Host Workflow Templates for Triggered Process Control Actions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current process control systems lack flexibility in configuring host devices to perform custom actions or sequences of actions, often requiring programming knowledge and additional software components, making it difficult to optimize processes or respond quickly to events or alarms.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize an action engine to allow users to create workflows with predefined steps and expressions, enabling host devices to perform defined actions or sequences automatically without programming knowledge, and allowing for conditional branches and triggers, thereby facilitating quick response to events or alarms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom programs are created using programming languages or scripting languages, then the host system can perform custom actions, but the system complexity increases and requires additional software development applications and compilers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses template copying where predefined workflow templates with standard actions are created and then instantiated multiple times with different parameters. Instead of programming custom actions from scratch, users copy and configure existing templates, eliminating the need for programming languages and compilers while maintaining custom action capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows customization of workflow templates by changing parameters such as action types, targets, and conditions rather than modifying the underlying program structure. This enables adaptability through parameter configuration instead of code writing, reducing software complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom programs are created to perform specific plant actions, then the host system can be customized, but the ease of maintenance and updates deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments workflows into discrete, independently configurable templates and actions. Each template represents a modular unit that can be maintained and updated separately. This segmentation makes maintenance easier because changes to one template do not affect others, and templates can be independently versioned and updated.
Solution Approach 2:
By using copyable templates instead of custom-programmed solutions, maintenance becomes simpler. Templates can be centrally updated and automatically propagated to all instances, eliminating the need to manually update multiple custom programs across the system.
3Speed
If the host system is configured to automatically perform actions in response to system changes, then the response speed improves, but the configuration difficulty increases due to programming requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic responses through configured templates that self-execute when their trigger conditions are met. The templates are designed to be self-configuring with predefined logic, allowing the system to automatically perform actions without requiring operators to write or understand programming code, thus maintaining both fast response and ease of operation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If additional software development applications and compilers are added to create custom programs, then the functional capability improves, but the device complexity and resource requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal template-based workflow system that can handle multiple types of custom actions through a single configuration framework. Instead of requiring separate programming environments and compilers for different custom actions, one universal template system provides multi-functionality, reducing software complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a method of configuring a host device in a process control plant to automatically perform an action or a set of actions includes, a workflow template is generated. The workflow template includes a sequence of one or more steps to be performed by the host device. Each of at least some of the one or more steps is selected from a set of predetermined steps. Then, an instance of the workflow template is generated at the host device. A trigger condition is generated for automatically triggering the instance workflow. The sequence of the one or more steps is executed in response to detecting the trigger condition.