SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FUNCTION BLOCK INSTANTIATION

• US 20130006390A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kreft, Dana Robert, Grubbs, Robert William, DeMaurice, Andre Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,772,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/10
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13101 Function block instance, only one function block exists, several instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs

Abstract

The embodiments described herein include a system and a method. In one embodiment, a system includes a library configured to store reusable executable control information and a substitution information. The system further includes a controller configured to instantiate the reusable executable control information in a memory and to associate the substitution information with a field device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a library configured to store reusable executable control information and a substitution information; and

a controller configured to instantiate the reusable executable control information in a memory and to associate the substitution information with a field device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the field device comprises a Fieldbus Foundation field device, a HART field device, a Profibus field device, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reusable executable control information comprises a function block.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein function block comprises at least one of a display block, an analog input (AI) block, an analog output (AO) block, a discrete input block, a discrete output block, a diagnostic block, a multiple analog input block, a multiple analog output block, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control block, an enhanced PID control block, an advanced PID control block, an arithmetic block, a splitter block, a signal characterizer block, an integrator block, an analog alarm block, an input selector block, a setpoint ramp generator block, a timer and logic block, a lead lag block, an output signal selector and dynamic limiter block, a density block, a constant block, a custom block, a flow transducer block, or a flip-flop and edge trigger block.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the substitution information comprises a device tag configured to identify the field device, a device calibration value, a device commissioning value, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising an automation tool configured to associate the substitution information with the field device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the automation tool is comprises a treeview control, a grid control, or a combination thereof, configured to associate the substitution information with the field device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller comprises the automation tool.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising a linking device, a high speed Ethernet network, and a Foundation H1 network, wherein the linking device is configured to link the high speed Ethernet network to the Foundation H1 network, and the field device is attached to the Foundation H1 network.

10. The system of claim 1, comprising a human-machine interface (HMI) system, a manufacturing execution system (MES), a distributed control system (DCS), a supervisor control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, or a combination thereof, having the library.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising a turbine system having the field device.

12. A method, comprising:

defining, via a computer of a system, a reusable control information in a library;

instantiating the reusable control information in a controller; and

substituting an attribute included in the reusable control information with field device information included in a field device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the field device information included in the field device comprises a field device tag.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the instantiating the reusable control information in the controller comprises copying a function block included in the reusable control information into a memory included in the controller.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the function block comprises at least one of a display block, an analog input (AI) block, an analog output (AO) block, a discrete input block, a discrete output block, a diagnostic block, a multiple analog input block, a multiple analog output block, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control block, an enhanced PID control block, an advanced PID control block, an arithmetic block, a splitter block, a signal characterizer block, an integrator block, an analog alarm block, an input selector block, a setpoint ramp generator block, a timer and logic block, a lead lag block, an output signal selector and dynamic limiter block, a density block, a constant block, a custom block, a flow transducer block, or a flip-flop and edge trigger block.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein copying the function block included in the reusable control information into the memory included in the controller comprises linking the field device to a function block tag configured to identify the function block.

17. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium comprising executable code, the executable code comprising instructions for:

defining, via a computer of a system, a reusable control information in a library;

instantiating the reusable control information in a controller as an executable control logic; and

substituting an attribute included in the reusable control information with field device information included in a field device.

18. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the executable control logic comprises instructions configured to execute in the field device, or the controller, or a combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for instantiating the reusable control information in the controller comprise instructions for copying a function block included in the reusable control information into a memory included in the controller.

20. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for substituting the attribute included in the reusable control information with the field device information included in the field device comprise instructions for substituting a generic device name with a device tag configured to uniquely identify the field device.