Systems and methods for function block instantiation

• US 9,772,617 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kreft, Dana Robert, Grubbs, Robert William, DeMaurice, Andre Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US13/174,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,280 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13101 Function block instance, only one function block exists, several instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs

Abstract

The embodiments described herein include a system and a method. In one embodiment, a system includes a library configured to store reusable executable control information and a substitution information. The system further includes a controller configured to instantiate the reusable executable control information in a memory and to associate the substitution information with a field device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining, via a computer of a system, a reusable control information and a substitution information in a library, wherein the reusable control information comprises a function block and the substitution information comprises at least one attribute enabled during instantiation of the function block, and wherein the at least one attribute comprises a device tag placeholder;

enabling a user to enter the device tag placeholder before commissioning, wherein the device tag placeholder is representative of a physical device tag and of a second physical device tag;

instantiating the reusable control information in a controller;

substituting, only during commissioning of a field device and a second field device, the at least one attribute included in the substitution information with field device identification information comprising a first physical device tag uniquely identifying the field device and a second physical device tag uniquely identifying the second field device, wherein the first physical device tag and the second physical device tag are inputted by a user after prompting from the controller only during the commissioning, wherein the instantiating the reusable control information in the controller comprises copying the function block included in the reusable control information into a memory included in the controller and wherein copying the function block included in the reusable control information into the memory included in the controller comprises linking the field device to a function block tag configured to identify the function block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the function block comprises at least one of a display block, an analog input (AI) block, an analog output (AO) block, a discrete input block, a discrete output block, a diagnostic block, a multiple analog input block, a multiple analog output block, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control block, an enhanced PID control block, an advanced PID control block, an arithmetic block, a splitter block, a signal characterizer block, an integrator block, an analog alarm block, an input selector block, a setpoint ramp generator block, a timer and logic block, a lead lag block, an output signal selector and dynamic limiter block, a density block, a constant block, a custom block, a flow transducer block, or a flip-flop and edge trigger block.

3. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium comprising executable code, the executable code comprising instructions for:

defining, via a computer of a system, a reusable control information and a substitution information in a library, wherein the reusable control information comprises a function block and the substitution information comprises at least one attribute enabled during instantiation of the function block, and wherein the at least one attribute comprises a device tag placeholder;

enabling a user to enter the device tag placeholder before commissioning, wherein the device tag placeholder is representative of a physical device tag and of a second physical device tag;

instantiating the reusable control information in a controller as an executable control logic;

substituting, only during commissioning of a field device and a second field device, the at least one attribute included in the substitution information with field device identification information comprising a first physical device tag uniquely identifying the field device and a second physical device tag uniquely identifying the second field device, wherein the first physical device tag and the second physical device tag are inputted by a user after prompting from the controller only during the commissioning, wherein the instantiating the reusable control information in the controller comprises copying the function block included in the reusable control information into a memory included in the controller and wherein copying the function block included in the reusable control information into the memory included in the controller comprises linking the field device to a function block tag configured to identify the function block.

4. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the executable control logic comprises instructions configured to execute in the field device, or the controller, or a combination thereof.

5. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions for substituting the at least one attribute included in the substitution information with the field device identification information uniquely identifying the field device comprise instructions for substituting the device tag placeholder with a device tag information provided by the user.

6. A system comprising:

a hardware processor configured to execute a library configured to store reusable executable control information comprising a function block and a substitution information, wherein the substitution information comprises at least one attribute enabled during instantiation of the function block, and wherein the at least one attribute comprises a device tag placeholder; and

a controller configured to;

enable a user to enter the device tag placeholder before commissioning, wherein the device tag placeholder is representative of a physical device tag; and

instantiate the reusable executable control information in a memory of a field device and to associate the substitution information with the field device only during commissioning of the field device, wherein the controller is configured to substitute the device tag placeholder with a field device identification information comprising a first physical device tag uniquely identifying the field device inputted by a user only during the commissioning of the field device, wherein the controller is configured to instantiate the reusable executable control information in a second memory of a second field device and to associate the substitution information with a second field device only during commissioning of the second field device, wherein the controller is configured to substitute the device tag placeholder with a second field device identification information comprising a second physical device tag uniquely identifying the second field device inputted by a user only during the commissioning of the second field device, wherein the controller is configured to instantiate the reusable control information by copying the function block included in the reusable control information into a third memory included in the controller and wherein copying the function block included in the reusable control information into the third memory included in the controller comprises linking the field device to a function block tag configured to identify the function block.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the field device comprises a Fieldbus Foundation field device, a HART field device, a Profibus field device, or a combination thereof, and wherein the hardware processor is configured to graphically display the function block and the device tag placeholder.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the function block comprises at least one of a display block, an analog input (AI) block, an analog output (AO) block, a discrete input block, a discrete output block, a diagnostic block, a multiple analog input block, a multiple analog output block, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control block, an enhanced PID control block, an advanced PID control block, an arithmetic block, a splitter block, a signal characterizer block, an integrator block, an analog alarm block, an input selector block, a setpoint ramp generator block, a timer and logic block, a lead lag block, an output signal selector and dynamic limiter block, a density block, a constant block, a custom block, a flow transducer block, or a flip-flop and edge trigger block.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the substitution information comprises a device calibration value, a device commissioning value, or a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 6, comprising an automation tool configured to associate the substitution information with the field device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the automation tool is comprises a treeview control, a grid control, or a combination thereof, configured to associate the substitution information with the field device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller comprises the automation tool.

13. The system of claim 6, comprising a linking device, a high speed Ethernet network, and a Foundation H1 network, wherein the linking device is configured to link the high speed Ethernet network to the Foundation H1 network, and the field device is attached to the Foundation H1 network.

14. The system of claim 6, comprising a human-machine interface (HMI) system, a manufacturing execution system (MES), a distributed control system (DCS), a supervisor control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, or a combination thereof, having the library.

15. The system of claim 6, comprising a turbine system having the field device.