Collecting and delivering data to a big data machine in a process control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9697170-B2
Application number	US-201414209002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A device supporting big data in a process plant includes an interface to a communications network, a cache configured to store data observed by the device, and a multi-processing element processor to cause the data to be cached and transmitted (e.g., streamed) for historization at a unitary, logical centralized data storage area. The data storage area stores multiple types of process control or plant data using a common format. The device time-stamps the cached data, and, in some cases, all data that is generated or created by or received at the device may be cached and/or streamed. The device may be a field device, a controller, an input/output device, a network management device, a user interface device, or a historian device, and the device may be a node of a network supporting big data in the process plant. Multiple devices in the network may support layered or leveled caching of data.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of delivering data using a device communicatively coupled to a communications network of a process plant, the process plant having equipment configured to control one or more processes, and the method comprising:
collecting data at the device,
the data including at least one of: (i) data that is generated by the device, (ii) data that is created by the device, or (iii) data that is received at the device,
the data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or a process controlled by the process plant, and
a type of the device is included in a set of device types, the set of device types including a field device and a controller;

storing, in a cache of the device, the collected data; and
causing at least a portion of the collected data to be transmitted for storage at a unitary, logical data storage area of a process control big data appliance corresponding to the process plant,
the unitary, logical data storage area being configured to store, using a common format, multiple types of data from a set of types of data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled by the process plant;
the set of types of data including continuous data, event data, measurement data, batch data, calculated data, and configuration data; and
a schema used to store the collected data in the cache of the device is included in a schema corresponding to the common format used by the unitary, logical data storage area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein collecting the data comprises at least one of: collecting all data that is generated by the device, collecting all data that is created by the device, or collecting all data that is received at the device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein collecting the data comprises at least one of: collecting data that is generated by the device at a rate of generation, collecting all data that is created by the device at a rate of creation, or collecting all data that is received at the device at a rate of reception.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the data is first data, the device is a first device, and the set of device types further includes an input/output (I/O) device having a field device interface and a controller interface; and
the method further comprises:
receiving, at the first device, second data that is at least one of (i) generated or created by a second device, or (ii) received at the second device, the second device having a device type of one of the field device, the controller, or the I/O device;
storing, in the cache of the first device, the second data; and
causing at least a portion of the second collected data to be transmitted for storage in the unitary, logical data storage area of the process control big data appliance.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second device has a device type of one of the field device, the controller, or the I/O device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
storing the collected data in the cache includes storing, in conjunction with the collected data in the cache, indications of respective times of generation or reception of the collected data; and
causing the at least the portion of the collected data to be transmitted comprises causing the at least the portion of the collected data and the respective times of generation or reception of the at least the portion of the collected data to be transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the data to be transmitted comprises streaming the data using a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP).

8. A process control device for controlling a process in a process plant, comprising: an interface to a communications network of the process plant;
a cache configured to store data,
the data including at least one of: (i) data generated by the process control device for transmission, (ii) data created by the process control device, or (iii) data received by the process control device, and
the data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled in the process plant; and

a multi-processing element processor having at least one processing element designated to cause the data to be stored in the cache and to cause at least a portion of the data to be transmitted, via the communications network, for storage at a centralized data storage area corresponding to the process plant,
wherein the process control device is one of:
a field device configured to perform a physical function to control the process,
a controller configured to receive an input and generate, based on the input, an output to control the process, or
an input/output (I/O) device disposed between and communicatively connecting the field device and the controller; and

wherein a schema used to store the collected data in the cache of the process control device is included in a schema corresponding to a common format used by the centralized data storage area to store data.

9. The process control device of claim 8 , wherein at least one of:
a first processing element of the multi-processing element processor is designated to cause the data to be stored in the cache;
a second processing element of the multi-processing element processor is designated to cause the at least the portion of the data to be transmitted; or
a third processing element of the multi-processing element processor is designated to operate the process control device to control the process in the process plant in real-time.

10. The process control device of claim 9 , wherein at least one of:
the first processing element of the multi-processing element processor is exclusively designated to at least one of cause the data to be stored in the cache or cause the at least the portion of the data to be transmitted, or
the third processing element of the multi-processing element processor is exclusively designated to operate the process control device to control the process in the process plant.

11. The process control device of claim 8 , wherein:
the centralized data storage area is a unitary, logical data storage area of a process control big data appliance corresponding to the process plant,
the unitary, logical data storage area is configured to store, using the common format, multiple types of data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled in the process plant, and
the multiple types of data are included in a set of types of data comprising continuous data, measurement data, event data, calculated data, configuration data, and batch data.

12. The process control device of claim 8 , wherein the data stored in the cache includes at least one of measurement data, calculated data, configuration data, batch data, event data, or continuous data.

13. The process control device of claim 8 , wherein the multi-processing element processor is configured to cause the at least the portion of the data stored in the cache to be streamed via the communications network.

14. The process control device of claim 8 , wherein a configuration of the process control device excludes indications of one or more identities of data to be stored in the cache.

15. The process control device of claim 8 , further comprising a flash memory configured to store at least one of: (i) at least a portion of a configuration of the process control device, or (ii) a batch recipe corresponding to the process control device, wherein a content of the flash memory is accessed by the process control device to resume operations after exiting an off-line state.

16. The process control device of claim 8 , wherein the communications

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Nixon Mark J
• Blevins Terrence L
• Christensen Daniel D
• Muston Paul Richard
• Beoughter Ken J

Classifications

• G05B2219/31324

  Distributed real time knowledge, database · CPC title

• G05B2219/31211

  Communicate diagnostic data from intelligent field device controller to central · CPC title

• G05B19/41885

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• G05B19/4188

  characterised by CIM planning or realisation · CPC title

• G05B19/41855 Primary

  by local area network [LAN], network structure · CPC title