Controller equipment model systems and methods

A method to facilitate automated sequential processing in a network of interconnected controllers interacting with an industrial controller supporting execution of an industrial batch process, comprising:

• defining an equipment phase object within an industrial controller wherein the equipment phase object is simultaneously accessible by a plurality of state machines that operate at multiple levels of the industrial batch process, wherein the plurality of state machines are instantiated from within one or more of the network controllers external to the industrial controller;
• associating internal controls within the controller and external controls to the equipment phase object;
• associating the plurality of state machines with the equipment phase object, wherein the plurality of state machines direct the external controls via the network to the industrial controller to at least one of access data, interact or control objects associated with the equipment phase object to affect operation of the industrial controller, the equipment phase object further operable for maintaining information related to at least one of configuration, state or execution associated with the industrial batch process pertinent to the industrial controller;
• and
• executing the equipment phase object from at least one of the external or internal controls, wherein the object upon concurrently receiving at least two controls from one or more of said multiple levels of state machines, manages the at least two concurrently received controls according to prioritization rules, wherein one or more of the at least two concurrently received controls is a control originated from said external state machines and directed as one or more concurrent external client requests to the prioritization service of the equipment phase object for synchronization in accordance to the rules.

A system to facilitate automated sequential processing in a network of interconnected controllers interacting with an industrial controller supporting execution of an industrial batch process, comprising the following components stored in computer memory and executable by a processor:

• means for executing an equipment phase object within an industrial controller, the equipment phase object is accessible by at least one of internal instructions from within the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object and external instructions directed to the industrial controller from one or more of said network external controllers to at least one of access data, interact or control objects associated with the equipment phase object to affect operations within the industrial controller;
• means for associating the equipment phase object with a plurality of state machines that operate at multiple levels of an industrial batch process, wherein the plurality of state machines are instantiated from within one or more of the network controllers external to the industrial controller, wherein the plurality of state machines are direct the external instructions to the industrial controller to at least one of access data, interact or control objects associated with the equipment phase object to affect operation of the industrial controller, the equipment phase object further operable for maintaining information related to at least one of configuration, state or execution associated with the industrial batch process pertinent to the industrial controller;
• and
• means for concurrently controlling the object from at least two state machines of the plurality of state machines, wherein the equipment phase object upon concurrently receiving at least two external instructions from one or more of said multiple levels of state machines, manages the at least two concurrently received external instructions according to prioritization rules, wherein the at least two concurrently received external instructions are directed as one or more concurrent external client requests to the prioritization service of the equipment phase object for synchronization in accordance to the rules.

A computer readable medium having a data structure stored thereon for controlling an industrial state process in a network of interconnected controllers interacting with an industrial controller supporting execution of an industrial batch process, comprising:

• an equipment phase object that controls one or more devices associated with the industrial batch process, wherein the equipment phase object is accessible by at least one of internal instructions from within the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object and external instructions directed to the industrial controller from one or more of said network external controllers to access data, interact or control objects within the equipment phase object to affect operations within the industrial controller, wherein the equipment phase object manages concurrent access from a plurality of state machines networked to the industrial batch process, wherein the plurality of state machines are instantiated from within one or more of said controllers external to the industrial controller and direct the external instructions via the network to the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object to affect operation of the industrial controller, wherein each of the plurality of state machines executes a portion of the industrial batch process, the equipment phase object further operable for maintaining information related to at least one of configuration, state or execution associated with the industrial batch process pertinent to the industrial controller, wherein the equipment phase object upon concurrently receiving at least two instructions from one or more of said multiple levels of state machines, manages the at least two instructions according to prioritization rules, wherein one or more of the at least two instructions is an instruction originated from said external state machines and directed as one or more concurrent external client requests to the prioritization service of the equipment phase object for synchronization in accordance to the rules.

A computer readable medium having a data structure stored thereon for controlling an industrial state process in a network of interconnected controllers interacting with an industrial controller supporting execution of an industrial batch process, comprising:

• at least one structured tag for interacting with an internal or an external sequence of industrial batch process;
• an equipment phase object that executes at least one state routine associated with the industrial batch process;
• and
• a phase data type associated with the equipment phase object that is accessible from a plurality of state machines networked to the industrial batch process, wherein the plurality of state machines are associated with the external sequence of the industrial batch process, wherein the equipment phase object is accessible by at least one of internal instructions from within the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object and external instructions directed to the industrial controller from one or more of said network external controllers to access data, interact or control objects within the equipment phase object to affect operations within the industrial controller, wherein the equipment phase object manages concurrent access from the plurality of state machines networked to the industrial batch process, wherein the plurality of state machines are instantiated from within one or more of said controllers external to the industrial controller and direct the external instructions via the network to the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object to affect operation of the industrial controller, wherein each of the plurality of state machines executes a portion of the industrial batch process, the equipment phase object further operable for maintaining information related to at least one of configuration, state or execution associated with the industrial batch process pertinent to the industrial controller, wherein the equipment phase object upon concurrently receiving at least two instructions from one or more of said multiple levels of state machines, manages the at least two instructions according to prioritization rules, wherein one or more of the at least two instructions is an instruction originated from said external state machines and directed as one or more concurrent external client requests to the prioritization service of the equipment phase object for synchronization in accordance to the rules.

A graphical user interface embodied on a computer readable medium that when executed on one or more processors facilitates controlling an industrial batch process in a network of interconnected controllers interacting with an industrial controller supporting execution of the industrial batch process, the graphical user interface comprising:

• at least one display object for interacting with an internal or an external sequence of the industrial batch process wherein the at least one display object allows a user take ownership of a phase, to command the phase, and to monitor at least one of a current state, owner, or fault information for the phase;
• and
• an equipment phase object that controls at least a portion of the industrial batch process, wherein the equipment phase object is accessible by at least one of internal instructions from within the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object and external instructions directed to the industrial controller from one or more of said network external controllers to access data, interact or control objects within the equipment phase object to affect operations within the industrial controller, wherein the equipment phase object manages concurrent access from the plurality of state machines networked to the industrial batch process, wherein the plurality of state machines are instantiated from within one or more of said controllers external to the industrial controller and direct the external instructions via the network to the industrial controller to control the equipment phase object to affect operation of the industrial controller, wherein each of the plurality of state machines executes a portion of the industrial batch process, the equipment phase object further operable for maintaining information related to at least one of configuration, state or execution associated with the industrial batch process pertinent to the industrial controller, wherein the equipment phase object upon concurrently receiving at least two instructions from one or more of said multiple levels of state machines, manages the at least two instructions according to prioritization rules, wherein one or more of the at least two instructions is an instruction originated from said external state machines and directed as one or more concurrent external client requests to the prioritization service of the equipment phase object for synchronization in accordance to the rules.