Communications architecture for process control system

• US 6,799,077 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2000
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alstom SA
• Original Assignee: Alstom SA
• Inventors: Hauet, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US09/509,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/83, 700/2, 700/19, 700/17, 700/180, 700/282, 700/231, 700/197, 700/96, 700/9, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/250, 709/232, 709/249, 345/733, 370/222, 370/458-461
• US Class Current: 700/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network 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 time-shared communications architecture for communicating digitized information for an industrial process control system, which architecture includes various programmed operating units (8, 10, 11) in particular site units (8) situated at a process interface level, which units process and store information which can be accessed by at least one other unit internal to the system or by an external computer, via at least one industrial local area network of said communications architecture. At least some of the units contain servers (9) of the HTTP type so as to be capable of sending optionally interactive computer documents in response to requests received from another unit of the system or from a computer, in particular external to the system, equipped with an HTTP/TCP/IP protocol stack and acting as a customer, without disturbing the priority and deterministic interchange related to the real time control of the process.

Claims

1. A time-shared communications architecture for communicating digitized information for an industrial process control system, the architecture comprising at least one industrial local area network conveying deterministic traffic between a plurality of programmed operating units which process and store information, the architecture capable of being accessed by a customer computer equipped with a predetermined protocol stack, wherein at least one of the plurality of programmed operating units comprises an embedded local server capable of responding to non-deterministic requests received from another programmed operating unit or from the customer computer, said architecture using time slots left available by the deterministic traffic of the industrial local area network for responding to non-deterministic requests without disturbing priority message traffic related to real time process control.

2. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of programmed site units which comprise at least one cluster and at least one of said programmed site units comprising an embedded local server capable of responding to non-deterministic requests, wherein the at least one cluster comprises a cluster local area network of a bus type specific to the at least one cluster and which connects the at least one cluster to at least one shared programmed unit serving as a gateway or as a router to said industrial local area network.

3. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 2, further comprising at least one of a process control operation platform, a supervision operation main station or a process computer coupled to said industrial local area network.

4. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 2, further comprising at least one of a router or a gateway that couples said industrial local area network to an external network.

5. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 2, wherein said embedded local server is a HTTP server, said HTTP server responding with an optionally interactive computer document if a request is received by said HTTP server.

6. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 5, wherein said request comprises the insertion or the extraction of parameters or variables stored in said programmed unit that includes said server.

7. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined protocol stack is an HTTP/TCP/IP protocol stack.

8. The time-shared communications architecture according to claim 1, wherein said embedded local server is a HTTP server, said HTTP server responding with an optionally interactive computer document if a request is received by said HTTP server.

9. The time-shared communications architecture according to claimed 8, wherein said request comprises the insertion or the extraction of parameters or variables stored in said programmed operating unit that includes said embedded local server.

10. A method of communicating non deterministic digitized information between a unit connected to the Internet using an Internet protocol and at least one programmed operating unit or one programmed site unit of an industrial process control system using a real time data exchange protocol over an industrial process control network, in which digitized information required to control an industrial process is interchanged in real time over said industrial process control network in a deterministic mode, the method comprising:

providing the at least one said programmed unit of said industrial process control system with an Internet protocol server, and

using an Internet protocol for interchanging the non deterministic digitized information between said unit connected to the Internet and said at least one programmed unit of said industrial process control system using unused time slots left available over said industrial process control system network by the deterministic interchange mode.

11. The method of communicating information as claimed in claim 10, said method further comprises storing information on said site unit.

12. The method of communicating information as claimed in claim 11, said method further comprises allowing a user to access said stored information through said network, wherein said programmed operating unit is connected to an external network.

13. The method of communicating information as claimed in claim 10, said method further comprises storing information on said programmed operating unit.

14. The method of communicating information as claimed in claim 13, said method further comprises allowing a user to access said stored information through said network, wherein said programmed operating unit is connected to an external network.