PLATFORM INDEPENDENT HISTORIAN

• US 20090089695A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Palmieri, Frank Anthony Jr., Baier, John J., Campbell, John T., McGreevy, Robert J., Herbst, Robert J., Jasper, Taryl J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25204 Translate between different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping

Abstract

Systems and methods that provide for historians communicating in a plurality of protocols/languages with various resources via employing an abstraction component that normalizes such communication. Accordingly, the historian can supply a common configuration for various data (e.g., events, command, event, alarm, scenarios, transactions, messages, and the like), and hence provide support for third party devices. The abstraction component can further facilitate: Filtering, Bridging, Routing, Propagation, Transformation and Monitoring of data exchange with third party devices.

Claims

1. An industrial automation system, comprising:

a plurality of embedded historians that collect data associated with the industrial automation system; and

an abstraction component that normalizes communications with the embedded historians.

2. The industrial automation system of claim 1, the abstraction component further comprising a locator component that detects embedded historians or industrial units.

3. The industrial automation system of claim 1, the abstraction component further comprising a message transport component that enables transfer of messages.

4. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising an organizational hierarchy data model with nodes that represent units associated with the industrial automation system.

5. The industrial automation system of claim 1 the locator component operatively connected to a directory service to facilitate discovery service.

6. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising an artificial intelligence component that facilitates identification of data collected by the embedded historians.

7. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to graphically display a view of the industrial automation system.

8. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) that forms an application view of a historian data collection system.

9. The industrial system of claim 4, the common organizational hierarchy data model facilitates data determined for collection.

10. The industrial system of claim 4, the embedded historians associated with at least one of a controller, a module in a chassis, a server, a sensor, and a factory component.

11. The industrial system of claim 4, the organizational hierarchy data model employs metadata for identification of embedded historians to the locator component.

12. The industrial system of claim 10, further comprising a publish and subscribe component that identifies embedded historians to the locator component.

13. A method of locating embedded historians within an industrial plant comprising:

collecting data via a plurality of embedded historians; and

normalizing communication between the embedded historians and other industrial units when employing a plurality of protocols.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising identifying a data type for collection by the embedded historian.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising detecting an embedded historian that collects the data type via a locator component.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising employing metadata to facilitate a trail to the embedded historian.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising defining a common organizational data model for the industrial plant.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising employing a directory to track source of data.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising collecting historian data across various levels of the industrial plant.

20. An industrial controller system comprising:

collection means for collecting data related to an industrial process;

means for locating the collection means; and

means for abstracting communication with the collection means.