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Process control system with on-line reconfigurable modules

  • US 4,965,742 A
  • Filed: 09/30/1987
  • Issued: 10/23/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1987
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:

  • (1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in materials being processed, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process;

    (2) controlling one or more of said actuators with a process controller in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with one or more control parameters;

    (3) running a process supervisor procedure comprising one or more software modules, for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controller;

    (4) selectively presenting a functional structure to a user, for a new software module for said process supervisor procedure and/or a functional structure corresponding to the user input from which a current software module of said process supervisor procedure was generated, and selectively loading the user input from said functional structure to be used by said process supervisor procedure;

    wherein step (4) of presenting a functional structure includes presenting standardized data interface definitions further comprising the step (5) of enabling each said software module to perform the steps ofgetting data from any one of a plurality of data collection and/or process control systemsand/or sending process control parameters to any one of a plurality of data collection and/or process controls systemswithout the user explicitly defining any custom data interfacing procedures.

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