Yokogawa Electric Corporation

Google Inc.

Vien Nguyen

Patrick Clay

David Emerson

Hidenori Sawahara

Andrew Keller

Joseph Malm

Ichiro Wake

Mark Hammer

Brendon Lu

Akio Umezawa

Implementations herein leverage knowledge about historical process automation facilities to automate designing a new process automation facility. A first level design input may be processed to generate a first embedding that encodes design aspect(s) of the requested process automation facility with a degree of detail commensurate with a first level of a hierarchy reflected by design documents typically used to design a process automation facility. The first embedding may be used to find first level reference embeddings that encode design aspects of reference process automation facilities. Second level reference embedding(s) may be identified based on mapping(s) from the selected first level reference embedding(s). Each second level reference embedding may encode design aspect(s) of a respective reference process automation facility with a degree of detail that is commensurate with a second level of the design document hierarchy. Based on the second level reference embedding(s), template design document(s) may be provided.

Automated design of process automation facilities

Implementations relate to providing an alarm configuration GUI via which a user can interact in defining corresponding alarms for corresponding function block identifiers of a process automation system. For example, a user can interact with the alarm configuration GUI in selecting a function block identifier and in defining parameter(s) for an alarm configuration file to be assigned to the function block identifier. Some implementations additionally or alternatively relate to transmitting the alarm configuration file to a DCN, for local utilization by the DCN in alarm monitoring based on a function block having the function block identifier. The transmitting can be responsive to determining that the DCN implements local alarm monitoring based on the function block, and the alarm configuration file being assigned to the function block identifier.

Utilizing graphical user interface to generate process automation alarms for distributed control nodes

Implementations are described herein for leveraging an 'out-of-band' communication channel between nodes of a process automation system. In various implementations, an out-of-band communication channel may be established between two or more process automation nodes of a process automation system. The out-of-band communication channel may be outside of a process automation network through which the two or more process automation nodes are communicatively coupled with other process automation nodes of the process automation system. The two or more process automation nodes may cooperate with one or more of the other process automation nodes to implement an at least partially automated process. One or more characteristics of the process automation system may be monitored, and based on the monitoring, traffic may be selectively diverted from the process automation network to the out-of-band communication channel.

Leveraging out-of-band communication channels between process automation nodes

Implementations are described herein for commissioning a device such as a distributed control node (DCN) for operation with a process automation system (PAS) using a portable setup device (PSD) and an 'out-of-band' communication channel. In various implementations, static information conveyed by a passive data store of the DCN may be used to establish an out-of-band communication channel between the DCN and PSD. The out-of-band communication channel may be distinct from a process automation network through which the DCN is to be communicatively coupled with other process automation nodes of the PAS. The DCN may be commissioned to the process automation system by exchanging operational technology (OT) data between the DCN and the PSD via the out-of-band communication channel to enable the DCN to cooperate with one or more of the other process automation nodes on the process automation network to implement an at least partially automated process.

Commissioning devices to process automation systems using portable setup devices

Implementations described herein relate to periodically verifying aliases, e.g., by causing cross-platform clients to periodically verify aliases with cross-platform servers to which they are subscribed. In various implementations, a global discovery server (GDS) may be queried for a mapping between an alias and a connection string of an input-output (I/O) channel hosted by a distributed control node (DCN). A cross-platform client may be subscribed to the I/O channel by establishing a persistent network connection using the connection string. The persistent network connection may be used to obtain, from a local alias database of the DCN, a locally updated list of mappings between aliases and connection strings. A discrepancy may be identified between the locally updated list of mappings and the mapping between the alias and the connection string of the I/O channel hosted by the DCN. Based on the discrepancy, various remedial actions may be taken.

Alias verification

Implementations relate to storing, in alarms database for a process automation system, an association of an alarm configuration file to a function block identifier of a function block that corresponds to the alarm configuration file. Some implementations relate to a node transmitting, via a process automation network, an alarm configuration request that includes the function block identifier and receiving, in response to the request and via the network, the alarm configuration file. The node can include the function block identifier in the alarm configuration request based on the corresponding function block being executed by the node and/or being utilized in alarm monitoring by the node. Some implementations additionally or alternatively relate to receiving the alarm configuration request, and identifying the alarm configuration file based on it being stored, in the alarms database, in association with the function block identifier of the alarm configuration request.

Deploying process automation alarms to distributed control nodes

Implementations are described herein for automatic deployment of function block application programs (FBAPs) across process automation nodes of a process automation system. In various implementations, one or more constraints associated with execution of a FBAP may be identified. Based on the one or more constraints, a process automation system that includes a plurality of process automation nodes may be analyzed. Based on the analysis, a subset of two or more process automation nodes on which to distributively deploy the FBAP may be selected from the plurality of processing node. In response to selecting the subset, the FBAP may be distributively deployed across the two or more process automation nodes of the subset.

Distributive deployment of process automation software applications

Implementations are described herein for provisioning a device such as a DCN with configuration data for operation on a process automation network using an 'out-of-band' communication channel. In various implementations, a temporary out-of-band communication channel may be established between a first and second DCNs. The out-of-band communication channel may be distinct from a process automation network through which the first DCN is to be communicatively coupled with other process automation nodes of a process automation system. Provisioning data may be transmitted from the second DCN to the first DCN over the temporary out-of-band communication channel. The provisioning data may include: information technology (IT) configuration data and operational technology (OT) configuration data. Subsequent to the transmitting, the temporary out-of-band communication channel may be closed.

Onboarding distributed control node using secondary channel

Implementations are described herein for commissioning a distributed control node (DCN) to a process automation network. In various implementations, one or more messages transmitted on the process automation network by the DCN announcing that the DCN has joined the process automation network may be detected. Based on the one or more messages, one or more operational technology (OT) capabilities of the DCN may be determined. Based on the one or more OT capabilities, the DCN may be commissioned to the process automation network, e.g., by configuring the DCN to cooperate with one or more other process automation nodes on the process automation network to implement an at least partially automated process.

Commissioning distributed control nodes

An Open Platform Communications (OPC) Unified Architecture (UA) server includes: a storage that stores a configuration file written in a compiled programming language and in which an interpreter is embedded; a transceiver that receives, from an OPC UA client, an execution request to execute a calculation defined in the configuration file; and a processor that executes the calculation using the interpreter.

OPC UA server, system operating using OPC UA, and method of executing OPC UA system

A system that operates using Open Platform Communications (OPC) Unified Architecture (UA) includes: a redundant server set including a first OPC UA server and a second OPC UA server; an OPC UA client that designates an endpoint Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to communicate with the redundant server set; and a load balancer (LB) connected between the redundant server set and the OPC UA client. The OPC UA client sends a request for connection to the endpoint URL. The first OPC UA server is an active server. The second OPC UA server is a standby server. The LB proxies the connection to the first OPC UA server. The end point ULR is different from a URL of each of the first OPC UA server and the second OPC UA server.

Growing community of inventors

Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Vien Nguyen