Invensys Systems, Inc.

Keith E Eldridge

Paul Meskonis

Mark Allen Johnson

Robert Hall

Scott Volk

Steven Dardinski

Brian Mackay

Kenneth A Burke

James William Hemenway

Vladimir Dimitrov Kostadinov

Mikhail Vladimirovich Fishbeyn

John Patrick King

Franciscus Marie Middeldorp

Brian McKay

Benno Doll

Christopher Neil Baldwin

Dennis M Bushy

A multi-editing mode LOGIC BLOCK object editor is disclosed for creating and modifying LOGIC BLOCK objects that are incorporated into control strategies for process control systems (both distributed and discrete). The editor includes an RPN text editing mode wherein logic incorporated into a LOGIC BLOCK is represented by a list of text instructions. The editor also includes a graphical function block diagram editing mode wherein LOGIC BLOCK logic is defined via instruction shapes dragged/dropped from a pallet and connected via GUI line connection actions by a user. The editor supports automated transitioning between the text and graphics modes wherein conversion of text-to-graphics and graphics-to-text is performed without user intervention. Furthermore, synchronization procedures are performed when LOGIC BLOCK objects are opened in the editor and when transitioning between editing modes to track and/or maintain synchronous status between graphical and text representations of LOGIC BLOCK logic.

Multi-mode editor for configuring process control blocks including both logical functions and arithmetic computations

Enhancements to a strategy object editor for creating and modifying control strategies for process control systems (both distributed and discrete) is described. The improvements include: supporting a set of graphical depictions for individual control object (modified by an appearance object editor), drag and drop connections for declarations that connect control strategies to other control strategies, GUI-based designation of object execution order, automatically applied line styles based upon connection data type, and automatic modification of elements within an appearance object to accommodate a moved attribute.

Strategy editor for process control supporting drag and drop connections to declarations

Strategy editor supporting automatic designation of displayed line style based upon a connection data type

The invention provides, in some aspects, a process, environmental, manufacturing, industrial or other such control system (hereinafter, 'control system') with enhanced, real-time change tracking. The system includes one or more configurable elements (e.g., field devices), a change tracking system that records of changes to those configurable elements (e.g., for compliance reporting, etc.) and a change detection system that responds to detected changes in configuration of those element(s) by inferring an identity of a person and/or device responsible for a change, the time of the change, and/or the reason for the change. This is unlike prior art systems, in which that such information must be specified, e.g., in a data entry form filled-in by the field engineer, operator or other who is making the change.

Methods and apparatus for control configuration with enhanced change-tracking

Connection objects or other such data structures facilitate establishing and configuring connections between objects that model components in a process control system. A first set of data structures (e.g., the object connection type structures) identify valid types for component-to-component pairings and the respective roles of each component in the pairing (e.g., parent or child, source or sink). A second set of data structures (e.g., the parameter connection type structures) supply similar information for parameter-to-parameter connections. Together, these data structures can be used, for example, to validate component-to-component connections suggested by the user and to automatically configure parameter-to-parameter connections. Actual connections, both at the component or parameter level, are reflected using parameter overrides within the parameterized object model&#x2014;with which the connection objects are constructed.

Process control configuration system with connection validation and configuration

Methods and apparatus for configuring process, environmental, industrial and other control systems generate and/or utilize models representing configurations of control systems and/or the systems controlled by them. Records of changes to the models or the configurations represented by them are maintained, thereby, for example, providing bases for determining current states, prior states and histories of changes. Objects in the model have characteristics, such as an object type characteristic and an area characteristic. Users can have corresponding permissions. A security mechanism apparatus controls access by users to the objects. Composite objects are defined by definition objects and are displayed in encapsulated or expanded formats. Objects can include an edit control type identifier that determines how they are presented for editing. Functionality responds to user commands by transferring characteristics of a first object depicted by the graphical user interface to a second object. Configuration-time formulas contained objects are evaluated to constants prior to downloading to the control system.

Control systems and methods with versioning

Apparatus for control systems with objects that are associated with live data

The invention provides, in some aspects, improved apparatus for configuring a control system. The apparatus includes a model made up of objects representing devices of such a system, including, at least one device that defines and/or controls communications on at least a portion of a network within that system. That device is referred to, here, as a 'bus master' and the portion of the network is referred to as a 'segment.' The object (or objects) representing the bus master can include information defining timings, port assignments and/or other aspects of the configuration of the segment. A download service transfers configuration information from objects in the model to devices in the control system. This includes transferring to the bus master communications configuration information for the segment. A download service according to this aspect of the invention generates&#x2014;e.g., for logging by a change tracking system&#x2014;indicia of the configuration information transferred to the bus master. The download service can likewise generate for logging (by the change tracking system) information transferred from the model to other devices in control system.

Methods and apparatus for control configuration with control objects that are fieldbus protocol-aware

The invention provides improved apparatus for configuring a control system that includes a model that is made up of one or more objects representing one or more devices in the system. The objects have parameters reflecting characteristics of the devices represented by the respective objects. At least one of those parameters is associated with a 'track' attribute indicating whether at least selected configuration information transferred from that object to the respective device in the control system is to be logged to a change tracking system. A download service transfers configuration information from objects in the model to devices in the control system. Those downloads can go directly to the respective devices or can go indirectly, e.g., via other devices in the control system (such as controllers, field bus modules, and so forth). Regardless, the download service according to this aspect of the invention generates for logging by the change tracking system indicia of that transferred configuration information. Generation of those indicia is governed, at least in part, by the 'track' attribute associated with one or more of the parameters with which the transferred information is associated.

Methods and apparatus for control configuration control objects associated with a track attribute for selecting configuration information

Apparatus and method for configuring a process control system having one or more digital data processors

Control system configurator and methods with object characteristic swapping

Methods and apparatus for configuring a process control system with a configuration editor executing on a digital data processing device

Control system configurator and methods with edit selection

Control systems and methods with smart blocks

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North Easton, MA, United States of America

Keith E Eldridge