High speed industrial control and data acquistion system and method

• US 8,295,166 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Woo, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): FARAHMAND, ASHIL S
• Application Number:
  US11/787,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-241, 700/2, 700/7, 700/9, 700/83
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A high speed industrial control system and data acquisition system and method are disclosed that enable high speed data transmission rates from an control system to a remote client application. In one embodiment, the system includes a first processor, a second processor, an open-socket interface, and a client application. The first processor is configured to generate data arrays and the second processor is configured to receive and convert the arrays into time stamped message sets. The open-socket interface may be coupled to the second processor and may be configured to transmit packet sets from the second processor to a client application. The client application may be configured to convert each packet set into individual records that are included in a standard structured data format. One of the standard structured data format may be a standard database format.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting data from an industrial control system comprising:

a first processor configured to generate data arrays from values received from an industrial process;

a second processor configured to receive the data arrays and to convert data in the arrays to time stamped messages, each message including a plurality of tags, each tag corresponding to an individual one of the values;

an open-socket interface configured to transmit the time stamped messages from the second processor as time stamped packets; and

a client application coupled to the open-socket interface and configured to convert the time stamped packets to records in a standard structured data format.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is part of a programmable controller configurable to control the industrial process.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second processors are coupled to one another on a common data backplane.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the open-socket interface is coupled to the second processor on the common data backplane.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to associate the messages in sets.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each tag corresponds to a single input, output, or computed value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application is configured to capture the time stamped packets into a fixed sized buffer and place the buffer into a process queue.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the client application is further configured to verify a total number of time stamped packets and tags included in a set by tracking the number of packets received between timestamps and counting the number of tags in each packet.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the client application is further configured to separate individual packets and to create data files.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application is configured to convert each of a plurality of tags in the time stamped packets, each corresponding to individual input, output or computed values, to individual records in the standard structured data format.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the standard structured data format is a standard database format.

12. A system for transmitting data from an industrial control system comprising:

a programmable process controller including a first processor configured to generate data arrays from values received from a controlled process;

a second processor configured to receive the data arrays and to convert data in the arrays to time stamped messages, each message including a plurality of tags, each tag corresponding to an individual one of the values;

an open-socket interface configured to transmit the time stamped messages from the second processor as time stamped packets; and

a client application coupled to the open-socket interface and configured to convert the time stamped packets to records in a standard database format.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first and second processors are coupled to one another on a common data backplane.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the open-socket interface is coupled to the second processor on the common data backplane.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the client application is configured to capture the time stamped packets into a fixed sized buffer and place the buffer into a process queue.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the client application is further configured to verify a total number of time stamped packets and tags included in a set by tracking the number of packets received between timestamps and counting the number of tags in each packet.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the client application is further configured to separate the time stamped packets and to create data files.

18. A method for transmitting data from an industrial control system comprising:

(a) generating, via a first processor, data arrays from values received from an industrial process;

(b) converting, via a second processor, data in the arrays to time stamped messages, each message including a plurality of tags, each tag corresponding to an individual one of the values;

(c) transmitting the time stamped messages from the second processor via an open-socket interface as packet sets; and

(d) receiving the packet sets from the open-socket interface and converting the sets to records in a standard structured data format.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the steps (a), (b) and (c) are each performed by separate devices coupled to one another on a common data backplane.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein step (b) includes associating the messages in sets.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein each tag corresponds to a single input, output or computed value.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein step (d) includes associating sets of messages into packets and grouping the packets into a process queue.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein step (d) includes verifying a total number of individual packets and tags included in a set by tracking the number of individual packets received between timestamps and counting the number of tags in each packet.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein step (d) includes separating individual packets to create data files.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein step (d) includes converting each of a plurality of tags in the packet sets, each corresponding to individual input, output or computed values, to individual records in the standard structured data format.