Machines, Computer Program Products, and Computer-Implemented Methods Providing an Integrated Node for Data Acquisition and Control

A programmable logic controller having a central processing unit and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to allow a remote host to interface with a plurality of remote subsystems to thereby define an integrated node, the integrated node comprising:

• an input/output unit positioned to transfer communications between the node the plurality of remote subsystems and the remote host;
• a database server module positioned to archive data acquired from the plurality of subsystems in a plurality of time-stamped archive files;
• a time-synchronizer positioned to synchronize an internal clock in each of the plurality of remote subsystems to thereby define a plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems;
• a data acquirer positioned to periodically acquire time-stamped data from each of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems and archive the time-stamped data using the database server module;
• an exception reporter positioned to determine exceptions in the time-stamped data acquired from each of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems and report the exceptions to the remote host;
• a data uploader positioned to periodically upload archived time-stamped data to the remote host;
• and
• a subsystems restorer positioned to retrieve time-stamped data from any of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems responsive to communications failure between the integrated node and any of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems.

A computer-implemented method for providing a uniform restoration of interrupted data transmissions between a plurality of remote subsystems and a programmable logic controller positioned to allow a remote host to interface with the plurality of remote subsystems, the programmable logic controller thereby defining an integrated node, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting a time of a communication failure and a time of a corresponding communication recovery in a communications link between the integrated node and any of the plurality of remote subsystems, each of the integrated node and the plurality of remote subsystems being time-synchronized according to a uniform time source;
• retrieving at least one data file from one of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems responsive to the detected time of the communication failure and the detected time of the corresponding communication recovery;
• and
• restoring the time-stamped process data to the remote host computer responsive to the retrieving step.

A programmable logic controller having a central processing unit and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to allow a remote host to interface with a plurality of remote subsystems to thereby define an integrated node, the integrated node comprising:

• an input/output unit positioned to transfer communications between the node the plurality of remote subsystems and the remote host;
• a database server positioned to archive data acquired from the plurality of subsystems in a plurality of time-stamped archive files;
• a time-synchronizer positioned to synchronize an internal clock in each of the plurality of remote subsystems to thereby define a plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems;
• a data acquirer positioned to periodically acquire time-stamped data from each of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems and archive the time-stamped data using the database server module;
• a data verifier to substitute out-of-bounds measurements in measurements of the time-stamped data with new measurements responsive to a preconfigured filtering scheme and to suspend data acquisition upon detecting an out-of-bounds measurement, to thereby define a plurality of verified measurements;
• and
• a data reconciler to determine an operating state of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems and to reconcile the plurality of verified measurements responsive to a reconciler corresponding to the operating state of the plurality of remote time-synchronized subsystems.