FR2864267A1 - High bandwidth data transmitting method for real time information collection system, involves transmitting high bandwidth data by low bandwidth instrumentation lines of cables to data processing centers or to sensors - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves transmitting high bandwidth data by low bandwidth instrumentation lines (31-33) of cables to data processing centers (10, 90) or to sensors (20, 40, 60). The sensors (20, 40) are connected with each other by a local connection interface (50) that is connected to a local connection interface (60) by cables. The instrumentation lines transmit signal of low bandwidth data. An independent claim is also included for a high bandwidth data collecting system in an industrial medium.

Description

2864267 1

  The invention relates to real-time information collection systems. in an industrial environment collecting and transferring instrumental data and high-speed data.

  Real-time information collection systems are usually computerized systems comprising at least one information gathering and routing network, ie instrumental data, from instruments, or from measurement sensors. physical (pressures, temperatures, flow rates, voltages, currents, ...), or logical states of operation (on, off, defects, ...) of various industrial devices contributing to the implementation of a industrial process, and a data processing center ensuring the operation, surveillance and security of the corresponding facilities.

  They are very often used in the oil sector (refineries, offshore platforms), chemical plants, power plants (nuclear, thermal), mechanical and various industries (civil, military), etc. The data are developed and distributed by analog or digital sensors, transmitted in the form of low-level (less than 100 milliamps or 5 to 48 volts) or optical voltage or current signals in the collection network at low flow rates. relatively low (less than one hundred kilobits / second), physical phenomena being monitored at periods of scanning generally relatively low (equal to much greater than the millisecond).

  The collection networks consist of electrical cables containing so-called instrumentation lines, chosen according to the analog or digital character, the voltage levels and the bit rates of the data transmitted, the transmission distances, the risks presented by the industrial environment. in which they bathe, including electromagnetic, hygrometric, thermal, and safety standards imposed by the industrial environment (EMC standards of electromagnetic compatibility, or even EMI, compatibility with the electromagnetic pulse, standards fire, anti-explosive, anti - lightning, dustproof, acid risk ...).

  2864267 2 In these difficult environments, instrumentation lines, such as twisted pairs, third-party or multi-stranded, are specially conditioned, most often shielded, possibly put under protective sheaths or in stainless steel tubes, and the cables are installed as soon as they are built. the industrial assembly in cable trays guaranteed risks already mentioned, and are connected to the terminals, sensors and treatment center, through electrical and electromagnetic protections, explosion-proof boxes (ADF) or special partitions, separating the zones at risk of protected areas. io

  In the industrial installations considered here, it is extremely difficult and expensive to pull new cables, that is to say the finished installation. This is why it is planned, from the construction, additional cables, reserve of uses that may be necessary later. If there is a new need for data collection, these cables, usually of the same technology as those originally installed, are affected.

  But recently, new data collection needs require the use of NT (New Technologies), especially of video or CD type (sound, high fidelity quality), which require, for example in video, minimum bit rates of minus 150 Kilobits / second.

  Until now, in order to transfer this new information to the above industrial sites, despite the very high cost involved, it has been necessary to draw new cables with the required new characteristics and proceed to the necessary requalifications of the modified installations.

  To avoid this, the applicant had the idea to find a way to use, despite everything, the instrumentation cables already drawn, thus making significant savings on the draws and connections of additional cables, since made useless , and installation qualifications that accompany them.

  A method for transmitting high speed data in a low rate instrumentation data collection system, including a data processing center, terminals providing or receiving low rate data, and transmission lines between said center and said terminals arranged for low speed transmissions. It is characterized in that said high speed data is transmitted by said low speed lines to the processing center or to the terminals. In particular, high speed data is mixed with low rate data prior to transmission.

  By reconciling, in this difficult context, old and new technologies, we avoid all the expenses and losses of time brought about by the addition of new cables.

  The invention also relates to a system for collecting real-time instrumentation data in an industrial environment, comprising at least one data processing center, sensors delivering said low-rate instrumentation data, sensors delivering said data at a high rate. , and cables for connecting the sensors in the center, the cables comprising instrumentation lines, low flow, characterized in that it is arranged to transmit the high-speed data signals on the instrumentation lines.

  According to a first embodiment, for transmitting high-speed data signals on an instrumentation line, the latter comprises a line interface at each of its ends.

  According to a second embodiment, to transmit these high bit rate data signals on an instrument line, the high bit rate data sensors have their own line interface.

  Advantageously, the line interfaces comprise a module of the XDSL type, either ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) or SDSL (Synchronous Digital Subscriber Line), or HSDSL (High Speed Digital Subscriber Line) or VDSL (Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line), for mixing the high-speed data signals and the instrumentation data signals on the same instrumentation line.

  Advantageously again, the line interfaces each comprise a multiplexer, on the sensor side, or a de-multiplexer, on the processing center side.

  Two complementary means are thus used to simultaneously transmit, on the line, high-speed data and instrumentation data.

  Advantageously always, the line interfaces comprise io safety protections, according to the risks run, for example antifoudre.

  Finally, the invention relates to a real-time industrial process control system, implementing the above method, either for collecting and controlling high-speed data transmitted by sensors, or for transmitting and controlling actuators involved in the process. industrial.

  The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of the two embodiments of the real-time information collection system according to the invention and the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure represents a functional block diagram. the structure of the collection system using the two possible versions of the layout of the line interfaces on the instrumentation lines.

  Referring to the single figure, the real-time instrumentation data collection system 1 comprises a processing center 10, consisting of: a control computer 11 of an industrial process in one of the aforementioned fields, realizing the ordinary control-command functions of this process, a video image processing computer 80, for example at 5 frames per second, coded according to MPEG-1 or 2 or later, and capable of completing the information collected by the computer 11, for example detect abnormal events by recognition of image movements, treatment now commonly used in video surveillance, a central line interface 70, which will be described later.

  The system also includes sensors 20 delivering instrumentation data in the form of electrical signals of various standards (c), (d), (e), analog or digital, delivered at rates of less than 100 kbits / second. , said BD low bit rate, sensors 40 delivering digital data, in the form of electrical signals, high-speed HD, that is to say flow rates greater than 150 kilobits / second, or even 1 Megabits / second, respecting protocols (a), (b), ..., in particular corresponding to sound transmissions of MP3 (MPEG layer 3), WMA (Window Metafile Audio), Dolby Digital or Io DTS (Data Transformation Service), or of compressed video images (MPEG).

  In a first embodiment, the sensors 20 and 40 are connected to a common local line interface 50, which will be described later.

  In a second embodiment, a sensor 60, or more, is used having its own local line interface 65, similar to the interface 50, and also described later.

  Whatever the version chosen, the central line interfaces 70, on the one hand, and local 50 or 65, on the other hand, are interconnected by cables, a single cable 30 in the example of the figure, having instrumentation lines 31, 32, 33, ..., provided for transmitting low bit rate signals BD.

  Naturally, in a system such as system 1, the two embodiments can be mixed, which has been shown in the single figure.

  Local line interfaces will now be described.

  In the example of the figure, an instrumentation sensor 20 (d), delivering signals to the standard (d), is connected to a first interface module 21 of the sensor type, provided for the standard (d) as for most instrumentation sensor standards: dry contacts, analog 4-20 mA or 0-22 mA current or voltage with or without HART protocol (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer). This first sensor interface module 21 converts the signals it receives into BD low-speed signals remotely transmitting via the line 32. But by multiplexing, low-rate BD signals can be combined into a high-speed HD signal.

  An interface module 54, of another type called here line type, adapts the signals to be transmitted to the instrumentation line 32. It may or may not be necessary, depending on the type of the instrumentation line 32: RS232c serial line, RS422, RS485, Parallel Bus, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) Bus, USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc. In the example of the figure, this line interface module 54 has been assumed. It is connected at the output to a protection module 22, ADF or EMC, isolating, for example, the interface 50 of the line 32 by galvanic isolation.

  At its other end, at the processing center 10, the line 32 can be connected directly to an input 13, digital or analog, of the computer 11 control-command, through a module 12 symmetrical galvanic protection of the module 22 seen previously.

  Here, there are also high-speed data sensors 40 (a) and 40 (b), data carried by physical or protocol transport characteristic signals (a) and (b) modulated at different high frequencies. and fb. After physical adaptation (not shown), these frequencies are mixed in a multiplexer 52, the resulting signal being applied to an input of an XDSL module 51, either ADSL or SDSL, or HSDSL or VDSL, whose other input is powered by a microprocessor 23 for digital signal processing from a low-rate data sensor (c) via a second sensor interface module 21. Depending on the XDSL module 51 used, the microprocessor 23 is or is not needed. Thus an ADSL circuit does not require any particular digital processing. On the other hand, an SDSL circuit requires temporary storage and synchronization of the low and high-speed signals, digital processing which is provided by the microprocessor 23, in particular by its memory and its internal clock.

  As the XDSL module 51, it is possible to choose among the circuits of the Socrate family PEB22622 of INFINEON or MTK2 9905 of ALCATEL. The person skilled in the art is perfectly familiar with the implementation of these circuits. The output of the XDSL module 51 feeds a second line interface module 54, already seen above, to ensure the same function, then a protection module 22, also already seen, and finally the instrumentation line 31.

  It should be recalled that this implementation of the sensors 40 (a) and 40 (b), described above, corresponds to the first of the two versions announced.

  In the second version, it is the high-speed sensor 60 which contains the line interface 65, equivalent to the line interface 50 seen above. io

  But the line interface 65 has no sensor interface module 21 or microprocessor 23. These remain, for the low-flow sensor 20 (e), located in the line interface 50. The microprocessor 23 of this interface 50, connected to the sensor 20 (e), or possibly its sensor interface module 21, transmits the low-rate data to the XDSL module 51 of the interface 65, which module receives the high-speed data signals from a USB interface 62 or equivalent of a camera 61 essential and integral part of the sensor 60. The output of the module 51 of the interface 65 feeds, as above, a line interface module 54 and a protection module 22, included or not in the interface 65, then the instrumentation line 33.

  In both versions, it will be noted that the XDSL 51 module of the line interface 50 or 65 makes it possible to multiplex the high-speed HD data signals and the BD instrumentation data signals on instrumentation lines 31, 32. , 33, not provided for this. It can also multiplex BD data into high bit rate data BD and multiplex this new HD data to non-multiplexed BD data.

  These lines 31, 32, 33, are connected to the processing center 10 in the same way, regardless of the version chosen, each to a protection module 12 identical to the protection modules 22 already seen.

  At the output of these modules 12, the data signals are either routed directly to the control computer 11 via a link 13, the latter being able to directly process the instrumentation data signals of the line 32, on which no signal of high-speed data has been introduced, either processed by a module XDSL 71, 2864267 8 identical to the modules 51 already seen, separating BD low-speed data signals HD signals high-speed data, the first being routed on the control computer 11 is directly, as before, or via converters, adapters or demodulators not shown, and the second being routed to the computer 80 video image processing, either directly as in the case of the signals from line 33, or via a de-multiplexer 72, if a plurality of high-speed signals are present on the instrument line. corresponding, as in the case of the signals from the line 31, the de-multiplexer 72 separating the different signals.

  It should be noted that this high and low rate data collection process may ultimately: Include only high-speed data, although only on low-speed lines. This is particularly the case of the collection system which is the smallest possible for the implementation of the present invention, in which a camera 60 has an interface 65 transmitting data at a high speed to a simple monitor 90 via a low-speed line 33. the module 51 receiving only data from the camera.

  To be implemented in both directions, ie the direction of data collection from the sensors to the processing center for control of the industrial process and the direction of data transmission from the processing center to the sensors or actuators, more generally terminals for controlling and controlling the industrial process. It is then a real-time control system of industrial process.

  In the latter case, the system (1) is an industrial process real-time control system arranged either to collect and control high-speed data transmitted by sensors as described above, or to transmit and control actuators involved in the industrial process, the arrangement of commands HD and BD corresponding module by module to the HD and BD data collection, the processing center acting as a control sensor and actuators acting as centers of distributed treatment.

Claims (2)

9 CLAIMS   1-. A method for transmitting high speed data in a low rate instrumentation data collection system, comprising at least one data processing center (10, 90), terminals (20, 40, 60) delivering or receiving the data low-speed data, and instrumentation lines (31, 32, 33) between said center and said terminals arranged for low-rate transmissions, characterized in that said high-speed data is transmitted by said lines to low throughput (31, 32, 33) to the processing center or to the terminals.   2-. Method according to the preceding claim wherein the low bit rate data is mixed with low bit rate data and transmitted together.   3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the data center is a monitor (90).   A system (1) for high-speed data collection in an industrial environment, comprising at least one data processing center (10, 90), sensors (20) delivering BD low-rate instrumentation data, sensors (40) delivering high-speed data HD, and lines (31, 32, 33) for low bit rate instrumentation BD, characterized in that it is arranged (50, 65, 70) for transmitting data HD broadband on the BD instrumentation lines.   5-. A system according to claim 4, wherein, for transmitting HD high-speed data signals on an instrument line (31, 32, 33), said instrument has an interface (50, 65, 70) of line in each from its ends.   6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the line interface (50, 70) comprises a sensor-side data multiplexer (52) or a data center-side data de-multiplexer (72) ( 10).   7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor-side data multiplexer (52) (20, 40) transmits high-speed data HD.   2864267 10 8-. The system of claim 4, wherein, for transmitting HD high-speed data signals on an instrument line (33), at least one high-speed data sensor (60) includes a line interface (65).   9. The system of one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the line interface (50, 65, 70) includes a XDSL module (51, 71) for multiplexing or de-multiplexing the high bit rate data signals. and the instrumentation data signals.   10-. System according to one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the line interface (50, 65) comprises at least one interface module (21, 54).   11-. System according to one of Claims 5 to 10, in which the line interface (50, 65, 70) comprises at least one safety protection module (12, 22).   12-. System according to claim 11, wherein the protection module (12, 22) comprises a galvanic isolation.   13-. System according to one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the XDSL module (51, 71) comprises a circuit belonging to the family of circuits Socrate PEB22622 INFINEON or MTK2 9905 ALCATEL.   14-. System according to one of claims 4 to 13, wherein at least one high-speed data sensor (60) comprises a video camera (61).   15-. The system of claim 14, wherein the video camera (61) includes an XDSL module (51).   16-. The system of claim 15, wherein the interface (62) of the camera (61) is connected to the input of the XDSL module (51) whose output is connected (54, 22) to an instrument line (33). ).   17-. The system of claim 15, wherein the output of the XDSL module (51) of the high speed data sensor (60) is connected to a line interface module (52) itself connected to an instrumentation line (33). ) via a protection module (22).   18-. System according to one of claims 4 to 17, wherein the processing center (10) comprises a computer (80) for processing video images.   19-. A high rate data sensor (60) having a line interface (65) for transmitting high bit rate data signals according to the method of one of claims 1 to 3 on at least one instrumentation line to low flow (33).   20-. System (1) for real-time control of an industrial process, implementing the method of one of Claims 1 to 3, either for collecting and controlling high-speed data transmitted by sensors, or for transmitting and controlling actuators involved in the industrial process.