Fisher-rosemount Systems, Inc

Ken J Beoughter

Mark J Nixon

Daniel Dean Christensen

Terrence L Blevins

Paul Richard Muston

Stephen Copps Gilbert

J Michael Lucas

Daniel R Strinden

David R Denison

Bruce Hubert Campney

Kim Ordean Van Camp

Mariana C Dionisio

Hoa Van Lai

Robert Burke Havekost

Stephen Gerard Hammack

Arthur Webb

James Henry Moore, Jr

William E Bennett

Tennyson Hao

Matthew William Poplawski

Dennis L Stevenson

John R Shepard

Matt William Poplawski

Dwight D Jennings

Wilhelm K Wojsznis

Deji Chen

Brandon Hieb

John Michael Lucas

Michael J Lucas

Francis De Guzman

Richard Rodriguez

Larry Oscar Jundt

Michael George Ott

Mike Lucas

Michael D Apel

Ryan Gallardo Valderama

Steve Dienstbier

Terry Blevins

Roy Faltesek

Hao Tennyson

Marina Sokolova

Cheyenne Hernanadez

A system for securely disseminating information relating to a process control plant includes a process control node and a controller that is coupled to a plurality of process control devices. The process control node includes a communicator module operable to transmit, via a first network, information of the process plant received from the controller. The system also includes a data services module operable to receive from the communicator module, via the first network, the information of the process plant and to transmit some or all of that information via a second network, and a mobile server, coupled to the second network and to a third network, and operable to receive data from the data services module. The mobile server is operable to communicate with a plurality of mobile computing devices via the third network.

Systems and apparatus for distribution of process control data to remote

User interface sessions in a user interface device are initiated or resumed according to stored state data. A session request is received from a first client device. A user profile associated with the session request is identified and a determination made as to whether a previous session exists. If no previous session exists, a new session is instantiated using a default session configuration. If a previous session exists, a new session is instantiated according to the previous session.

Method for initiating or resuming a mobile control session in a process plant

Systems and apparatus for distribution of process control data to remote devices

A big data network or system for a process control system or plant includes a big data apparatus including a data storage area configured to store, using a common data schema, multiple types of process data and/or plant data (such as configuration and real-time data) that is used in, generated by or received by the process control system, and one or more data receiver computing devices to receive the data from multiple nodes or devices. The data may be cached and time-stamped at the nodes and streamed to the big data apparatus for storage. The process control system big data system provides services and/or data analyses to automatically or manually discover prescriptive and/or predictive knowledge, and to determine, based on the discovered knowledge, changes and/or additions to the process control system and to the set of services and/or analyses to optimize the process control system or plant.

Big data in process control systems

A method of providing process data to a remote computing device includes receiving configuration data describing a configuration of at least part of the process control system. The configuration data includes information associated with a plurality of process control entities, and the information regarding each entity includes at least one tag associated with a level in a hierarchy of the system. The method includes identifying a plurality of levels within the system based upon the tags, including at least a first-level identifier and a plurality of second-level identifiers associated with the first-level identifier. Further, the method includes identifying a plurality of control modules, each associated with a second-level identifier, and each associated with the entities based upon the configuration data. The method includes generating a hierarchical list of available process data, and selecting from the hierarchical list a set of information to include on a watch list or alarm list.

Methods and apparatus for configuring remote access of process control data

Methods and apparatus for operating a process plant include multiple user interface devices operable to determine the location of the device in the process plant and to display data related to proximate devices. A processor in a mobile user interface device transmits a first request for data and receives the requested data in response to the request. The processor causes a display to display the received data. The processor receives an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to an external device the processors transmits a second request for data according to the received indication. The processor then receives data in response to the second request.

Method and apparatus for controlling a process plant with location aware mobile devices

A supervisor engine cooperates with an expert system in a process control environment to automatically generate, assign, track, and manage work items. The supervisor engine creates work items according to data received from the expert system, selects available personnel to execute work items, sends work items to the selected personnel, schedules the execution of the work items, and creates and stores permissions that allow the assigned personnel to complete a target function of the work item at an assigned time. The supervisor engine determines required skill sets, roles, certifications, and/or credentials associated with a work item, and selects personnel to perform the work item according to a personnel profile specifying a skill set, a role, certifications, and/or credentials associated with the personnel. Alternatively or additionally, the supervisor engine assigns a work item according to the presence of personnel at or near the target equipment.

Supervisor engine for process control

Techniques for streaming big data in a process plant are disclosed. Generally, these techniques facilitate storage or communication of process control data, including alarms, parameters, events, and the like, in near real-time. Receivers of big data, such as big data historians or devices requesting specific data, are configured via an initial set of metadata, and thereafter receive updated metadata upon requesting it from the transmitting device, such as when the receiving device encounters an identifier in the data, which identifier was not defined in the metadata previously received.

Streaming data for analytics in process control systems

A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium stores machine readable instructions optimized for a microprocessor on a mobile computing device. When executed by the microprocessor, the instructions cause the microprocessor to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The instructions also cause the microprocessor to receive, via the GUI, a selection of one or more items to view. Each of the one or more items is related to a process control system. The instructions cause the microprocessor to transmit to a mobile server, via either the Internet or a mobile telephony data connection, the selection of the one or more items. Thereafter, the instructions cause the microprocessor to receive from the mobile server, via either the Internet or the mobile telephony data connection, a plurality of real-time values corresponding to the selected one or more items, and to display the plurality of real-time values on the GUI.

Mobile devices for remote access of process control data

Method and apparatus for controlling a process plant with location aware mobile control devices

An automated method for managing a work flow in a process plant includes determining the steps of performing a work item and generating associated displays for an operator or other personnel to perform the steps of the work item. A work item is created specifying a task to be performed in the process plant and determining from the specified task a set of procedures for execution of the work item. For each procedure, an associated display is generated and the associated displays are displayed on a mobile user interface device sequentially in an order in which the set of procedures are to be performed.

Method and apparatus for managing a work flow in a process plant

A method of providing data from a process control system to remote computing devices includes obtaining, at a data server via a first network from a mobile server, one or more lists including indications of requested process data parameters indicating process data for communication from the server to the remote devices via a second network. The method includes receiving, from a plurality of controllers within the process control system via a third network, a stream of process data parameter values associated with process data parameters included in one or more configuration files. The configuration files describe a configuration of the process control system. The method includes identifying, by processors of the data server, a subset of the received parameter values corresponding to the requested process data parameters of the lists, and communicating, from the data server to the mobile server via the first network, the identified subset of parameter values.

Methods and systems for streaming process control data to remote devices

Methods and systems for operating a process plant include multiple user interface (UI) devices, each accessing a plurality of applications on a server, and operable to store device state on the server and receive device state from the server. The server is coupled to a unitary, logical data storage area and provides functions related to the process data stored in the data storage areas via one or more user interfaces. A first UI device coupled to the server accesses the process data and maintains on the server state information indicative of a state of the user interface executing on the first UI device. A second UI device coupled to the server accesses the process data and the state information to execute a user interface on the second UI device in accordance with the state information indicative of the state of the user interface executing on the first UI device.

Method and apparatus for seamless state transfer between user interface devices in a mobile control room

User interface sessions in a user interface device are initiated or resumed according to a device type and a target session. A session request is received from a first client device. A device type associated with the session request is determined, and a graphical user interface configuration is identified according to the device type. A target session associated with the session request is identified and a new session is configured for the first client device according to the identified graphical user interface configuration and the identified target session. Data associated with the new session are transmitted to the first client device.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for determining with dead reckoning the position, relative to an anchor point, of a mobile device. Data indicating an anchor position within a process plant is acquired and an anchor position is determined according to the acquired data. Data indicative of acceleration and orientation of the mobile device are received from circuitry of the mobile device. A position of the mobile device is determined according to the received data and the anchor position.

Method and apparatus for determining the position of a mobile control device in a process plant

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Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Ken J Beoughter