Accessing and updating a configuration database from distributed physical locations within a process control system

• US 6,687,698 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark, Gilbert, Stephen, Chatkoff, Teresa
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US09/560,199
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/10, 707/201, 707/202, 709/224, 709/201, 340/825, 711/163, 711/141
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4145 characterised by using same processor to execute programmable controller and numerical controller function [CNC] and PC controlled NC [PCNC]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31324 Distributed real time knowledge, database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31418 NC program management, support, storage, distribution, version, update
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31422 Upload, download programs, parameters from, to station to, from server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33125 System configuration, reconfiguration, customization, automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36103 Adapt, update machining parameters automatically as function of state of processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A configuration database includes multiple databases distributed at a plurality of physical locations within a process control system. Each of the databases may be accessed by users at any of the sites within the process control system. A database server having a shared cache accesses a database in a manner that enables multiple subscribers to read configuration data from the database with only a minimal number of reads to the database. To prevent the configuration data being viewed by subscribers within the process control system from becoming stale, the database server automatically detects changes to an item within the configuration database and sends notifications of changes made to the item the each of the subscribers of that item so that a user always views the state of the configuration as it actually exists within the configuration database.

Claims

1. A configuration database system for use in storing configuration data pertaining to a process control system having a plurality of geographically distributed physical locations, the configuration database system comprising:

a configuration database located at each of the plurality of physical locations, wherein each of the configuration databases is adapted to originally store a different portion of the configuration data;

a communication network that communicatively couples the plurality of geographically distributed physical locations together; and

a configuration application adapted to communicate with each of the databases via the communication network and to use data within the originally stored different portions of the configuration data from two or more of the configuration databases to perform a configuration activity with respect to the process control system.

2. The configuration database system of claim 1, wherein the configuration application includes a browser adapted to browse a first one of the configuration databases and to browse a second one of the configuration databases.

3. The configuration database system of claim 1, wherein one of the configuration databases stores a local copy of an item stored originally within a different one of the configuration databases.

4. The configuration database system of claim 1, wherein the communication network includes a slow communication link between two of the configuration databases.

5. A configuration database system for use in storing configuration data pertaining to a process control system having a plurality of geographically distributed physical locations, the configuration database system comprising:

a configuration database located at each of the plurality of physical locations, wherein each of the configuration databases is adapted to originally store a different portion of the configuration data;

a communication network that communicatively couples the plurality of geographically distributed physical locations together; and

a configuration application adapted to communicate with each of the databases via the communication network and to use data from two or more of the configuration databases to perform a configuration activity,

wherein the configuration application is adapted to subscribe to a subset of the configuration data within a first one of the configuration databases and the first one of the configuration databases includes a database server having a first routine that automatically recognizes a change to the subset of the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the configuration application subscribes and a second routine that automatically notifies the configuration application of the change to the subset of the configuration data.

6. The configuration database system of claim 5, wherein the second routine automatically communicates the change made to the subset of the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to the configuration application when the first routine detects the change to the subset of the configuration data.

7. The configuration database system of claim 5, wherein the configuration application includes a locking portion that sends a lock command to lock an item of configuration data within the first configuration database and wherein the database server further includes a locking routine that locks the item of configuration data within the first configuration database to prevent the item of configuration data from being changed by any configuration application other than the configuration application that sent the locking command.

8. The configuration database system of claim 5, further including a second configuration application and wherein the database server includes a second routine that provides concurrent access to a particular item of configuration data within the first configuration database to the first and second configuration applications and wherein the database server further includes a locking routine that locks the particular item of configuration data within the first configuration database when the first configuration application writes to the particular item of configuration data to thereby prevent the second configuration application from the changing the particular item of configuration data when the first configuration application is writing to the particular item of configuration data.

9. A configuration database system for use in storing configuration data pertaining to a process control system having a plurality of geographically distributed physical locations, the configuration database system comprising:

a configuration database located at each of the plurality of physical locations, wherein each of the configuration databases is adapted to originally store a different portion of the configuration data;

a communication network that communicatively couples the plurality of geographically distributed physical locations together; and

a configuration application adapted to communicate with each of the databases via the communication network and to use data from two or more of the configuration databases to perform a configuration activity,

wherein the configuration databases are established in a hierarchy having at least two configuration databases in a lower level and at least one configuration database in an upper level, and wherein the each of the configuration databases in the lower level are communicatively coupled to the configuration database within the upper level.

10. The configuration database system of claim 9, wherein the lower level includes zones pertaining to different ones of the physical locations and wherein configuration data that pertains to a first zone is stored in the configuration database at the first zone and the configuration data that pertains to first and second zones is stored in the configuration database at the upper level in the hierarchy communicatively coupled to the first and second zones.

11. The configuration database system of claim 9, further including software that detects the use of the same name in the one of the configuration databases within the lower level and the configuration database in the upper level.

12. A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;

a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data; and

a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;

wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations to enable the users to perform one or more configuration activities with respect to the process control system using the first and second Portions of the configuration data.

13. A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;

a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data; and

a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;

wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations; and

wherein the second configuration database is adapted to subscribe to configuration data within the first configuration database and wherein the first configuration database includes a database server having a first routine that automatically detects a change to the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the second configuration database subscribes and a second routine that automatically notifies the second configuration database of the change to the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the second configuration database subscribes.

14. The distributed configuration database system of claim 13, wherein the second routine automatically communicates the change made to the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to the second configuration database when the first routine detects the change to the configuration data stored in the first configuration database to which the second configuration database subscribes.

15. A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;

a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data; and

a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;

wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations; and

further including first and second configuration applications and a database server associated with the first configuration database, wherein the database server includes a shared cache that provides concurrent access to any particular item of configuration data within the first configuration database to the first and second configuration applications and includes a locking routine that locks the particular item of configuration data within the first configuration database when the first configuration application writes to the particular item of configuration data to thereby prevent the second configuration application from changing the particular item of configuration data when the first configuration application is writing to the particular item of configuration data.

16. A distributed configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system having multiple physical locations:

a first configuration database located at a first one of the physical locations that stores a first portion of configuration data for the process control system;

a second configuration database located at a second one of the physical locations that stores a second portion of the configuration data for the process control system, wherein the first portion of the configuration data is different than the second portion of the configuration data; and

a communication network that interconnects the first physical location and the second physical location using a slow communication link;

wherein the first and the second configuration databases are adapted to communicate with users at the first and the second physical locations; and

further including a third configuration database located at a third physical location and wherein the first, second and third configuration databases are established in a hierarchy in which the first and the second configuration databases are in a lower level and the third configuration database is in an upper level, and wherein the each of first and second configuration databases in the lower level are communicatively coupled to the third configuration database within the upper level via the communication network.

17. The distributed configuration database system of claim 16, wherein the lower level includes first and second zones and wherein configuration data that pertains to a first zone is stored in the first configuration database, configuration data that pertains to the second zone is stored in the second configuration database and configuration data that pertains to both the first and second zones is stored in the third configuration database.

18. The distributed configuration database system of claim 16, further including a routine that detects the use of the same name within the first and the third configuration databases or within the second and third configuration databases.

19. A method of storing and using configuration data related to a process control system when the process control system has two or more physical locations which are geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a different portion of the configuration data within each of a plurality of configuration databases, wherein two of the configuration databases are located at different physical locations;

providing a communication link between each of the configuration databases, and

accessing the different portions of the configuration data from two or more of the configuration databases at the same time to perform a configuration activity with respect to the process control system.

20. A method of storing and using configuration data related to a process control system when the process control system has two or more physical locations which are geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a different portion of the configuration data within each of a plurality of configuration databases, wherein two of the configuration databases are located at different physical locations;

providing a communication link between each of the configuration databases, and

accessing different configuration data from two or more of the configuration databases at the same time to perform a configuration activity,

wherein the step of accessing different configuration data includes the step of using an application to subscribe to the accessed configuration data from the two or more of the configuration databases and automatically sending any changes made to the accessed configuration data from the two or more configuration databases to the application.

21. A method of storing and using configuration data related to a process control system when the process control system has two or more physical locations which are geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a different portion of the configuration data within each of a plurality of configuration databases, wherein two of the configuration databases are located at different physical locations;

providing a communication link between each of the configuration databases, and

accessing different configuration data from two or more of the configuration databases at the same time to perform a configuration activity, and

further including the step of establishing a hierarchy among the configuration databases, wherein the hierarchy includes two configuration databases within a lower level and one configuration database within an upper level, and establishing communications between each of the two configuration databases within the lower level and the one configuration database within the upper level.

22. The method of storing and using configuration data of claim 21, further including the step of using unique names for configuration data within the one configuration database within the upper level of the hierarchy and either of the configuration databases within the lower level of the hierarchy, wherein the same name can be used in the two configuration databases at the lower level of the hierarchy.

23. A process control system comprising:

a database located at a first physical location, wherein the database stores database components;

a multiplicity of client applications, wherein one of the client applications is located at a second physical location substantially geographically separated from the first physical location;

a communication link between the first physical location and the second physical location; and

a database server the provides access to the database components within the database by the multiplicity of client applications, the database server including;

a shared cache having a plurality of memory objects, wherein each of the memory objects communicates with the database and stores a copy of one of the database components being accessed by at least one of the multiplicity of clients; and

one or more communication objects associated with each of the client applications, wherein each of the communication objects communicates with an associated one of the client applications and with one of the memory objects,

wherein a memory object that is being accessed by two or more client applications is communicatively coupled to two or more communication objects.

24. The process control system of claim 23, wherein the database server further includes a notify routine that detects changes to one of the database components and that automatically notifies each of the clients accessing the one of the database components of the existence of the change to the one of the database components.

25. The process control system of claim 24, wherein the notify routine notifies each of the clients accessing the one of the database components of the state of the one of the database components after the change.

26. The process control system of claim 24, wherein the database is a configuration database and wherein the database components are configuration components.

27. The process control system of claim 24, wherein each of the communication objects is adapted to read from and to write to the associated one of the memory objects.

28. The process control system of claim 24, wherein the database server further includes a lock manager which prevents a first one of the communication components from accessing one of the memory objects when a second one of the communication components is accessing the one of the memory objects.

29. The process control system of claim 23, wherein the communication link is a satellite communication link.

30. The process control system of claim 23, wherein the communication link is a cellular communication link.

31. The process control system of claim 23, wherein the communication link is a telephone line communication link.

32. The process control system of claim 23, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication link.

33. The process control system of claim 23, wherein the communication link is a wide area network link.