Historical Summarization in Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In process control environments, existing systems face challenges in efficiently storing, processing, and displaying statistical data from industrial processes, limiting the ability to make informed decisions due to inefficiencies in data access and visualization.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a client device and a historian device, connected via a network, where the client device subscribes, activates, and refreshes statistical data stored on a historian server, allowing for asynchronous data processing and caching, enabling timely and efficient data display on the client device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If statistical data is stored and processed in a historian server module, then data accessibility and processing capability are improved, but data latency and real-time availability worsen due to server processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and storing statistical data in the historian server module before it is needed. The server maintains pre-computed statistical summaries (count, sum, average, min, max) that are ready for immediate retrieval, eliminating the need for real-time computation when data is requested by client devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the data processing function by implementing a local cache mechanism in the client device. Instead of always querying the server for statistical data, the client maintains a local copy of the data and computation results, allowing immediate access without server round-trips. This copying approach resolves the latency issue while maintaining data accessibility.
2Reliability
If real-time data refresh is implemented, then data freshness is improved, but system complexity and data processing load worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by establishing scheduled refresh intervals where the historian server automatically updates statistical data at predetermined time periods. Instead of continuous real-time refreshing, the system uses periodic refreshes that maintain data freshness while reducing processing load. The server can refresh data based on configured intervals or event triggers, balancing freshness requirements with system complexity.
3Productivity
If statistical data is processed and stored centrally, then data processing capability is improved, but data retrieval speed and accessibility worsen due to network dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The system addresses the speed issue by implementing a local cache mechanism that copies statistical data and computation results to the client device. When data is needed, the client retrieves it from local memory rather than querying the central server through the network. This copying approach maintains high data retrieval speed while preserving the central processing capability for data aggregation and statistical computation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies segmentation by dividing the data storage function between the central historian server and local client devices. The server maintains centralized processing capability for complex statistical operations, while clients maintain local caches for frequently accessed data. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently, improving both processing capability and retrieval speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for displaying statistical data in a process control environment. A client device connects, via a network, to a historian connection module, and subscribes, via the connection to the historian connection module, to statistical data stored in a historian server module. A historian device receives a connection, by the historian connection module via the network, from the client device, forms a connection between the historian connection module and the historian server module, receives a subscription, by the historian connection module via the network, to statistical data stored in the historian server module from the client device, and stores, by the historian connection module, the received subscription.