System and method for real-time activity-based accounting
First Claim
1. A real-time activity based accounting system including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code therein, for a manufacturing plant having at least one manufacturing process, said accounting system comprising:
- a plurality of sub-plant accounting modules configurable to receive process data from a plurality of sensors associated with the manufacturing process, the plurality of sensors configured to detect a plurality of mutually distinct process variables of the manufacturing process;
the plurality of sensors selected from the group consisting of flow meters, weight sensors, volume sensors, velocity sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, analytical measurement devices, counters, voltage sensors, current sensors, meters, timers, valves, switches, data logging devices, and combinations thereof;
said sub-plant accounting modules including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code therein for calculating a plurality of sub-plant accounting measures using the process data of the plurality of mutually distinct process variables, and for generating journal entries for posting to an accounting module wherein appropriate accounts are debited and credited;
a process historian coupled to said sub-plant accounting modules;
a translation module coupled to said process historian;
the translation module configured to receive and aggregate the plurality of sub-plant accounting measures;
a production model accounting database having a plurality of sections configured for modeling the manufacturing process in the manufacturing plant;
the production model accounting database configured to receive and selectively place the aggregated accounting measures, including the journal entries, from said translation module into said plurality of sections in real-time; and
an accounting port operatively associated with said production model accounting database, said accounting port being couplable with the accounting module, wherein the accounting system is configured to supply real-time, aggregated data from the production model database to the accounting module;
wherein the accounting system is configured to move data along a hierarchically upward data path from the sensors, to the sub-plant accounting modules, to the process historian, the translation module, the production model accounting database, and the accounting port, to the accounting module.
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Abstract
An accounting method and system is disclosed that provides for real time financial accounting of plant performance at a sub-plant level. A multiplicity of process variable transmitters is utilized to sense, in real time, the current state of the processes and process equipment used in a manufacturing plant. Sub-plant accounting modules utilize the sensed process data to calculate a plurality of sub-plant accounting measures, which are stored in one or more real time plant historian. The accounting measures are typically converted to a suitable format and subsequently stored in a production model accounting database where they are accessible to an accounting module.
34 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A real-time activity based accounting system including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code therein, for a manufacturing plant having at least one manufacturing process, said accounting system comprising:
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a plurality of sub-plant accounting modules configurable to receive process data from a plurality of sensors associated with the manufacturing process, the plurality of sensors configured to detect a plurality of mutually distinct process variables of the manufacturing process; the plurality of sensors selected from the group consisting of flow meters, weight sensors, volume sensors, velocity sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, analytical measurement devices, counters, voltage sensors, current sensors, meters, timers, valves, switches, data logging devices, and combinations thereof; said sub-plant accounting modules including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code therein for calculating a plurality of sub-plant accounting measures using the process data of the plurality of mutually distinct process variables, and for generating journal entries for posting to an accounting module wherein appropriate accounts are debited and credited; a process historian coupled to said sub-plant accounting modules; a translation module coupled to said process historian; the translation module configured to receive and aggregate the plurality of sub-plant accounting measures; a production model accounting database having a plurality of sections configured for modeling the manufacturing process in the manufacturing plant; the production model accounting database configured to receive and selectively place the aggregated accounting measures, including the journal entries, from said translation module into said plurality of sections in real-time; and an accounting port operatively associated with said production model accounting database, said accounting port being couplable with the accounting module, wherein the accounting system is configured to supply real-time, aggregated data from the production model database to the accounting module; wherein the accounting system is configured to move data along a hierarchically upward data path from the sensors, to the sub-plant accounting modules, to the process historian, the translation module, the production model accounting database, and the accounting port, to the accounting module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A real-time activity based accounting system for a manufacturing plant having at least one manufacturing process, said accounting system comprising:
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a plurality of process variable transmitters coupled to process equipment in the manufacturing plant for providing process data from a plurality of sensors associated with the manufacturing process, the plurality of sensors configured to detect a plurality of mutually distinct process variables of the manufacturing process; the plurality of sensors selected from the group consisting of flow meters, weight sensors, volume sensors, velocity sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, analytical measurement devices, counters, voltage sensors, current sensors, meters, timers, valves, switches, data logging devices, and combinations thereof; a plurality of sub-plant accounting modules configured to receive process data from one or more of said process variable transmitters; said sub-plant accounting modules including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code therein for calculating one or more sub-plant accounting measures from the process data of the plurality of mutually distinct process variables, and for generating journal entries for posting to an accounting module wherein appropriate accounts are debited and credited; a process historian module, coupled to at least one of said plurality of sub-plant accounting modules; a translation module coupled to said process historian, said translation module including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code therein for formatting the sub-plant accounting measures stored in said process historian module into a suitable format; the translation module configured to receive and aggregate the plurality of sub-plant accounting measures; a production model accounting database having a plurality of sections configured for modeling the manufacturing process in the manufacturing plant; the production model accounting database configured for selectively receiving, storing and partitioning the aggregated accounting measures, including the journal entries, from said translation module into said plurality of sections in real-time; and an accounting module coupled to said production model accounting database, said accounting module configured to receive aggregated data from the production model database, to provide accounting and reporting functionality for the manufacturing process in real-time; wherein the accounting system is configured to move data along a hierarchically upward data path from the sensors, to the sub-plant accounting modules, to the process historian, the translation module, the production model accounting database, and the accounting port, to the accounting module.
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Specification