Process control system with integrated external data sources
First Claim
1. A process control system for use in controlling a process control plant using external data, the process control plant including a process controller coupled to control a plurality of field devices, the process control system comprising:
- a process control entity configured to perform, during run-time of at least a portion of the process control plant, a process control function that uses both an internal data item generated by a computing device inside of a firewall of the process control system and an external data item generated by a computing device outside of the firewall;
an external data object communicatively coupled to the process control entity and having a memory that stores a current value and a current status of the external data item used by the process control entity; and
an external data integration entity including at least one of an external data integration service on a same computing device as the process control entity or an external data integration server,wherein the external data integration entity is;
communicatively coupled to the process control entity, the external data object and an external data source,configured to access the external data object, andconfigured to, during run-time of the at least the portion of the process control plant periodically receive an updated value and an updated status of the external data item from the external data source, and update the currentvalue and the current status of the external data item in the external data object to the updated value and the updated status, andwherein the process control function is enabled to, during run-time and based on a most recently updated status of the external data item, use a most recently updated value of the external data item.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for integrating external and/or enterprise data into a process control system are disclosed. A user interface may be provided to enable browsing and selection of a data item from an external and/or enterprise data source. The selected data item may be associated with a process control entity. At run time, independent of a configuration of the process control entity, an external data integration server or instance of an external data integration service at a process control computing device may periodically communicate with the data source to obtain an updated current value and updated current status for the selected data item for use by the process control entity. The external data integration server and/or external data integration service may consolidate access of external/enterprise data across process control entities, optimize communications with various data sources, and maintain a status of communication with each various data source.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A process control system for use in controlling a process control plant using external data, the process control plant including a process controller coupled to control a plurality of field devices, the process control system comprising:
-
a process control entity configured to perform, during run-time of at least a portion of the process control plant, a process control function that uses both an internal data item generated by a computing device inside of a firewall of the process control system and an external data item generated by a computing device outside of the firewall; an external data object communicatively coupled to the process control entity and having a memory that stores a current value and a current status of the external data item used by the process control entity; and an external data integration entity including at least one of an external data integration service on a same computing device as the process control entity or an external data integration server, wherein the external data integration entity is; communicatively coupled to the process control entity, the external data object and an external data source, configured to access the external data object, and configured to, during run-time of the at least the portion of the process control plant periodically receive an updated value and an updated status of the external data item from the external data source, and update the current value and the current status of the external data item in the external data object to the updated value and the updated status, and wherein the process control function is enabled to, during run-time and based on a most recently updated status of the external data item, use a most recently updated value of the external data item. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method of integrating external data into a process control system controlling a process plant, the process plant including a process controller coupled to control a plurality of field devices, comprising:
-
displaying, for user selection, an indication of a data source, the data source outside of a firewall of the process control system; upon a user selection of the data source, displaying, for user selection, an indication of at least one data item of the data source; after receiving an indication of a user selection of one of the at least one data item, configuring a process control entity in the process control system to perform, during run-time of at least a portion of the process plant, a process control function that uses a current value of the selected data item; and during run-time of the at least the portion of the process plant; periodically receiving an updated value of the selected data item from the data source, updating, in a memory of an external data object communicatively coupled to the process control entity, the current value of the selected data item to the updated value; updating, in the memory of the external data object, a current status of the selected data item to an updated status, and performing, based on the current status of the selected data item by the process control entity, the process control function using the current value of the selected data item from the external data object. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A method of integrating external data into a process control system controlling a process plant, the process plant including a process controller coupled to control a plurality of field devices, comprising:
-
configuring a process control entity in the process control system to perform, during run-time of at least a portion of the process plant, a process control function that uses both an internal data item generated by a computing device inside of a firewall of the process control system and an external data item from an external data source outside the firewall of the process control system; communicatively coupling an external data object in the process control system with the process control entity, the external data object storing a current value, a current status, and at least one attribute of the external data item in a memory; communicatively coupling an external data integration entity to the process control entity, the external data object, and the external data source, the external data integration entity being at least one of an external data integration server in the process control system or an external data integration service on a same computing device as the process control entity; and at run-time of the at least the portion of the process plant; periodically receiving, at the external data integration entity from the external data source, an updated value and an updated status of the external data item, updating the current value of the external data item in the external data object to the updated value, updating the current status of the external data item in the external data object to the updated status, and performing, by the process control entity based on the current status and one of the at least one attribute of the external data item, the process control function using the current value. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
-
Specification