the wireless network application programming interface.

22. The communication layer of claim 18, wherein the second unified layer is further arranged to receive an access request from a node within the process control system via the wireless network application programming interface and arranged to call a method of the unified application programming interface into the first unified layer, and wherein the first unified layer is further arranged to implement the method of the unified application programming interface called by the second unified layer.

23. The communication layer of claim 22, wherein the unified application programming interface comprises a response method, wherein the second unified layer is arranged to translate the access request into the response method and wherein the first unified layer is arranged to implement the response method with the proprietary application programming interface.

24. The communication layer of claim 22, wherein the first unified layer is arranged to translate the method of the unified application programming interface called by the second unified layer and further arrange to call the translated method into the proprietary application programming interface.

25. A process control system within a process plant comprising:

a wireless network operatively coupled to the first process control node and to the second process control node, the wireless network including a wireless network application programming interface and arranged to facilitate communication between process control nodes within the process control system;

a first process control node having a first network communication device for exchanging data via the wireless network, wherein the first network communication device comprises a proprietary application programming interface, the wireless network application programming interface and a first unified application programming interface having a read method, a write method and a response method, wherein the first communication device is adapted to receive a transmission request via the proprietary application programming interface, adapted to translate the transmission request into at least one of the group consisting of the read method and the write method, and adapted to implement the one or more methods in the wireless network application programming interface; and

a second process control node having a second network communication device for exchanging data via the wireless network, wherein the second network communication device comprises the proprietary application programming interface, the wireless network application programming interface and a second unified application programming interface having the read method, the write method and the response method, wherein the second network communication device is adapted to receive an access request from the wireless network application programming interface resulting from the transmission request of the first process control node, adapted to translate the access request into the response method, and adapted to implement the response method in the proprietary application programming interface.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first process control node comprises a process control application and the second process control node comprises a process controller.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless area control network.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the transmission request comprises a request to download a process control configuration from the first process control node to the second process control node, wherein the first network communication device is adapted to translate the request into the write method and adapted to implement the write method in the wireless network application programming interface.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the transmission request comprises a request to command a change in a process control value from the first process control node to the second process control node, wherein the first network communication device is adapted to translate the request into the write method and adapted to implement the write method in the wireless network application programming interface.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the transmission request comprises a request to transmits process control data relating to the status of an entity in the process control system from the first process control node to the second process control node, wherein the first network communication device is adapted to translate the request into the write method and adapted to implement the write method in the wireless network application programming interface.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the transmission request comprises a request to transmit an alarm or event from the first process control node to the second process control node, wherein the first network communication device is adapted to translate the request into the write method and adapted to implement the write method in the wireless network application programming interface.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the transmission request comprises a request from the first process control lode to read data from the second process control node, wherein the first network communication device is adapted to translate the request into the read method and adapted to implement the read method in the wireless network application programming interface.

33. A method of communicating between a requesting process and a serving process supporting communication in a process control system comprising:

issuing, by the requesting process, a first call to a transmission request via a first application programming interface for a first process control node;

issuing, by the requesting process, a second call to a first method of a unified application programming interface in response to the first call to a transmission request;

implementing, by the requesting process, the first method of the unified application programming interface in a second application programming interface;

issuing, by the requesting process to the serving process, an access request via the second application programming interface for a second process control node in response to implementing the first method;

issuing, by the serving process, a third call to a second method of the unified application programming interface in response to receiving the access request via the second application programming interface; and

implementing, by the serving process, the second method of the unified application programming interface in the first application programming interface for the second process control node.

34. The method of claim 33, issuing, by the requesting process, a second call to a first method of a unified application programming interface in response to the first call to a transmission request comprises issuing, by the requesting process, a call to a read method of the unified application programming interface in response to the first call to a transmission request.

35. The method of claim 33, issuing, by the requesting process, a second call to a first method of a unified application programming interface in response to the first call to a transmission request comprises issuing, by the requesting process, a call to a write method of the unified application programming interface in response to the first call to a transmission request.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein issuing, by the serving process, a third call to a second method of the unified application programming interface in response to receiving the access request via the second application programming interface comprises issuing, by the serving process, a call to a response method of the unified application programming interface in response to receiving the access request via the second application programming interface.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein implementing, by the requesting process, the first method of the unified application programming interface in a second application programming interface comprises:

translating, by the requesting process, the first method of the unified application programming interface into a method of the second application programming interface; and

calling, by the requesting process, the method of the second application programming interface into the second application programming interface.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein implementing, by the serving process, the second method of the unified application programming interface in the first application programming interface for the second process control node comprises:

translating, by the serving process, the second method of the unified application programming interface into a method of the first application programming interface; and

calling, by the serving process, the method of the first application programming interface into the first application programming interface.