David Raleigh Pierce

US Patent:

6411987, Jun 25, 2002

Filed:

Feb 2, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/243222

Inventors:

Perry Steger - Georgetown TX
David Pierce - Austin TX

Assignee:

National Instruments Corporation - Austin TX

International Classification:

G06F 1516

US Classification:

709203, 709202, 709224, 700 9

Abstract:

The system and method of industrial automation provides improved network transfer of data between nodes. The system comprises a plurality of computer systems which are interconnected through a network, wherein each of the computer systems executes industrial automation software. One or more of these computer systems interface to various hardware I/O devices for data acquisition. Each computer system is home to one or more client and/or server processes. When a hardware I/O device generates data, a server process which is linked to that device through a device driver receives a block of data from the device. Using a real-time protocol, the server adds one or more blocks of data to a packet and transmits the packet to every client which has subscribed to the data. For increased network and computational efficiency, the real-time protocol includes compression techniques and is exception-based: only changes in data are sent to clients. The real-time protocol further employs a âtrain stationâ model for packet generation: a packet is only sent when it reaches a certain size or when a certain time has elapsed.

US Patent:

6505247, Jan 7, 2003

Filed:

Feb 2, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/243224

Inventors:

Perry Steger - Georgetown TX
David Pierce - Austin TX

Assignee:

National Instruments Corporation - Austin TX

International Classification:

G06F 15173

US Classification:

709224, 709203, 709201, 700 9, 710 1

Abstract:

The system and method of industrial automation provides improved network transfer of data between nodes. The system comprises a plurality of computer systems which are interconnected through a network, wherein each of the computer systems executes industrial automation software. One or more of these computer systems interface to various hardware I/O devices for data acquisition. Each computer system is home to one or more client and/or server processes. Before data acquisition begins, every server process registers a plurality of time/quality (TQ) groups, wherein each TQ group is identified by a time/quality identification value (TQID), and wherein each TQ group represents a set of associated data elements. When a hardware I/O device generates data, a server process which is linked to that device through a device driver receives a block of data from the device. The driver assigns to the block a single timestamp and a single quality value.

US Patent:

6721677, Apr 13, 2004

Filed:

Aug 2, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/920614

Inventors:

David Mark Pierce - Austin TX

Assignee:

National Instruments Corporation - Austin TX

International Classification:

G01D 100

US Classification:

702127

Abstract:

A method and system for modular storage of measurement streams using a hierarchy of stream-processing objects. A first application may log measurement data of a plurality of data types to a shared memory location on a first computer, independent of the data type. Both the data and an index to the data may be logged. A second application may trend the data substantially concurrently as the data is logged. Both applications may include a plurality of filter objects, including a hierarchy of stream processing objects, which may operate to log/trend the data. Trending may include: (1) generating a query; (2) determining the location using the index; (3) accessing the data from the shared memory; and (4) displaying the data. The data may be replicated to an archival database, independent of the type of data. The replicated data may be transmitted to a plurality of computers.

US Patent:

6745175, Jun 1, 2004

Filed:

Aug 2, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/920982

Inventors:

David Mark Pierce - Austin TX
Maxim Mark Tomashevsky - Austin TX
Anthony George Roach - Indianapolis IN

Assignee:

National Instruments Corporation - Austin TX

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707 2, 707 3

Abstract:

An improved method and system for high speed logging and trending of data. Logging of data may include: receiving data; and storing the data, and an index to the data, in a shared memory location coupled to a database. Trending of data may include: retrieving requested data from the shared memory location using the index of the requested data, and displaying the retrieved data. User configurable frequencies may be provided for various actions on the data. The data may be measurement data, including a stream of data comprising a plurality of entries. The logging and trending may be: (1) performed substantially concurrently; (2) implemented using shared memory templates. The database may reside on a first computer system, and the logging and trending may be performed on the first computer system or on a second computer system coupled to the first computer system via a network.

US Patent:

7191184, Mar 13, 2007

Filed:

May 2, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/137723

Inventors:

Guy Vachon Laborde - Austin TX, US
David Mark Pierce - Austin TX, US
Andreas Peter Haub - Aachen, DE
Stefan Romainczyk - Aachen, DE
Helmut J. Helpenstein - Aachen, DE

Assignee:

National Instruments Corporation - Austin TX

International Classification:

G06F 17/00

US Classification:

707101, 707102, 707103 R, 7071041

Abstract:

A system and method for storing measurements. Each measurement may include bulk data and attribute data. The bulk data and the attribute data may be stored using different storage mechanisms. In one embodiment, relational database technology may be used to store the attribute data. Relational database technology may facilitate querying or searching on the attribute data. The bulk data may be stored in a database specialized for storing bulk data.

US Patent:

7383315, Jun 3, 2008

Filed:

Aug 2, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/920893

Inventors:

David Mark Pierce - Austin TX, US

Assignee:

National Instruments Corporation - Austin TX

International Classification:

G06F 15/16
G06F 15/173
G06F 15/00
G06F 11/00

US Classification:

709217, 709224, 702187, 702188

Abstract:

A method and system for a delta page protocol for caching, replication, and client/server networking. Measurement data may be received by a logger application on a first computer, and written to shared memory sections in a modular fashion, including creating one or more header records to indicate a changed status. Each shared memory section may be independently accessible by a trender application executing in a second computer. In response to a query from the trender, the first computer may send a single message, a delta page. The header record may be used to determine the changed status of data sections. A single write operation may store the data values in a memory of the second computer. The trender may then read the first plurality of data values. The trender may present the retrieved data or requested data on a display.

US Patent:

20030105811, Jun 5, 2003

Filed:

May 2, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/137669

Inventors:

Guy Laborde - Austin TX, US
David Pierce - Austin TX, US
Andreas Haub - , US
Stefan Romainczyk - , US
Helmut Helpenstein - , US

International Classification:

G06F012/00

US Classification:

709/203000, 711/118000

Abstract:

A system and method for making technical data available across an enterprise which may contain multiple data stores distributed across networked servers. These distributed data stores create the impression that they are actually part of one central storage, referred to as a networked DataCache. The user may thus be able to find various kinds of technical data without knowing where they were from the start. The data may also be adequately self describing via meta-data so that a user or application is able to find it and use it without implicit knowledge of the data, its meaning, or its structure. The networked DataCache allows a user of measurements to know where a measurement is and what it means.

US Patent:

20110081255, Apr 7, 2011

Filed:

Oct 1, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/571895

Inventors:

Perry C. Steger - Georgetown TX, US
David Mark Pierce - Austin TX, US

International Classification:

F04D 15/00
F04D 13/02
F04D 13/06

US Classification:

417 441, 417 53, 417212

Abstract:

A method for improving the energy efficiency of a pump system. The method includes measuring an instantaneous power consumption of the pump system, measuring an instantaneous fluid flow rate of the pump system, and determining an instantaneous specific energy consumption (SEC) of the pump system based on the instantaneous power consumption and the instantaneous fluid flow rate. The method then adjusts the speed of a pump in response to the determined SEC. The above steps may be performed a number of times to seek a reduced value of the instantaneous SEC of the pump system.