Patent ID: 7024251

Claim:
A method to control a process, wherein a status of the process can be altered by a multitude of actions, wherein an action is controlled by basic control units, wherein at least one basic control unit is coordinated by at least one group control unit and wherein this basic control unit comprises the following functions: (b 1 ) means to receive and priority handle a request for a basic control action from one or more group control units or from an operator to be performed by said basic control unit, (b 2 ) means to receive and transform information from the process and/or output from basic control unit(s) and/or output from group control unit(s) into a permit required to start or to continue to execute said action, (b 3 ) means to receive lockouts from basic control unit(s) and/or from group control unit(s) and/or from the operator and/or from the basic control unit itself to prevent the start or to initiate termination of said action and force a default status or shut-down sequence of the basic control unit until the received lockout(s) has (have) been removed and also a reset has been activated, (b 4 ) means to process an internal lockout and/or export an output or lockout, which output/lockout is related to the status of said action and (b 5 ) means to execute said action according to a logic or sequence according to which the basic control unit operates, and wherein at least one of these group control unit comprises the following functions: (g 1 ) means to receive and priority handle a request for a group control action from an even higher hierarchy control unit or from the operator to be performed by said group control unit, (g 2 ) means to receive and transform information from the process and/or from basic control unit(s) and/or from group control unit(s) into a permit required to start or to continue to execute said group action, (g 3 ) means to receive lockouts from basic control unit(s) and/or from group control unit(s) and/or from the operator and/or from the group control unit itself to prevent the start or to initiate the termination of said group action and force a default status or shut-down sequence of the group control unit until the received lockout(s) has (have) been removed and also a reset has been activated, (g 4 ) means to process an internal lockout and/or export an output or lockout, which output/lockout is related to the status of said group action and (g 5 ) means to execute said group action according to a logic or sequence according to which the group control unit operates.