Plant monitoring/controlling apparatus

• US 5,959,859 A
• Filed: 04/18/1997
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Maruyama, Takekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US08/844,352
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 364/131, 364/470.14, 364/400, 364/410.1, 364/468.15, 364/468.16, 364/475.09, 364/551.01, 340/852.52, 702/188
• US Class Current: 700/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25213 Synchronisation, address and data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25232 DCS, distributed control system, decentralised control unit

Abstract

In a distributed type plant monitoring/controlling apparatus, data required to be synchronized with each other in a system can be synchronized with each other, and a system with high reliability and a high performance is provided. In a plant monitoring/controlling apparatus in which a plurality of clients communicated with each other via a network are arranged, the plant monitoring/controlling apparatus is equipped with one client functioning as an original client with respect to each of functions, the original client corresponding to a software server for each of the functions used to monitor and control the plant; an original client of a first function transmits data related to the first function to another client; and the another client receives the data transmitted from the first function original client to store the received data into a storage unit provided with the another client, whereby the data stored in each of other clients are synchronized.

Claims

1. A plant monitoring/controlling apparatus in which a plurality of clients communicate with each other via a network, one client acting as an original server which is a software server for one of a plurality of functions used to monitor/control said plant said one client including:

an acquisition unit for acquiring data from said network;

a process unit for processing data corresponding to said one function from among said acquired data;

a storage unit for storing said data passed through said process unit;

a first switch connected between said process unit and said storage unit;

a reception unit connected to said first switch, for receiving synchronous data from said network;

a transmission unit for transmitting data from said storage unit to another client via said network;

a second switch connected between said storage unit and said transmission unit; and

a monitoring unit connected to said first and second switches,

wherein said monitoring unit controls said first and second switches in such a manner that said first switch connects said storage unit to said process unit when said one client acts as said original client, and otherwise to said reception unit, while said second switch connects said storage unit to said transmission unit when said one client acts as said original client, and otherwise disconnects said storage unit from said transmission unit.

2. A plant monitoring/controlling apparatus in which a plurality of clients communicate with each other via a network, one of said clients being a configuration control client, each of said clients including:

an acquisition unit for acquiring data from said network;

a process unit for processing, from among said acquired data, sync data corresponding to one of a plurality of functions used to monitor/control said plant so as to calculate processed sync data, said one function being assigned to said each clients by said configuration control client;

a storage unit for storing said processed sync data; and

a transmission unit for transmitting said processed sync data to another client via said network,

wherein when an interruption of a data transfer occurs in said network, another of said clients is newly determined as a configuration control client in a partial network in which communication with the former configuration control client is interrupted, and

said another configuration control client assigns functions which were shared in said network before being interrupted to clients in said partial network on a client basis to share said functions within said partial network, while said former configuration control client assigns functions which were shared in said network before being interrupted to clients in another partial network which includes said former configuration control client, on a client basis to share said functions within said another partial network.