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

• US 6,704,737 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• 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:
  US09/560,361
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/211, 707/102, 707/10, 707/250, 707/100, 707/101, 707/3, 707/202, 709/223, 709/201
• US Class Current: 707/656
• 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: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• 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 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• 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. The configuration database may include a master configuration database that stores all of the configuration data for all of the sites and one or more briefcase databases that download and reserve configuration data from the master database. The briefcase database is used at other sites to perform configuration activities and, thereafter, changed configuration items are promoted back to the master configuration database where these changed items are stored.

Claims

1. A process control system distributed between a first physical location and a second physical location wherein the first and second physical locations are substantially geographically separated, the process control system comprising:

a first database located at the first physical location to store a first set of data, the first set of data including configuration data pertaining to the process control system;

a second database located at the second physical location to store a second set of data, the second set of data including configuration data pertaining to the process control system;

a slow communication link that communicatively couples the first physical location and the second physical location; and

a communication routine that uses the slow communication link to copy a portion of the first set of data from the first database and to store the copied portion of the first set of data as the second set of data in the second database.

2. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the first database is a master database that stores a master copy of the first set of data and the second database is a briefcase database that stores copies of at least some of the first set of data as the second set of data to be used within the process control system at the second physical location.

3. The process control system of claim 2, wherein the first physical location includes a database access device adapted to implement a locking procedure to lock any of the first set of data within the first database to prevent the locked data from being modified and wherein the communication routine includes a reserve procedure that initiates the locking procedure to lock an item of data within the first database when the item of data is copied to the second database to thereby reserve the item of data in the first database.

4. The process control system of claim 3, wherein the communication routine further includes a promote procedure that sends changes made to a copy of the reserved item of data at the second physical location to the first database to be stored in the first database as the reserved item of data.

5. The process control system of claim 4, further including a portable computer having a memory and wherein the briefcase database is located in the memory of the portable computer.

6. The process control system of claim 5, wherein a further briefcase database is located in the memory of the portable computer.

7. The process control system of claim 2, wherein the communication routine automatically copies portions of the master database needed to perform a particular function at the second physical location and sends the copied portions of the master database to the briefcase database.

8. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the first database is a master database and the second database is a mirror database that stores a complete copy of the first set of data as the second set of data and wherein the communication routine synchronizes the first set of data within the master database with the second set of data within the mirror database to thereby incorporate changes made to the first set of data within the master database into the mirror database.

9. The process control system of claim 8, wherein the communication routine periodically synchronizes the master database with the mirror database.

10. The process control system of claim 8, wherein the communication routine automatically detects changes made to any of the first set of data within the master database and delivers these changes to the mirror database.

11. The process control system of claim 8, wherein the communication routine synchronizes the master database with the mirror database at the request of a user.

12. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a satellite communication link.

13. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a cellular communication link.

14. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a telephone line communication link.

15. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a portable memory communication link.

16. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a wireless communication link.

17. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a wide area network link.

18. The process control system of claim 1, wherein the slow communication link is a shared local area network link.

19. A process control system distributed between a first physical location and a second physical location wherein the first and second physical locations are substantially geographically separated, the process control system comprising:

a first database located at the first physical location to store a first set of configuration data pertaining to the process control system;

a second database located at the second physical location to store a second set of configuration data pertaining to the process control system;

a slow communication link that communicatively couples the first physical location and the second physical location; and

a configuration application adapted to perform a configuration activity and to communicate with the first database to retrieve a first item of the configuration data stored in the first database and to communicate with the second database to retrieve a second item of the configuration data stored in the second database and wherein the configuration application communicates with one of the first and the second databases via the slow communication link.

20. The process control system of claim 19, further including subscription software associated with the first database that automatically detects a change made to the first item of the configuration data stored within the first database and that automatically sends a notification of the detected change to the configuration application when the configuration application is using the first item of the configuration data.

21. The process control system of claim 19, wherein the configuration application is associated with the second database to subscribe to data within the first database.

22. A process control system distributed between a first physical location and a second physical location wherein the first and second physical locations are substantially geographically separated, the process control system comprising:

a first database located at the first physical location to store a first set of configuration data pertaining to the process control system;

a second database located at the second physical location to store a second set of configuration data pertaining to the process control system;

a slow communication link that communicatively couples the first physical location and the second physical location; and

a configuration application adapted to perform a configuration activity and to communicate with the first database to retrieve a first item of the configuration data stored in the first database and to communicate with the second database to retrieve a second item of the configuration data stored in the second database and wherein the configuration application communicates with one of the first and the second databases via the slow communication link;

wherein a first element of the first set of configuration data is a first textual string in a first language and a second element of the second set of configuration data is a second textual string in a second language and the configuration application includes conversion software for converting the first element from the first language to the second language.

23. The process control system of claim 22, wherein the first element includes a numeric value identifying the first textual string and the conversion software uses the numeric value to convert the first element to the second language.

24. The process control system of claim 22, wherein the first element and the second element are stored in a Unicode format.

25. A configuration database system adapted to be used in a process control system, the configuration database system comprising:

a master database located at a first physical location within the process control system that stores configuration data for the process control system;

a briefcase database adapted to store a copy of a portion of the configuration data, wherein the copy of the configuration data stored in the briefcase database can be used at a second physical location that is substantially geographically separated from the first physical location; and

a communication routine that copies the portion of the configuration data from the master database and that stores the copied portion of the configuration data in the briefcase database.

26. The process control system of claim 25, wherein the master database includes a database access device adapted to implement a locking procedure to lock any of the configuration data to prevent the locked configuration data from being modified within the master database and wherein the communication routine includes a reserve procedure that initiates the locking procedure to lock an item of the configuration data within the master database when the item is copied to the briefcase database to thereby reserve the item in the master database.

27. The process control system of claim 26, wherein the communication routine further includes a promote procedure that sends a change made to the copy of the reserved item within the briefcase database to the master database to be stored in the master database as the reserved item.

28. The process control system of claim 26, further including a portable computer having a memory and wherein the briefcase database is located in the memory of the portable computer.

29. The process control system of claim 28, wherein a further briefcase database is located in the memory of the portable computer to store configuration data related to a different process control system.

30. The process control system of claim 26, wherein the communication routine automatically copies all of the configuration data needed to perform a desired configuration activity at the second physical location to the briefcase database at one time.

31. The process control system of claim 25, wherein the communication routine sends the copy of the portion of the configuration data over a slow communication link.

32. A method of using configuration data in a process control system having a first physical location and a second physical location wherein the first and second physical locations are substantially geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a first set of configuration data in a first database located at the first physical location;

storing a second set of configuration data in a second database located at the second physical location; and

communicating a portion of the first set of configuration data within the first database to the second database via a slow communication link.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of storing the first set of configuration data includes the step of storing the first set of configuration data as a master set of configuration data and the step of storing a second set of configuration data includes the step of storing copies of some of the master set of configuration in the second database as the second set of configuration data for use at the second physical location.

34. The method of claim 33, further including the step of locking one of the items of the first set of configuration data within the master configuration database upon communicating the copy of the item to the second database to prevent the locked item within the first database from being changed.

35. The method of claim 34, further including the steps of making a change to a copy of the reserved item at the second physical location, sending the change from the second physical location to the first physical location and storing the change to the reserved item in the master configuration database.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of communicating includes the step of automatically sending a copy of each item of the first set of configuration data needed to perform a particular function at the second physical location to the second database at the same time.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the first database is a master database and the second database is a mirror database and wherein the step of communicating includes the steps of storing a complete copy of the first set of configuration data as the second set of configuration data and synchronizing the first set of configuration data within the master database with the second set of configuration data within the mirror database to thereby incorporate changes made to the first set of configuration data within the master database into the mirror database.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of synchronizing includes the step of automatically periodically synchronizing the master database with the mirror database.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of synchronizing includes the steps of automatically detecting changes made to any of the first set of configuration data within the master database and automatically delivering the detected change to the mirror database.

40. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of communicating includes the step of communicating over a satellite communication link.

41. A method of performing a configuration activity in a process control system having a first physical location and a second physical location, wherein the first and second physical locations are substantially geographically separated, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a master copy of configuration data within a master configuration database at the first location;

copying a portion of the master configuration data from the master configuration database to a briefcase database; and

causing the briefcase database to perform a configuration activity at the second physical location.

42. The method of claim 41, further including the step of reserving an item of the portion of the master configuration data within the master configuration database to lock the reserved item while the copy of the reserved item is being stored in the briefcase database.

43. The method of claim 42, further including the step of changing the copy of the reserved item within the briefcase database during the configuration activity and sending the changed copy of the reserved item to the master configuration database to replace the reserved item within the master configuration database.

44. The method of claim 41, further including the step of synchronizing the briefcase database with the master configuration database.

45. The method of claim 41, further including the step of using a portable computer as the briefcase database.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein the step of copying includes the step of automatically copying each part of the master configuration data that is needed to perform the configuration activity at the second physical location into the briefcase database at the same time.