Generation of timestamps within field devices
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJohn J. Baier, Eric G. Dorgelo, Kenwood H. Hall, Charles M. Rischar, David K. Johnson, Dale Sapach
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Abstract
A field device in an industrial environment comprises a clock that is synchronized with a clock of at least one other field device. A timestamp generator component creates a timestamp for at least one of an alarm and an event created within the field device, the timestamp accords to the synchronized time. An alarm generator component analyzes data produced and/or consumed by the field device and generates an alarm and/or event based at least in part upon the analysis.
Claims26
A field device in an industrial environment, comprising:
- a clock that is synchronized with a clock of at least one other field device;
- and
- a timestamp generator component that creates a timestamp for at least one of an alarm or an event created within the field device, the timestamp accords to the synchronized time.
A system that facilitates analyzing alarms and/or events, comprising:
- a data repository that retains alarms and events created by a plurality of field devices, the plurality of field devices include clocks that are synchronized according to time and the alarms and events are associated with timestamps generated by the field devices;
- and
- an indexing component that chronologically orders the alarms and events in time.
A method for generating an alarm/event, comprising:
- synchronizing a clock of a first field device with a clock of at least one other field device;
- generating one of an alarm and an event within the first field device;
- and
- generating a timestamp according to the synchronized time within the first field device upon generating the one of the alarm and the event;
- and
- associating the one of the alarm and the event with the timestamp.
An industrial controller, comprising:
- means for synchronizing a clock of the industrial controller with a system-wide time;
- means for generating an alarm within the industrial controller;
- and
- means for associating a timestamp that conforms to the system-wide time with the generated alarm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.