Patent ID: 6314328
Filing Date: 2001-11-06
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
A method of generating an alarm for a process control system having a foreground task which controls a process in a foreground of said process control system and a background task which controls said process in a background of said process control system, the process control system has a computer system for collecting and storing process data, and the process data includes a plurality of process parameters for a production run, the method comprising the steps of:(a) polling the computer system for the process data including the plurality of process parameters for the production run;(b) providing a plurality of manufacturing limits, each corresponding to one of the plurality of process parameters;(c) comparing at least one of the plurality of process parameters to its corresponding manufacturing limit;(d) signaling a manufacturing alarm when at least one of the plurality of process parameters exceeds its corresponding manufacturing limit; and(e) preventing the computer system from collecting and storing process data while the alarm generating means is signaling a manufacturing alarm by switching said process from said foreground to said background.