Strategic method for process control

A method for automatic programming for adaptive control of a predetermined multi-stage manufacturing process said manufacturing process being defined by process stages, the method comprising

• A. using a mapped plurality of graph-directed expertise-suggested interconnection cell relationships, defining a map referenced interconnection cell therein, said interconnection cell being associated with one of said process stages, said interconnection cell having associated therewith
• I. at least one set of input data representing said predetermined multi-stage industrial process or at least one set of industrial process control parameters, and
• II. at least one set of output data, usable for predicting the process or stage output for a given setting of said associated process stage;
• and
• B. using the map referenced interconnection cell, designating at least one process control recipe and applying settings to said process as defined by said recipe for the industrial process, thereby to apply control to said multi-stage manufacturing process.

An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for performing multi-stage adaptive process control at a predetermined process juncture, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture including:

• A. first computer readable program code for causing a computer to define an interconnection cell associated with said process juncture and having associated therewith
• I. at least one set of input data representing an industrial process or at least one set of industrial process control parameters, and
• II. at least one set of output data, predictive of the industrial process output of said process juncture for a given setting;
• and
• B. tied to the first computer readable program code, an output unit for using said at least one set of input data and at least one set of output data, according to a predetermined prediction model, to apply settings to said industrial process to produce a desired output.

A computer comprising a program storage device readable by the computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for performing an industrial process control on a manufacturing process, said method steps including:

• A. for a predetermined process juncture, defining an interconnection cell associated with said juncture, having associated therewith
• I. at least one set of input data representing an industrial process or at least one set of industrial process control parameters, and
• II. at least one set of output data, predictive of the process output for a given setting;
• B. for the predetermined process juncture, for the interconnection cell, processing data from said at least one set of input data and from at least one set of output data, according to a predetermined prediction model, into respective corresponding data record clusters;
• C. for the predetermined process juncture, predicting the process output associated with said juncture, according to said data clusters, therewith to define settings for said process to produce a desired output therefrom, and
• D applying said defined settings to said process.

A computer system for performing control of predetermined adaptive process at a predetermined process juncture including:

• A. apparatus for delineating an interconnection cell, said interconnection cell being associated with said juncture and having associated therewith
• I. at least one set of input data representing an industrial process or at least one set of industrial process control parameters, and
• II. at least one set of output data, usable for predicting the industrial process output for a given setting;
• B. a processor for processing data from said at least one set of input data and from said at least one set of output data, according to a predetermined prediction model, into respective corresponding data record clusters, predictive of the industrial process output, and
• C. An output unit for using said data clusters to provide settings to said industrial process, said settings being physically applied to said industrial process to achieve a desired output, said settings being selected from said record clusters as those settings corresponding to said desired output.

An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for performing a predetermined multi-stage adaptive process control at a predetermined process juncture, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture including:

• A. first computer readable program code for causing a computer to define a map referenced interconnection cell for association with at least one stage in said multi-stage adaptive process, said interconnection cell having therein a mapped plurality of graph-directed expertise-suggested interconnection cell relationships with neighboring cells associated with neighboring stages, and further having associated therewith
• I. at least one set of input data representing an industrial process or at least one set of industrial process control parameters, and
• II. at least one set of output data, usable for predicting the process output for a given setting for at least one of said manufacturing stages;
• B. tied to the first computer readable program code, second computer readable program code for causing a computer to use the map referenced interconnection cell to designate at least one process control recipe for the industrial process, therewith to physically apply settings to said industrial process defined in said recipe, thereby to provide adaptive control to said process.

A computer comprising a program storage device readable by the computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for performing industrial process control of a manufacturing process, said method steps including:

• A. for a predetermined process juncture of said manufacturing process, using a mapped plurality of graph-directed expertise-suggested interconnection cell relationships, defining a map referenced interconnection cell therein having associated therewith
• I. at least one set of input data representing said manufacturing process or at least one set of manufacturing process control parameters, and
• II. at least one set of output data, usable for predicting the process output associated with said juncture or said manufacturing process for a given setting;
• and
• B. for the predetermined process juncture, using the map referenced interconnection cell, designating at least one process control recipe for the industrial process, and physically applying settings to said industrial process in accordance with said recipe.

A method for automatic adaptive control of a predetermined multi-stage manufacturing process said manufacturing process being defined by process junctures, the method comprising processing at a predetermined process juncture, the processing comprising:

• A. defining an interconnection cell at said juncture having associated therewith:
• I. at least one set of input data, representing said manufacturing process and
• II. at least one set of output data, usable for predicting the process output at said juncture for a given setting;
• B. defining a model to describe a correlation between said at least one set of input data and said at least one set of output data;
• C. using said model to obtain an input set combination to provide a predetermined output value for the manufacturing process, and
• D. physically applying said input combination as settings for said manufacturing process in order to achieve said predetermined output value.