Method for operating and observing field devices

• US 7,072,987 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schwenke, Michael, Jurisch, Andreas, Walz, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US10/492,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/208, 709217-219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/249, 709/250, 700 2- 4, 700/17, 700 9- 11, 700/19, 700/20, 700/65, 700/83, 702/188, 710/105, 340/3.1, 340/3.9, 340/3.3, 340/3.31, 340/3.32, 340/3.71
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25217 Configure communication protocol, select between several
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33158 Remote procedure call to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34038 Web, http, ftp, internet, intranet server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a proxy server device (1) connected to a field device (FG1–FGN), in addition to a proxy server device. The proxy server device can be connected to the field device and a user device (N1–NN) in order to respectively exchange electronic data in order to monitor and/or operate the field device. The electronic data consists of static data which is transmitted according to a first protocol standard and dynamic data which is transmitted according to a second protocol standard.

Claims

1. A method for operating and/or monitoring a field device using a user facility, in which a proxy server facility is used, the proxy server facility being connected to the field device which includes a server facility and to the user facility to interchange electronic data using the user facility to operate and/or observe the field devices, wherein the electronic data to be interchanged for operating and/or monitoring the field device comprise static data, which are transferred between the server facility of the field device and the user facility via the proxy server facility based on a first protocol standard, and dynamic data, which are transferred between the server facility of the field device and the user facility via the proxy server facility based on a second protocol standard.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first protocol standard is the HTTP protocol.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second protocol standard is used to use a connectionless protocol.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the static data are transferred from the field device to the proxy server facility and are stored in a memory device in the proxy server facility when the static data are first called by the user facility, the static data thereby becoming available in the proxy server facility for retrieval by the user facility.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic data are transferred from the field device to the proxy server facility and from the proxy server facility to the user facility whenever the dynamic data are called by the user facility.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic and/or the static data are transferred from a server facility in the field device to the proxy server facility.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proxy server facility is configured using a browser facility which is installed on the user facility.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein operating/monitoring of the field device is in a power plant.

9. A proxy server apparatus, comprising:

a first interface device to produce a first data connection to a server facility of a field device;

a second interface device to produce a second data connection to a user facility, so that the user facility is configured for use and to interchange electronic data to monitor and/or operate the field device; and

a protocol processing device configured so that the server facility of the field device and the user facility are configured to interchange static, electronic data, which are transferred via the proxy server apparatus based on a first protocol standard, and dynamic, electronic data, which are transferred via the proxy server apparatus based on a second protocol standard.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a memory facility for storing the static, electronic data.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a parser facility for automatically converting electronic data into various formats.

12. The proxy server apparatus of claim 9, wherein operating/monitoring of the field device is in a power plant.