Recipe Command Steps and Recipe Inputs from External Logic

• US 20100082132A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nanda, Tusar, Sherriff, Godfrey Roland, Irwin, William George, Marruchella, Dawn
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/86
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41835 characterised by programme execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A method of generating a product recipe for execution by a batch process in an automated manufacturing environment, wherein the product recipe is associated with a plurality of actions, a set of transitions, and a set of parameters, wherein the plurality of actions define a plurality of logical levels including a phase level at which the batch process interacts with equipment, the method comprising:

receiving a procedure definition specifying the plurality of actions;

receiving a transaction definition specifying the set of transitions, wherein each one in the set of transitions is associated with two or more of the plurality of actions; and

receiving the set of parameters, including;

receiving at least one dynamic input parameter, wherein the dynamic input parameter resolves to a value without obtaining the value from the recipe or an operator prompt associated at the phase level of the recipe.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter that corresponds to a value supplied to the batch process by an external entity during the execution of the batch process.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter that corresponds to a value supplied to the batch process by a web service.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter that corresponds to a value supplied to the batch process by a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter that corresponds to a value supplied to the batch process from an operator prompt associated with one of the plurality of logical levels of the recipe above the phase level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter that corresponds to a value of a reporting parameter generated during the execution of the batch process.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the reporting parameter is associated with the phase level of the recipe.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of a reporting parameter associated one of the plurality of actions; and

associating the selected reporting parameter with an input parameter to the recipe.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a mapping of the selected reporting parameter to an input parameter of another one of the plurality of actions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter that corresponds to a value associated with a parameter of an equipment entity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the equipment entity is selected by the batch process during runtime.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one dynamic input parameter includes:

receiving a path specifying an equipment entity; and

receiving a parameter identifier specifying a parameter of the equipment entity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the path specifying the equipment entity includes receiving a reference to one of an equipment module or a control module dynamically selected during the execution of the batch process.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the path specifying the equipment entity includes receiving a specific reference to one of an equipment module or a control module.

15. A software system stored as a set of instructions on a computer readable medium to control an execution of a batch process in a manufacturing environment according to a recipe, the system comprising:

a recipe definition module to receive a definition of the recipe, including;

a first function to receive a first data set specifying a plurality of actions;

a second function to receive a second data set specifying at least one transition between at least two of the plurality of actions; and

a third function to receive a third data set specifying a plurality of parameters of the recipe including at least one dynamic parameter, wherein the at least one dynamic parameter corresponds to a value automatically obtained during the execution of the batch process without an operator query.

16. The software system of claim 15, wherein at least two of the plurality of actions are phases, each specifying an equipment level logic, and wherein the recipe definition module further includes:

a fourth function to display a listing of output parameters associated with a first one of the at least two phases;

a fifth function to receive a mapping of one of the output parameters to an input parameter associated with another one of the plurality of actions.

17. The software system of claim 16, further comprising:

a sixth function to display a listing of input parameters associated with a second one of the at least two phases and to receive a selection of one of the input parameters;

a seventh function to associate the input parameter received in the fifth function with the one of the input parameters selected in the sixth function.

18. The software system of claim 15, wherein the at least one dynamic parameter corresponds to an external parameter, and wherein the dynamic parameter includes:

a path to specify an entity associated with the external parameter;

a parameter identifier to specify the external parameter associated with the entity.

19. The software system of claim 18, wherein the entity is one of an equipment module or a control module selected during the execution of the batch process;

and wherein the path specifies a currently selected module using a predefined operand.

20. The software system of claim 18, wherein the path specifies one of an equipment module or a control module selected prior to the execution of the batch process using a unique identifier of the one of an equipment module or a control module.

21. The software system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of actions includes a first phase and a second phase associated with the lowest level of logic of the recipe, and wherein the at least one dynamic parameter is an input parameter to the first phase mapped to an output parameter of the second phase.

22. The software system of claim 15, wherein the at least one dynamic parameter corresponds to a report value generated during the execution of the batch process, the software system further comprising:

a value mapping module, including;

a first function to obtain the report value;

a second function to assign the obtained report value to the at least one dynamic parameter; and

a third function to download the at least one dynamic parameter to a process controller responsible for executing the one of the plurality of actions to which the at least one dynamic parameter corresponds.

23. A data structure stored on a computer-readable medium defining a recipe for automatically manufacturing a product in a batch execution environment, the data structure comprising:

first data defining a plurality of actions separated by respective transitions;

second data specifying one or more types of manufacturing equipment to execute the plurality of actions; and

third data defining a set of parameters including a dynamic parameter, wherein the dynamic parameter corresponds to a value not specified at a time of initiating a batch run according to the recipe and not specified during the batch run by an operator prompt.

24. The data structure of claim 23, wherein the dynamic input parameter corresponds to one of a report parameter of a phase of the recipe, a parameter associated with an equipment module or a control module, or a parameter received from an external system during the execution of the recipe.

25. The data structure of claim 23, wherein the dynamic input parameter is an input parameter of a first phase that acquires a value corresponding to an output parameter of a second phase during the execution of the recipe by a batch process.

26. A system for configuring product recipes in a batch execution environment, the system comprising:

a command set definition module to receive a definition of a command set, and to store the definition in a computer readable memory; and

a recipe design module to facilitate a definition of a recipe having a recipe logic, including;

a logic specification function to receive data defining the recipe logic;

a command set selection function to receive a selection of the command set; and

a command set insertion function to receive an identifier corresponding to a certain location within the recipe logic and to insert the command set into the certain location, wherein the recipe design module automatically associates the inserted command set with the recipe logic.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the command set includes:

an equipment identifier for one of an equipment entity or a equipment category; and

an arbitration request for equipment corresponding to the equipment identifier.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the command set includes:

an equipment identifier for one of an equipment entity or a equipment category; and

a unit selection request for equipment corresponding to the equipment identifier.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the command set includes:

an equipment identifier for one of an equipment module or a class of equipment modules;

a set of commands to be conditionally transmitted to the equipment module during the execution of the recipe.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the set of commands includes a first subset of commands that corresponds to a first mode of operation and a second subset of commands that corresponds to a second mode of operation;

and wherein

the command set insertion function further receives an identifier to select between at least a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the recipe logic is associated with a phase level and at least one higher level;

wherein the command set includes a set of commands to generate an operator message or an operator prompt, and wherein the certain location within the recipe logic is associated with the at least one higher level of the recipe logic.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the command set includes a set of commands to transmit a message to a module outside the batch execution environment.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the recipe logic is associated with a plurality of levels including a phase level and a procedure level above the phase level;

and wherein the command set insertion function receives a second identifier corresponding to a second location within the recipe logic, wherein the first location and the second location are associated with two different ones of the plurality of levels of the recipe logic; and

wherein the command set insertion function inserts the same selected command set into the first location and into the second location within the recipe logic.

34. A method of configuring product recipes for execution in a batch execution environment, the method comprising:

receiving a definition of a set of commands compatible with recipe logic;

receiving a partial definition of a logic of a recipe;

receiving a request to insert the set of commands into a selected location within the logic of the recipe; and

automatically associating the set of commands with the recipe in accordance with the selected location.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein receiving the definition of the set of commands includes receiving commands to perform at least one of equipment arbitration, equipment selection, generating an operator message, or generating an operator prompt.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein receiving the definition of the set of commands includes receiving commands to selectively operate an equipment or control module in a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation;

wherein receiving the request to insert the set of commands into the selected location within the logic of the recipe includes specifying a selection of the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation.