WEB SERVICES-BASED COMMUNICATIONS FOR USE WITH PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS

• US 20120054273A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Peterson, Neil J., Deitz, David L., Wilson, Grant, Zhou, Ling, Tanyous, Ebtesam S., Worek, Christopher J., Nixon, Mark J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32235 Sharing of data between process control and maintenance management computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A web services-based communication system and technique uses an information server to facilitate the communication of process control data and analysis results between a plurality of web services coupled to a communication network. A graphical user interface coupled to the network enables users to store user profile information and configuration information in a database within the information server. The information server uses the configuration information and the profile information to control the operations of a scheduler and a router within the information server to enable users to selectively view process control information via the graphical user interface and to route process control information to appropriate ones of the web services.

Claims

1. A method of communicating process control information, the process control information having content therein, comprising:

sending a request for the process control information to a first web service associated with a process control system;

selecting only the process control information from process control information available to the first web service based on the request for the process control information, and wherein the selected process control information includes only that process control information that has been updated or generated since a previous request received at the first web service;

sending the process control information to an information server;

discovering a second web service associated with a data consuming application;

determining, at the information server and based on the content of the process control information, the data consuming application; and

sending the process control information from the information server to the second web service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the request for the process control information to the first web service associated with the process control system includes sending the request for the process control information in response to a scheduler within the information server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the request for the process control information to the first web service associated with the process control system includes sending the request for the process control information to the first web service via a network that communicatively couples the first and second web services to the information server.

4. A method of communicating process control information, the process control information having content therein, comprising:

sending a first message containing the process control information from a first web service to an information server in response to a change in the process control information and including only the changed information in the content of the first message;

discovering a second web service by a discovery server associated with the information server;

processing the first message within the information server to determine the second web service based on the content of the process control information to which the process control information is to be sent; and

sending a second message containing the process control information from the information server to the second web service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the first message containing the process control information from the first web service to the information server in response to the change in the process control information includes sending the first message containing the process control information to the information server in response to a change in a value of a process control parameter.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the first message within the information server includes using a router within the information server to determine the second web service based on routing information stored within a database of the information server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein using the router within the information server to determine the second web service based on the routing information stored within the database of the information server includes using a schema stored within the database to provide the routing information.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the first message containing the process control information includes sending the first message using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol, and wherein sending the second message containing the process control information includes sending the second message using the extensible markup language and the network transport protocol.

9. A system for communicating process control information, the process control information having content therein, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

software stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a processor to;

discover a plurality of web services via a network;

establish connections with the plurality of web services via the network; and

communicate the process control information from a first one of the plurality of web services to a second one of the plurality of web services selected based on the content of the process control information via the network and in response to one of a change in the process control information and a scheduled request for the process control information, and including only the changed process control information in the content of the process control information communicated from the first one of the plurality of web services.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to automatically establish the connections with the plurality of web services using a discovery service communicatively coupled to the network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to communicate the process control information from the first one of the plurality of web service to the second one of the plurality of web services via the network using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to receive at least a portion of the routing information from a discovery service coupled to the network.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to receive at least a portion of the routing information from a graphical user interface coupled to the network.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to periodically request the process control information from the first web service based on a schedule defined by a user.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to establish a first one of the connections with a first one of the plurality of web services after establishing a second one of the connections without halting communications via the first one of the connections.

16. A method of communicating process control information, the process control information having content therein, comprising:

receiving user profile information from a graphical user interface, including receiving organizational role information associated with a particular user;

receiving web service configuration information from the graphical user interface;

storing the user profile information and the web service configuration information in a database;

requesting the process control information from a web service associated with a process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information;

determining a change in the process control information at the web service and including the changed process control information in the content; and

sending the process control information to the graphical user interface based on the content of the process control information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the user profile information from the graphical user interface further includes receiving one of shift information, name information, a unique identifier, and contact information associated with a particular user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the web service configuration information includes receiving one of schedule information and routing information associated with the web service and wherein the content contains only the changed process control information.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein requesting the process control information from the web service associated with the process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information includes sending a message using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol to the web service.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the process control information to the graphical user interface includes sending a message to the graphical user interface using an extensible markup language and a network transport protocol.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein requesting the process control information from the web service associated with the process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information includes requesting the process control information in response to a schedule based on the web service configuration information.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein requesting the process control information from the web service associated with the process control system based on the user profile information and the web service configuration information includes requesting the process control information in response to a user selecting a display view within the graphical user interface.

23. The method of claim 16, further including displaying at least a portion of the process control information based on the user profile information.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving username and password information from the user.

25. A system for communicating process control information, the process control information having content therein, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

software stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a processor to;

display a selection guide associated with a plurality of available web services and an active display area associated with a currently selected portion of the selection guide;

send user profile information to an information server via a network in response to a user entering the user profile information in a first view displayed within the active display area and requesting submission of the user profile information, wherein the user profile information includes organizational role information associated with the user;

send configuration information associated with one of the plurality of web services via the network to the information server in response to the user entering the configuration information in a second view displayed within the active display area and requesting submission of the configuration information, wherein the one of the web services is operable to determine a change in process control information associated with the one of the web services;

receive the process control information based on the user profile information and the configuration information;

display at least a portion of the process control information within the active display area based on at least one of the user profile information, the content of the process control information and the configuration information.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to display the selection guide using a selection tree format.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the software is further adapted to be executed by the processor to perform a network browsing function.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the network browsing function is an internet browsing function.