Context control mechanism for data executed in workflows of process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other control system

• US 20030217053A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: McCoy, William H. Jr., Bachman, George E., Weinrich, Steven M., LeMert, Paul W., Wright, Julia, Grubb, Lorin V., DeRemer, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US10/414,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20030217053A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/4
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31342 Design of process control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31449 Monitor workflow, to optimize business, industrial processes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32424 Task flow editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 for process control and configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/967 Visual or iconic programming

Abstract

The invention provides improved methods and apparatus for workflow editing. Such methods and apparatus permit, for example, user-defined and/or other tasks to be combined in any combination or combinations to specify a workflow. The tasks can be linked for direct, serial processing and/or for conditional processing that includes branching and/or looping. The invention also improved methods and apparatus of workflow definition and processing with extensible actions. The invention provides, further, improved methods and apparatus for workflow definition and processing which utilize workflow variables for communication of data and control information among tasks within a workflow. The invention provides, still further, improved methods and apparatus of workflow definition and processing with enhanced messaging. The invention provides, still yet further, improved methods and apparatus for workflow definition and processing which permit definition of hierarchically enumerated data types and for for definition of “plans” to collect, e.g., for storage, data such as the aforementioned hierarchical data types.

Claims

1. In a method of process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “

process”

) control, the improvement comprising;

A. executing a plurality of workflows, each defining a plurality of actions to be taken in response to events occurring with respect to the process and/or control applications;

B. providing, for each executing workflow, data that is common to that workflow but not to other workflows.

2. In the method of claim 1, the further improvement comprising configuring a plurality of actions of at least one workflow to access the data that is common to that workflow but not to the other workflows.

3. In the method of claim 2, the further improvement comprising configuring one or more actions of at least one workflow to access data that is common to plural workflows.

4. In the method of claim 2, the further improvement comprising defining at least one of the workflows by (i) selecting an icon representing an event, (ii) selecting one or more icons representing an action, and (ii) positioning the selected icons with respect to one another to identify one or more actions to be taken in response to an event.

5. In the method of claim 4, the further improvement comprising associating with the event associated with a workflow data that is common to that workflow but not to other workflows.

6. In the method of claim 5, the further improvement wherein the associating step includes defining as parameters of the event associated with the workflow the data that is common to that workflow but not to the other workflows.

7. In a method of process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “

process”

) control, the improvement comprising;

A. executing a plurality of workflows, each defining a plurality of actions to be taken in response to a respective event occurring with respect to the process and/or one or more control applications that interface with an operator and/or control equipment for the process;

B. monitoring the process and/or control applications and responding to a selected event by generating an event message that is associated with one of the plural workflows, the event message including data common to that workflow but not to other workflows (“

common data”

),

C. using that common data in connection with executing one or more actions associated with that workflow.

8. In the method of claim 7, the further improvement wherein the generating step includes encoding the common data in the event message.

9. In the method of claim 8, the further improvement wherein the encoding step includes encoding the common data as name/value pairs.

10. In the method of claim 8, the further improvement wherein the encoding step includes encoding the common data in XML format.

11. In the method of claim 7, the further improvement wherein step (C) includes responding the event message by providing the common data to a method associated with a name specified therein.

12. In the method of claim 11, the further improvement wherein the providing step includes providing the common data as name/value pairs.

13. In the method of claim 11, the further improvement wherein the providing step includes providing the common data in XML format.

14. In the method of method of claim 11, the further improvement wherein step (C) includes creating a standard template library map with the common data provided to the method.

15. In the method of claim 14, the further improvement wherein step (C) includes providing the map to at least one action associated with the selected event.

16. In the method of claim 125, the further improvement wherein step (C) includes using the common data by accessing the provided map.

17. In a method of process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “

process”

) control, the improvement comprising;

A. executing a plurality of workflows, each defining a plurality of actions to be taken in response to a respective event occurring with respect to the process and/or one or more control applications that interface with an operator and/or control equipment for the process;

B. monitoring the process and/or control applications;

C. responding to a selected event by generating an event message that is associated with one of the plural workflows, the event message including data common to that workflow but not to other workflows (“

common data”

);

D. invoking a method of an object corresponding to a label in the event message and passing the common data to that method;

E. creating a standard template library map with the common data provided to the method;

F. passing the map to each of one or more actions associated with the action-trigger object by invoking a method associated with each such action;

G. using the common data specified in the map in connection with executing the one or more actions.

18. In the method of claim 17, the further improvement comprising encoding the common data in the message.

19. In the method of claim 17, the further improvement comprising passing the common data in XML format.

20. In the method of claim 17, the further improvement comprising configuring one or more actions of at least one workflow to access data that is common to plural workflows.

21. In method of claim 17, the further improvement comprising defining at least one of the workflows by (i) selecting an icon representing an event, (ii) selecting one or more icons representing an action, and (ii) positioning the selected icons with respect to one another to identify one or more actions to be taken in response to an event.

22. In the method of claim 21, the further improvement comprising associating with the event associated with a workflow data that is common to that workflow but not to other workflows.

23. In the method of claim 22, the further improvement wherein the associating step includes defining as parameters of the event associated with the workflow the data that is common to that workflow but not to the other workflows.