Unified Search Service for Process Control Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
In process control systems, operators face difficulties in searching for information across multiple databases, as different types of documents and data are stored in various locations, requiring them to search multiple databases for specific information related to topics, field devices, or types of information.
Innovation Solution
A search service system is implemented, including a search database that stores searchable items associated with the process control system, a publisher to collect and publish information, and a searcher to receive queries and return relevant information based on a search profile, allowing users to customize and improve search results through the creation, editing, and deletion of search profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple separate databases are used to store different types of process control information, then information can be organized by type and location, but operators must search multiple databases to find related information, increasing search time and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate databases containing different types of process control information (process control data, field device data, alarm data, etc.) into a single unified search database. This consolidation allows operators to search all information types through a single interface, eliminating the need to navigate multiple databases and significantly reducing search time while maintaining information accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified search database serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores and retrieves process control information, field device data, alarm information, and documentation. The search service provides a universal interface that handles various query types and returns diverse information formats, making the system multi-functional and eliminating the need for separate specialized databases.
2Ease of operation
If information is stored in multiple separate databases, then data organization is maintained, but the system complexity increases as operators must navigate different locations and databases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a search service as an intermediary layer between the operator and the underlying multiple databases. This search service receives queries from operators, automatically searches across all connected databases and data sources, and returns unified results. The intermediary abstracts the complexity of multiple databases from the operator, providing a simple single-point search interface while maintaining the organizational benefits of separate data sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The search service provides a universal interface that handles all types of information retrieval operations through a single system. Instead of requiring operators to know which specific database contains which information, the unified search system manages all data sources through one multi-functional interface, reducing operational complexity while maintaining systematic organization.
3Productivity
If a unified search database is created to consolidate information from multiple sources, then search efficiency improves, but the complexity of data collection and publishing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements publishers that automatically connect to multiple data sources (process controllers, field devices, alarm systems) and self-service the collection and publishing of information to the unified search database. The publishers autonomously retrieve data from various sources according to defined criteria and publish it in the appropriate format, eliminating the need for manual data collection and reducing the operational complexity of maintaining the unified database.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring publishers to automatically collect and publish data from multiple sources before search operations occur. Data is proactively gathered, validated, and published to the unified search database in advance, ensuring that information is ready for immediate retrieval. This preliminary data preparation reduces the complexity of real-time data collection during search operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture to provide a search service to users of a process control system are disclosed. An example system includes a search database to store a set of searchable items associated with a process control system and to store a search profile associated with a selected query result, a publisher to collect information associated with the searchable items from the process control system and to publish the collected information to the search database, and a searcher to receive a request including the search profile and a query of the searchable items in the database, to search the searchable items based on the query, and to return at least a portion of the collected information based on the search profile.