Control systems and methods with smart blocks

• US 8,028,275 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• 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, Burke, Kenneth A., Meskonis, Paul, Hall, Robert, Johnson, Mark, Dardinski, Steven, Mackay, Brian, Eldridge, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US12/265,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20090118846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 700 17- 18, 700 83- 87, 717/108, 717/110, 717/116, 717/121
• US Class Current: 717/121
• 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 2219/23255 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 2219/24055 Trace, store a working, operation history
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24167 Encryption, password, user access privileges
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25067 Graphic configuration control system
• 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: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• 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 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for configuring process, environmental, industrial and other control systems generate and/or utilize models representing configurations of control systems and/or the systems controlled by them. Records of changes to the models or the configurations represented by them are maintained, thereby, for example, providing bases for determining current states, prior states and histories of changes. Objects in the model have characteristics, such as an object type characteristic and an area characteristic. Users can have corresponding permissions. A security mechanism apparatus controls access by users to the objects. Composite objects are defined by definition objects and are displayed in encapsulated or expanded formats. Objects can include an edit control type identifier that determines how they are presented for editing. Functionality responds to user commands by transferring characteristics of a first object depicted by the graphical user interface to a second object. Configuration-time formulas contained objects are evaluated to constants prior to downloading to the control system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising

a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system and a system controlled thereby,

at least a selected object having a value that is represented by a formula,

a functionality that downloads at least a portion of the selected object to the control system,

the functionality evaluating the formula and downloading the evaluated formula to the control system as at least part of the portion of the selected object downloaded to the control system.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the formula includes any of a mathematical operation and a mathematical function.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the functionality evaluates to a constant the formula that includes the mathematical operation.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the formula includes a reference to an object characteristic other than the formula.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the functionality evaluates to a constant the formula that includes the reference to the object characteristic other than the formula.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 adapted for configuring a process control system, wherein the formula includes references to objects modeling any of blocks, compounds, loops and input/output tags.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an editor that facilitates any of entry and editing of any of a formula and a constant.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the editor facilitates specification of a formula through selection of any of an object, an object characteristic and a mathematical function.

9. An apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising

a database that maintains a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the objects having values,

one or more of the values being formulas,

one or more of the values being constants,

a digital data processor that downloads at least selected ones of the objects to the control system and that evaluates to constants at least selected ones of the formulas prior to downloading them to the control system.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the formula includes any of a mathematical operation and a mathematical function.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the formula includes a reference to an object characteristic other than the formula.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 adapted for configuring a process control system, wherein the formula includes references to objects modeling any of blocks, compounds, loops and input/output tags.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, comprising an editor that facilitates any of entry and editing of any of a formula and a constant.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the editor facilitates specification of a formula through selection of any of an object, an object characteristic and a mathematical function.

15. An apparatus for configuring a control system, comprising

a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system and a system controlled thereby, each object having one or more parameters identifying characteristics of the entity represented by the respective object, each parameter having a value attribute and zero, one or more other attributes,

at least one object parameter having a value attribute that is a constant value attribute,

at least one object parameter having a value attribute that is a formula that refers to any of a mathematical operation, a mathematical function, or to another object parameter,

a functionality, coupled to any of a database and an editor, that downloads at least aspects of selected objects to the control system and that downloads at least selected value attributes therewith,

wherein formula value attributes are evaluated prior to download.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the formula value attribute is evaluated to a constant prior to download.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, adapted for configuration of a process control system wherein at least one formula attribute includes references an object that models any of a block, compound, loop and input/output tags.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the attributes other than the value attribute define any of a parameter name, grouping, display label, data type, behavior, help information, edit type, data value range, and display format.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, comprising an editor coupled to the database that facilitates any of entry and editing of at least the value attributes.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the editor facilitates specification of a formula through selection of any of an object, an object characteristic and a mathematical function.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the functionality invokes the editor in order to evaluate the formula value attributes.

22. A method for configuring a control system, comprising the steps of

maintaining a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system and a system controlled thereby, at least a selected object having a value that is represented by a formula,

downloading at least a portion of the selected object to the control system,

the downloading step including evaluating the formula and downloading the evaluated formula to the control system as at least part of the portion of the selected object downloaded to the control system.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the formula includes any of a mathematical operation and a mathematical function.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the evaluating step includes evaluating to a constant the formula that includes the mathematical operation.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein the formula includes a reference to an object characteristic other than the formula.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the evaluating step includes evaluating to a constant the formula that includes the reference to the object characteristic other than the formula.

27. The method according to claim 25 adapted for configuring a process control system, wherein the formula includes references to objects modeling any of blocks, compounds, loops and input/output tags.

28. The apparatus according to claim 22, comprising providing an editor that facilitates any of entry and editing of any of a formula and a constant.

29. The method according to claim 28, facilitating with the editor specification of a formula through selection of any of an object, an object characteristic and a mathematical function.

30. A method for configuring a control system, comprising the steps of

maintaining a database that includes a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system and a system controlled thereby, the objects having values, one or more of the values being formulas, one or more of the values being constants, and

downloading with a digital data processor at least selected ones of the constants to the control system and evaluating to constants at least selected ones of the formulas prior to downloading them to the control system.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the formula includes any of a mathematical operation and a mathematical function.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein the formula includes a reference to an object characteristic other than the formula.

33. The method according to claim 32 adapted for configuring a process control system, wherein the formula includes references to objects modeling any of blocks, compounds, loops and input/output tags.

34. The method according to claim 30, comprising providing an editor that facilitates any of entry and editing of any of a formula and a constant.

35. The method according to claim 34, facilitating with the editor specification of a formula through selection of any of an object, an object characteristic and a mathematical function.

36. A method for configuring a control system, comprising the steps of

maintaining a plurality of objects representing entities in any of the control system and a system controlled thereby, each object having one or more parameters identifying characteristics of the entity represented by the respective object, each parameter having a value attribute and zero, one or more other attributes,

at least one object parameter having a value attribute that is a constant value attribute,

at least one object parameter having a value attribute that is a formula that refers to any of a mathematical operation, a mathematical function, or to another object parameter,

downloading at least aspects of selected objects to the control system and downloading at least selected value attributes therewith,

evaluating formula value attributes prior to downloading them to the control system.

37. The method according to claim 36, comprising evaluating the formula to a constant prior to download.

38. The method according to claim 36, adapted for configuration of a process control system wherein at least one formula attribute includes references an object that models any of a block, compound, loop and input/output tags.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein the attributes other than the value attribute define any of a parameter name, grouping, display label, data type, behavior, help information, edit type, data value range, and display format.

40. The method according to claim 36, comprising providing an editor that facilitates any of entry and editing of at least the value attributes.

41. The method according to claim 40, facilitating with the editor specification of a formula through selection of any of an object, an object characteristic and a mathematical function.

42. The method according to claim 40, comprising invoking the editor in order to evaluate the formula value attributes.