Smart process modules and objects in process plants

• US 7,146,231 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2002
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark, Ramachandran, Ram, Lucas, Michael, Schleiss, Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US10/278,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 700/1, 700 19- 20, 700/17, 700/83, 700 86- 89, 700 29- 30, 700/113, 700/114, 700/115, 707/1, 702/19, 702/122, 703/16, 703/23
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23255 Object oriented programming, OOP
• 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 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An operator interface within a process plant includes an execution engine that implements process flow modules made up of interconnected smart process objects that are aware of devices and other entities within the plant and that can perform methods to detect conditions within the plant, especially on a system-level basis. The smart process objects include a display element to be displayed to the operator, data storage for storing data pertaining to and/or received from an associated entity within a plant, inputs and outputs for communicating with other smart process objects and methods that may be executed on the stored and received data to detect plant conditions, including system-level conditions, such as leaks, errors and other conditions. Process flow modules, which may be made up of numerous interconnected smart process objects, may also include flow algorithms associated therewith to calculate mass balances, flows, etc. for the process elements within the process flow modules.

Claims

1. A smart process object entity for use in viewing and providing functionality in a process plant having a processor, the smart process object entity comprising:

a computer readable memory;

an object stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor, the object including;

a parameter memory storage adapted to store entity parameter data pertaining to an associated process entity during execution of the object on the processor;

a graphic representation depicting the associated process entity and adapted to be displayed to an operator on a display device during execution of the object on the processor;

one or more parameter data inputs or outputs; and

a method adapted to be executed on the processor to perform a function using the entity parameter data to produce an output related to operation of the associated process entity.

2. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameter data inputs or outputs includes a parameter data input adapted to received parameter data from another object executed by the processor within the process plant.

3. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the method is an error detection method adapted to detect an error for the associated process entity.

4. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the method is an alarm generation method adapted to generate an alarm.

5. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the method includes an algorithm for detecting a leak.

6. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the method includes a model for modeling behavior of the associated process entity.

7. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object further includes a tag adapted to be used to provide communication with the object when the object is executed on the processor.

8. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the tag may include an alias that is filled in or provided during runtime of the object.

9. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object further includes a status indication.

10. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object further includes a mode indication and is adapted to perform differently based on the value of the mode indication.

11. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object includes one or more predefined connection points for the graphic representation that specify one or more locations at which other elements may be attached to the graphic representation within a display.

12. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object includes one or more predefined data displays associated with the graphic representation that indicate entity parameter data to be displayed as part of the graphic representation within a display when the object is executed on the processor.

13. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameter data inputs or outputs includes a first parameter data output adapted to provide parameter data to another object executed by the processor.

14. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object includes a link to documentation for the associated process entity.

15. The smart process object entity of claim 1, wherein the object is associated with a connector within the process plant and the object includes an indication of a type of material which flows through the connector.

16. The smart process object entity of claim 15, wherein the indication is an indication of a fluid.

17. The smart process object entity of claim 16, wherein the indication is an indication of a gas.

18. The smart process object entity of claim 15, wherein the method includes an algorithm that models material flow through the connector.

19. The smart process object entity of claim 15, wherein the method is adapted to perform a conversion on units of material flowing through the connector.

20. The smart process object entity of claim 15, wherein the object includes an indication of the direction of material flow through the connector.

21. A process flow module system for use in a process plant having a processor and having a control system that performs process control activities within the process plant, the process flow module system comprising:

a computer readable memory;

a configuration application stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to create a process flow module as one or more interconnected smart process objects, each smart process object including a parameter memory storage adapted to store entity parameter data pertaining to an associated process entity, a graphic representation depicting the associated process entity adapted to be displayed to an operator on a display device, and one or more inputs or outputs, at least one of the smart process objects including a method adapted to perform a function using the entity parameter data to produce an output related to process operation; and

an execution engine stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor which executes the process flow module during operation of the process plant to provide a graphic associated with the process flow module and adapted execute the method to perform the function.

22. The process flow module system of claim 21, further including a library stored on the computer readable memory, the library including a plurality of template smart process objects and wherein the configuration application is adapted to allow a user to use the template smart process objects to create the process flow module.

23. The process flow module system of claim 21, further including a rules database stored on the computer readable memory and wherein the execution engine uses the rules database to execute functionality associated with the process flow module.

24. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein the configuration application is adapted to allow a user to associate a flow algorithm with the process flow module, wherein the flow algorithm uses the smart process objects to perform flow analysis during execution of the process flow module.

25. The process flow module system of claim 24, wherein the flow algorithm is adapted to perform mass balance calculations.

26. The process flow module system of claim 24, wherein the flow algorithm is adapted to perform flow tracking calculations.

27. The process flow module system of claim 24, wherein the flow algorithm is adapted to perform flow optimization calculations for the process plant.

28. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the smart process objects includes an alarm method adapted to generate an alarm.

29. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the smart process objects is associated with a connector within the process plant.

30. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the smart process objects is associated with a device and is configured to receive device parameter data from the device during execution of the process flow module.

31. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein each of the one or more smart process objects includes a tag used to provide communications with respect to the smart process object.

32. The process flow module system of claim 31, wherein the tag includes an alias adapted to be specified during runtime of the process.

33. The process flow module system of claim 21, further including a connection matrix defining connections between different process entities represented by the smart process objects in the process flow module.

34. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein the configuration application is adapted to create a second process flow module and wherein the execution engine is adapted to execute the process flow module and the second process flow module to interact with each other.

35. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein one or more of the smart process objects includes a tag having an alias therein and further including an alias specification routine used to specify the alias during operation of the execution engine.

36. The process flow module system of claim 21, wherein the alias specification routine is a route selection routine adapted to select a route of flow through the process plant.

37. A process flow tracking system for use in a process plant having a process control system embedded in one or more controllers and further having a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more controllers, the process flow tracking system comprising:

a computer readable memory;

a process flow module stored on the computer readable memory including a plurality of interconnected objects representing different entities within the process plant and adapted to receive data pertaining to the different entities within the process plant and to display to a user a representation of the different entities within the process plant as interconnected within the process flow module; and

one or more flow algorithms stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to interact with the process flow module to perform flow analysis for the different entities within the process plant as interconnected within the process flow module.

38. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the one or more flow algorithms are adapted to perform mass balance calculations for the different entities within the process plant as interconnected within the process flow module.

39. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the one or more flow algorithms are adapted to perform flow tracking calculations for the different entities within the process plant as interconnected within the process flow module.

40. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the one or more flow algorithms are adapted to perform flow optimization calculations for the different entities within the process plant as interconnected within the process flow module.

41. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the one or more flow algorithms are adapted to perform economic calculations related to flow through the different entities within the process plant as interconnected within the process flow module.

42. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the one or more flow algorithms are associated with the process flow module and are executed as part of the process flow module.

43. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the process flow module includes a status indicating a condition associated with the operation of the process flow module.

44. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein the process flow module includes a mode indication and is adapted to operate in different manners according to the mode indication.

45. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, wherein one or more of the interconnected objects includes a parameter memory storage adapted to store entity parameter data pertaining to an associated process entity, a graphic representation depicting the associated process entity to be displayed to an operator on a display device and a method adapted to be executed to perform a function using the entity parameter data to produce an output related to process operation.

46. The process flow tracking system of claim 37, including a plurality of process flow modules each process flow module including a plurality of interconnected objects representing different entities within the process plant and adapted to receive data pertaining to the different entities within the process plant and to display a representation of the entities within the process plant as connected within the process flow modules and a rules database that stores the one or more flow algorithms and that implements the one or more flow algorithms on each of the plurality of process flow modules.

47. A connector object entity for use in viewing and providing functionality in a process plant having a processor, the connector object entity comprising:

a computer readable memory;

an object stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor, the object including;

a parameter memory storage adapted to store entity parameter data pertaining to a connector entity within the process plant;

a graphic representation depicting the associated connector entity and adapted to be displayed to an operator on a display device during execution of the object on the processor; and

one or more inputs and one or more outputs adapted to be connected to other objects representing devices within the process plant to receive or send data pertaining to the flow through the connector entity within the process plant.

48. The connector object entity of claim 47, wherein the object includes an indication of the type of material which flows through the connector entity within the process plant.

49. The connector object entity of claim 48, wherein the indication of the type of material is an indication of a fluid.

50. The connector object entity of claim 49, wherein the indication of the type of material is an indication of a gas.

51. The connector object entity of claim 48, wherein the indication of the type of material is an indication of electricity.

52. The connector object entity of claim 47, wherein the object includes an algorithm that models material flow through the connector.

53. The connector object entity of claim 47, wherein the object includes an algorithm adapted to perform a conversion on units of material flowing through the connector entity within the process plant.

54. The connector object entity of claim 47, wherein the object includes an indication of the direction of material flow through the connector entity within the process plant.

55. The connector object entity of claim 47, wherein the object includes a tag used to provide communications with respect to the object.

56. The connector object entity of claim 55, wherein the tag include an alias adapted to be specified during runtime of the process plant.

57. A process flow database for use in a process plant having a processor and having a control system that performs process control activities within the process plant, the process flow database comprising:

a plurality of smart process objects, each smart process object including a parameter memory storage adapted to store entity parameter data pertaining to an associated process entity, a graphic representation depicting the associated process entity adapted to be displayed to an operator on a display device, and one or more inputs or outputs, and at least one of the smart process objects including a method adapted to perform a function using the entity parameter data to produce an output related to process operation; and

one or more process flow modules defining an interconnected set of the smart process objects, each process flow module having an associated graphical view to be depicted on a user interface defined in accordance with the graphic representations of the smart process objects.

58. The process flow database of claim 57, wherein two of the process flow modules define an interconnected set of the smart process objects including the same smart process object, to provide different graphical views to be depicted on a user interface using the same smart process object.

59. The process flow database of claim 58, wherein the same smart process object specified by the two of the process flow modules includes a tag having an alias.

60. The process flow database of claim 59, further including a routine that specifies a tag name for the alias after creation of the two of the process flow modules.

61. The process flow database of claim 60, wherein the routine is a route selection routine that specifies a route through different process entities of the process plant.