Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Rockwell Automated Technologies, Inc.

Robert J Herbst

Robert Joseph McGreevy

John Joseph Baier

Taryl Jon Jasper

John T Campbell

Frank Anthony Palmieri, Jr

Deborah A Sadowski

Justin R Hartman

Robert J Mcgreevy

A distributed historian framework is provided where historical data is collected in accordance with an organizational model of a hierarchical system that is distributed across various elements of an enterprise. A directory service operates with the organizational model to enable configuration of historian components within the organization and to enable data to be located within the organization. In one aspect, an industrial automation system is provided. The system includes at least one historian component to archive data within an organization. A common data model then exposes functionality and data of the organization to the historian component.

Distributed historian architecture

Systems and methods that provide a historian integrated as part of an industrial unit and/or product manufactured by the industrial process. A historian integrated as part of the industrial unit itself, can increase data resolution and supply immediate and real time data regarding the industrial unit's operation&#x2014;while mitigating short comings of conventional PC historians. Moreover, a locator component can detect embedded historians that are distributed on the back plane of an industrial network, and integrated as part thereof.

Historians embedded in industrial units

Distributed historian architecture and interfaces

Systems and methods that facilitate discovery of history data via a locator component associated with a plant embedded historian(s) of an industrial programmer (e.g., a controller device.) Such locator component can further detect micro historians that are distributed on the back plane of an industrial network. The locator component can be part of applications running on a control unit, which can function as a management control center for the industrial network system. A common data model can be employed to expose functionality and data of the organization to the embedded historian component.

Auto discovery of embedded historians in network

Systems and methods that provide for event driven downloading, via defining storage thresholds in an embedded historian (e.g. micro historian). Upon reaching predetermined thresholds (e.g., low/high water marks), stored data in the embedded historians can automatically down load to a central plant historian. An automatic download engine is provided that down loads historian data based on satisfaction of such conditions defined for the download. The download engine can further include a detector component, which detects whether a predetermined condition (e.g., associated with the storage capacity of the micro-historians have been met. Moreover, a notification component can notify the embedded historians that the data have been permanently persisted in the central historian.

Conditional download of data from embedded historians

Systems and methods that provide for adaptive processes in an industrial setting. Historian data, in conjunction with current collected data, can be converted into decision making information that is subsequently employed for modifying a process in real time. A process trend component, which is associated with a controller, can access historian data (e.g., trends collected via historians) to determine/predict an outcome of a current industrial process. Such enables a tight control and short reaction time to correcting process parameters.

Adaptive industrial systems via embedded historian data

Systems and methods that can vary a data collection rate via a rate adjustment component, to collect data with different level of granularity. The rate adjustment component can further include an estimation component that can automatically predict a required sampling rate for a stage of an operation, based on statistical models and data collected for similar operations and/or history data. Such difference in the granularity level can initiate in part in response to fault detection, alert triggering, and the like. Accordingly, future trouble shooting efforts can be performed with respect to data that is typically collected at an adjustable rate.

Adjustable data collection rate for embedded historians

Systems and methods that discover relations and correlates among disparate pieces of data, to infer possible relationships between the industrial process and historian data/events to improve industrial operations. A correlation component can employ heuristic models to capture process data/event data, and can further include an implicit correlation component and an explicit correlation component. Accordingly, relations among various parameters can be discovered (e.g., dynamically) and proper corrective adjustments supplied to the industrial process.

Contextualization for historians in industrial systems

Systems and methods that supply direct access (e.g., bypassing the controller) to embedded historian via a subscription and notification component. By modeling the notification related information (e.g., subscription queries, subscriber information, event information . . . ) as data and leveraging the power of database systems to perform set-oriented manipulations on this data efficiently, the subject innovation enables for a highly scalable and efficient subscription and notification system for direct access to the historians.

Direct subscription to intelligent I/O module

Systems and methods that provide for historians communicating in a plurality of protocols/languages with various resources via employing an abstraction component that normalizes such communication. Accordingly, the historian can supply a common configuration for various data (e.g., events, command, event, alarm, scenarios, transactions, messages, and the like), and hence provide support for third party devices. The abstraction component can further facilitate: Filtering, Bridging, Routing, Propagation, Transformation and Monitoring of data exchange with third party devices.

Platform independent historian

Systems and methods that enable historians (e.g., micro-historians) to function as proxies, to supply plant level data, (e.g., history data) back to the controllers. Accordingly, typically such micro historians can function as clients/servers, to provide higher level data to the controllers (e.g., from third part databases). The historians can create a proxy that image an object on a server associated with controllers (e.g., programmable logic controller.) Such objects can contain data; pieces of code; attributes; operations or combinations thereof, for example.

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Aurora, OH, United States of America

Robert J Herbst