Process control system with action logging
DCFirst Claim
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1. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:
- (1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in the process, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process;
(2) controlling one or more of said actuators with a process controller in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with control parameters, said control parameters indicating a respective threshold, wherein attainment of said threshold as indicated by said signals creates an indicia for action; and
(3) repeatedly running a process supervisor procedure for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controller;
(4) wherein, for each of said control parameters, said process supervisor procedure is constrained not to make changes to said control parameters unless the indicia for action exceed said respective threshold; and
(5) wherein said process supervisor procedure reports every instance where it changes a control parameter.
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Abstract
An integrated system for process control in which a process supervisor procedure defines parameters for one or more controller systems (or control procedures). The supervisor procedure changes control parameters only in discrete changes, and the decision to act is sufficiently constrained that every change must be a significant change. Every change is logged (or otherwise reported out to human experts). Since every change is significant, the history of changes will provide a meaningful record which can be reviewed by human experts.
241 Citations
61 Claims
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1. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in the process, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process; (2) controlling one or more of said actuators with a process controller in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with control parameters, said control parameters indicating a respective threshold, wherein attainment of said threshold as indicated by said signals creates an indicia for action; and (3) repeatedly running a process supervisor procedure for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controller; (4) wherein, for each of said control parameters, said process supervisor procedure is constrained not to make changes to said control parameters unless the indicia for action exceed said respective threshold; and (5) wherein said process supervisor procedure reports every instance where it changes a control parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13)
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10. The method of claim I, wherein said respective threshold on said indicia for action of step (2) comprise the step of being dependent on the particular action in prospect.
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14. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in the process, and one or more actuator connected to change conditions in the process; (2) controlling one or more of said actuators with a process controller in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with control parameters; and (3) repeatedly running a process supervisor procedure for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controller; (4) wherein, for each of said control parameters, said process supervisor procedure is constrained not to make changes to said control parameters unless the amount of the change would exceed a certain threshold. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in the process, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process; (2) controlling one or more of said actuators with a process controller in accordance with signals received form said sensors and in accordance with control parameters, said control parameters indicating a respective threshold, wherein attainment of said threshold as indicated by said signals creates an indicia for action; and (3) repeatedly running a process supervisor procedure for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controller; (4) wherein, for each of said control parameters, said process supervisor procedure is constrained not to make changes to said control parameters unless the indicia for action exceed said respective threshold. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in the process, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process; (2) controlling one or more of said actuators in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with control parameters; (3) repeatedly running a process supervisor procedure for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters; and (4) wherein at least some of said actuators are controlled in a feedforward relation to respective measured variables, and wherein said feedforward relation includes a deadband. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A computer-based method for operating a substantially continuous process, comprising the steps of:
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(1) operating the process with one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in the process, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process; and (2) controlling one or more of said actuators in accordance with signals received from said sensors; (3) wherein at least some of said actuators are controlled in a feedback relation with respective corresponding measured variables, and said feedback relation includes the use of statistical filtering, and/or a deadband; and (4) wherein at least some of said actuators are controlled in a feedforward relation to respective measured variables, wherein said feedforward relation includes a deadband. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A computer-based process control system, comprising:
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(a) one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in materials being processed, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process; (b) a plurality of process controllers, each connected to control one or more of said actuators in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with respective control parameters; and (c) a process supervisor means for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controllers; (d) wherein, for each of said control parameters, said process supervisor means is constrained not to make changes to said control parameters unless the amount of the change would exceed a certain threshold; and (e) wherein said process supervisor means reports every instance where it changes a control parameter. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A computer-based process control system, comprising:
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(a) one or more sensors connected to sense conditions in materials being processed, and one or more actuators connected to change conditions in the process; (b) a plurality of process controllers, each connected to control one or more of said actuators in accordance with signals received from said sensors and in accordance with respective control parameters, said control parameters indicating a respective threshold, wherein attainment of said threshold as indicated by said signals creates an indicia for action; and (c) a process supervisor means for selectively defining one or more of said control parameters for said process controllers; (d) wherein, for substantially all of said control parameters said process supervisor means is constrained not to make changes to said control parameters unless the indicia for action exceed said respective threshold; and (e) wherein said process supervisor means reports every instance where it changes a control parameter. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61)
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Specification