An inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments and a DCS monitoring system

Abstract

This invention relates to an inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments and a DCS monitoring system. The device includes: a device management IO data processor, a device management IO data encoder, a memory, and a device management IO data decoder. The device management IO data processor acquires data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range and encodes all the data into character sequences. When data from different character sequences are aggregated, the data is processed according to the information encoding hierarchy, and the data is classified and merged to obtain information items for categorized storage in the memory. The device management IO data encoder, based on the domain to which the stored information item belongs, sends the information item to the DCS monitoring server of the corresponding domain according to the output data stream format. This invention solves the problems of slow data transmission speed and cumbersome configuration of structured data of field instrument devices between different servers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to field instrument data transmission technology, and more particularly to an inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments and a DCS monitoring system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) is a set of Microsoft concepts and program interfaces that allow client program objects to request server program objects from another computer on a network. DCOM is implemented based on the Component Object Model (COM), which provides a set of interfaces that allow communication between clients and servers on the same computer.

[0003] OPC (OLE for Process Control) is an industry standard for process control. The international organization that manages this standard is the OPC Foundation, which currently has over 220 members worldwide, including all major automation control systems, instrumentation, and process control system companies globally. It is based on Microsoft's OLE (now ActiveX), COM (Component Object Model), and DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) technologies. OPC includes a complete set of standards for interfaces, properties, and methods for process control and manufacturing automation systems.

[0004] However, it requires the use of device management software to read HART and FF protocol signals from field devices, convert them into OPC open parameters via OPC (Industrial Communication Protocol Standard) DA (Data Access Standard) or OPC AE (Alarm and Event Standard) protocols, and then use an OPC client to configure and read all open data, relying on the OPC protocol and DCOM technology.

[0005] The above method requires pre-configuration when transmitting instrument data between different servers, and the transmission speed is slow and the bandwidth of the control network is occupied after configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0006] (1) Technical issues to be resolved

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides an inter-domain transmission device for industrial field instrument data and a DCS monitoring system to solve the problems of slow data transmission speed and complicated configuration of structured data of field instrument equipment between different servers.

[0008] (2) Technical solution

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the main technical solutions adopted by the present invention include:

[0010] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an inter-domain transmission device for industrial field instrument data, the inter-domain transmission device comprising: a device management IO data processor, a device management IO data encoder, a memory, and a device management IO data decoder;

[0011] The device management IO data processor is used to receive data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range, process the data to obtain character sequences for identification, classify the data according to the data encoding level transmitted by the DCS controller, and store the classified data in memory using the domain address as the key.

[0012] When the inter-domain transmission device receives a read request from the DCS monitoring server, the device management IO data encoder encodes the data in the memory corresponding to the read request to obtain a byte sequence, and transmits it to the device management IO data decoder in the domain where the DCS monitoring server is located. The device management IO data decoder then decodes the byte sequence and transmits it to the DCS monitoring server.

[0013] The device management IO data processor, device management IO data encoder, and memory are structures within a specified domain. There are multiple device management IO data decoders, each located in the domain of the DCS monitoring server to which it belongs.

[0014] Optionally, the domain where the device management I / O data processor resides is different from the domain where the DCS controller resides.

[0015] Optionally, the data received by the device management IO data processor from the industrial field instruments is a byte sequence with a more than four-layer encoding structure.

[0016] Optionally, when the inter-domain transmission device receives a read request from the DCS monitoring server, the device management IO data encoder encodes the data in the memory corresponding to the read request, including:

[0017] The device management I / O data processor determines the data in the memory to be read by the read request, and the device management I / O data encoder encodes the data corresponding to the read request according to the UTF-8 encoding rule to obtain a byte sequence of binary data stream.

[0018] Optionally, the inter-domain transmission device receives read requests from the DCS monitoring server via socket subscription.

[0019] Optionally, the device management I / O data processor is used to receive data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range, and process the data to obtain a character sequence for identification, including:

[0020] The device management I / O data processor converts the received data into a character sequence. When the character sequence has a four-layer structure, the first layer is used to represent the domain address where the industrial field instrument device is located.

[0021] The second layer of the structure represents the object for the industrial field instrumentation device tag.

[0022] The third layer of the structure represents the information items for the tag number of industrial field instruments.

[0023] The fourth layer of the structure represents the information items of the industrial field instrument equipment tag number.

[0024] Optionally, the information items in the third-level structure include: instrument category name, instrument manufacturer name, instrument type code, instrument identification code, instrument tag name, instrument device version code, instrument protocol code, instrument alarm information set, instrument configuration information set, and instrument device description parameter set.

[0025] The instrument's device description parameter set is an array of multiple object sets, each object array including one or more of the following: instrument parameter name, instrument parameter type, instrument parameter real-time value, instrument parameter update time, and instrument parameter quality code;

[0026] The alarm information set of the instrument is an array of multiple object sets, each object array including one or more of the following: instrument alarm information, instrument alarm level, and instrument alarm generation time;

[0027] The instrument configuration information set is a collection of objects, including one or more of the following: instrument configuration physical address, instrument configuration system tag number, instrument configuration description, instrument configuration range upper limit, instrument configuration range lower limit, and instrument configuration range unit code.

[0028] Optionally, the device management I / O data processor is used to classify the character sequence according to the data encoding level transmitted by the DCS controller, and store the classified data in memory using the domain address as the key, including:

[0029] The device management I / O data processor is used to merge character sequence data between different fields using the "AND operation". It performs "AND operation" on each of the four-layer structure using a set merging algorithm to form a new character sequence, which is then stored in memory using the field address as the key.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a DCS monitoring system, comprising: multiple DCS monitoring servers, multiple DCS controllers, multiple industrial field instruments, and an inter-domain transmission device for industrial field instrument data as described in any of the first aspects.

[0031] A DCS monitoring server and an inter-domain transmission device's device management IO data decoder reside in an independent DCS monitoring domain; their monitoring domains are different from each other.

[0032] The device management IO data processor, device management IO data encoder and memory of the inter-domain transmission device are located in the device management domain, which is different from all monitoring domains;

[0033] The multiple DCS controllers and multiple industrial field instruments are electrically connected and located within a specified range different from the device management domain.

[0034] Optionally, the DCS monitoring server subscribes to data stored in the memory of the inter-domain transmission device via a socket method.

[0035] (3) Beneficial effects

[0036] The inter-domain transmission device of this invention can quickly and efficiently transmit real-time data from field HART and FF type smart devices, achieving secure and rapid transmission and management between different domains at a rate of up to 100,000 data points per second. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to configure the DCOM environment required for OPC DA transmission. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 and Figure 2 These are schematic diagrams of an inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the encoding structure for industrial field instruments transmitted to the DCS controller. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To better explain and facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0040] The device of the present invention is used for inter-domain transmission of real-time data of HART (Addressable Remote Sensor High-Speed ​​Channel) and FF (Foundation Fieldbus) type smart instruments. It is suitable for real-time data transmission and management of field instruments in the process industry. It can effectively save the bandwidth of the control network and realize fast data transmission between field servers or between devices.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, this embodiment provides an inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments. This device can be integrated into an equipment management server or implemented independently on a separate server. Typically, the server implemented in the equipment management server or the independently configured server are located between the DCS controller and the DCS monitoring server, in different locations, enabling inter-domain data transmission of smart instruments. The inter-domain transmission device of this embodiment includes:

[0043] Device management I / O data processor, device management I / O data encoder, memory, and device management I / O data decoder;

[0044] The device management IO data processor is used to receive data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range, process the data to obtain character sequences for identification, classify the data according to the data encoding level transmitted by the DCS controller, and store the classified data in memory using the domain address as the key.

[0045] When the inter-domain transmission device receives a read request from the DCS monitoring server, the device management IO data encoder encodes the data in the memory corresponding to the read request to obtain a byte sequence, and transmits it to the device management IO data decoder in the domain where the DCS monitoring server is located. The device management IO data decoder then decodes the byte sequence and transmits it to the DCS monitoring server.

[0046] The device management IO data processor, device management IO data encoder, and memory are structures within a specified domain. There are multiple device management IO data decoders, each located in the domain of the DCS monitoring server to which it belongs.

[0047] In practice, the domain of the device management I / O data processor is different from the domain of the DCS controller. For example, the device management I / O data processor determines the data in the memory to be read in the read request, and the device management I / O data encoder encodes the data corresponding to the read request according to the UTF-8 encoding rule to obtain a byte sequence of binary data stream.

[0048] Typically, the inter-domain transmission device can receive read requests from the DCS monitoring server via socket subscription. In other words, the DCS monitoring server in each DCS monitoring domain can interact with the inter-domain transmission device via socket subscription.

[0049] In one alternative implementation, the device management I / O data processor stores an array of smart meter device tag numbers in memory in a four-layer structure. The device management I / O data encoder transmits subscribed data to the device management I / O data processor via a binary data stream. The memory here is a hash table, using domain addresses as keys and smart meter device tag number objects within those domain addresses as values.

[0050] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the data received by the device management I / O data processor from industrial field instruments can be a byte sequence with a more than four-layer encoding structure. Therefore, the device management I / O data processor of the inter-domain transmission device converts the received data into a character sequence. When the character sequence has a four-layer structure, the first layer is used to represent the domain address where the industrial field instrument device resides.

[0051] The second layer of the structure represents the object for the industrial field instrumentation device tag.

[0052] The third layer of the structure represents the information items for the tag number of industrial field instruments.

[0053] The fourth layer of the structure represents the information items of the industrial field instrument equipment tag number.

[0054] In practical applications, the information items in the third-layer structure include: instrument category name, instrument manufacturer name, instrument type code, instrument identification code, instrument tag name, instrument device version code, instrument protocol code, instrument alarm information set, instrument configuration information set, and instrument device description parameter set.

[0055] The instrument's device description parameter set is an array of multiple object sets, each object array including one or more of the following: instrument parameter name, instrument parameter type, instrument parameter real-time value, instrument parameter update time, and instrument parameter quality code;

[0056] The alarm information set of the instrument is an array of multiple object sets, each object array including one or more of the following: instrument alarm information, instrument alarm level, and instrument alarm generation time;

[0057] The instrument configuration information set is a collection of objects, including one or more of the following: instrument configuration physical address, instrument configuration system tag number, instrument configuration description, instrument configuration range upper limit, instrument configuration range lower limit, and instrument configuration range unit code.

[0058] In this embodiment, the device management I / O data processor can be used to classify the character sequence according to the data encoding level transmitted by the DCS controller, and store the classified data in memory using the domain address as the key, including:

[0059] The device management I / O data processor is used to merge character sequence data between different fields using the "AND operation". It performs "AND operation" on each of the four-layer structure using a set merging algorithm to form a new character sequence, which is then stored in memory using the field address as the key.

[0060] The inter-domain transmission device in this embodiment can quickly and efficiently transmit real-time data from field HART and FF type smart devices, achieving secure and rapid transmission and management between different domains at a rate of up to 100,000 data points per second. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to configure the DCOM environment required for OPCDA transmission.

[0061] Example 2

[0062] This invention also provides a DCS monitoring system, which includes: multiple DCS monitoring servers, multiple DCS controllers, multiple industrial field instruments, and an inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments as described in any of the above embodiments;

[0063] A DCS monitoring server and an inter-domain transmission device's device management IO data decoder reside in an independent DCS monitoring domain; their monitoring domains are different from each other.

[0064] The device management IO data processor, device management IO data encoder and memory of the inter-domain transmission device are located in the device management domain, which is different from all monitoring domains;

[0065] The multiple DCS controllers and multiple industrial field instruments are electrically connected and located within a specified range different from the device management domain.

[0066] In this embodiment, the DCS monitoring server subscribes to the data stored in the memory of the inter-domain transmission device using a socket subscription method.

[0067] In other words, the device management IO data processor acquires data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range and converts all the data into character sequences. When data from different character sequences are aggregated, the data can be processed according to the information encoding level, and the data can be classified and merged to obtain information items for classified storage in the memory. Based on the domain to which the stored information item belongs, and based on the data in the memory corresponding to the read request, the information item is sent to the DCS monitoring server of the domain according to the output data stream format.

[0068] HART and FF type smart meters generate a large volume of real-time data, requiring high real-time transmission speed. These data vary in type, have complex parameter structures, and diverse parameter value types. Transmission between device management servers or between device management servers and DCS monitoring servers typically uses OPC DA and OPC AE protocols. However, these protocols suffer from complex configuration and slow transmission efficiency. This embodiment converts data between different device management servers and the DCS monitoring server into structured instrument data. Encoding and decoding of this data type enable rapid transmission without requiring a DCOM environment, making it independent of the DCOM environment.

[0069] The application of inter-domain transmission devices enables secure and rapid transmission and management of real-time data from field HART and FF type intelligent devices across different domains, with speeds reaching up to 100,000 data points per second. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to configure the DCOM environment required for OPC DA transmission.

[0070] It should be noted that any reference numerals placed between parentheses in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of components or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding a component does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such components. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different components and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In claims that enumerate several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same hardware. The use of the terms first, second, third, etc., is merely for convenience of expression and does not indicate any order. These terms can be understood as part of the component names.

[0071] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0072] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the claims should be interpreted to include both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention.

[0073] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, then this invention should also include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments, characterized in that, The inter-domain transmission device includes: a device management I / O data processor, a device management I / O data encoder, a memory, and a device management I / O data decoder; The device management I / O data processor receives data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range, processes the data to obtain character sequences for identification, categorizes the character sequences according to the data encoding hierarchy transmitted by the DCS controllers, and stores the categorized data in memory using the domain address as the key. Specifically, the device management I / O data processor merges the character sequence data between different domains using an AND operation, performs an AND operation on multiple sets of character sequences according to a four-layer structure, with each layer using a set merging algorithm to form a new character sequence, and stores it in memory using the domain address as the key. When the inter-domain transmission device receives a read request from the DCS monitoring server, the device management IO data encoder encodes the data in the memory corresponding to the read request to obtain a byte sequence, and transmits it to the device management IO data decoder in the domain where the DCS monitoring server is located. The device management IO data decoder then decodes the byte sequence and transmits it to the DCS monitoring server. The device management IO data processor, device management IO data encoder, and memory are structures within a specified domain. There are multiple device management IO data decoders, each located in the domain of the DCS monitoring server to which it belongs.

2. The inter-domain transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The domain where the device management I / O data processor resides is different from the domain where the DCS controller resides.

3. The inter-domain transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data received by the device management IO data processor from industrial field instruments is a byte sequence with a more than four-layer encoding structure.

4. The inter-domain transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the inter-domain transmission device receives a read request from the DCS monitoring server, the device management IO data encoder encodes the data in the memory corresponding to the read request, including: The device management I / O data processor determines the data in the memory to be read by the read request, and the device management I / O data encoder encodes the data corresponding to the read request according to the UTF-8 encoding rule to obtain a byte sequence of binary data stream.

5. The inter-domain transmission device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inter-domain transmission device receives read requests from the DCS monitoring server via socket subscription.

6. The inter-domain transmission apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The device management I / O data processor is used to receive data from industrial field instruments transmitted by all DCS controllers within a specified range, and process the data to obtain character sequences for identification, including: The device management I / O data processor converts the received data into a character sequence. When the character sequence has a four-layer structure, the first layer is used to represent the domain address where the industrial field instrument device is located. The second layer of the structure represents the object for the industrial field instrumentation device tag. The third layer of the structure represents the information items for the tag number of industrial field instruments. The fourth layer of the structure represents the information items of the industrial field instrument equipment tag number.

7. The inter-domain transmission apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The information items in the third layer structure include: instrument category name, instrument manufacturer name, instrument type code, instrument identification code, instrument tag name, instrument device version code, instrument protocol code, instrument alarm information set, instrument configuration information set, and instrument device description parameter set. The instrument's device description parameter set is an array of multiple object sets, each object array including one or more of the following: instrument parameter name, instrument parameter type, instrument parameter real-time value, instrument parameter update time, and instrument parameter quality code; The alarm information set of the instrument is an array of multiple object sets, each object array including one or more of the following: instrument alarm information, instrument alarm level, and instrument alarm generation time; The instrument configuration information set is a collection of objects, including one or more of the following: instrument configuration physical address, instrument configuration system tag number, instrument configuration description, instrument configuration range upper limit, instrument configuration range lower limit, and instrument configuration range unit code.

8. A DCS monitoring system, characterized in that, include: Multiple DCS monitoring servers, multiple DCS controllers, multiple industrial field instruments, and an inter-domain data transmission device for industrial field instruments as described in any one of claims 1 to 7; A DCS monitoring server and an inter-domain transmission device's device management IO data decoder reside in an independent DCS monitoring domain; their monitoring domains are different from each other. The device management IO data processor, device management IO data encoder and memory of the inter-domain transmission device are located in the device management domain, which is different from all monitoring domains; The multiple DCS controllers and multiple industrial field instruments are electrically connected and located within a specified range different from the device management domain.

9. The DCS monitoring system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The DCS monitoring server subscribes to data stored in the memory of the inter-domain transmission device using a socket method.

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