11219 results about "Process control" patented technology

Rapid characterization and screening of polymer samples to determine average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and other properties is disclosed. Rapid flow characterization systems and methods, including liquid chromatography and flow-injection analysis systems and methods are preferably employed. High throughput, automated sampling systems and methods, high-temperature characterization systems and methods, and rapid, indirect calibration compositions and methods are also disclosed. The described methods, systems, and devices have primary applications in combinatorial polymer research and in industrial process control.

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.

Rapid characterization and screening of polymer samples to determine average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and other properties is disclosed. Rapid flow characterization systems and methods, including liquid chromatography and flow-injection analysis systems and methods are preferably employed. High throughput, automated sampling systems and methods, high-temperature characterization systems and methods, and rapid, indirect calibration compositions and methods are also disclosed. In preferred high-temperature embodiments, the polymer sample is maintained at a temperature of not less than about 75° C. during sample preparation, loading into a liquid chromatography or flow-injection analysis system, injection into a mobile phase of a liquid chromatography or flow-injection analysis system, and/or elution from chromatographic column. The described methods, systems, and device have primary applications in combinatorial polymer research and in industrial process control.

The present invention provides an adaptive process control and profit depiction system which is responsive to both process measurement input signals, economic inputs, and physical environment inputs. The process control system features an interactive optimization modeling system for determining manipulated process variables (also known as setpoints). These manipulated process variables are used to position mechanisms which control attributes of a manufacturing system, such as a valve controlling the temperature of a coolant or a valve controlling the flow rate in a steam line.

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.

Devices in a process control system communicate by data messages over a communication medium segment. Each device includes a communication controller that automatically time stamps events associated with received and transmitted messages.

Rapid characterization and screening of polymer samples to determine average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and other properties is disclosed. Rapid flow characterization systems and methods, including liquid chromatography and flow-injection analysis systems and methods are preferably employed. High throughput, automated sampling systems and methods, high-temperature characterization systems and methods, and rapid, indirect calibration compositions and methods are also disclosed. The described methods, systems, and devices have primary applications in combinatorial polymer research and in industrial process control.

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 areas, the maintenance functional areas and the process performance monitoring functional areas. This data and information is manipulated in a coordinated manner by the data collection and distribution system and is redistributed to other applications where this it is used to perform overall better or more optimal control, maintenance and business activities. Information or data may be collected by maintenance functions pertaining to the health, variability, performance or utilization of a device, loop, unit, area, etc. and this information may then be sent to and displayed to a process operator or maintenance person to inform that person of a current or future problem. A user interface is provided that enables users to access and manipulate the expert engine to optimize plant operation or cause optimization of plant operation, to get information about the operation of the plant, etc. Furthermore, applications, such as work order generation applications may automatically generate work orders, parts or supplies orders, etc. based on events occurring within the plant.

A system and method for providing closed loop infusion formulation delivery which accurately calculates a delivery amount based on a sensed biological state by adjusting an algorithm's programmable control parameters. The algorithm calculates a delivery amount having proportional, derivative, and basal rate components. The control parameters may be adjusted in real time to compensate for changes in a sensed biological state that may result from daily events. Safety limits on the delivery amount may be included in the algorithm. The algorithm may be executed by a computing element within a process controller for controlling closed loop infusion formulation delivery. The biological state is sensed by a sensing device which provides a signal to the controller. The controller calculates an infusion formulation delivery amount based on the signal and sends commands to an infusion formulation delivery device which delivers an amount of infusion formulation determined by the commands.

A process control system is configured via manipulation of objects that model system components, e.g., sensors, blocks, control processors, historians, workstations, etc. Individual objects include parameters that characterize the underlying components and/or the behavior of the objects themselves. These parameters are derived from the “parents,” from which the objects are created. Derived characteristics need not be defined explicitly but, rather, are defined implicitly or by reference. These derived characteristics may be overridden for an individual object and, thereby, its progeny. Although objects have class-like characteristics (i.e., insofar as they are definitional in nature), they can be created at configuration time, without the need for recompilation.

A system and method for process control and management is disclosed. Various features and applications of the present invention may be suitably adapted to manage, control or otherwise improve compliance and/or project workflow processing. In representative applications, the present invention provides a system and method for control, management, verification, certification and communication of compliance standards.

A method implemented by one or more processors, including receiving first information relating a plurality of flow rates of a species to corresponding concentrations of the species within films generated using the flow rates; receiving a desired concentration profile of the species within a desired film; and generating a plurality of process steps that, when performed, would form the desired film with the desired concentration profile by controlling the flow rate of the species based, in part, on the first information and the desired concentration profile, wherein a first concentration of the species at a first point in the desired concentration profile differs from a second concentration of the species at a second point in the desired concentration profile. A computer-readable medium, system and apparatus are also disclosed.

A software update system automatically deploys software updates, approved by a provider of a process control system, to computer hosts that execute the process control system. The software update system includes a client application that generates a request for software updates applicable to the computer hosts and initiates automatic deployment of the software update to the host, and a server application that provides software update data to the client application in response to the request.

An extensible base process control and manufacturing information application development and execution software suite is disclosed that facilitates streamlined third party (e.g., OEM) development of derivative applications for particular vertical markets. The suite includes an object design toolkit that provides object template derivation tools for accessing and editing a set of base object templates. The objects derivable from the base templates include at least application objects deployed upon lower level hosting component objects of a supervisory process control and manufacturing information application. The toolkit also includes development tools for creating new base object templates that are added as extensions of the set of base object templates.

In addition to the toolkit, the suite includes a set of marketing package customization tools facilitating seamlessly integrating changes by developers to the extensible base development and execution software suite. The marketing package customization tools include electronically editable base user documentation.

A technique for use in fabricating an integrated circuit are disclosed. The method generally begins by performing an operation on a wafer using a fabrication tool. Next, volatiles are desorbed from the wafer. The desorbed volatiles are sampled and raw spectral data indicating the content of the desorbed volatiles is generated. The raw spectral data is subjected to a spectroscopic analysis. An operational parameter of the fabrication tool is then modified responsive to the result of the results of the spectroscopic analysis. In one particular aspect of the invention, a controller receives the raw spectral data and processes the raw spectral data to determine the presence of a residual material on the wafer. The controller then controls the process flow operation to reduce the amount of the residual material on the wafer responsive to the results of processing the raw spectral data. Other aspects of the invention include the apparatus implementing the process flow and the controller itself.

A method for inspecting semiconductor wafers is provided in which a plurality of independent, low-cost, optical-inspection subsystems are packaged and integrated to simultaneously perform parallel inspections of portions of the wafer, the wafer location relative to the inspection being controlled so that the entire wafer is imaged by the system of optical subsystems in a raster-scan mode. A monochromatic coherent-light source illuminates the wafer surface. A darkfield-optical system collects scattered light and filters patterns produced by valid periodic wafer structures using Fourier filtering. The filtered light is processed by general purpose digital-signal processors. Image subtraction methods are used to detect wafer defects, which are reported to a main computer to aid in statistical process control, particularly for manufacturing equipment.

A highly-configurable process control system that uses process records in a database system to track a process. The database system relates process records, users, and projects. User permissions to view the process records include permissions for all process records related to a project to which the user is related, all such records that the user has created, all such records that a group the user belongs to have created, all such records that have been assigned to the user, and all such records that belong to an entity to which the user is related.

The process records further include user-configurable fields. User permissions for the fields are provided according to group types which are related to groups to which the users belong. Included are permissions for inserting and deleting values in the user-configurable fields which are separate from the permission to edit the values.

An MPC adaptation and tuning technique integrates feedback control performance better than methods commonly used today in MPC type controllers, resulting in an MPC adaptation/tuning technique that performs better than traditional MPC techniques in the presence of process model mismatch. The MPC controller performance is enhanced by adding a controller adaptation/tuning unit to an MPC controller, which adaptation/tuning unit implements an optimization routine to determine the best or most optimal set of controller design and/or tuning parameters to use within the MPC controller during on-line process control in the presence of a specific amount of model mismatch or a range of model mismatch. The adaptation/tuning unit determines one or more MPC controller tuning and design parameters, including for example, an MPC form, penalty factors for either or both of an MPC controller and an observer and a controller model for use in the MPC controller, based on a previously determined process model and either a known or an expected process model mismatch or process model mismatch range. A closed loop adaptation cycle may be implemented by performing an autocorrelation analysis on the prediction error or the control error to determine when significant process model mismatch exists or to determine an increase or a decrease in process model mismatch over time.