Process control system user interface including selection of multiple control languages

• US 5,801,942 A
• Filed: 04/12/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark, Webb, Arthur, Lucas, Mike, Havekost, Robert B., Jundt, Larry O., Stevenson, Dennis, Ott, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US08/631,517
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 364/188, 364/146, 364/133, 364/191, 364/192, 364/136, 364/140.01, 364/152, 364/900, 395/700, 395/800, 395/650, 395/50, 395/200.02
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13133 Select control languages out of FB RLL or RLD, SFC, ST
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13144 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, OI operator interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13145 Graphical input of network of symbols, simulation on screen, translate to machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13148 Object oriented programming

Abstract

A process control system includes a user interface which supports multiple IEC-1131 standard control languages and user-selection from among the control languages. From a single application routine, a user selects a control language from among a plurality of control languages including, for example, Function Blocks, Sequential Function Charts, Ladder Logic and Structured Text, to implement a control strategy.

Claims

1. A process control system for controlling a process according to a control strategy, the process control system comprising:

a computer system including a processor, an input interface and a display coupled to the process;

a field device coupled to the process;

a controller coupled to the field device and communicatively coupled to the computer system; and

a software system including;

an interactive, user-directed process configuration program including a plurality of control language editors for selecting the control strategy using a control language selected from a plurality of control languages, the process configuration program creating an executable control module and downloading the executable control module selectively among the computer system, the field device, and the controller; and

an executable control module selectively created, downloaded and executed, the control module being configurable by the process configuration program to configure a control language execution engine.

2. A process control system according to claim 1 wherein the control language editors are selected from the group of control language editors including:

a function block editor;

a sequential function chart editor;

a ladder logic editor; and

a structured text editor.

3. A process control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the software system is distributed among the processor and the controller including;

an interactive input and display routine executable on the processor, and

a plurality of control language execution engines executable on the controller for implementing respective languages of the plurality of control languages.

4. A process control system according to claim 1 wherein the control strategy is defined by a plurality of control modules that operate on the process.

5. A process control system according to claim 4 wherein a control module includes a plurality of attributes that define operational parameters and the software system further includes a module editor and an attribute editor for defining the control strategy.

6. A process control system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of field devices coupled to the process;

a plurality of controllers coupled to the field devices and communicatively coupled to the computer system; and

a software system including;

a plurality of control modules selectively installable and operative on the controllers, the control modules being configurable by the process configuration program to configure a control language execution engine.

7. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein implementing the software system according to claim 1.

8. A process control system comprising:

a field device;

a controller coupled to the field device;

a workstation coupled to the controller and having an interactive input interface and a display; and

a software system including;

a user interface responsive to the interactive input interface for interfacing the process control system to a user;

a routine for implementing a control strategy for the process control system, the control strategy being selectively apportioned into a plurality of control modules and selectively distributed among the field device, the controller, and the workstation; and

an interactive, user-directed process configuration program including a plurality of control language editors for selecting the control strategy using a control language selected from a plurality of control languages, the process configuration program selectively creating the control modules implementing the control strategy, selectively apportioning the control modules, and selectively distributing the control modules among the field device, the controller, and the workstation for executing the control strategy.

9. A process control system according to claim 8 wherein the control language editors are selected from the group of control language editors including:

a function block editor;

a sequential function chart editor;

a ladder logic editor; and

a structured text editor.

10. A process control system according to claim 8 further comprising:

a plurality of field devices;

a plurality of controllers coupled to the field devices, wherein;

the software system is distributed among the workstation and the plurality of controllers and includes;

an interactive input and display routine executable on the workstation, and

a plurality of control language execution engines selectively created, apportioned, distributed, and executable on the plurality of controllers for implementing the plurality of control languages.

11. A process control system according to claim 8 wherein a control module includes a plurality of attributes that define operational parameters and the software system further includes a module editor and an attribute editor for defining the control strategy.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein implementing the software system according to claim 8.

13. A process control system for controlling a plurality of field devices of multiple different field device types, the process control system comprising:

a plurality of controllers coupled to the field devices; and

a software system including;

a user interface for interfacing the process control system to a user;

a plurality of control modules selectively created, downloaded, and executed on ones of the plurality of controllers, the software system for communicating with the multiple different field device types and for controlling the multiple different field devices independently of control of control modules in other field devices; and

an interactive, user-directed process configuration program including a plurality of control language editors for selectively installing and configuring the control modules using a control language selected from a plurality of control languages.

14. A process control system according to claim 13 wherein the control language editors are selected from the group of control language editors including:

a function block editor;

a sequential function chart editor;

a ladder logic editor; and

a structured text editor.

15. A process control system according to claim 13 wherein:

the software system is distributed among the user interface and the plurality of controllers and includes;

an interactive input and display routine executable on the user interface, and

a plurality of control language execution engines executable on the controllers for implementing the plurality of control languages.

16. A process control system according to claim 13 wherein a control module is a container class having instances that are collections of objects and includes a plurality of attributes that define operational parameters and the software system further includes a module editor for creating, editing, re-using, and distributing the control modules among the controllers and an attribute editor for defining the control strategy.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein implementing the software system according to claim 13.

18. A method for configuring a process control environment, the process control environment including a computer system having a processor coupled to a display device, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of instructional sections, an instructional section setting forth information relating to configuring the process control environment;

selecting a control language editor for defining a process control environment configuration;

activating the selected control language editor;

displaying, on the display device, a sequence of configuration screen presentations relating to the instruction sections as directed in terms of the selected control language editor; and

guiding a user through the configuration of the process control environment via the sequence of configuration screen presentations;

interactively creating a plurality of independent control modules;

configuring the plurality of control modules to create a control strategy;

transferring the control strategy to a selected controller executing a control language execution engine corresponding to the selected control language editor, the selected controller executing the control strategy independently of execution of other control strategies.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the control language editors are selected from the group of control language editors including:

a function block editor;

a sequential function chart editor;

a ladder logic editor; and

a structured text editor.

20. A method according to claim 18 wherein the control module configuring operation includes:

defining an algorithm; and

gathering information relating to alarms, events, history, condition, help, components, and attributes.

21. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein implementing the method according to claim 18.