Method and systems for a graphical real time flow task scheduler

• US 6,323,882 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Software, LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Simulation Sciences, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Jerome, David H., Linn, Richard Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/193,763
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 345/335, 345/333, 345/334, 345/336, 345/349, 345/348, 345/905, 345/967, 345/762, 345/765, 345/744, 345/835, 345/839, 700/17, 700/86, 700/87, 700/83
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32244 By using graphical display of array and selecting elements, rearrange them
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 for process control and configuration

Abstract

A system and method of creating and using a graphical task scheduler. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) allows a user to graphically build a real time flow task scheduler by providing a “click & drag” functional palette which contains graphical flow chart elements. By creating this graphical flow chart, the user is able to associate a plant layout, or any subpart of the entire plant, to its associated mathematical model. With a graphical flow chart, the user can define one or more exit branches for each task. For tasks with more than one exit branch, the user can specify the conditions causing the sequence to use each branch. Once the flow chart is set up, it can be used as a sequence editor or scheduler. The sequence editor defines the sequence of tasks that will be performed by an on-line application, such as optimization, and also allows scheduling of the on-line application at specific times or periodic intervals. The scheduler controls the running of each sequence based on the scheduling information. Once a plant has been optimized by the graphical task scheduler, the optimized data may be used to control plant operations.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing and controlling a material processing system, the method comprising the acts of:

creating a series of sequences with a graphical user interface by selecting and placing a plurality of tasks in a specified relationship, wherein the plurality of tasks define functions to be performed for optimizing and controlling the material processing system;

defining a start time, a duration, and a frequency of operation of at least one of said sequences;

automatically activating said at least one sequence at the defined start time;

performing a specified function as defined by at least one of the plurality of tasks following the duration of said at least one sequence at least partly in response to a measurement point related to the operation of the material processing system;

detecting a steady state condition; and

calculating a next run-time of at least one of said sequences.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the series of sequences represents a mathematical model of the material processing system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mathematical model is used to optimize the material processing system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of controlling the material processing system using the optimized mathematical model.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the series of sequences transmits control signals to a process control network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the process control network controls the material processing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of tasks comprises an input branch and at least one output branch.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of tasks has a plurality of output branches.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of selecting one of said plurality of output branches.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one of said plurality of output branches is selected at least partly based upon results of a conditional operation.

11. A real time graphical task scheduler including branching logic stored on a computer readable media for simulating and controlling material processing systems comprising:

a graphical user interface having a plurality of task icons representing a plurality of tasks;

means for placing a first task in a sequence by selection of a first task icon in the graphical user interface;

means for associating a second task having a plurality of output branches to the first task by selection and connection of a second task icon to the first task icon in the graphical user interface; and

means for selecting one of the plurality of output branches of the second task, where the means includes branching logic adapted to select an output branch at least in part by detection of a steady state condition that is unlikely to produce a valid condition.

12. The real time graphical task scheduler of claim 11, wherein the placing means uses a pointing device.

13. The real time graphical task scheduler of claim 11, wherein the sequence may be scheduled to begin at a predefined time.

14. The real time graphical task scheduler of claim 11, wherein the selecting means is based upon a conditional statement defined in one of the plurality of tasks.