# US 2020/0401124 A1 · Enhanced Work Order Generation and Tracking System > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401124 A1 - Document ID: US20200401124A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/896,624 - Filed: 2020-06-09 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-21 - Assignees: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Steven R. Dillon; Gregory H. Rome; Scott N. Hokeness - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401124A1 ## CPC - G05B 23/0283: {Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] (preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06)} - G05B 19/4183: {characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification} - G05B 2219/31467: Display of operating conditions of machines, workcells, selected programs - G05B 2219/31469: Graphical display of process as function of detected alarm signals - G06Q 10/20: Administration of product repair or maintenance - Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] - Y02P 90/80: Management or planning - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A work order initiation and tracking system is coupled between various plant asset diagnostic systems and a work or business management system within a process plant. The work order initiation and tracking system includes a user interface that enables a user to review diagnostic data, recommendations, and other information from one or more of the diagnostic systems regarding potential or recommended changes to plant assets, and to initiate the generation of one or more work orders to implement the recommendations or corrections based on information from the diagnostic systems. The work order initiation and tracking system assists the user in generating work orders by tracking and viewing the created work orders associated with various assets in the plant based on previous diagnostic information or recommendations, by enabling the user to copy data or information from the asset diagnostic applications into the work order generation system, by translating or associating asset name and tag data from the diagnostic systems to the work order generation system to assure that the correct assets are identified in the work orders, and by tracking the progress of the work orders sent to and generated by the business and work management system to provide the user with information pertaining to previously ordered work within the plant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A maintenance system, for use with a process plant having a plurality of control devices, comprising: one or more asset diagnostic applications that perform diagnostics on the control devices to create asset diagnostic data; an asset management system that generates one or more work orders specifying work to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant; and a work order assist system including; a first communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices; a second communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the asset management system; and a work order assist module that uses the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications via the first communication interface to determine work order information pertaining the plurality of control devices and that communicates with the asset management system via the second communication interface to manage one or more work orders created by the asset management system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a user interface that enables a user to review the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications regarding suggested actions to one or more of the plurality of control devices, and to initiate the generation of one or more work orders via the asset management system, to implement the suggested actions to the one or more of the plurality of control devices. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The maintenance system of claim 2, wherein the user interface enables the user to copy information from the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications into a format for use in initiating a work order within the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a user interface module that provides one or more predetermined interface screens to a user via a user display to display an asset recommendation as made by different ones of the one or more asset diagnostic applications in a common format, and to enable a user to view asset information pertaining to the one or more control devices to which an asset recommendation applies in the common format. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a user interface module that provides one or more interface screens to a user via a user display to display an asset recommendation as made by one of the one or more asset diagnostic applications, and wherein the user interface module enables a user to accept or reject the asset recommendation and wherein, when the user accepts the asset recommendation, the work order assist module initiates the generation of a work order via the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a user interface module that provides a work order initiation form to a user via a user display, and wherein the user interface module enables a user to generate a work order by importing data as provided in one or more messages from one or more of the asset diagnostic applications into the work order initiation form to be sent to the asset maintenance system to generate a new work order. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The maintenance system of claim 6, wherein the user interface module further uses an asset translation database to translate data regarding the control devices to provide information for use in the work order initiation form in a manner that can be used by the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a work order database that receives information regarding work orders created by the asset management system via the second communication interface and wherein the work order assist system includes a user interface application that enables a user to view information regarding one or more of the work orders as stored in the work order database. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The maintenance system of claim 8, wherein the work order database receives information regarding a status of one or more work orders created by the asset management system and wherein the user interface application enables a user to view the status information regarding one or more of the work orders created by the asset management system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The maintenance system of claim 8, wherein the work order database receives and stores state information related to the status of one or more work orders that have been previously generated by the asset maintenance system, and wherein the work order assist module uses the state information to determine whether to initiate the generation of an additional work order. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The maintenance system of claim 8, wherein the work order assist module detects that a work order has been previously generated but not yet completed to correct a problem that is newly identified by one of the asset diagnostic applications, and alerts a user of the existence of the previously generated work order. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The maintenance system of claim 8, wherein the status information includes an indication of a current state of one or more of the work orders created by the asset management system, the state information including one of if a work order has been sent to a maintenance worker, if a work order has been accepted by a maintenance worker, if a work order is complete, if a work order has been cancelled, and if a work order is in process. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The maintenance system of claim 8, wherein the user interface application enables a user to search the work order database for one or more work orders related to a particular control device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a translation module that translates the asset diagnostic data as provided by the one or more asset diagnostic applications into a format usable by the asset management system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The maintenance system of claim 14, wherein the translation module converts an asset name or tag for a control device as used in one of the asset diagnostic applications into an asset name or tag for the same control device as used in the asset management system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein the work order assist system includes a rules database that stores one or more sets of rules used to process the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications and a rules engine that processes the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications using one or more of the sets of rules to generate information regarding one or more work orders. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The maintenance system of claim 16, wherein the rules engine processes the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications using one or more of the sets of rules to automatically generate one or more work orders in the asset management system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The maintenance system of claim 17, wherein the rules engine uses the sets of rules to detect one or more pre-determined conditions under which a work order is to be generated and automatically initiates the generation of a work order via the asset management system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The maintenance system of claim 16, wherein the rules engine processes the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications using one or more of the sets of rules to generate one or more proposed work orders in the asset management system and communicates with the user via a user interface to indicate the one or more proposed work orders and to enable a user to initiate the creation of the one or more proposed work orders via the asset management system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The maintenance system of claim 16, wherein the work order assist module uses the one or more of the sets of rules and the rules engine to process the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications and to process device data related to the one or more of the plurality of control devices to generate information regarding one or more work orders. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more asset diagnostic applications is located within the plant. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The maintenance system of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more asset diagnostic applications is located exterior to the plant and the first communication interface connects to the one of the one or more asset diagnostic applications via an exterior communication network. ### Claim 23 A work order maintenance system, for use in a process plant having a plurality of control devices, one or more asset diagnostic applications that perform diagnostics on the control devices to create asset diagnostic data, and an asset management system that generates one or more work orders specifying work to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant, the work order maintenance system comprising: a first communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices; a second communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the asset management system; a user interface application stored in a computer memory that executes on a computer processor; and a work order assist module stored in a computer memory that executes on a computer processor to receive the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications via the first communication interface and that communicates with the asset management system via the second communication interface to receive information related to one or more work orders created by the asset management system and that provides work order information to a user via the user interface application related to the asset diagnostic data and to the one or more work orders. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The maintenance system of claim 23, wherein the user interface application enables a user to review the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications regarding suggested actions to be made to one or more of the plurality of control devices, and to initiate the generation of one or more work orders via the asset management system, to implement the suggested actions to the one or more of the plurality of control devices. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The maintenance system of claim 24, wherein the user interface application enables the user to copy information from the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications into a format for use in initiating a work order within the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The maintenance system of claim 23, wherein the user interface application provides one or more predetermined interface screens to a user via a user display to display an asset action recommendation as made by different ones of the one or more asset diagnostic applications in a common format, and to enable a user to view asset information pertaining to the one or more control devices to which an asset action recommendation applies in the common format. ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) The maintenance system of claim 23, wherein the user interface application provides one or more interface screens to a user via a user display to display an asset action recommendation as made by one of the one or more asset diagnostic applications, and wherein the user interface module enables a user to accept or reject the asset action recommendation and wherein, when the user accepts the asset action recommendation, the work order assist module initiates the generation of a work order via the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) The maintenance system of claim 23, further including an asset translation database the stores information translating asset information for control devices as used in one or more of the asset diagnostic applications into asset information for the same control devices as used in the asset management system. ### Claim 29 (depends on 23) The maintenance system of claim 23, further including a work order database that receives information regarding work orders created by the asset management system via the second communication interface and wherein the user interface application enables a user to view information regarding one or more of the work orders stored in the work order database. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The maintenance system of claim 29, wherein the work order database receives information regarding a status of one or more work orders created by the asset management system and wherein the user interface application enables a user to view the status information regarding one or more of the work orders created by the asset management system. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The maintenance system of claim 29, wherein the work order database receives and stores state information related to the status of one or more work orders that have been previously generated by the asset maintenance system, and wherein the work order assist module uses the state information to determine whether to initiate the generation of an additional work order in response to the receipt of an asset change recommendation from one of the one or more asset diagnostic applications. ### Claim 32 (depends on 29) The maintenance system of claim 29, wherein the user interface application enables a user to search the work order database for one or more work orders related to a particular control device. ### Claim 33 A work order generation system, for use with a process plant having a plurality of control devices, one or more asset diagnostic applications that perform diagnostics on the control devices to create asset diagnostic data and an asset management system that generates one or more work orders specifying work to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant, the work order generation system comprising: a first communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices; a second communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the asset management system; and a work order assist module stored in a computer memory that executes on a computer processor to process the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications via the first communication interface to determine a need for the generation of one or more work orders, and that communicates with the asset management system via the second communication interface to send information regarding one or more work orders to be created by the asset management system. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The work order generation system of claim 33, wherein the work order assist module includes a rules database that stores one or more sets of rules used to process the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications and a rules engine that processes the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications using one or more of the sets of rules to generate work order information regarding one or more work orders to be created by the asset management system. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The work order generation system of claim 34, wherein the rules engine processes the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications using one or more of the sets of rules to automatically generate one or more work orders in the asset management system. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The work order generation system of claim 34, wherein the rules engine uses the sets of rules to detect one or more pre-determined conditions under which a work order is to be generated and automatically initiates the generation of a work order via the asset management system. ### Claim 37 (depends on 34) The work order generation system of claim 34, further including a user interface, and wherein the rules engine processes the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications using one or more of the sets of rules to generate one or more proposed work orders in the asset management system and communicates with the user via the user interface to indicate the one or more proposed work orders and to enable a user to initiate the creation of the one or more proposed work orders via the asset management system. ### Claim 38 (depends on 33) The work order generation system of claim 33, further including a user interface, and wherein the work order assist module provides the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications to a user via the user interface and enables the user to create a work order initiation form to create a work order via the asset management system using the asset diagnostic data. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The work order generation system of claim 38, wherein the user interface enables the user to copy information from the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications into a format for use in initiating a work order within the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 40 A method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications that perform diagnostics on the control devices within a plant to create asset diagnostic data and an asset management system that generates one or more work orders specifying actions to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant, comprising: communicating with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices; communicating with the asset management system to receive work order information from the asset management system; processing the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications to determine work order generation information pertaining the plurality of control devices; and communicating with the asset management system to initiate the creation of one or more work orders in the asset management system. ### Claim 41 (depends on 40) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 40, further including providing information to a user via a user interface to enable the user to review the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications regarding suggested actions to one or more of the plurality of control devices, and to initiate the generation of one or more work orders via the asset management system, to implement the suggested actions to the one or more of the plurality of control devices. ### Claim 42 (depends on 41) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 41, further including enabling the user to copy information from the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications into a format for use in initiating a work order within the asset maintenance system, via the user interface. ### Claim 43 (depends on 41) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 41, further including providing one or more predetermined interface screens to a user via a user display to display an asset action recommendation as made by different ones of the one or more asset diagnostic applications in a common format, and to enable a user to view asset information pertaining to the one or more control devices to which an asset action recommendation applies in the common format. ### Claim 44 (depends on 40) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 40, further including enabling the user to accept or reject an asset action recommendation and wherein, when the user accepts the asset action recommendation, initiating the generation of a work order via the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 45 (depends on 40) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 40, further including further including storing asset translation data in an asset translation database to translate data regarding the control devices from a format used by the one or more asset diagnostic applications into a format used by the asset maintenance system. ### Claim 46 (depends on 40) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 40, further including receiving work order information regarding one or more work orders created by the asset management system in a work order database, and enabling a user to view information regarding one or more of the work orders as stored in the work order database. ### Claim 47 (depends on 46) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 46, further including receiving information regarding a status of one or more work orders created by the asset management system from the asset management system and enabling a user to view the status regarding one or more of the work orders created by the asset management system. ### Claim 48 (depends on 47) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 47, further including using the status information to determine whether to initiate the generation of an additional work order via the asset management system. ### Claim 49 (depends on 46) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 46, further including enabling a user to search the work order database for one or more work orders related to a particular control device. ### Claim 50 (depends on 40) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 40, further including storing a set of rules in a rules database and using the set of rules stored in the rules database to process the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications to generate information regarding the creation of one or more work orders. ### Claim 51 (depends on 50) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 50, further including using the set of rules stored in the rules database to process the asset diagnostic data from the asset diagnostic applications to automatically generate information regarding the creation of one or more work orders. ### Claim 52 (depends on 50) The method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications and an asset management system of claim 50, further including generating one or more proposed work orders in the asset management system based on the one or more rules, communicating with the user via a user interface to indicate the one or more proposed work orders, and enabling the user via the user interface to initiate the creation of the one or more proposed work orders via the asset management system.