The invention provides improved methods and apparatus for control using field and control devices that provide a virtual machine environment and that communicate via an IP network. By way of non-limiting example, such field device can be an “intelligent” transmitter or actuator that includes a low power processor, along with a random access memory, a read-only memory, FlashRAM, and a sensor interface. The processor can execute a real-time operating system, as well as a Java virtual machine (JVM). Java byte code executes in the JVM to configure the field device to perform typical process control functions, e.g., for proportional integral derivative (PID) control and signal conditioning. Control networks can include a plurality of such field and control devices interconnected by an IP network, such as an Ethernet.

Methods and apparatus for control using control devices that provide a virtual machine environment and that communicate via an ip network

The present invention relates to a system and methodology facilitating automation security in a networked-based industrial controller environment. Various components, systems and methodologies are provided to facilitate varying levels of automation security in accordance with security analysis tools, security validation tools and/or security learning systems. The security analysis tool receives abstract factory models or descriptions for input and generates an output that can include security guidelines, components, topologies, procedures, rules, policies, and the like for deployment in an automation security network. The validation tools are operative in the automation security network, wherein the tools perform security checking and/or auditing functions, for example, to determine if security components are in place and/or in suitable working order. The security learning system monitors/learns network traffic patterns during a learning phase, fires alarms or events based upon detected deviations from the learned patterns, and/or causes other automated actions to occur.

System and methodology providing automation security analysis, validation, and learning in an industrial controller environment

Connection objects or other such data structures facilitate establishing and configuring connections between objects that model components in a process control system. A first set of data structures (e.g. the object connection type structures) identify valid types for component-to-component pairings and the respective roles of each component in the pairing (e.g., parent or child, source or sink). A second set of data structures (e.g., the parameter connection type structures) supply similar information for parameter-to-parameter connections. Together, these data structures can be used, for example, to validate component-to-component connections suggested by the user and to automatically configure parameter-to-parameter connections. Actual connections, both at the component or parameter level, are reflected using parameter overrides within the parameterized object model—with which the connection objects are constructed.

Process control configuration system with connection validation and configuration

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.

Graphic element with multiple visualizations in a process environment

A process control management method in a computer system for configuring and supervising a process plant includes providing an interactive user interface to manage a plurality of objects in the process plant, where each of the plurality of objects corresponds to a physical or logical entity in the process plant, including generating a navigation pane to display a set of selectable items, each in the set of selectable items corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of objects, and generating a command pane to display a set of selectable controls, each in the set of selectable controls corresponding to a task to be performed on at least one of the plurality of objects in the process plant; receiving a selection of one of an item in the set of selectable items via the navigation panel and a control in the set of selectable controls via the command panel; determining an operational context based on the received selection, wherein the operational context corresponds to one of a range of actions applicable to the selection if the selection is an item selection, or a range of items to which the selection is applicable if the selection is a control selection; and adjusting one of the navigation pane or the command pane according to the operational context, including displaying a subset of selectable items in the navigational pane, wherein each in the subset of selectable items is within the range applicable to the selection, if the selection is a control selection, and displaying a subset of selectable controls in the command pane, wherein each in the subset of selectable controls is within the range applicable to the selection, if the selection is an item selection.

Dynamic user interface for configuring and managing a process control system

A configuration system for a process plant includes a routine that automatically provides an indication of the relationships between units and sub-elements of the units, such as equipment and control modules, present within a process plant to a data historian. The data historian, which may be a batch historian, stores these relationships in a configuration file or a database, collects events generated within the process plant and associates those events to the proper unit within the process plant using the stored relationships. The automatic updating of the data historian configuration file eliminates the need for a user to manually update the data historian with these relationships, either at the time the process plant is configured or each time a change is made to the configuration of the process plant.

Automatic linkage of process event data to a data historian

A generic process control routine for a process control system is written to include alias names and dynamic reference parameters. Before execution of a process control function on a particular unit of the process control system, an instance of the generic routine is created, in which the alias names are replaced by parameters defined in an alias resolution table for the particular unit. The controller then executes the instantiated version of the generic routine to control operation of the unit. The generic routine can have multiple algorithms associated therewith, wherein each of the algorithms is designed to control different units having somewhat different hardware, even though these different units perform essentially the same function within the process control system. The generic routine may also be used with multiple classes of hardware that perform different functions within the process control system. The dynamic reference parameters of the generic process control routine enable a field to be specified at or during run-time and include a reference attribute that stores a path or tag to the referenced field, a connection attribute that identifies whether an actual connection to the field specified by the reference attribute can be made, attributes that enable reading of and/or writing to the field specified by the reference attribute as a string or as a numerical value and attributes that enable status information of the referenced field to be accessed.

Indirect referencing in process control routines

A method of generating a product recipe for execution by a batch process in an automated manufacturing environment, such the product recipe is associated with a plurality of actions, a set of transitions, and a set of parameters, and such that the plurality of actions define a plurality of logical levels including a phase level at which the batch process interacts with equipment, includes receiving a procedure definition specifying the plurality of actions, receiving a transaction definition specifying the set of transitions so that each one in the set of transitions is associated with two or more of the plurality of actions, and receiving the set of parameters. Receiving the set of parameters includes receiving at least one dynamic input parameter that resolves to a value without obtaining the value from the recipe or an operator prompt associated at the phase level of the recipe.

Recipe command steps and recipe inputs from external logic

A process plant control system includes a batch execution engine that spawns or creates an individual batch process application in a separate application process space for each batch to be run within a process plant. The batch execution engine includes communication software for communicating with batch operator interfaces used to set up batch runs, a master process equipment model reflecting the current state of the equipment and a batch execution manager that creates individual batch processes and spawns each of the individual batch processes to run in a separate application process space. Each of the created batch processes includes batch logic that implements the batch run specified by the user, a copy of the process plant equipment model used to select equipment within the plant and a communication interface for communicating with controllers and other runtime equipment to implement the batch as well as for communicating with the batch execution manager.

Batch execution engine with independent batch execution processes

Methods and apparatus for batch process control in which a Phase Logic Module operable in accordance with the state machine model of the batch server program is embedded within a programmable controller. More specifically, a phase executed by the batch server program in a data processing device is operable in accordance with a pre-defined state machine model (typically compliant with the ISA S88.01 standard). A Phase Logic Module (PLM) is implemented within a programmable controller in accordance with the same state machine model so as to mirror the state machine operation of the batch server process within the programmable controller. The PLM is pre-implemented and standardized. Specific state logic for performing desired control in accordance with the desired batch processing is defined by a control engineer using well known languages and tools and integrated with the standard PLM state machine. These methods and structure obviate the need for the control engineer to implement customized state processing logic and the associated need to test such complex state processing logic. The PLM in the programmable controller and the phase within the batch server program communicate using a high level communication protocol to exchange state processing information. Another aspect of the invention provides for implementing a PLM in a data processing device to perform soft phase processing (a phase unrelated to process I/O equipment and rather typically related to operator interaction).

Distributed batch processing system and methods

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