Process control system with a charging function

• US 8,086,325 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2004
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Fischer, Detlef, Glaser, Martin, Kaiser, Oliver, Schoch, Thomas, Speh, Rainer, Unkelbach, Michael, Wagner, Steffen, Walz, Horst, Sauer, Hans-Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Sunray
• Application Number:
  US10/763,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,895 Days
• Field of Search: 700/1, 700/67, 700/83, 710/11, 709/229, 705/51, 705/53
• US Class Current: 700/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31408 Cost calculation of use of certain machine types
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention relates to a process control system comprising a calculating unit enabling a charge value (W) to be determined from operations occurring in the process control system. Preferably, said process control system comprises a process control computer with a web server and a computer which is used to access the processes control computer via Internet. The charging value (W) is especially a service fee which is to be paid to an application service provider by a user of the process control system.

Claims

1. A process control system for operating a technical system, comprising:

software components licensed to a user on a fee basis which components implement technical control functions and provide the user with operating, observation and regulation options for the technical system;

a processor unit that has access to project planning data and current operating data of the technical system and bases a payment figure on operations running in the process control system, project planning data and operating data, the operations including creation of a process control function, the payment figure to be charged to the user based on creation of the process control function.

2. The process control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a process control computer including an Internet connection; and

a client computer connected to the process control computer via the Internet connection, wherein at least a part of the operations run on the process control computer.

3. The process control system according to claim 2, further comprising:

at least one field device for automation of at least one system component, wherein at least a part of the operations run on the field device.

4. The process control system according to claim 2, wherein the process control computer comprises a Web server and the client computer comprises an Internet browser so that the client computer influences the operations running in the process control computer via the Internet, wherein the operations initiate further operations in a component of the process control system.

5. The process control system according to claim 4, wherein the component comprises a field device for monitoring and control of a further component of a technical system that is connected by radio communication to the process control computer.

6. The process control system according to claim 1, wherein the payment figure is a service fee to be paid by the user of the process control system to an Application Service Provider.

7. The process control system according to claim 1, wherein the creation of the process control function is undertaken by the user.

8. The process control system according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of pre-specified functions, wherein the user selects at least one of the plurality of pre-specified functions in order to create the process control function.

9. The process control system according to claim 8, wherein the user downloads at least one of the plurality of pre-specified functions in order to create the process control function.

10. The process control system according to claim 1, wherein the operations include removal of the created process control function.

11. The process control system according to claim 10, wherein the operations include execution of an automation function.

12. The process control system according to claim 1, wherein the operations include execution of an automation function.

13. A method for determining a payment figure in a process control system, comprising:

making available, via a license from a service provider to a user on a fee basis, software components which implement technical control functions and provide the user with operating, observation and regulation options for the technical system;

recording the creation of a process control function by a processing unit; and

determining a payment figure to be charged to the user based on the creation of the process control function.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the creation of the process control function is undertaken by the user.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising providing a plurality of pre-specified functions, wherein the user selects at least one of the plurality of pre-specified functions which is used in the creation of the process control function.

16. The process control system according to claim 13, wherein the payment figure is further based on a removal of the created process control function.

17. The process control system according to claim 16, wherein the payment figure is further based on an execution of an automation function.

18. The process control system according to claim 13, wherein the operations further regarding an execution of an automation function.