Methods and apparatus for process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other control system with unified messaging interface

• US 20030225469A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Software, LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Grove, Eric P., Weinrich, Steven M., LeMert, Paul W., Wright, Julia, Grubb, Lorin V., DeRemer, Robert A., Hallquist, Robert D. Jr., Mundorf, Edward R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,975,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/96
• 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 one or more control applications that interface with an operator and/or control equipment for the process;

B. transmitting to one or more selected ones of the control application, a message for presentation to the operator, the message being formatted in a markup language;

C. with each of the selected control applications, presenting content of the message to the operator by applying the message along with a style sheet to an operator interface.

2. In the method of claim 1, the further improvement wherein the markup language is XML.

3. In the method of claim 1, the further improvement wherein step (C) includes applying the message along with a style sheet to a web browser.

4. In the method of claim 1, the further improvement wherein step (B) includes transmitting the message from a server, and step (C) includes executing at least one of the control applications on a client.

5. In the method of claim 4, the further improvement wherein step (B) includes transmitting the message from the server to the control applications using a message queue.

6. In the method of claim 5, the further improvement wherein step (B) includes transmitting the message from the server to the control applications using a Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) protocol.

7. In the method of claim 4, the further improvement comprising executing one or more workflows on the server, each workflow defining one or more of actions to be taken in response to events occurring with respect to the process and/or control applications.

8. In the method of claim 7, the further improvement wherein step (B) includes transmitting the message as a consequence of executing one of the workflows.

9. A system for process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “

process”

) control comprising;

A. a plurality of control applications that interface with an operator and/or control equipment for the process,

B. a workflow processing engine in communications coupling with the plurality of control applications, the workflow processing engine processing one or more workflows, each defining one or more actions to be taken in response to events occurring with respect to the process and/or control applications,

C. the workflow processing engine executing a user interface action included in one of the workflows by formatting in XML a message for presentation to the operator and transmitting that to one or more selected ones of the control applications.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising

one or more web browsers each in communications coupling with a respective one of the selected control applications,

at least the selected control applications applying at least the content of the XML message to the web browser.

11. The system of claim 10, where at least the selected control applications apply the XML message to the browser, along with a style sheet.

12. The system of claim 9, where one or more of the selected control applications formats in XML a response by the operator and transmits that to the workflow processing engine.

14. The system of claim 9 comprising functionality, invocable from both the workflow processing engine and at least the selected control applications for converting information to/from XML format.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the functionality comprises an object instantiable by each of the workflow processing engine and at least the selected control applications from a common class.

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

process”

) control, the improvement comprising;

A. executing one or more workflows, each defining one or more actions to be taken in response to events occurring with respect to the process and/or one or more control applications, the one or more control applications interfacing with an operator and/or control equipment for the process,

B. monitoring the process and/or control applications and responding to detected events by selectively executing a messaging action associated with one or more of the workflows, the execution of the messaging action including transmitting, to one or more selected ones of the control applications, a message for presentation to the operator, the message being formatted in a markup language;

C. with each of the selected control applications, presenting content of the message to the operator by applying the message to an operator interface.

17. In the method of claim 16, the further improvement wherein the presenting step of step (C) applying the message along with a style sheet to the operator interface.

18. In the method of claim 16, the further improvement wherein step (B) includes transmitting the message to the control applications using a message queue protocol.

19. In the method of claim 16, the further improvement including awaiting an asynchronous response from one or more selected ones of the control applications including information provided by the operator.

20. In the method of claim 16, the further improvement wherein step (B) includes formatting the message in the markup language by instantiating an interface component with at least message content associated with the message action.

22. In the method of claim 16, the further improvement wherein step (C) instantiating a display component to apply a style sheet to the operator interface.

23. In the method of claim 22, the further improvement wherein step (C) includes applying the style sheet and at least a portion of the formatted message to the operator interface using the display component.

21. In the method of claim 21, the further improvement comprising initializing a further instantiation of interface component using the formatted message.