Smart search capabilities in a process control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11768877-B2
Application number	US-201916577838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

To provide search capabilities in a process control system, a contextual knowledge repository is generated that organizes process plant-related data according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities. When a user submits a process plant search query related to process plant entities within a process plant, search results are obtained by identifying a data set from the contextual knowledge repository which is responsive to the process plant search query. The search results are then presented on a user interface device based on the identified data set. To allow for searches to be performed by user interface devices external to the process plant, a data diode is disposed between a field-facing component and an edge-facing component of the process plant so that data flows from the field-facing component to the edge-facing component without flowing from the edge-facing component to the field-facing component.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for providing search results in response to a process plant search query, the method comprising:
generating, by an edge-facing computing device, a duplicate of process plant-related data included in a field-facing component of a process plant, wherein the field-facing component interacts directly with data generated within the process plant, so that user interface devices that do not have authorized access to communicate with the process plant are able to obtain at least a subset of the duplicate process-plant related data generated by the edge-facing computing device which does not directly interact with the process plant-related data generated within the process plant, and wherein the duplicate process plant-related data includes run-time data;
organizing, by the edge-facing computing device, the duplicate process plant-related data that describes attributes of process plant entities in a knowledge repository according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities;
receiving, at the edge-facing computing device, a process plant search query in a natural language format from a user related to one or more process plant entities within the process plant;
interpreting, by the edge-facing computing device, the process plant search query;
obtaining, by the edge-facing computing device, a data set responsive to the interpreted process plant search query from the duplicate process plant-related data in the knowledge repository; and
providing, by the edge-facing computing device, a set of search results to a remote user interface device of the user based on the obtained data set responsive to the interpreted process plant search query, wherein the remote user interface device does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant, thereby allowing the remote user interface device to perform a search regarding data in the process plant of the duplicate process plant-related data so that the remote user interface device does not directly interact with the process plant-related data in the field-facing component, and allowing the remote user interface device which does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant to receive the duplicate process plant-related data representing activity in the process plant in a highly secure manner without impacting performance of the process plant.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
analyzing one or more terms within the process plant search query to identify a subject of the process plant search query;
obtaining the data set from the knowledge repository including duplicate process plant-related data corresponding to the subject of the process plant query;
analyzing one or more remaining terms within the process plant search query to identify one or more filters for filtering the data set;
filtering the data set according to the one or more filters; and
providing the set of search results to the user according to the filtered data set.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
identifying context for the process plant search query;
identifying one or more additional filters for filtering the data set according to the context; and
filtering the data set according to the one or more additional filters.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the context includes an organizational role of the user, a location of the user, a time of the process plant search query, or previous process plant search queries from the user.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
ranking the set of search results based on (i) context for the process plant search query or (ii) an amount in which each search result corresponds to the one or more remaining terms within the process plant search query; and
providing the ranked set of search results to the user.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein analyzing one or more terms within the process plant search query to identify a subject of the process plant search query includes:
obtaining a plurality of candidate process plant search query subjects;
analyzing the process plant search query to identify a likelihood that each of the plurality of candidate process plant search query subjects corresponds to the process plant search query; and
identifying the subject as the candidate process plant search query subject of the plurality of candidate process plant search query subjects having a highest likelihood of corresponding to the process plant search query.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
identifying the one or more terms within the process plant search query associated with the identified subject; and
analyzing the one or more remaining terms within the process plant search query to identify one or more filters for filtering the data set.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving a process plant search query includes receiving a voice-based process plant search query or receiving a text-based process plant search query.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a set of search results to the user includes providing the set of search results in an audio format or a text format for presentation at the remote user interface device.

10. An edge-facing computing device for providing search results in response to a process plant search query comprising:
one or more processors;
a communication unit; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media coupled to the one or more processors and to the communication unit, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the edge-facing computing device to:
generate a duplicate of process plant-related data included in a field-facing component of a process plant, wherein the field-facing component interacts directly with data generated within the process plant, so that user interface devices that do not have authorized access to communicate with the process plant are able to obtain at least a subset of the duplicate process-plant related data generated by the edge-facing computing device which does not directly interact with the process plant-related data generated within the process plant, and wherein the duplicate process plant-related data includes run-time data;
organize the duplicate process plant-related data that describes attributes of process plant entities in a knowledge repository according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities;
receive a process plant search query in a natural language format from a user related to one or more process plant entities within the process plant;
interpret the process plant search query;
obtain a data set responsive to the interpreted process plant search query from the duplicate process plant-related data in the knowledge repository; and
provide, via the communication unit, a set of search results to a remote user interface device of the user based on the obtained data set responsive to the interpreted process plant search query, wherein the remote user interface device does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant, thereby allowing the remote user interface device to perform a search regarding data in the process plant of the duplicate process plant-related data so that the remote user interface device does not directly interact with the process plant-related data in the field-facing component, and allowing the remote user interface device which does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant to receive the duplicate process plant-related data representing activity in the process plant in a h

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Nixon Mark J
• Hartmann Peter
• Fabros Richard Clarence Dayo
• Amaro Jr Anthony
• Caldwell John M

Classifications

• G06F16/90348 Primary

  by searching ordered data, e.g. alpha-numerically ordered data · CPC title

• G06F16/908

  using metadata automatically derived from the content · CPC title

• G06F16/909

  using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location (spatiotemporally dependent retrieval from the web G06F16/9537) · CPC title

• G06F16/9035

  Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles · CPC title

• G06F16/9038

  Presentation of query results · CPC title