Apparatus and method for configuring and editing a control system with live data

US7890927B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Invensys Systems, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Keith Eldridge · Easton, US
• Brian Mackay · Coppell, US
• Mark Johnson · Attleboro, US
• Scott Volk · North Easton, US
• Kenneth A. Burke · South Easton, US
• Paul Meskonis · Norwood, US
• Robert Hall · South Easton, US
• Steven Dardinski · Westford, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 8, 2008
• Grant date: Feb 15, 2011
• Expiry date: Mar 22, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99954
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for configuring process, environmental, industrial and other control systems generate and/or utilize models representing configurations of control systems and/or the systems controlled by them. Records of changes to the models or the configurations represented by them are maintained, thereby, for example, providing bases for determining current states, prior states and histories of changes. Objects in the model have characteristics, such as an object type characteristic and an area characteristic. Users can have corresponding permissions. A security mechanism apparatus controls access by users to the objects. Composite objects are defined by definition objects and are displayed in encapsulated or expanded formats. Objects can include an edit control type identifier that determines how they are presented for editing. Functionality responds to user commands by transferring characteristics of a first object depicted by the graphical user interface to a second object. Configuration-time formulas contained objects are evaluated to constants prior to downloading to the control system.