Methods and apparatus for dynamic data acquisition configuration parameters

• US 7,613,840 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE Company, LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Brockhage, Donald Frank, Gneiting, Mark Leo, Weiss, Adam, Evans, Erik Dylan
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/465,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20080043821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 710/5, 710/7, 710/20, 726/13, 709/224, 709/229, 709/206, 712/10, 712/11, 703/18
• US Class Current: 710/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for transmitting data between elements of a data acquisition system are provided. The method includes receiving, at a first element, a self-describing control packet including a first configuration parameter, the first configuration parameter controls first data acquisition by the first element, acquiring first data by the first element in accordance with the first configuration parameter, generating a self-describing data packet including an identifier for the first configuration parameter and the acquired first data, and interpreting the acquired first data using the identifier.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data between elements of a data acquisition system, said method comprising:

receiving, at a first element via a bus of the data acquisition system, a self-describing control packet including a first configuration parameter, the first configuration parameter controls first data acquisition by the first element;

acquiring first data by the first element in accordance with the first configuration parameter;

generating a self-describing data packet including an identifier for the first configuration parameter and the acquired first data;

interpreting the acquired first data using the identifier; and

displaying the acquired first data.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the self-describing data packet to a second element; and

interpreting the data contained in the data packet using the identifier in the data packet at the second element.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a second configuration parameter in a self-describing control packet during the data acquisition;

acquiring second data by the first element in accordance with the second configuration parameter; and

generating a self-describing data packet that includes an identifier for the first configuration parameter, an identifier for the second configuration parameter, the first acquired data, and the second acquired data such that the first and second acquired data is interpretable using the first and second identifiers, respectively.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

receiving configuration parameter information from at least one of a user at an interface element arid a software generated rule; and

generating a control packet at the interface element, the control packet including the received parameter information.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein receiving configuration parameter information comprises receiving configuration parameter information that includes at least one of a transducer scale factor, a transducer full scale range, transducer signal filter parameters, gain value parameters, a sampling mode, a reference direction, a shaft rotation direction, signal integration parameters, and a transducer orientation angle and direction.

6. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein generating a control packet at the interface element comprises generating a control packet wherein the transducer signal filter parameters include at least one of a filtering type, a filter bandwidth, a filter slope, a center frequency, and a corner frequency.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein generating a self-describing data packet comprises generating a self-describing data packet that includes at least one of raw data that is substantially unprocessed by the receiving element and data that is processed by the receiving element.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising outputting the interpreted the acquired first data using the first configuration parameter.

9. A data acquisition system comprising:

an interface element configured to receive first configuration parameter information via a bus of the data acquisition system from at least one of a user at said interface element and a software generated rule, said interface element further configured to generate a self-describing control packet including the received first configuration parameter information;

a first element configured to receive the self-describing control packet and to control acquisition of first data by the first element using the first configuration parameter information;

a second element configured to interpret the acquired first data using the first configuration parameter information; and

a display element configured to display the acquired first data.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said first element is further configured to generate a self-describing data packet including the first configuration parameter information and the acquired first data.

11. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said first element is further configured to transmit the self-describing data packet to a second element.

12. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said second element is further configured to receive the self-describing data packet including the first data and the first configuration parameter information.

13. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said interface element is configured to receive second configuration parameter information from at least one of the user at said interface element and the software generated rule, said interface element further configured to generate a second self-describing control packet including the received second configuration parameter information.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said first element is configured to receive the second self-describing control packet and to control acquisition of second data by the first element using the second configuration parameter information.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said first element is configured to generate a self-describing data packet tat includes an the first configuration parameter information, the second configuration parameter information, the first acquired data, and the second acquired data such that the first and second acquired data is interpretable using the first and second configuration parameter information respectively.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said second element is configured to interpret the first acquired data, and the second acquired data using the first and second configuration parameter information respectively.

17. A computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium for controlling data acquisition on a machine, said program comprising a code segment that controls a data acquisition system to:

receive, at a first element via a bus of the data acquisition system, a self-describing control packet including a first configuration parameter, the first configuration parameter controls first data acquisition by the first element;

acquire first data by the first element in accordance with the first configuration parameter;

generate a self-describing data packet including an identifier for the first configuration parameter and the acquired first data;

interpret the acquired first data using the identifier; and

display the acquired first data.

18. A computer program in accordance with claim 17 further configured to:

transmit the self-describing data packet to a second element; and

interpret the data contained in the data packet using the identifier in the data packet at the second element.

19. A computer program in accordance with claim 17 further configured to:

acquire second data by the first element in accordance with the second configuration parameter; and

generate a self-describing data packet that includes an identifier for the first configuration parameter, an identifier for the second configuration parameter, the first acquired data, and the second acquired data such that the first and second acquired data is interpretable using the first and second identifiers, respectively.

20. A computer program in accordance with claim 17 further configured to:

receive configuration parameter information from at least one of a user at an interface element and a software generated rule wherein the configuration parameter information includes at least one of a transducer scale factor, a transducer full scale range, transducer signal filter parameters, gain value parameters, a sampling mode, a reference direction, a shaft rotation direction, signal integration parameters, and a transducer orientation angle and direction and wherein the transducer signal filter parameters include at least one of a filtering type, a filter bandwidth, a filter slope, a center frequency, and a corner frequency; and

generate a control packet at the interface element, the control packet including the received parameter information.