Process control configuration system with connection validation and configuration

• US 7,089,530 B1
• Filed: 11/23/1999
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Volk, Scott, McKay, Brian, Meskonis, Paul, Hall, Robert, Johnson, Mark, Dardinski, Steven, Eldridge, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): INGBERG, TODD D
• Application Number:
  US09/448,223
• Time in Patent Office: 2,450 Days
• Field of Search: 717/108, 717/105, 717/126, 717/109, 700/83
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41845 characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23258 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23261 Use control template library
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24055 Trace, store a working, operation history
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24167 Encryption, password, user access privileges
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31104 Remote configuration of parameters of controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33125 System configuration, reconfiguration, customization, automatic
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Connection objects or other such data structures facilitate establishing and configuring connections between objects that model components in a process control system. A first set of data structures (e.g. the object connection type structures) identify valid types for component-to-component pairings and the respective roles of each component in the pairing (e.g., parent or child, source or sink). A second set of data structures (e.g., the parameter connection type structures) supply similar information for parameter-to-parameter connections. Together, these data structures can be used, for example, to validate component-to-component connections suggested by the user and to automatically configure parameter-to-parameter connections. Actual connections, both at the component or parameter level, are reflected using parameter overrides within the parameterized object model—with which the connection objects are constructed.

Claims

1. Apparatus for configuring a process control system, the apparatus executing on a digital data processor and comprising:

one or more objects, each representing an entity and each being associated with an object type,

each object being associated with one or more parameters that pertain to characteristics of the entity represented by the object, each parameter being associated with a parameter type,

at least one object, hereinafter referred to as a first connection object, identifying permissible combinations of object types that can form any of a parent/child relationship, a source/sink relationship, and other relationship,

at least one object, hereinafter referred to as a second connection object, identifying permissible combinations of parameter types that can form any of a parent/child relationship, a source/sink relationship, and other relationship,

the apparatus validating a potential relationship between objects by comparing the object types with which they are associated with permissible relationships identified by the first connection object, and

the apparatus establishing a relationship between one or more parameters of one or more objects for which a potential relationship has been validated, the relationship between parameters being established by comparing the types of those parameters with the types identified by the second connection object.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus establishes validates a potential relationship between objects selected by a user.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first connection object specifies a role that one or more object types may serve in a relationship, the roles including (i) any of source and sink in a source/sink relationship, and (ii) any of parent and child in a parent/child relationship, and

the second connection object specifies a role that one or more parameter types may serve in a relationship, the roles including (i) any of source and sink in a source/sink relationship, and (ii) any of parent and child in a parent/child relationship.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parent/child relationship is indicative of any of a hierarchical and a containment relationship between parameters.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first connection object specifies a role that an object may serve in a parent/child relationship, the roles including any of a parent role and a child role.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first connection object identifies, for an object that may serve in a parent role, a capacity of that object to support relationships with objects that serve in a child role.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the first connection object identifies, for an object that may serve in a child role, any of a weight and other quantitative attribute, hereinafter referred collectively referred to a weight, associated with that object, and

the first connection object identifies, for an object that may serve in a parent role, a capacity in weight of that object to support relationships with objects that serve in a child role.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the source/sink relationship is indicative of a peer-to-peer relationship between parameters.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second connection object specifies a role that an object may serve in a source/sink relationship, the roles including any of a source role and a sink role.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second connection object identifies, for a parameter that may serve in a source role, any of a minimum and maximum number of relationships that parameter may establish with parameters that serve in a sink role.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second connection object identifies, for a parameter that may serve in a sink role, any of a minimum and maximum number of relationships that parameter may establish with parameters that serve in a source role.

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first connection object identifying validated relationships established between objects, and

the second connection object identifying validated relationships established between parameters.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an object represents an entity within any of (i) a controlled system, (ii) the control system, (iii) a control level hierarchy, and (iv) the apparatus for configuring the control system.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an entity includes any of a field device, control processor, block, loop, compound, historian, object type category, display placeholder, graphical display entity, and report.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein each parameter has one or more attributes, and wherein the attributes of a parameter define any of the following with the respect to the characteristic to which the parameter pertains:

name, grouping, display label, data type, behavior, help information, edit type, data value range, data value, formula definition, and display format.

16. A method for configuring a control system, the method comprising executing on a digital data processor the steps of:

representing one or more entities with objects, each being associated with an object type,

each object being associated with one or more parameters that pertain to characteristics of the entity represented by the object, each parameter being associated with a parameter type,

identifying, with at least one object, hereinafter referred to as first connection object,

permissible combinations of object types that can form any of a parent/child relationship, a source/sink relationship, and other relationship,

identifying, with at least one, hereinafter referred to as a second connection object, permissible combinations of parameter types that can form any of a parent/child relationship, a source/sink relationship, and other relationship,

validating a potential relationship between objects by comparing the object types with which they are associated with permissible relationships identified by the first connection object, and

establishing a relationship between one or more parameters of one or more objects for which a potential relationship has been validated, the relationship between parameters being established by comparing the types of those parameters with the types identified by the second connection object.

17. A method according to claim 16, comprising the step of establishing validates a potential relationship between objects selected by a user.

18. A method according to claim 16, comprising the steps of

specifying, with the first connection object, a role that one or more object types may serve in a relationship, the roles including (i) any of source and sink in a source/sink relationship, and (ii) any of parent and child in a parent/child relationship, and

specifying, with the second connection object, a role that one or more parameter types may serve in a relationship, the roles including (i) any of source and sink in a source/sink relationship, and (ii) any of parent and child in a parent/child relationship.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the parent/child relationship is indicative of any of a hierarchical and a containment relationship between parameters.

20. A method according to claim 19, comprising the step of specifying, with the first connection object, a role that an object may serve in a parent/child relationship, the roles including any of a parent role and a child role.

21. A method according to claim 20, comprising the step of identifying, for an object that may serve in a parent role, a capacity of that object to support relationships with objects that serve in a child role.

22. A method according to claim 20, wherein

identifying, for an object that may serve in a child role, any of a weight and other quantitative, hereinafter referred collectively referred to a weight, associated with that object, and

identifying, for an object that may serve in a parent role, a capacity in weight of that object to support relationships with objects that serve in a child role.

23. A method according to claim 16, wherein the source/sink relationship is indicative of a peer-to-peer relationship between parameters.

24. A method according to claim 23, comprising the step of specifying, with the second connection object, a role that an object may serve in a source/sink relationship, the roles including any of a source role and a sink role.

25. A method according to claim 24, comprising the step of identifying, for a parameter that may serve in a source role, any of a minimum and maximum number of relationships that parameter may establish with parameters that serve in a sink role.

26. A method according to claim 24, comprising the step of identifying, for a parameter that may serve in a sink role, any of a minimum and maximum number of relationships that parameter may establish with parameters that serve in a source role.

27. A method according to claim 16, wherein

identifying, with the first connection object, validated relationships established between objects, and

identifying, with the second connection object, validated relationships established between parameters.

28. A method according to claim 16, wherein an object represents an entity within any of (i) a controlled system, (ii) the control system, (iii) a control level hierarchy, and (iv) an apparatus for configuring the control system.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein an entity includes any of a field device, control processor, block, loop, compound, historian, object type category, display placeholder, graphical display entity, and report.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein each parameter has one or more attributes, and wherein the attributes of a parameter define any of the following with the respect to the characteristic to which the parameter pertains:

name, grouping, display label, data type, behavior, help information, edit type, data value range, data value, formula definition, and display format.