US 10,401,839 B2Granted

Workflow tracking and identification using an industrial monitoring system

AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.

InventorsSharon M. Billi-Duran, Christopher W. Como, Edward A. Gray, Kyle K. Reissner, Jonathan D. Walter, Mohit Singhai, Douglas J. Reichard, Scott N. Sandler, Ronald E. Bliss, Michael J. Pantaleano, Ryan Cahalane, Jessica L. Korpela, Bruce T. McCleave, Jr.

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Abstract

An industrial workflow tracking and identification system captures optimal employee workflows for addressing maintenance issues or operating industrial systems, and renders these workflows at appropriate times in order to guide operators and maintenance personnel through optimal sequences for carrying out operations or addressing maintenance issues. The system monitors and indexes both plant-wide system data as well as employee behaviors, and identifies correlations between operational outcomes and user workflows. In this way, the system tracks and captures optimal employee workflows for addressing particular maintenance issues, performing certain procedures, or achieving preferred production outcomes. By identifying and recording correlations between observed employee behaviors and production outcomes, the system creates a library of best practices that can be used as a training tool, as well as to provide substantially real-time guidance to maintenance staff and operators in connection with solving a problem or performing a task.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for learning industrial workflows, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components;
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:
a discovery component configured to collect industrial data items from multiple data sources of an industrial facility, and to collect behavioral data from one or more client devices within the industrial facility, the behavioral data representing behaviors of one or more users associated with the one or more client devices;
a workflow generation component configured to generate and store workflow data based on a correlation of the industrial data items with the behavioral data, wherein the workflow data defines a sequence of user actions for performing a task relating to an industrial system;
and
a notification component configured to send the workflow data to client devices associated with selected user identities in response to a determination by a monitoring component that a performance metric of the industrial system has deviated from a defined tolerance range, wherein the workflow data is rendered on the respective client devices as a workflow conveying the sequence of user actions, and the workflow comprises controls configured to permit selected steps of the workflow to be hidden,
wherein
the workflow generation component is further configured to,
in response to receipt, from a client device associated with a user identity of the selected user identities, of an indication of selected steps of the workflow to be hidden, generate personalized workflow data comprising the workflow data with the selected steps omitted, and
save the personalized workflow data in association with the user identity, and
the notification component is further configured to, in response to a subsequent determination by the monitoring component that the performance metric of the industrial system has deviated from the defined tolerance range, send the personalized workflow data to the client device associated with the user identity.

8 more elements

A method for creating and delivering industrial workflows, comprising:

collecting, by a system comprising at least one processor, industrial data from an automation system of a plant facility;
collecting, by the system, behavioral data from one or more client devices within the plant facility, the behavioral data representing behaviors of one or more users associated with the one or more client devices;
correlating, by the system, the behavioral data with at least a subset of the industrial data;
generating, by the system, workflow data based on the correlating, wherein the workflow data defines a sequence of user actions for performing a task relating to the automation system;
in response to determining that a performance metric of the automation system has deviated from a tolerance range, rendering, by the system, the workflow data on client devices associated with selected users, wherein the rendering comprises:
rendering the workflow data as a workflow indicating the sequence of user actions, and
rendering controls that permit selected steps of the workflow to be hidden;
in response to receiving, from a client device associated with a user of the selected users, an indication of one or more selected steps of the workflow to be hidden,
generating, by the system, personalized workflow data comprising the workflow data with the one or more selected steps omitted, and
saving, by the system, the personalized workflow data in association with the user;
and
in response to a subsequent determining that the performance metric of the automation system has deviated from the tolerance range, rendering, by the system, the personalized workflow data on the client device associated with the user.

9 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

collecting industrial data items generated by industrial devices of an industrial system;
collecting behavioral data from one or more client devices within an industrial facility associated with the industrial system, the behavioral data representing behaviors of one or more users associated with the one or more client devices;
analyzing the behavioral data and at least a subset of the industrial data items;
generating workflow data based on a result of the analyzing, wherein the workflow data defines a sequence of user actions for performing a task relating to the industrial system;
in response to determining that a performance indicator of the industrial system does not satisfy a performance criterion, rendering the workflow data on client devices associated with selected users, wherein the rendering comprises:
displaying the workflow data as a workflow indicating the sequence of user actions, and
displaying controls that allow selected steps of the workflow to be hidden;
in response to receiving, from a client device associated with a user of the selected users, an indication of one or more selected steps of the workflow to be hidden,
generating personalized workflow data based on the workflow data with the one or more selected steps omitted, and
saving the personalized workflow data in association with the user;
and
in response to a subsequent determining that the performance metric of the industrial system does not satisfy the performance criterion, rendering the personalized workflow data on the client devices associated with the user.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/465,246Filed 21 Mar 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 26 Sep 2016
Published: US 2018/0088564 A129 Mar 2018
Granted: 3 Sep 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G05B 19/41865
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G05B 2219/31449
From computer integrated manufacturing till monitoring: monitor workflow, to optimize business, industrial processes
G05B 2219/31464
From computer integrated manufacturing till monitoring: select between different models corresponding to diff process control configurations
Y02P 90/02
Enabling technologies with a potential contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation: total factory control, e.g. smart factories,…