Abstract:
A service-oriented architecture for process control systems is disclosed. In one example, a method for conveying process control information between a client process and a server process in a process control system establishes a server process including a plurality of process control services, each of which has a corresponding service interface. The example method also establishes a client process having a proxy for each of the plurality of services to which the client process establishes a communicative connection. Additionally, the example method provides port information associated with the service interfaces to the client process to enable the conveyance of process control information between the client process and the server process.
Abstract:
Systems and methods of accessing a database associated with a process control system send a request for information from a client application to an intermediate data server process and determine if the information is stored within a data source associated with the intermediate data server process. The systems and methods also send a request for the information from the intermediate data server process to another process if the information is not stored within the data source and access the database to retrieve the information subsequent to the other process receiving the request for the information.
Abstract:
Smart graphic elements are provided for use as portions or components of one or more graphic displays, which may be executed in a process plant to display information to users about the process plant environment, such as the current state of devices within the process plant. Each of the graphic elements is an executable object that includes a property or a variable that may be bound to an associated process entity, like a field device, and that includes multiple visualizations, each of which may be used to graphically depict the associated process entity on a user interface when the graphic element is executed as part of the graphic display. Any of the graphic element visualizations may be used in any particular graphic display and the same graphic display may use different ones of the visualizations at different times. The different visualizations associated with a graphic element make the graphic element more versatile, at they allow the same graphic element to be used in different displays using different graphical styles or norms. These visualizations also enable the same graphic element to be used in displays designed for different types of display devices, such as display devices having large display screens, standard computer screens and very small display screens, such as PDA and telephone display screens.
Abstract:
Graphical display support is provided within a process plant configuration, monitoring and simulation system to enable graphical displays to be created in a manner in which they are associated with one another in the runtime environment. In particular, a single graphic display editor may be used to create various interrelated graphic displays that may, for example, be accessed from one another in the runtime environment to provide further information about a process entity within one of the graphic displays, to scroll through adjacent sections of a process plant or to provide different displays for different functions within the process plant, such as for an operator viewing function, a simulation function and a maintenance function. Because the same graphic editor is being used to create the graphic displays, the resultant graphic displays may have the same look and feel and may be bound to the runtime environment within the plant in generally the same manner, which reduces the time required to configure and create process graphic displays used in a process plant.
Abstract:
A system for facilitating configuration of a process plant may include a process graphics editor and a process module editor. The process graphics editor may facilitate creation and/or modification of a graphical representation of physical entities In the process plant. The process module editor may facilitate creation and/or modification of a process module. A process module may include one or more interconnected process objects representative of one or more corresponding physical entities in the process plant. The system may also include a supervisor module communicatively coupled to the process graphics editor and the process module editor. The supervisor module may be capable of detecting changes made to the graphical representation of the physical entities using the process graphics editor. In response to detecting such changes, the supervisor module may instruct the process module editor to make a corresponding change, if any, to a process module.
Abstract:
A service-oriented architecture for process control systems is disclosed. In one example, a method for conveying process control information between a client process and a server process in a process control system establishes a server process including a plurality of process control services, each of which has a corresponding service interface. The example method also establishes a client process having a proxy for each of the plurality of services to which the client process establishes a communicative connection. Additionally, the example method provides port information associated with the service interfaces to the client process to enable the conveyance of process control information between the client process and the server process.
Abstract:
The high speed depositor allows the manufacturing plant, e.g., a modern large bakery, to double the production of the batter, filling and icing lines. The depositor is comprised of a food quality positive displacement pump, a high torque stepping motor, a microprocessor based controller and a depositing manifold with individual valves. Other supporting apparatus, which are inputs and outputs of the controller, include a rotary encoder to measure the degrees of revolution of the pump, an air solenoid valve to apply air (motive force) to the stepping motor and an on/off switch to start and stop the depositing operation. Each nozzle on the depositing manifold has a flow control device to equalize the flow and therefore each cup weight of product deposited into the baking pan. A feed tank or hopper supplies a constant flow of product to the suction of the depositor pump. The manifold is typically mounted a few inches above a conveyor which carries baking pans underneath the manifold nozzles. The columns of baking pan cups pass directly underneath the nozzles and the product configuration downloaded to the depositor controller causes it to make accurate deposits into each cup in each row. The stepping motor causes the pump to turn the exact degrees of revolution necessary to deliver the desired cup weight into each of the baking pan cups.
Abstract:
A means and method of controlling the muzzle velocity of a gun launched projectile to ensure that the muzzle velocities of several rounds of the same type tend towards the same value or that of an individual round approaches some nominal value. A sensor means measures a parameter related to the muzzle velocity of a projectile and a control means instructs an electrothermal energy unit to discharge a fixed amount of energy into the gun barrel after a certain time delay, the time delay being derived from the measured parameter and being such to ensure that discharge causes the projectile to achieve a controlled muzzle velocity.
Abstract:
Process control systems for operating process plants are disclosed herein. The process control systems include control modules that are decoupled from the I/O architecture of the process plants using signal objects or generic shadow blocks. This decoupling is effected by using the signal objects or generic shadow blocks to manage at least part of the communication between the control modules and the field devices. Signal objects may convert between protocols used by control modules and field devices, thus decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture. Generic shadow blocks may be automatically configured to mimic the operation of field devices within a controller executing the control modules, thus partially decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture by using the shadow blocks to manage communication between the control modules and the field devices.
Abstract:
A common process control graphical user interface plant operators, plant maintenance personnel, and management is disclosed which provides a real-time interface to both the process and the plant. The common interface is modular in design and is capable of supporting various specializations for each user type. Operator consoles are dedicated to each section of the plant and include additional functions such as maintenance, configuration, simulation and supervisory information. The unified for common graphical interface replaces control room displays filled with single case analog controllers, meters, and digital indicators. The common interface addresses the functions that previously were provided by the panel motor start/stop buttons and status indications, chart recorders, annunciator panels and subsystem interfaces. From a console, operators manage alarms, adjust the process by entering new setpoints or other parameters, “zoom in” on particular portions of the process for details, and utilize other specialized applications to work with their batch, advanced control, or business applications. The interface will run in both dedicated and non-dedicated modes, will run as a rich client or as part of a browser style interface utilizing web services and will run on workstations, laptops, tablet PC's, handhelds, and smart phones.