Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc

William George Irwin

David L Deitz

Godfrey Roland Sherriff

Nathan W Pettus

Tusar Nanda

Robert Burke Havekost

Grant Wilson

James Henry Moore, Jr

Dennis L Stevenson

Bruce Hubert Campney

Christopher J Worek

Dawn M Marruchella

Christopher John Felts

Michael George Ott

Gary Keith Law

Larry Oscar Jundt

Kent Allan Burr

Aaron C Jones

Marty James Lewis

Kim Conner

Mickey Nanda

Diego M Benavides

Danny H Do

Nathan William Pettus

A method of generating a product recipe for execution by a batch process in an automated manufacturing environment, such the product recipe is associated with a plurality of actions, a set of transitions, and a set of parameters, and such that the plurality of actions define a plurality of logical levels including a phase level at which the batch process interacts with equipment, includes receiving a procedure definition specifying the plurality of actions, receiving a transaction definition specifying the set of transitions so that each one in the set of transitions is associated with two or more of the plurality of actions, and receiving the set of parameters. Receiving the set of parameters includes receiving at least one dynamic input parameter that resolves to a value without obtaining the value from the product recipe or an operator prompt associated at the phase level of the product recipe.

Recipe command steps and recipe inputs from external logic

A data collection and viewing application associated with a batch process control system used within a process plant provides a user interface that allows a user to quickly and easily examine a particular batch process or a batch run, to compare separate batch runs and/or to determine whether the particular batch run deviates from a norm, without having to perform a lot of manual data manipulation. To this end, the user interface provides or creates a compact graphical representation of a batch, illustrating a number of different types of batch-related data in relation to one another in a manner that enables a user to easily view or understand the operation of the batch run, either alone or as compared with one or more other batch runs. Generally speaking, the compact batch view includes a number of graphical layers which are juxtaposed or interleaved on a display, with each of the layers providing different types of information about the operation of the batch, time synchronized with one another. A base layer of the compact batch view may describe or indicate the duration of the batch from an activate time to a deactivate time, while different aspects of the procedural elements, steps or stages of the batch process, such as those identified by the S88 standard, may be illustrated in one or more additional layers. Moreover, process alarms, alerts, events, etc. as well as other information may be placed in one or more additional layers, and the various layers may be shown together to provide a compact graphical view of the batch.

Compact batch viewing techniques for use in batch processes

Example methods and apparatus to execute an auxiliary recipe and a batch recipe execution are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves executing a first recipe, and before completion of execution of the first recipe, receiving an auxiliary recipe. The example method also involves determining whether the first recipe has reached an entry point at which the auxiliary recipe can be executed. The auxiliary recipe is then executed in response to determining that the first recipe has reached the entry point.

Methods and apparatus to execute an auxiliary recipe and a batch recipe associated with a process control system

A process control system includes module-level attributes that may be used to control access for writing information to unit module objects and module objects. A security check process examines the module-level attributes, which may include OPERMODE and OPERLOCK attributes, the values of which determine whether information may be written to unit module objects or module objects. The values of the module-level attributes may be controlled based on whether a particular module object is being used by the process control system.

Operator lock-out in batch process control systems

A method of generating a product recipe for execution by a batch process in an automated manufacturing environment, such the product recipe is associated with a plurality of actions, a set of transitions, and a set of parameters, and such that the plurality of actions define a plurality of logical levels including a phase level at which the batch process interacts with equipment, includes receiving a procedure definition specifying the plurality of actions, receiving a transaction definition specifying the set of transitions so that each one in the set of transitions is associated with two or more of the plurality of actions, and receiving the set of parameters. Receiving the set of parameters includes receiving at least one dynamic input parameter that resolves to a value without obtaining the value from the recipe or an operator prompt associated at the phase level of the recipe.

Method of generating a product recipe for execution in batch processing

Systems and methods for providing an integrated HMI application for monitoring and interacting with both batch and non-batch processes in a process plant are disclosed. A plurality of independent stand-alone software objects defining various batch process interface views are embedded within a non-batch process control interface application. A blackboard service is provided for storing batch control data used by the various stand alone software objects. The blackboard service may be adapted to communicate with a batch control server to receive batch control data for populating the various batch interface views with data relating to various batch processes being carried out in the process plant and to send instructions for controlling the various batches input by users via the various batch interface views. When executed by a processor, the stand alone software objects defining the various batch interface views read data from and write data to the blackboard service to communicate data between batch process interface views and preserve contextual information between interface views to allow efficient and intuitive navigation between batch process interface views.

Complete integration of stand-alone batch operator interface capabilities into generic human machine interface using componentized objects

Example methods and apparatus to modify a recipe process flow during recipe execution are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves executing a recipe, and before completion of execution of the recipe, receiving process flow change information indicative of a modification to a process flow of the recipe. Process flow rules are then retrieved from a process flow rules data structure. The recipe process flow is modified based on the process flow change information in response to determining that at least one requested change indicated by the process flow change information does not violate one of the process flow rules.

Methods and apparatus to modify a recipe process flow associated with a process control system during recipe execution

A data collection and viewing application provides a user interface that allows a user to quickly and easily examine a particular batch process or a batch run, to compare separate batch runs and/or to determine whether the particular batch run deviates from a norm, without having to perform a lot of manual data manipulation. To this end, the user interface provides or creates a compact graphical representation of a batch, illustrating a number of different types of batch-related data in relation to one another in a manner that enables a user to easily view or understand the operation of the batch run, either alone or as compared with one or more other batch runs. Moreover, process alarms, alerts, events, as well as other information may be placed in one or more additional layers, and the various layers may be shown together to provide a compact graphical view of the batch.

Methods and apparatus to configure process control system inputs and outputs are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises obtaining a tag of a process control device from the input/output device, and associating the process control device with a process control module based on the obtained tag.

Methods and apparatus to configure process control system inputs and outputs

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 process control system capable of executing a function after initiation thereof by a user includes a computer having a memory and a processing unit. A security module stored in the memory of the computer and adapted to be executed on the processing unit of the computer analyzes security information to determine whether the function should be executed. The security information is collected contemporaneously with the initiation of the function and in association therewith.

Function-based process control verification and security in a process control system

A hierarchical failure management technique uses an integrated equipment hierarchy to automatically pass failure information from control modules to unit modules. Each control module collects failure information and generates a composite failure code by mathematically combining the failure information collected by that module. Modules which are currently needed by a phase of the unit module to carry out a process automatically send respective failure codes to the unit module. The unit module selects the worst failure code from a list of failure codes within the unit module and compares the selected worst failure code to a predetermined threshold value to determine whether the process should continue.

Hierarchical failure management for process control systems

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.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

William George Irwin