Patent ID: 7085608

Claim:
A plant for interchangeably controlling process equipment adapted for carrying out process, comprising: a process equipment chosen from a group of process equipments, a memory member being arranged in the process equipment for storing data required for describing and defining a process specific to the chosen process equipment; a programming unit for receiving interpreted data pertaining to the process equipment and entering commands to set control parameters for the process; and a master system for communicating and interpreting data pertaining to the process equipment, the master system having: a first interface to the programming unit, a second interface to the process equipment, and a transmitting member interfaced to the first and second interface for transmitting information between the programming unit and the process equipment, the master system being provided with a rule data base and a text data base for communication between the process equipment and the programming unit, wherein said rule data base is adapted to receive a configuration file and said text data base is adapted to receive a text file from an external source, the files being specific to the process equipment chosen from the group of process equipments for configuring and controlling the process.