Activity set management in a Manufacturing Execution System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9551983-B2
Application number	US-201213676973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2012
Priority date	Nov 15, 2011
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is provided for execution of workflows in response to specified business objectives. The MES system can maintain a library of activity sets representing industry-specific workflows that can be selected and executed in order to satisfy business-driven goals. The activity sets can comprise both business-level and control-level operations, and can be configured using an intuitive graphical interface that mitigates the need for low-level programming by the end user. In response to receipt of a request from a business-level system such as an ERP system, the MES system can match the request to an activity set, and subsequently execute the workflow defined by the activity set to facilitate satisfying the request.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for executing a business objective, comprising:
a memory that stores executable components;
a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising:
a template database configured to store a plurality of activity templates representing generalized activity sets;
a graphical interface configured to receive first input selecting a parameter of an activity template of the plurality of activity templates, and second input selecting a controller tag of an industrial controller to map to the parameter of the activity template to yield a bound activity set;
an activity set database configured to store the bound activity set as one of a plurality of activity sets, the plurality of activity sets defining respective workflows capable of execution by one or more manufacturing and execution systems (MES);
a context monitoring component configured to monitor availability statuses for a set of machines deployed within an industrial environment;
a gateway component configured to receive a message defining a business objective;
a simulation component configured to perform multiple simulations representing execution of the business objective under multiple different control scenarios to yield respective simulation results, wherein performance of the multiple simulations is based on an organizational model of the industrial environment, and wherein at least one constraint of the simulations is set based on the availability statuses;
a mapping component configured to match the message to a selected activity set of the plurality of activity sets based at least in part on the business objective and a comparison of the respective simulation results; and
an execution component configured to execute a workflow defined by the selected activity set.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway component is further configured to receive the message from an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a transform component configured to convert a data format of the message from a first format used by the ERP system to a second format compatible with the one or more MES systems.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the execution component is further configured to translate the workflow defined by the selected activity set into at least one control instruction and to deploy the at least one control instruction to one or more industrial controllers associated with the subset of the machines.

5. The system of clam 1 , wherein the execution component is further configured to translate the workflow defined by the selected activity set into at least one instruction for exchanging data with a business-level device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the template database is further configured to classify the plurality of activity templates according to at least one of an industry or an industrial process.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a graphical interface configured to render the selected activity set as a graphical workflow comprising multiple icons representing respective executable operations and at least one graphical connecting line joining at least two of the multiple icons.

8. A method for selecting and executing a Manufacturing and Execution System (MES) workflow in accordance with a defined business goal, comprising:
storing, by a system comprising a processor, a plurality of activity templates representing generalized activity sets;
receiving, by the system, first input selecting a parameter of an activity template of the plurality of activity templates, and second input selecting a controller tag of an industrial controller to map to the parameter of the activity template to yield a bound activity set;
storing, by the system, the bound activity set as one of a plurality of activity sets, the plurality of activity sets defining respective workflows capable of execution by one or more manufacturing and execution systems (MES);
monitoring, by the system, availability statuses of machines within an industrial environment;
receiving, by the system, a message specifying a business objective;
performing, by the system, multiple simulations representing execution of the business objective using multiple different control scenarios to yield respective simulation results, wherein performance of the multiple simulations is based on an organizational model of the industrial environment, and wherein at least one constraint of the multiple simulations is set in accordance with the availability statuses of the machines;
matching, by the system, the message to a selected activity set, of the plurality of activity sets, based on the business objective and a comparison of the respective simulation results; and
executing, by the system, an MES workflow defined by the selected activity set.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the performing the multiple simulations comprises:
monitoring, by the system, a control context of an automation system; and
setting, by the system, at least one other constraint of the multiple simulations based at least in part on the control context.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising rendering, by the system, the selected activity set as a graphical workflow comprising a set of icons representing executable steps of the selected activity set and at least one connecting line relating at least two icons of the set of icons.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising transforming, by the system, the message from a first format to a second format compatible with an MES system.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
translating, by the system, the MES workflow defined by the selected activity set into at least one control instruction executable by one or more industrial controllers that control the machines; and
providing, by the system, the at least one control instruction to the one or more industrial controllers.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the translating comprises translating the MES workflow based at least in part on a binding defined by the first input and the second input.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising organizing, by the system, the plurality of activity sets according to a hierarchical classification scheme comprising at least an industry class and an industrial process class.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable components that, in response to execution, cause a computer system including a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
storing a plurality of activity templates representing generalized activity sets;
receiving first input selecting a parameter of an activity template of the plurality of activity templates, and second input selecting a controller tag of an industrial controller to map to the parameter of the activity template to yield a bound activity set;
storing the bound activity set as one of a plurality of activity sets, the plurality of activity sets defining respective workflows capable of execution by one or more manufacturing and execution systems (MES);
monitoring availability statuses of machines within an industrial environment;
receiving a message specifying a business objective;
performing multiple simulations representing execution of the business objective using multiple different control scenarios to yield respective simulation results, wherein the performing is based on an organizational model of the industrial environment, and wherein at least one constraint of the multiple simulations is se

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Cooper David
• Chao Kevin
• Chambers Keith
• Sze Richard
• Moor Crisler
• Henning Brandon E
• Bobba Suryanarayana Murthy

Classifications

• G06Q10/06 Primary

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G05B19/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G06Q50/04

  Manufacturing · CPC title

• Y02P90/30

  Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing · CPC title