Adaptive embedded historians with aggregator component

• US 7,974,937 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baier, John J., McGreevy, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks; Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US11/750,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 706/11, 706/47, 348/143, 348/150
• US Class Current: 706/50
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Systems and methods that aggregate history data collected via embedded historians with additional data that is supplied by third parties. Triggering events can be defined for initiating aggregation of such history data with additional data, which enable a process/application to retrieve the operational metric data of the industrial unit/entity from any of a plurality of systems operatively coupled to such industrial unit/entity.

Claims

1. An industrial automation system, comprising:

a plurality of industrial automation devices within the industrial automation system, that include a plurality of embedded historians adapted to collect historian data associated with the industrial automation system; and

an aggregator component that aggregates the historian data with additional data for the industrial automation system, wherein the additional data is supplied via third parties, wherein the aggregator component initiates the aggregation based in part on one or more triggering events.

2. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising a publication arrangement that determines availability of the additional data from the third parties.

3. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising an organizational hierarchy data model with nodes that represent units associated with the industrial automation system.

4. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising an artificial intelligence component that facilitates aggregation of the historian data with the additional data by employing at least one artificial intelligence technique.

5. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to graphically display a view of the industrial automation system.

6. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) that forms an application view of a historian data collection system.

7. The industrial automation system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of embedded historians is associated with at least one of a controller, a module in a chassis, a server, a sensor, or a factory component.

8. The industrial automation system of claim 1 further comprising a locator component that identifies the plurality of embedded historians distributed within the industrial automation system.

9. The industrial automation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregator component at least one of creates or modifies one or more tags associated with the plurality of embedded historians.

10. The industrial automation system of claim 1, further comprising, a monitor component that at least one of monitors or logs aggregator specific operational metrics associated with the aggregator component.

11. A method of locating historians within an industrial plant comprising:

employing an embedded historian located within an industrial automation device of the industrial plant, to collect history data from the industrial automation device associated with an industrial process;

aggregating the history data with additional data, supplied via one or more third parties, to facilitate management of the industrial process; and

employing a polling mechanism for at least one of detection or identification of the one or more third parties.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising configuring the embedded historian to a predetermined setting for collection of the history data.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising defining a common organizational data model for a plant associated with the industrial process.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising employing a directory to track source of the history data.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising collecting the history data across a plurality of levels of the industrial plant.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising enabling creation of processing parameters associated with the embedded historian without employing information related to a physical location of at least one of input or output.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising defining a triggering event for initiating data aggregation.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising verifying occurrence of the triggering event.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising displaying the aggregated data to a user.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising self identifying the embedded historian via one or more tags created therein.

21. The method of claim 11 further comprising employing one or more predetermined models for the aggregating act.

22. A computer implemented system comprising the following computer executable components:

at least one processor, associated with an embedded historian integrated within an industrial automation device, that executes a data collection component with direct interface to a controller without employing a transitional layer, to supply collected history data;

an aggregator component that aggregates the history data with additional data supplied via one or more third parties; and

a publish and subscribe component to determine availability of the additional data from the one or more third parties, to the aggregator component.

23. The computer implemented system of claim 22 further comprising a database that services the data collection component.

24. The computer implemented system of claim 22, wherein the aggregator component is part of an application that runs on a control unit of an industrial plant.

25. The computer implemented system of claim 22 wherein the embedded historian identifies itself to the aggregator component via a socket bound to a specific port number.

26. An industrial controller system comprising:

means for collecting history data related to an industrial process, the means for collecting is embedded within an industrial automation device;

means for aggregating the history data with additional data that is supplied via one or more third parties, upon occurrence of a triggering event; and

means for identifying suppliers of the additional data.

27. The industrial controller system of claim 26 further comprising means for graphically displaying a view of an industrial control system.

28. The industrial controller system of claim 27 wherein the means for aggregating at least one of creates or modifies a tag associated with the embedded historian.

29. The industrial controller system of claim 28 further comprising means for displaying the aggregated data to a user.

30. The industrial controller system of claim 27 further comprising means for representing units associated with an industrial plant, within the industrial controller system, as nodes.