System and Method for Retrieving and Storing Industrial Data

• US 20100082669A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Marik, Radek, Fortik, Michal, Havel, Ivan, Obitko, Marek, Mavrov, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 21/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/953 Organization of data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/964 Database arrangement

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for retrieving and storing industrial data, the system comprising a data retriever that includes a data retrieval manager and one or more watchers for monitoring data associated with one or more industrial devices, wherein if the data associated with the one or more industrial devices is new or modified, the one or more watchers notifies the data retrieval manager thereof and the data retrieval manager uploads the new or modified data. The system further includes a database manager for receiving the new or modified data in a first form from the data retrieval manager and for storing the new or modified data in a structural data form in one or more databases.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving and storing industrial data, the system comprising,

a data retriever including a data retrieval manager and one or more watchers for monitoring data associated with one or more industrial devices, wherein if the data associated with the one or more industrial devices is new or modified, the one or more watchers notify the data retrieval manager thereof and the data retrieval manager uploads the new or modified data, and

a database manager for receiving the new or modified data in a first form from the data retrieval manager and for storing the new or modified data in a structural data form in one or more databases.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the structural data form is suitable for a structural search query.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the one or more industrial devices is obtainable from searching at least one of a file system, an event logger, and a device network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein if the one or more watchers detect that one or more files of data are removed, the data retrieval manager provides a notification thereof to the data retrieval manager.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more watchers include at least one of a file system watcher, a device network watcher, and an event watcher.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data retriever includes one or more adapters for reading the new or modified data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the adapters is operable to filter the new or modified data to provide the new or modified data in the first form.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the database manager includes a data converter for converting the new or modified data in the first form to the new or modified data in the structural form.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the structural data form is a resource description framework (RDF) format.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data retrieval manager initiates data monitoring by the one or more watchers.

11. A method for retrieving industrial data and providing data in a structural form in a searchable database, the method comprising:

reading data from an industrial data source;

using a watcher to monitor the data for additions or modifications;

notifying a data retrieval manager when additions or modifications to the data have occurred;

uploading any new or modified data from the data source to the data retrieval manager;

converting the new or modified data to a structural form; and

storing the new or modified data in a structural form in a searchable database.

12. The method of claim 11, further including filtering the new or modified data to provide new or modified data in a first form which is then converted to new or modified data in the structural form.

13. The method of claim 12, further including integrating the new or modified data in the structural form in a database with other data based on common terms and forming inference connections between the terms.

14. A system for retrieving and storing industrial data, the system comprising,

a data retriever including a data retrieval manager and one or more watchers for monitoring data associated with one or more industrial devices, wherein the data retrieval manager is in communication with at least one of a file system, an event logger, a real-time data logger, and a device network, and if the data associated with the one or more industrial devices is new or modified, the one or more watchers notifies the data retrieval manager thereof and the data retrieval manager uploads the new or modified data, and

a database manager for receiving the new or modified data in a first form from the data retrieval manager, for converting the new or modified data in the first form to new or modified data in a structural data form, and for storing the new or modified data in the structural data form in one or more databases, wherein the structural data form is suitable for a structural search query.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the data associated with the one or more industrial devices is obtainable by searching at least one of a file system, an event logger, and a device network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more watchers include at least one of a file system watcher, a device network watcher, and an event watcher.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the data retriever includes one or more adapters for reading the new or modified data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the adapters is operable to filter the new or modified data to provide the new or modified data in the first form.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the database manager includes a data converter for converting the new or modified data in the first form to the new or modified data in the structural form.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data retrieval manager initiates data monitoring by the one or more watchers.

21. An industrial automation system capable of retrieving and storing industrial data, the system comprising:

a plurality of industrial controllers;

at least one human-machine interface (HMI) device;

a data retriever in communication with the industrial controllers and the HMI device, wherein the data retriever includes a data retrieval manager and one or more watchers for monitoring data associated with at least one of the industrial controllers and the HMI device,

wherein the data retrieval manager is in communication with at least one of a file system, an event logger, a real-time data logger, and a device network, and if the monitored data is new or modified, the one or more watchers notifies the data retrieval manager thereof and the data retrieval manager uploads the new or modified data, and

a database manager for receiving the new or modified data in a first form from the data retrieval manager, for converting the new or modified data in the first form to new or modified data in a structural data form, and for storing the new or modified data in the structural data form in one or more databases, wherein the structural data form is suitable for a structural search query.

22. The industrial automation system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the industrial controllers is a programmable logic controller (PLC).