Fisher-rosemount Systems, Inc

Grant Wilson

David L Deitz

Mark J Nixon

Godfrey Roland Sherriff

Neil J Peterson

William George Irwin

Ling Zhou

Nathan W Pettus

Christopher J Worek

Ebtesam S Tanyous

Trevor Duncan Schleiss

Robert Burke Havekost

Stephen Gerard Hammack

Herschel Odis Koska, Ii

Christopher John Felts

Will Irwin

Roy Faltesek

Diego M Benavides

Robert M Lenich

Beth Filippo

David L Dietz

Marc Webb

DeeAnn G Delguzzi

Muwaffa Lahham

John Yiu-Chung Wong

Jake Phong Doan

A web services-based communication system and technique uses an information server to facilitate the communication of process control data and analysis results between a plurality of web services coupled to a communication network. A graphical user interface coupled to the network enables users to store user profile information and configuration information in a database within the information server. The information server uses the configuration information and the profile information to control the operations of a scheduler and a router within the information server to enable users to selectively view process control information via the graphical user interface and to route process control information to appropriate ones of the web services.

Web services-based communications for use with process control systems

A method and system for equipment arbitration in a process control system are presented. The method and system include receiving a request for a first resource associated with a first area from a first resource user associated with a second area where the first and second areas are distinct. The method and system automatically determine whether the first resource is available for use by the first resource user.

Method and system for batch process arbitration in a process control system

A process plant control system includes a batch execution engine that spawns or creates an individual batch process application in a separate application process space for each batch to be run within a process plant. The batch execution engine includes communication software for communicating with batch operator interfaces used to set up batch runs, a master process equipment model reflecting the current state of the equipment and a batch execution manager that creates individual batch processes and spawns each of the individual batch processes to run in a separate application process space. Each of the created batch processes includes batch logic that implements the batch run specified by the user, a copy of the process plant equipment model used to select equipment within the plant and a communication interface for communicating with controllers and other runtime equipment to implement the batch as well as for communicating with the batch execution manager.

Batch execution engine with independent batch execution processes

A configuration system for a process plant includes a routine that automatically provides an indication of the relationships between units and sub-elements of the units, such as equipment and control modules, present within a process plant to a data historian. The data historian, which may be a batch historian, stores these relationships in a configuration file or a database, collects events generated within the process plant and associates those events to the proper unit within the process plant using the stored relationships. The automatic updating of the data historian configuration file eliminates the need for a user to manually update the data historian with these relationships, either at the time the process plant is configured or each time a change is made to the configuration of the process plant.

Automatic linkage of process event data to a data historian

A batch event historian gathers, stores and presents data regarding a batch process where relationships among the various elements of data are automatically derived by an executive program. A persistent store includes structure corresponding to the relationships defined among procedural elements and equipment in accordance with batch processing industry S88.01 standards. The executive program gathers event information generated by the batch process and derives the relationships among the events in accordance with these industry standard models. Storage and corresponding retrieval and presentation of such historical data is thereby simplified for a user because the user need not manually configure the historian programs to derive the relationships. Association of any continuous data log with event information is automated thereby obviating the need for manual configuration by a user to establish such associations.

Methods and structure for batch processing event history processing and viewing

A transactional data communications system and method communicates information within an enterprise having a process control system and a plurality of information technology systems that are communicatively coupled to the process control system via a web services interface and a transactional information server. The system and method generates transactional process control information and formats the transactional process control information based on an extensible markup language input schema to form formatted transactional process control information. The system and method sends the formatted transactional process control information to the transactional information server via the web services interface and maps the formatted transactional process control information to an extensible markup language output schema associated with one of the plurality of information technology systems to form mapped transactional process control information. The system and method then sends the mapped transactional process control information to the one of the plurality of information technology systems.

Transactional data communications for process control systems

A campaign management technique for batch processes enables a process control system user to flexibly create, edit and execute batch process campaigns. The campaign management technique uses a campaign management function that sends messages requesting batch information to a batch executive function. The batch executive function extracts the requested batch information from a database and sends responsive messages containing the requested batch information to the campaign management function. The campaign management function displays the requested batch information to a user via a graphical display and enables the user to select batch information to be included within a batch process campaign. The user can create a campaign having multiple types of batches, which can include special startup and cleanup batches. The campaign management function releases batches of a campaign for execution by the batch executive function according to a user-specified batch execution mode, which may queue a ready batch in the batch executive function prior to the completion of a currently executing batch. A user can add batches to a campaign and/or can modify or delete unreleased batches of a currently executing campaign. Additionally, the campaign management function is tightly integrated with a data historian function and a security function and automatically sends campaign execution messages to the data historian and uses the security function to control user access to the campaign management function.

Campaign management for batch processes

A software object authorization system includes the ability to select signers who must approve a software object before it is downloaded to a process control system. The signers are presented with a form allowing them to authenticate their identity with a username and a password. Signers that have authenticated their identity may approve or reject the software object. A software object is authorized when all approvals needed for that software object have been received. Authorized software objects may then be downloaded to the process control system.

Integrated electronic signatures for approval of process control system software objects

A process control system includes an executive routine located at a first node of a process control system, one or more soft phases located at other nodes remote from the first node and communication software located in the each of the nodes to enable the executive routine to call and execute the soft phases that are at nodes remote from the first node. This operation may reduce loading or communication traffic on the batch executive node and enables the operator to interact with a soft phase at a workstation or node that is convenient to the operation of the soft phase, which makes the operator's task easier and results in faster execution of the soft phase.

Use of remote soft phases in a process control system

Methods and apparatus for batch process control in which a Phase Logic Module operable in accordance with the state machine model of the batch server program is embedded within a programmable controller. More specifically, a phase executed by the batch server program in a data processing device is operable in accordance with a pre-defined state machine model (typically compliant with the ISA S88.01 standard). A Phase Logic Module (PLM) is implemented within a programmable controller in accordance with the same state machine model so as to mirror the state machine operation of the batch server process within the programmable controller. The PLM is pre-implemented and standardized. Specific state logic for performing desired control in accordance with the desired batch processing is defined by a control engineer using well known languages and tools and integrated with the standard PLM state machine. These methods and structure obviate the need for the control engineer to implement customized state processing logic and the associated need to test such complex state processing logic. The PLM in the programmable controller and the phase within the batch server program communicate using a high level communication protocol to exchange state processing information. Another aspect of the invention provides for implementing a PLM in a data processing device to perform soft phase processing (a phase unrelated to process I/O equipment and rather typically related to operator interaction).

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Grant Wilson