Plant information management system

US7155450B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Automsoft R & D Limited · IE

Inventors

• Ian Anthony Pepper · Dublin, IE
• Austin Cagney · Dublin, IE
• Anthony Prylowski · Dublin, IE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 9, 2002
• Grant date: Dec 26, 2006
• Expiry date: Aug 9, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99943
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In a plant information management system (PIMS, 1), data received from a process device (PCC, 10) is cached by a data logger (2) in blocks. A database controller (4) receives, for each data event, a time string, a value string, and a data quality indicator. The quality indicator is stored by exception only (if “bad”). MSBs of the time string are encoded in a hierarchical database structure of item (process device)—year—day levels. LSBs of the time string, the value string, and quality exceptions are stored as event objects in linked list arrays referenced to a day array object. There is thus no need for an index and the structure provides hierarchical compression.