| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| RE38640 |
Process control terminal |
October 26, 2004 |
| A process control terminal may be used in a computer network consisting of a process control network of process controllers and an application network of host computers. The process control terminal allows a process control operator access to both process control functions and applicatio |
| 7426452 |
Dual protocol handheld field maintenance tool with radio-frequency communication |
September 16, 2008 |
| A dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool is provided with radio frequency communication. The radio frequency commination can be provided by virtue of an SDIO card inserted within an SDIO slot in the handheld field maintenance tool. A method of interacting with a process using a |
| 7392165 |
Simulation system for multi-node process control systems |
June 24, 2008 |
| A simulation system attaches to a configuration database for one or more fully configured nodes of a process control system and copies the modules within those nodes into one or more simulation computers as simulation modules. The simulation system includes an algorithm that automaticall |
| 7389204 |
Data presentation system for abnormal situation prevention in a process plant |
June 17, 2008 |
| A system for visually presenting data receives signal processing data generated signal processing data collection blocks corresponding to devices associated with a process plant. The signal processing data collection blocks may generate data such as statistical data, frequency analys |
| 7376472 |
Integrated model predictive control and optimization within a process control system |
May 20, 2008 |
| An integrated optimization and control technique integrates an optimization procedure, such as a linear or quadratic programming optimization procedure, with advanced control, such as model predictive control, within a process plant in which the number of control and auxiliary variab |
| 7370239 |
Input/output device with configuration, fault isolation and redundant fault assist functionality |
May 6, 2008 |
| A process control system includes a plurality of input/output (I/O) devices and a controller in communication using a bus. Each I/O device has an interface for communicatively linking the I/O device with the bus, and includes a device processor which, upon detection of a potential I/O |
| 7369912 |
Batch execution engine with independent batch execution processes |
May 6, 2008 |
| 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 comm |
| 7346404 |
Data sharing in a process plant |
March 18, 2008 |
| A process plant uses an asset utilization expert to collect data or information pertaining to the assets of the process plant from various sources or functional areas of the plant including, for example, the process control functional areas, the maintenance functional areas and the b |
| 7337022 |
Constraint and limit feasibility handling in a process control system optimizer |
February 26, 2008 |
| An optimization technique for use in driving a process plant controller, such as a model predictive controller, uses an organized, systematic but computationally simple method of relaxing or redefining manipulated, control and/or auxiliary variable constraints when there is no feasible |
| 7337013 |
Use of uniform resource locators in process control system documentation |
February 26, 2008 |
| A uniform resource locator (URL) is embedded in computerized or digital documentation for a physical and/or a software process control element existing within a process control environment to thereby provide an automatic link to documentation or other applications that exist in other |
| 7330768 |
Integrated configuration in a process plant having a process control system and a safety system |
February 12, 2008 |
| A process plant includes a safety system that is physically and logically integrated with a process control system such that the safety system and the process control system can use common communication, configuration hardware and software within the process plant while still providing |
| 7330767 |
Configuration and viewing display for an integrated model predictive control and optimizer funct |
February 12, 2008 |
| An interface or display routine is provided for use in viewing and configuring a function block that performs integrated optimization and control within a process control system. The interface routine may enable a user to view or configure variables, values or other parameters associ |
| 7317953 |
Adaptive multivariable process controller using model switching and attribute interpolation |
January 8, 2008 |
| An adaptive multivariable process control system includes a multivariable process controller, such as a model predictive controller, having a multivariable process model characterized as a set of two or more single-input, single-output (SISO) models and an adaptation system which ada |
| 7299415 |
Method and apparatus for providing help information in multiple formats |
November 20, 2007 |
| A system and method that provides help information pertaining a process entity, such as a process device, in a number of different formats presents a first display template that enables a user to request the help information in a first format such as a DDHelp format and presents a se |
| 7289994 |
Interconnected zones within a process control system |
October 30, 2007 |
| A process control system includes multiple zones containing process control network communicatively interconnected to exchange information necessary to monitor the system and to perform process control. Each zone may include an inter-zone server that controls the exchange of informat |
| 7289861 |
Process control system with an embedded safety system |
October 30, 2007 |
| A process plant includes a process control system having a safety system embedded therein. The integrated process control and safety system includes a host computer arranged to send and receive process level messages and safety level messages, a controller operatively connected to th |
| 7275062 |
Automatic linkage of process event data to a data historian |
September 25, 2007 |
| 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, whi |
| 7272531 |
Aggregation of asset use indices within a process plant |
September 18, 2007 |
| A method of monitoring an entity within a process plant wherein the entity includes a plurality of lower level entities, includes acquiring a plurality of use indices, acquiring a plurality of weighting values, and creating an aggregate use index from a combination of the lower level use |
| 7272454 |
Multiple-input/multiple-output control blocks with non-linear predictive capabilities |
September 18, 2007 |
| A process controller that may be used to control a process having a set of process outputs effected by a set of process control input signals includes a multiple-input/multiple output controller that uses the process outputs to develop the set of process control input signals and a p |
| 7269468 |
State machine function block with a user modifiable output configuration database |
September 11, 2007 |
| A control system, a safety system, etc., within a process plant may each use one or more state machine function blocks that can be easily integrated into a function block diagram programming environment. Such a state machine function block may include one or more inputs, which may or |
| 7257523 |
Integrated distributed process control system functionality on a single computer |
August 14, 2007 |
| An apparatus is adapted to be used to create software and programming instructions for a distributed process control system having a user workstation remotely located from a distributed controller that controls one or more field devices using control modules. The apparatus includes a |
| 7250856 |
Integrated alarm display in a process control network |
July 31, 2007 |
| An alarm display and interface tool for use in a process control system receives and displays different categories of alarms, including for example, device alarms and hardware alarms as well as traditional process alarms, on a single display to enable an operator or other user to view |
| 7249356 |
Methods and structure for batch processing event history processing and viewing |
July 24, 2007 |
| A batch event historian gathers, stores and presents data regarding a batch process where relationships among the various elements of data are automatically derived by an executive program. A persistent store includes structure corresponding to the relationships defined among procedu |
| 7245271 |
Portable computer in a process control environment |
July 17, 2007 |
| A portable computer for use in interfacing to a process control system having a host system includes a housing adapted for hand-held operation, a processing unit disposed within the housing and a computer readable memory disposed within the housing and coupled to the processing unit. |
| 7242989 |
Apparatus and method for batch property estimation |
July 10, 2007 |
| A method and apparatus that generates an estimate of a property of a batch process uses a non-parametric model to generate a plurality of rate of reaction estimates associated with the batch process. Each rate of reaction estimate may correspond, for example, to a particular time dur |
| 7237109 |
Integrated security in a process plant having a process control system and a safety system |
June 26, 2007 |
| A process plant includes a safety system that is physically and logically integrated with a process control system such that the safety system and the process control system can use common security, communication and display hardware and software within the process plant while still |
| 7230582 |
Wearable computer in a process control environment |
June 12, 2007 |
| A wearable computer for use in a process control environment includes a central processing unit, a memory and a number of peripheral devices such as a heads up display, a microphone, a video camera and a remote communication device that communicates with a host computer. The wearable |
| 7222058 |
Method of modeling and sizing a heat exchanger |
May 22, 2007 |
| A method of modeling a heat exchanger is disclosed and comprises assigning input temperatures, assumed output temperatures, and a set of flow rates, inputting the parameters into a set of equations arranged to calculate a heat transfer coefficient, inputting parameters into a second set |
| 7206646 |
Method and apparatus for performing a function in a plant using process performance monitoring w |
April 17, 2007 |
| A process control system uses a data collection and distribution system and an asset utilization suite to collect data or information pertaining to the assets of a process plant from various sources or functional areas of the plant including, for example, the process control functional |
| 7199784 |
One-handed operation of a handheld field maintenance tool |
April 3, 2007 |
| A handheld field maintenance tool is provided with features that improve one-handed operation. In one aspect, the tool includes a side strap to allow a technician to exert additional leverage on the tool during one-handed operation. Another aspect includes providing a recess on the r |
| 7185083 |
Method and apparatus for identifying an I/O network in a process control system |
February 27, 2007 |
| A network identification system for use in a process control system creates and stores a unique network identification tag for input/output networks in the process control system. During the configuration process, each process controller is assigned a unique controller identification |
| 7181654 |
System and method for detecting an abnormal situation associated with a reactor |
February 20, 2007 |
| A system for detecting abnormal situations associated with a reactor in a process plant receives statistical data associated with pressure within a reactor vessel. For example, a pressure sensor device disposed at least partially within the reactor vessel may generate the statistical dat |
| 7181550 |
Highly versatile process control system controller |
February 20, 2007 |
| A versatile controller that can be used as either a stand-alone controller in a relatively small process plant or as one of numerous controllers in a distributed process control system depending on the needs of the process plant includes a processor adapted to be programmed to execute |
| 7162534 |
Transactional data communications for process control systems |
January 9, 2007 |
| A transactional data communications system and method communicates information within an enterprise having a process control system and a plurality of information technology systems that are communicatively coupled to the process control system via a web services interface and a tran |
| 7152072 |
Methods and apparatus for importing device data into a database system used in a process plant |
December 19, 2006 |
| A system and a methodology creates a mapping of a set of import parameters specifying a device in a first set of import data to a set of output parameters specifying the device in a first database. Such a mapping includes receiving the set of import parameters from an import file con |
| 7146231 |
Smart process modules and objects in process plants |
December 5, 2006 |
| An operator interface within a process plant includes an execution engine that implements process flow modules made up of interconnected smart process objects that are aware of devices and other entities within the plant and that can perform methods to detect conditions within the plant, |
| 7130703 |
Voter logic block including operational and maintenance overrides in a process control system |
October 31, 2006 |
| A voter function block, which can be integrated into a function block diagram programming environment in a process plant control or safety system, implements voter logic in conjunction with providing operational and maintenance overrides which may be set to override individual inputs |
| 7127460 |
Accessing and updating a configuration database from distributed physical locations within a pro |
October 24, 2006 |
| A configuration database includes multiple databases distributed at a plurality of physical locations within a process control system. Each of the databases may store a subset of the configuration data and this subset of configuration data may be accessed by users at any of the sites |
| 7117122 |
Field maintenance tool |
October 3, 2006 |
| An improved field maintenance tool is provided. The tool is operable with process communication loops in accordance with a plurality of process industry standard protocols. Aspects of the invention include hardware features such as an infrared port; removable memory module; and an ex |
| 7117052 |
Version control for objects in a process plant configuration system |
October 3, 2006 |
| A version control system helps to keep track of versions of process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant. The process plant items may comprise, for example, module objects which may be capable of specifically representing process |
| 7113834 |
State based adaptive feedback feedforward PID controller |
September 26, 2006 |
| A state based adaptive PID controller includes a model set component including a plurality of process models, each process model including a plurality of parameters. An error generator generates a model error signal representative of a difference between a model output signal and a p |
| 7113085 |
Enhanced device alarms in a process control system |
September 26, 2006 |
| An alarm display and interface system method for use in a process control system enhances device alarm messages to enable the integrated display device alarms with process alarms. The system and method receives a device alarm message from a field device and the device alarm message has |
| 7111070 |
Deferred acknowledgment communications and alarm management |
September 19, 2006 |
| A communication technique enables the efficient transmission of data through a low bandwidth and/or time delayed communication link and minimizes the idle time of the communication link by using a deferred acknowledgment of message bundles to temporally pack the communication link. T |
| 7110835 |
Integration of graphic display elements, process modules and control modules in process plants |
September 19, 2006 |
| Graphic displays, which display information about process elements and the manner in which these elements are connected within a process, process modules, which simulate the operation of the elements depicted within the graphic displays and control modules, which perform on-line control |
| 7096078 |
Boolean logic function block |
August 22, 2006 |
| A technique for configuring a Boolean logic function block displays a matrix associated with the Boolean logic function block on a display screen of a computer. A programmer may then enter configuration data into the matrix to configure the Boolean logic function block. The matrix may |
| 7085610 |
Root cause diagnostics |
August 1, 2006 |
| An industrial process diagnostic apparatus is provided which can identify a source, or "root cause", of an aberration in an industrial process. A plurality of process configuration models are provided which each represent a physical (or actual) implementation of an industrial process. |
| 7079984 |
Abnormal situation prevention in a process plant |
July 18, 2006 |
| A system detects abnormal conditions associated with a process plant. The system receives signal processing data generated by signal processing data collection blocks implemented by a plurality of devices. The signal processing data collection blocks may generate data such as statistical |
| 7076312 |
Integrated electronic signatures for approval of process control and safety system software obje |
July 11, 2006 |
| A software object approval system is integrated with a process control or safety system environment and, in particular, with a process control or safety system design environment to implement and manage electronic approval of new software objects created within the process control and |
| 7069580 |
Function-based process control verification and security in a process control system |
June 27, 2006 |
| A process control system capable of executing a function after initiation thereof by a user includes a computer having a memory and a processing unit. A security module stored in the memory of the computer and adapted to be executed on the processing unit of the computer analyzes securit |
| 7054695 |
Field maintenance tool with enhanced scripts |
May 30, 2006 |
| Improved script generation and usage for handheld field maintenance tools is provided. In one aspect, the handheld field maintenance tool actually generates scripts for later playback. Preferably script generation and/or playback or features are provided to field maintenance technicians. |
