Method and system for remote control of a local system

• US 6,675,193 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Software, LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Software Systems
• Inventors: Cook, Jay S., Slavin, Sean, El-Sabaaly, Hatem K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/430,464
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/213, 709/217-219, 709/226, 709/229, 709/313, 709/315, 709/318, 707/10, 707/101-104, 707/200, 717/127, 717/130, 717/135
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for remote control including a control system having a memory and a CPU for sending and receiving control information and instructions at a first location, a software application for manipulating the control information sent and received by the control system resident in the memory, a remote computer system having a CPU and memory at a second location communicating over a communication path with the control system at the first location and one desktop bound software application for manipulating the control information sent and received by the control system accessed by the remote computer system over the at least one communication path resident in the memory of the remote computer system. In variations, the control information includes alarm data, runtime data and historical data.

Claims

1. A method for remote control by at least one control system located on at least one first computer, said method comprising:

a. causing the control system to gather control system information;

b. transmitting the control system information gathered by the control system over at least one communication path to an object container on at least one second computer system; and

c. running a software application in the object container to manipulate the transmitted control information.

2. The method for remote control as described in claim 1, further comprising:

a. causing the at least one second computer system to gather control information;

b. transmitting the control information gathered by the at least one second computer system over at least one communication path to an object container on the control system; and

c. controlling the control system with the control information gathered by the at least one second computer system.

3. The method for remote control as described in claim 2, further comprising:

a. storing the control system information gathered by the control system in a control system memory located in the first computer; and

b. storing the control system information gathered by the at least one second computer system in the control system memory located in the first computer.

4. The method for remote control as described in claim 2, further comprising:

a. storing the control system information gathered by the at least one second computer system in a computer system memory located in the second computer; and

b. storing the control system information gathered by the control system in the computer system memory located in the second computer.

5. The method for remote control as described in claim 1, further comprising the at least one control system communicating with the at least one second computer system over a plurality of communication paths.

6. The method for remote control as described in claim 5, wherein the plurality of communication paths includes secure paths and non-secure paths.

7. The method for remote control as described in claim 1, wherein control system information comprises alarm data.

8. The method for remote control as described in claim 1, wherein control system information comprises runtime data, wherein incremental real time data changes are stored in a runtime data base.

9. The method for remote control as described in claim 1, wherein control system information comprises historical data.

10. A system for remote control of a local system comprising:

a. at least one control system having memory and a CPU for sending and receiving control information and instructions at a first location;

b. at least one first software application for manipulating the control information sent and received by the control system resident in the memory;

c. at least one remote computer system having a CPU and memory at a second location communicating over at least one communication path with the at least one control system at the first location; and

d. at least one desktop bound software application for manipulating the control information sent and received by the control system accessed by the remote computer system over the at least one communication path resident in the memory of the remote computer system.

11. The system for remote control as described in claim 10, wherein the communication path is selected from a communication path type, and wherein the communication path type is selected from at least one of the following:

a. a secure communication path; and

b. a non-secure communication path.

12. The system for remote control as described in claim 11, wherein the communication path includes at least one secure communication path which has at least one session and at least one non-secure communication path which has at least one session, wherein none of the sessions includes both a secure communication path and a non-secure communication path.

13. The system for remote control as described in claim 11, wherein the communication path includes a plurality of connections, wherein the plurality of connections are all the same communication path type, and wherein the plurality of connections are funneled through a single session.

14. The system for remote control as described in claim 10, wherein the control information comprises alarm data.

15. The system for remote control as described in claim 10, wherein the at least one communication path is operable in a single session.

16. The system for remote control as described in claim 10, wherein the at least one communication path is operable across multiple session.

17. The system for remote control as described in claim 10, wherein the control information comprises runtime data.

18. The system for remote control as described in claim 10, wherein the control information comprises historical data.

19. In a computer system having memory and a CPU for sending and receiving remote and local system information at a first location having at least one system for controlling a local system by at least one remote computer system having a CPU and memory at a second location, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

a. causing the local system to gather local system information;

b. transmitting the local system information over at least one communication path to an object container on the at least one remote computer system; and

c. running a software application in the object container to manipulate the transmitted local system information.

20. The computer readable medium as described in claim 19, further comprising computer executable instructions for:

a. causing the remote computer system to gather remote system information;

b. transmitting the remote system information over at least one communication path to an object container on the control system; and

c. controlling the local system with the remote system information.

21. The computer readable medium as described in claim 20, further comprising computer executable instructions for:

a. storing the local system information in the computer system memory; and

b. storing the remote system information in the computer system memory.

22. The computer readable medium as described in claim 20, further comprising computer executable instructions for:

a. storing the local system information in the computer system memory; and

b. storing the remote system information in the computer system memory.

23. The computer readable medium as described in claim 19, further comprising computer executable instructions for the local system communicating with the at least one remote computer system over a plurality of communication paths.

24. The computer readable medium as described in claim 23, wherein the plurality of communication paths includes secure paths and non-secure paths.

25. The computer readable medium as described in claim 19, wherein local and remote system information comprises alarm data.

26. The computer readable medium as described in claim 19, wherein local and remote system information comprises runtime data, wherein incremental real time data changes are stored in a runtime data base.

27. The computer readable medium as described in claim 19, wherein local and remote system information comprises historical data.