SUPERVISOR ENGINE FOR PROCESS CONTROL

• US 20140277593A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark J., Beoughter, Ken J., Christensen, Daniel D.
• Granted Patent: US 11,112,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/11
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A supervisor engine cooperates with an expert system in a process control environment to automatically generate, assign, track, and manage work items. The supervisor engine creates work items according to data received from the expert system, selects available personnel to execute work items, sends work items to the selected personnel, schedules the execution of the work items, and creates and stores permissions that allow the assigned personnel to complete a target function of the work item at an assigned time. The supervisor engine determines required skill sets, roles, certifications, and/or credentials associated with a work item, and selects personnel to perform the work item according to a personnel profile specifying a skill set, a role, certifications, and/or credentials associated with the personnel. Alternatively or additionally, the supervisor engine assigns a work item according to the presence of personnel at or near the target equipment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented, automated method of assigning tasks to personnel in a process plant, the method executed by a supervisor module and comprising:

receiving data from an expert system;

creating a work item specifying a task according to the data received from the expert system;

selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item;

sending the work item to a device associated with the selected person; and

receiving an indication that the selected person has accepted the work item.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving data from an expert system comprises receiving data indicating a trend associated with a process parameter.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving data from an expert system comprises receiving data indicating a predicted problem in the process plant.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving data from an expert system comprises receiving a request to provide the expert system with a parameter value.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein creating a work item specifying a task according to the data received from the expert system comprises creating a work item in which the specified task is to observe and record a parameter value that is not transmitted automatically from a device that senses the parameter.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving data from an expert system comprises receiving an instruction to perform a particular action with respect to a process control device.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein creating a work item specifying a task according to the data received from the expert system comprises creating a work item in which the specified task is to perform a maintenance task, a calibration task, a replacement task, an inspection task, or a repair task.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein creating a work item specifying a task comprises creating a work item specifying a task also comprises specifying an equipment target related to the specified task.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item comprises selecting a person according to location data received from a device associated with the selected person.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising creating and storing a permission token associated with the specified task, associated with a process control device associated with the specified task, or both, wherein the permission token is required in order for the selected person to perform the specified task on the process control device associated with the specified task.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item comprises selecting a person according to (1) (i) the task specified in the work item, (ii) a process control device associated with the specified task, or (iii) both, and (2) a plurality of personnel profiles accessible by the supervisor module.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein selecting a person according to a plurality of personnel profiles accessible by the supervisor module comprises selecting a person according to a skill set, a role, a certification, or a credential.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving data from an expert system comprises receiving an instruction to perform at least one of the following actions:

(i) observe and record a parameter;

(ii) inspect a process control device;

(iii) calibrate a process control device;

(iv) record an audio sample;

(v) capture an image or a video;

(vi) perform maintenance on a process control device;

(vii) repair a process control device;

(viii) replace a process control device;

or

(ix) adjust a process control parameter.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein creating a work item comprises creating a work item specifying a task and an equipment target related to the specified task, and further specifying at least one of the following:

(i) tools or equipment necessary to perform the specified task;

(ii) a priority level for the work item;

(iii) a required skill set necessary to perform the specified task;

(iv) a required start time and/or date;

or

(v) a required completion time and/or date.

15. A method according to claim 1, further comprising scheduling the execution of the work item.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein scheduling the execution of the work item comprises scheduling the execution of the work item according to at least one of the following:

(i) a scheduled route through the process plant associated with the selected person;

(ii) a scheduled delivery of input materials for a process executed by the process plant;

(iii) a scheduled delivery of a product produced by the process plant;

(iv) predicted weather conditions;

(v) a scheduled shipping time of a product produced by the process plant;

(vi) a predicted or scheduled completion time of a process of the process plant;

or

(vii) a predicted or scheduled arrival of tools, equipment, or parts necessary to complete the specified task.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item comprises storing the work item in a database from which personnel select a work item to execute.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item further comprises:

receiving from a device associated with a person a request to execute the work item; and

comparing a profile associated with the person to information stored in the work item to determine whether the person is qualified to execute the work item.

19. A process control system comprising:

a plurality of process control devices,

a big data historian storing sensor and parameter data of the process control system;

an expert system coupled to the big data historian and operable to analyze the data stored by the big data historian; and

a supervisor module coupled to the expert system and operable to assign tasks to personnel in the process plant, the supervisor engine configured to;

receive data from the expert system;

create a work item specifying a task according to the data received from the expert system;

select a person to execute the task specified in the work item;

send the work item to a device associated with the selected person; and

receive an indication that the selected person has accepted the work item.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein receiving data from the expert system comprises receiving data indicating a trend associated with a process parameter.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein receiving data from the expert system comprises receiving data indicating a predicted problem in the process plant.

22. A system according to claim 19, wherein receiving data from the expert system comprises receiving a request to provide the expert system with a parameter value.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein creating a work item specifying a task according to the data received from the expert system comprises creating a work item in which the specified task is to observe and record a parameter value that is not transmitted automatically from a device that senses the parameter.

24. A system according to claim 19, wherein receiving data from the expert system comprises receiving an instruction to perform a particular action with respect to a process control device.

25. A system according to claim 19, wherein creating a work item specifying a task according to the data received from the expert system comprises creating a work item in which the specified task is to perform a maintenance task, a calibration task, a replacement task, an inspection task, or a repair task.

26. A system according to claim 19, wherein creating a work item specifying a task comprises creating a work item specifying a task also comprises specifying an equipment target related to the specified task.

27. A system according to claim 26, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item comprises selecting a person according to location data received from a device associated with the selected person.

28. A system according to claim 19, the supervisor module further operable to create and store a permission token associated with the specified task, associated with a process control device associated with the specified task, or both, wherein the permission token is required in order for the selected person to perform the specified task on the process control device associated with the specified task.

29. A system according to claim 19, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item comprises selecting a person according to (1) (i) the task specified in the work item, (ii) a process control device associated with the specified task, or (iii) both, and (2) a plurality of personnel profiles accessible by the supervisor module.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein selecting a person according to a plurality of personnel profiles accessible by the supervisor module comprises selecting a person according to a skill set, a role, a certification, or a credential.

31. A system according to claim 19, wherein receiving data from the expert system comprises receiving an instruction to perform at least one of the following actions:

(i) observe and record a parameter;

(ii) inspect a process control device;

(iii) calibrate a process control device;

(iv) record an audio sample;

(v) capture an image or a video;

(vi) perform maintenance on a process control device;

(vii) repair a process control device;

(viii) replace a process control device;

or

(ix) adjust a process control parameter.

32. A system according to claim 19, wherein creating a work item comprises creating a work item specifying a task and an equipment target related to the specified task, and further specifying at least one of the following:

(i) tools or equipment necessary to perform the specified task;

(ii) a priority level for the work item;

(iii) a required skill set necessary to perform the specified task;

(iv) a required start time and/or date;

or

(v) a required completion time and/or date.

33. A system according to claim 19, wherein the supervisor module is further operable to schedule the execution of the work item.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein scheduling the execution of the work item comprises scheduling the execution of the work item according to at least one of the following:

(i) a scheduled route through the process plant associated with the selected person;

(ii) a scheduled delivery of input materials for a process executed by the process plant;

(iii) a scheduled delivery of a product produced by the process plant;

(iv) predicted weather conditions;

(v) a scheduled shipping time of a product produced by the process plant;

(vi) a predicted or scheduled completion time of a process of the process plant;

or

(vii) a predicted or scheduled arrival of tools, equipment, or parts necessary to complete the specified task.

35. A system according to claim 19, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item comprises storing the work item in a database from which personnel select a work item to execute.

36. A system according to claim 35, wherein selecting a person to execute the task specified in the work item further comprises:

receiving from a device associated with a person a request to execute the work item; and

comparing a profile associated with the person to information stored in the work item to determine whether the person is qualified to execute the work item.