Remote Process Data Access Using Hierarchical Watchlists
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current distributed process control systems lack the ability for real-time, secure access to process data from remote locations, limiting operators' and maintenance personnel's situational awareness, which can lead to discontinuities in process management and affect product quality, efficiency, and safety.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables secure, real-time communication of process data from a process control system to remote computing devices through a mobile server, which receives data from a data server and provides a hierarchical list of available data, allowing users to select and receive relevant data values, including alarms and historical information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If process data is made accessible from centralized control rooms only, then system security is maintained, but real-time remote access and situational awareness are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments process data into hierarchical groups and categories (e.g., process areas, control modules, process variables) that can be selectively accessed. Remote devices receive only the specific data subsets they need rather than all process data, enabling secure remote access while maintaining system security through controlled data distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a data highway and remote interface devices as intermediaries between the centralized control system and remote users. These intermediaries enable secure data transmission by acting as controlled access points that filter and manage what process data reaches remote devices, resolving the contradiction between security and remote accessibility.
2Loss of information
If all process data is transmitted to remote devices, then complete situational awareness is achieved, but data transmission complexity and network load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables each remote device to have customized data configurations tailored to specific user needs and roles. Different users can select different hierarchical groups of process data relevant to their responsibilities, reducing unnecessary data transmission while ensuring each user receives complete information for their specific situational awareness needs.
Solution Approach 2:
By organizing process data into hierarchical segments (process areas, control modules, individual variables), the system allows selective transmission of only necessary data subsets to each remote device. This segmentation reduces overall network load and transmission complexity while maintaining data completeness for each user's specific needs.
3Ease of operation
If hierarchical data organization is implemented for remote access, then data selection and customization are improved, but system configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-organizes process data into hierarchical groups and categories during system setup, creating a structured framework before users need to access data. This preliminary organization enables users to easily select and customize their data views without dealing with raw unstructured data, simplifying ongoing operations despite initial configuration effort.
Data Source
AI summary
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.