Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of diagnosing an adaptive process control loop comprising:measuring process control loop signal data generated as a result of a normal operation of one or more process control devices within the adaptive process control loop when the adaptive process control loop is connected on-line within a process control environment;asynchronously diagnosing on a computer a plurality of components of the adaptive process control loop from the process control loop signal data;generating on the computer a plurality of diagnostic indices pertaining to process control loop parameters for a plurality of components of the adaptive process control loop from diagnostic results of the component generated from the process control loop signal data, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices comprises generating an index for one or more of the group consisting of: a resolution of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop, a dead band of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop and a hysteresis of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop; andevaluating on the computer a condition of the adaptive process control loop from one or more of the plurality of diagnostic indices. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices comprises independently generating a diagnostic index for a plurality of components of the adaptive process control loop. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the components of the adaptive process control loop comprises one or more of the group consisting of: a process control loop performance component, a process control loop device component, an adaptive model quality component and a process control loop stability component. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices further comprises:generating a diagnostic index representing a status of each of the one or more process control devices within the adaptive process control loop; andgenerating a diagnostic index representing a status of the complete adaptive process control loop. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices further comprises generating one or more use indices indicating the performance of the adaptive process control loop. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices further comprises generating one or more of the group consisting of: a variability index, a standard deviation and a capability standard deviation. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the variability index comprises generating one or more of the group consisting of: a variability index indicating a process control loop tuning condition and a variability index indicating a process control loop device condition. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the standard deviation comprises generating one or more of the group consisting of: a total process variable standard deviation indicating a process control loop tuning condition and a total process variable standard deviation indicating a process control loop device condition. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices further comprises generating one or more use indices indicating a diagnostic of a process control device within the adaptive process control loop. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a resolution of a process control loop device in the adaptive process control loop comprises generating an index for a resolution indicating a measure of a minimum process control signal required to cause a response in the process control loop device. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a resolution of a process control loop device in the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating the difference between the hysteresis of the process control loop device and the dead band of the process control loop device. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a dead band of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises generating a dead band indicating a measure of a range an input can vary without an observable response in the process control loop device in response to a process control signal. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a dead band of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating the difference between the hysteresis of the process control loop device and the resolution of the process control loop device. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a hysteresis of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises measuring displacement of the process control loop device based on an input to the process control loop device and an output of the process control loop device. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a hysteresis of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating a sum of the dead band of the process control loop device and the resolution of the process control loop device. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an index for a hysteresis of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating an average of maximum differences between a process control input signal to the process control loop device and a response signal indicating a state of the process control loop device in response to the process control input signal. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices comprises:determining an oscillation amplitude on a process control output signal; anddetermining an oscillation amplitude on a process control input signal. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating an index for a hysteresis of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating the hysteresis of a process control devices as the product of a constant value and the oscillation amplitude on the process control output signal. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein generating an index for a resolution of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating the resolution of a process control loop device as a ratio of the oscillation amplitude on the process control input signal to a process gain, wherein the ratio is scaled a constant value. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein generating an index for a dead band of a process control loop device within the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating the difference between the hysteresis of the process control loop device and the resolution of the process control loop device. 21. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices further comprises generating an index indicating a quality of a model of the adaptive process control loop defined during an adaptation cycle of the adaptive process control loop. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein generating an index indicating a quality of an adapted model of the adaptive process control loop comprises comparing a final model output with an actual process variable of the adaptive process control loop. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein generating an index indicating a quality of an adapted model of the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating an error ratio of the best model of the adaptive process control loop to a next best model of the adaptive process control loop. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein generating an index indicating a quality of an adapted model of the adaptive process control loop comprises calculating a squared error of the adapted model of the adaptive process control loop indicating the error from a previous adaptation cycle of the adaptive process control loop. 25. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a plurality of diagnostic indices further comprises generating an index indicating a stability of the adaptive process control loop. 26. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a function based on the evaluated condition of the adaptive process control loop. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein performing a function based on the evaluated condition of the process control loop comprises setting an alarm. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein setting an alarm comprises setting an alarm for at least one of the group consisting of: an oscillatory adaptive process control loop, a high process control loop device hysteresis and a high process control loop device resolution value. 29. The method of claim 26, wherein performing a function based on the evaluated condition of the process control loop comprises performing a corrective action within the adaptive process control loop. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein performing a corrective action comprises automatically adjusting a process variable filter. 31. A self-diagnostic process control loop within a process control environment comprising:a plurality of process control loop devices;a memory adapted to store signal data from the process control loop, wherein the signal data is generated as a result of a normal operation of the plurality of process control devices within the process control loop when the process control loop is connected on-line within a process control environment; anda diagnostic tool adapted to receive one or more diagnostic indices pertaining to a process control loop parameter for a plurality of components of the process control loop, including a diagnostic index pertaining to a diagnostic of a process control device within the process control loop, and for the complete process control loop, wherein each diagnostic index is generated from the signal data by a corresponding index computation tool and wherein the diagnostic index pertaining to a diagnostic of a process control device within the process control loop comprises one or more of the group consisting of: a resolution of a process control loop device within the process control loop indicating a minimum process control signal required to cause a response in the process control loop device, a dead band of a process control loop device within the process control loop indicating a measure of a range an input can vary without an observable response in the process control loop device in response to a process control signal and a hysteresis of a process control loop device within the process control loop indicating a displacement of a process control loop device based on an input to the process control loop device and an output of the process control loop device, the diagnostic tool further adapted to evaluate a condition of the process control loop from one or more of the diagnostic indices. 32. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the components of the process control loop comprises one or more of the group consisting of: a process control loop performance component, a process control loop device component, an adaptive model quality component and a process control loop stability component. 33. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic tool is further adapted to receive a diagnostic index pertaining to a performance of the process control loop. 34. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 33, wherein the diagnostic index pertaining to a performance of the process control loop comprises a variability index indicating a process control loop tuning condition. 35. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 33, wherein the diagnostic index pertaining to a performance of the process control loop comprises a variability index indicting a process control loop device condition. 36. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 33, wherein the diagnostic index pertaining to a performance of the process control loop comprises a total process control loop standard deviation indicating a process control loop tuning condition. 37. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 33, wherein the diagnostic index pertaining to a performance of the process control loop comprises a total process control loop standard deviation indicating a process control loop device condition. 38. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 33, wherein the diagnostic index pertaining to a performance of the process control loop comprises a capability standard deviation. 39. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic tool is further adapted to calculate a diagnostic index pertaining to a diagnostic of a process control device within the process control loop based on a back calculation signal from a process control loop device. 40. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic tool is further adapted to receive a diagnostic index pertaining to a quality of an adapted model of the process control loop defined during an adaptation cycle of the process control loop. 41. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 40, wherein the diagnostic tool is further adapted utilize the diagnostic index as a diagnostic indicator of the process control loop. 42. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic tool is further adapted to receive a diagnostic index pertaining to a stability of the process control loop. 43. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic routine is further adapted to set an alarm based on the evaluated condition of the process control loop. 44. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 43, wherein the diagnostic routine is adapted to set the alarm for at least one of the group consisting of: an oscillatory process control loop, a high process control loop device hysteresis and a high process control loop device resolution value. 45. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the diagnostic routine is further adapted to initiate a corrective action within the process control loop based on the evaluated condition of the process control loop. 46. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 45, wherein the diagnostic routine is adapted to initiate a corrective action to automatically adjust an adapted model of the process control loop. 47. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 45, wherein the diagnostic routine is adapted to initiate a corrective action to automatically adjust a process variable filter. 48. The self-diagnostic process control loop of claim 31, wherein the plurality of process control loop devices comprise a valve and a process controller.