Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-03-06
Feild, Joseph H. (Department: 2176)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198480
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to industrial automation and control systems and, more particularly, to software for identifying and viewing representations of sensing and control devices included within such systems.
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
This application includes a Microfiche Appendix filed herewith, which comprises 2 pages and 105 frames.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The operation of industrial equipment such as assembly lines, machine tools and processing equipment is often governed by an automation controller in accordance with a stored program. In conventional automation controllers, the control program is stored in a memory and includes instructions which are read out in rapid sequence and executed to examine the condition of selected sensing devices on the controlled equipment, or to energize or de-energize selected operating devices on the controlled equipment contingent on the status of one or more of the examined sensing devices.
Large controllers typically consist of a number of modules with different functions assigned to each module. For example, one module may execute the user control program, another may interface the controller to the remote sensing and operating devices, and yet another module may control communications with a host computer via a local area network. This arrangement permits one or more human operators to monitor and control an industrial process via computer workstations.
As part of this monitoring process, it is desirable that the control program be capable of presenting the human operator with some type of representation of the parameters of the various sensing devices associated with a given industrial process. Such a representation (hereinafter, a “tag”) would enable an operator to, for example, specify a set of sensing devices for which parameter measurements would be displayed by the control program. Unfortunately, display and selection of the various tags associated with a given industrial process is communicated by the fact that proprietary software is currently utilized to provide interfaces for such tags. Accordingly, an industrial control program needs to include code peculiar to each type of tag for which parameter measurements are to be displayed by the control program. In addition, mechanisms are not available for centralized monitoring of the tags representative of sensing devices monitored by more than one industrial control program.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention provides a system and method for displaying representations of tag sources corresponding to various component devices of a process control system or the like. The inventive system includes a tag dictionary for defining the tag sources in a predefined object-oriented format. The tag dictionary is comprised of tag definition objects, each containing information relating to a given tag source and each being associated with a tag type object. The system of the invention also includes a tag browser for displaying and editing the representations of the tag sources in accordance with the tag definition objects. In a preferred implementation each of the representations includes information relating to a predefined set of parameters characterizing the tag sources. The tag browser also optionally includes a tag filter for causing display of those tag source representations comporting with tag selection criteria and for suppressing display of all other tag source representations.
A template tag dictionary is preferably provided within a development environment to facilitate generation of each tag dictionary. The template tag dictionary is modified within this development environment to reflect attributes of the tag sources. One or more template object-oriented controls of a predefined format compatible with said tag dictionary may also be provided in development environment. These template object-oriented controls may be modified within the development environment so as to create a representation of each tag source of interest.
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Cook Jay
Cotugno Steven
Erickson Brian
Cooley & Godward LLP
Feild Joseph H.
Wonderware Corporation
Zimmer Kevin J.
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