COLLECTING AND DELIVERING DATA TO A BIG DATA MACHINE IN A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20140277656A1
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark J., Blevins, Terrence, Christensen, Daniel Dean, Muston, Paul Richard, Beoughter, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 10,223,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/95
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0265 the criterion being a learning criterion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31211 Communicate diagnostic data from intelligent field device controller to central
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31324 Distributed real time knowledge, database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17331 Distributed shared memory [DSM], e.g. remote direct memory access [RDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2515 being configurable for different purposes, e.g. as cache or non-cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A device supporting big data in a process plant includes an interface to a communications network, a cache configured to store data observed by the device, and a multi-processing element processor to cause the data to be cached and transmitted (e.g., streamed) for historization at a unitary, logical centralized data storage area. The data storage area stores multiple types of process control or plant data using a common format. The device time-stamps the cached data, and, in some cases, all data that is generated or created by or received at the device may be cached and/or streamed. The device may be a field device, a controller, an input/output device, a network management device, a user interface device, or a historian device, and the device may be a node of a network supporting big data in the process plant. Multiple devices in the network may support layered or leveled caching of data.

Claims

1. A method of delivering data using a device communicatively coupled to a communications network of a process plant, the process plant having equipment configured to control one or more processes, and the method comprising:

collecting data at the device,

the data including at least one of;

(i) data that is generated by the device, (ii) data that is created by the device, or (iii) data that is received at the device,

the data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or a process controlled by the process plant, and

a type of the device is included in a set of device types, the set of device types including a field device and a controller;

storing, in a cache of the device, the collected data; and

causing at least a portion of the collected data to be transmitted for storage at a unitary, logical data storage area of a process control big data appliance corresponding to the process plant,

the unitary, logical data storage area being configured to store, using a common format, multiple types of data from a set of types of data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled by the process plant, and

the set of types of data including continuous data, event data, measurement data, batch data, calculated data, and configuration data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data comprises at least one of:

collecting all data that is generated by the device, collecting all data that is created by the device, or collecting all data that is received at the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data comprises at least one of:

collecting data that is generated by the device at a rate of generation, collecting all data that is created by the device at a rate of creation, or collecting all data that is received at the device at a rate of reception.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data at the device comprises collecting, at the device, at least one type of data included in the set of types of data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data is first data, the device is a first device, and the set of device types further includes an input/output (I/O) device having a field device interface and a controller interface; and

the method further comprises;

receiving, at the first device, second data that is at least one of (i) generated or created by a second device, or (ii) received at the second device, the second device having a device type of one of the field device, the controller, or the I/O device;

storing, in the cache of the first device, the second data; and

causing at least a portion of the second collected data to be transmitted for storage in the unitary, logical data storage area of the process control big data appliance.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first device has a device type of one of the field device, the controller, or the I/O device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein causing the at least the portion of the second collected data to be transmitted comprises integrally transmitting the at least the portion of the second collected data with the at least the portion of the first collected data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

storing the collected data in the cache includes storing, in conjunction with the collected data in the cache, indications of respective times of generation or reception of the collected data; and

causing the at least the portion of the collected data to be transmitted comprises causing the at least the portion of the collected data and the respective times of generation or reception of the at least the portion of the collected data to be transmitted.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the collected data in the cache of the device comprises storing the collected data in the cache using a schema that is included in a schema corresponding to the common format used by the unitary, logical data storage area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the data to be transmitted comprises streaming the data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein streaming the data comprises streaming the data using a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP).

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a streaming service via which the data is streamed to one or more subscribers of the streaming service.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the at least the portion of the data to be transmitted for storage in the unitary, logical data storage area comprises transmitting, via a communications network, the at least the portion of the data to another device disposed in the communications network between the device and the unitary logical data storage area.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the at least the portion of the data to the another device comprises transmitting the at least the portion of the data to one of:

a process control device configured to control the process in real-time in the process plant, a network management or routing device, a historian device, or another device configured to temporarily store the at least the portion of the data and to forward the at least a portion of the data to the unitary, logical data storage area.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of devices types further includes an input/output (I/O) device having a field device interface and a controller interface, a user interface device, a gateway device, an access point, a routing device, a historian device, and a network management device.

16. A process control device for controlling a process in a process plant, comprising:

an interface to a communications network of the process plant;

a cache configured to store data,

the data including at least one of;

(i) data generated by the process control device for transmission, (ii) data created by the process control device, or (iii) data received by the process control device, and

the data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled in the process plant; and

a multi-processing element processor having at least one processing element designated to cause the data to be stored in the cache and to cause at least a portion of the data to be transmitted, via the communications network, for storage at a centralized data storage area corresponding to the process plant,

wherein the process control device is one of;

a field device configured to perform a physical function to control the process,

a controller configured to receive an input and generate, based on the input, an output to control the process, or

an input/output (I/O) device disposed between and communicatively connecting the field device and the controller.

17. The process control device of claim 16, wherein at least one of:

a first processing element of the multi-processing element processor is designated to cause the data to be stored in the cache;

a second processing element of the multi-processing element processor is designated to cause the at least the portion of the data to be transmitted;

or

a third processing element of the multi-processing element processor is designated to operate the process control device to control the process in the process plant in real-time.

18. The process control device of claim 17, wherein at least one of:

the first processing element of the multi-processing element processor is exclusively designated to at least one of cause the data to be stored in the cache or cause the at least the portion of the data to be transmitted, or

the third processing element of the multi-processing element processor is exclusively designated to operate the process control device to control the process in the process plant.

19. The process control device of claim 16, wherein:

the centralized data storage area is a unitary, logical data storage area of a process control big data appliance corresponding to the process plant,

the unitary, logical data storage area is configured to store, using a common format, multiple types of data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled in the process plant, and

the multiple types of data are included in a set of types of data comprising continuous data, measurement data, event data, calculated data, configuration data, and batch data.

20. The process control device of claim 19, wherein the common format of the unitary, logical data storage area comprises a common schema, the common schema including a local schema used to store the data in the cache of the process control device.

21. The process control device of claim 16, wherein the multi-processing element processor is configured to cause the at least the portion of the data stored in the cache to be streamed via the communications network.

22. The process control device of claim 21, wherein the multi-processing element processor is configured to provide a streaming service to which at least one of the centralized data storage area or an access application corresponding to the centralized data storage area subscribes.

23. The process control device of claim 16, wherein the data stored in the cache includes at least one of measurement data, calculated data, configuration data, batch data, event data, or continuous data.

24. The process control device of claim 16,

wherein the data is stored in the cache in conjunction with respective timestamps, each respective timestamp being indicative of a time of data generation or reception of a respective data value included in the data, and

wherein the multi-processing element processor is configured to cause the at least the portion of the data and the respective timestamps corresponding to the at least the portion of the data to be transmitted for storage at the centralized data storage area.

25. The process control device of claim 16, wherein a configuration of the process control device excludes indications of one or more identities of data to be stored in the cache.

26. The process control device of claim 25, wherein the data to be stored in the cache includes at least one of (i) all data generated by the process control device, (ii) all data created by the process control device, or (iii) all data received by the process control device.

27. The process control device of claim 16, further comprising a flash memory configured to store at least one of:

(i) at least a portion of a configuration of the process control device, or (ii) a batch recipe corresponding to the process control device, wherein a content of the flash memory is accessed by the process control device to resume operations after exiting an off-line state.

28. The process control device of claim 16, wherein the communications network includes at least one of a wired communications network or a wireless communications network.

29. The process control device of claim 16, wherein the interface is a first interface, the communications network is a first communications network, and the process control device further comprises a second interface coupled to a second communications network different from the communications network, the second interface used by the process control device to at least one of transmit or receive signals to control the process in real-time.

30. A system for supporting big data in a process plant, the system comprising:

a communications network having a plurality of nodes,

the communications network configured to deliver data to be stored at a unitary, logical data storage area;

the unitary, logical data storage area configured to store, using a common format, multiple types of data from a set of data types corresponding to at least one of the process plant or a process controlled by the process plant, and the set of data types including continuous data, event data, measurement data, batch data, calculated data, and configuration data;

each node of the plurality of nodes configured to (i) cache respective first data that is at least one of generated by, created by, or received at the each node, and to (ii) cause at least a portion of the cached data to be transmitted, via the communications network, for storage at the unitary, logical data storage area; and

at least one node of the plurality of nodes is further configured to (iii) receive second data that is at least one of generated by, created by, or received at another node of the plurality of nodes, and to (iv) cause the second data to be transmitted for storage at the unitary, logical data storage area.

31. The system of claim 30,

wherein the plurality of nodes includes a controller configured to receive a set of inputs, determine a value of an output, and cause the output to be transmitted to a field device to control the process in the process plant, and

wherein the field device is configured to perform a physical function based on the output of the controller to control the process.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the communications network is a first communications network, and wherein the controller is configured to at least one of:

receive at least one input of the set of inputs at an interface to a second communications network or link, or

cause the output to be transmitted to the field device via the interface to the second communications network or link.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the field device is a first field device,

the controller is included in the at least one node of the plurality of nodes configured to receive the second data, and

the another node is the first field device or a second field device.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein:

a first node of the plurality of nodes is disposed in the communications network between a second node of the plurality of nodes and the unitary, logical data storage area;

the first node is included in the at least one node of the plurality of nodes configured to receive the second data that is at least one of generated by, created by, or received at the another node; and

the another node is the second node.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the first node is further configured to cache the received second data.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein:

the second node of the plurality of nodes is disposed in the communications network between the first node and a third node of the plurality of nodes; and

the second node is configured to (i) cache the second data, (ii) cache third data that is at least one generated by, created by, or received at the third node, and (iii) cause the cached data to be transmitted to the first node to be forwarded for storage at the unitary, logical data storage area.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the communications network supports a streaming protocol.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein at least one node of the plurality of nodes is configured to host a respective streaming service to which at least the unitary, logical data storage area or an access application of the unitary, logical data storage area subscribes.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein a schema used by at least a subset of the plurality of nodes to cache the respective first data is included in a schema included in the common format used by the unitary, logical data storage area.

40. The system of claim 30, wherein the plurality of nodes includes at least two devices from a set of devices including:

a controller configured to receive a set of inputs, determine a value of an output, and cause the output to be transmitted to a first field device to control the process in the process plant, the first field device being configured to perform a physical function based on the output of the controller to control the process;

the first field device or a second field device;

an input/output (I/O) device having a field device interface and a controller interface;

a user interface device;

a gateway device;

an access point;

a routing device;

a historian device; and

a network management device.