CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH COMPOSITE BLOCKS
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
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.
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Citations
201 Claims
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1-134. -134. (canceled)
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135. Apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising
a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the model comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object is a composite object that includes a plurality of other objects (“ - component”
objects) of types suitable for inclusion in the model independent of the composite object,an application that graphically depicts at least a portion of the model including the composite object and one other object to which it is connected, the application selectively (i) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an encapsulated graphical format, and (ii) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an expanded graphical format. - View Dependent Claims (136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145)
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146. (canceled)
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147. Apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising
a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the model comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object is a composite object that includes a plurality of other objects (“ - component”
objects) of types suitable for inclusion in the model independent of the composite object,a definition object that defines the composite object, a change during configuration to which definition object has effect as to the composite object, regardless of whether the change is made after the composite object is created, and an application that graphically depicts at least a portion of the model including the composite object and one other object to which it is connected, the application selectively (i) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an encapsulated graphical format, and (ii) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an expanded graphical format. - View Dependent Claims (148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156)
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157-158. -158. (canceled)
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159. Apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising
a database comprising a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system, a system controlled thereby, a control level hierarchy, and the apparatus for configuring the control system, the plurality of objects including at least one composite object that includes a plurality of other objects (“ - component”
objects) and that forms part of a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and the system controlled thereby,the plurality of objects including a definition object that defines the composite object, a digital data processor coupled with the database, the digital data processor responding to a change during configuration to the definition object by effecting that change in the composite object, regardless of whether the change is made after the composite object is created. - View Dependent Claims (160, 161, 162, 163, 164)
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165. (canceled)
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166. Apparatus for configuring a process control system, comprising
a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the model comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object is a loop object that includes one or more control block objects, the apparatus further including a template object that defines the loop object, a change during configuration to which template object is effective as to the loop object regardless of whether the change is made before or after the loop object is created and incorporated into the model.
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172. Apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising
a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system, a system controlled thereby, a control level hierarchy, and the apparatus for configuring the control system, the plurality of objects including at least one composite object that (i) includes a plurality of other objects (“ - component”
objects) of types suitable for inclusion in the model independent of the composite object, and (ii) forms part of a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and the system controlled thereby,the plurality of objects including a definition object that defines the composite object, including any of identifying the component objects, connections between the component objects internal to the composite object, and connections external to the composite object, a change to the definition object during configuration being effective as to the composite object, regardless of whether the change is made after the composite object is created. - View Dependent Claims (173, 174, 175, 176, 177)
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178. (canceled)
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179. Method of configuring a control system, comprising
maintaining a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the model comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object is a composite object that includes a plurality of other objects (“ - component”
objects) of types suitable for inclusion in the model independent of the composite object,depicting graphically at least a portion of the model including the composite object and one other object to which it is connected, the depicting step including selectively (i) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an encapsulated graphical format, and (ii) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an expanded graphical format. - View Dependent Claims (180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188)
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189-190. -190. (canceled)
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191. Method of configuring a control system, comprising
maintaining a model representing a configuration of at least one of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the model comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object is a composite object that includes a plurality of other objects (“ - component”
objects) of types suitable for inclusion in the model independent of the composite object,maintaining a definition object that defines the composite object, responding to a change during configuration to the definition object by effecting a corresponding change in the composite object, regardless of whether the change is made after the composite object is created, and depicting graphically at least a portion of the model including the composite object and one other object to which it is connected, the depicting step including selectively (i) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an encapsulated graphical format, and (ii) depicting the model with the composite object shown in an expanded graphical format. - View Dependent Claims (192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200)
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201-222. -222. (canceled)
Specification