Patent ID: 6038540
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G05B,G06Q

Abstract:
An apparatus having physical process equipment, said physical process equipment having sensors for creating sensor output signals indicative of process attributes in said physical process equipment as the apparatus handles at least one raw material, product, or resource in performing a useful function, each product, resource, and raw material having a respective affiliated economic variable whose quantity is defined by a monetary value, said apparatus comprising:a computer monitor for producing a graphical display of variable manufacturing respective to said physical process equipment;a real-time computer in communication with said sensor output signals and said computer monitor, said real-time computer further comprisingmeans for reading said sensor output signals as input signals indicative of measured process attributes in said physical process equipment,means for periodically acquiring at least one said monetary value,means for defining a steady state status regarding said input signals,means, responsive to the steady state status, for generating a reconciled input signal set from said input signals,means for determining a first estimate of the variable manufacturing margin from said reconciled input signal set and at least one acquired monetary value,means for determining a second estimate of the variable manufacturing margin from said input signals and at least one acquired monetary value,means for executing a smoothing process on said input signals to determine a smoothed input signal set,means for determining a third estimate of the variable manufacturing margin from said smoothed input signal set and at least one acquired monetary value,means for generating and displaying, on the computer monitor, at least one first graphical information token correspondent to said first estimate of variable manufacturing margin, at least one second graphical information token correspondent to said second estimate of variable manufacturing margin, and at least one third graphical information token correspondent to said third estimate of variable manufacturing margin; anda real-time communication connection between said means for periodically acquiring at least one said monetary value and a market information computer having recent monetary values respective to said products, raw materials, and resources.