Integrated software systems and methods that can control the design, emulation, testing and production activities of a conveyor based system. In embodiments, the control system implements an object-oriented like environment into a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) system and uses its software to define and control the operation of the PLC dynamically from a computer. In other embodiments, a hot backup method allows the conveyor system to continue to function on failure of one or more PLCs.

A process control monitoring system for a process control plant uses graphic trend symbols to assist in detecting and monitoring trends of process variables within the process control plant. A graphic display application within the process control monitoring system may implement and display each graphic trend symbol to graphically indicate or encapsulate current trend and value information of a process variable within the process control plant. The graphic display application may display the graphic trend symbol in a spatially realistic location within a graphical representation of the process control plant while maintaining the hierarchical structure or each hierarchical level of the process plant. The graphic display application may also include a navigation pane and a zoom feature that enable a user to quickly drill down through tend data to obtain more information and to support problem identification and diagnosis tasks.

A method includes determining the value of a plurality of selected process variables. Preferably, the respective current value of each selected process variable or a variable derived therefrom is compared with one or more reference values, and in each case at least one deviation or at least one rate of change is determined. On the basis of the determined plurality of deviations and/or rates of change, a stability of a current process state is determined. A computing unit visualizes a process states determined for different points in time and/or cycles by a chart such that a trajectory of the stability of process states for a predetermined period of time and/or over multiple cycles is visible in the chart. The computing unit visualizes a reference that, at a certain point in time, at least one factor was existing which is relevant for an evaluation of the result of the stability's trajectory.

Software for controlling processes in a heterogeneous semiconductor manufacturing environment may include a wafer-centric database, a real-time scheduler using a neural network, and a graphical user interface displaying simulated operation of the system. These features may be employed alone or in combination to offer improved usability and computational efficiency for real time control and monitoring of a semiconductor manufacturing process. More generally, these techniques may be usefully employed in a variety of real time control systems, particularly systems requiring complex scheduling decisions or heterogeneous systems constructed of hardware from numerous independent vendors.

A machining simulation display apparatus displays, on a display screen, an image of a shape of a workpiece and a shape of a tool that machines the workpiece, and includes a display update unit to provide a command to combine, at a change point on a trajectory of the tool, an image of the shape of the tool displayed on the display screen and an image of the shape of the workpiece at a first display update timing at which the image displayed on the display screen is updated or at a second display update timing that is a time point after a lapse of a constant display update interval since the first display update timing, the change point being present between the first display update timing and the second display update timing.

An information processing apparatus includes a first emulator that estimates a behavior of a device for driving a first control target that moves on a first target trajectory and a second emulator that estimates a behavior of a device for driving a second control target that moves on a second target trajectory. A visualization module generates drawing data for visualizing and drawing movement of the first control target and movement of the second control target in a three-dimensional virtual space by using a first command value and a second command value. The first and second emulators calculate the first command value and the second command value that control first and second driving devices in each control cycle according to a calculation command respectively. The calculation command instructs to calculate the command value for setting a movement amount in each control cycle variable.

An apparatus and method for establishing triggers for the opening of one or multiple gates to a mold cavity of an injection molding system, followed by a sequence of predetermined valve pin movements over the course on an injection cycle. In one embodiment, the invention provides a graphical user interface and control system enabling a user to select from and arrange a plurality of virtual icons into a user-defined virtual sequence that define associated triggering events and actuator controlled pin movements over the course of an injection cycle. In various embodiments, the apparatus and method allows the system operator to view a simulated profile of such triggers and movements and to compare the simulated profile to an actual profile to access differences and make adjustments to the triggers and sequencing more quickly and efficiently. This is particularly useful in sequential molding systems where multiple gates need to be programmed and adjusted to compensate for variations from a predetermined sequence.

Accurate estimation of a behavior of a target and presentation of a control program of the target are performed. An information processing apparatus includes: a storage configured to store control programs of a plurality of targets, which include a plurality of commands used to control a behavior of a corresponding target of the targets; a display controller configured to control a display; an execution unit configured to execute an emulator program configured to estimate a behavior of each of the targets, which includes the plurality of commands included in the control program of each of the targets; and a drawing data generation unit configured to generate drawing data for drawing the behaviors of the targets estimated through execution of the emulator program of the targets in a three-dimensional virtual space, wherein the display controller controls the display so that display of a plurality of commands of at least one of the control programs of the plurality of targets and drawing representing the behaviors of the targets according to the drawing data are performed on the same screen.

A process control monitoring system for a process control plant uses graphic trend symbols to assist in detecting and monitoring trends of process variables within the process control plant. A graphic display application within the process control monitoring system may implement and display each graphic trend symbol to graphically indicate or encapsulate current trend and value information of a process variable within the process control plant. The graphic display application may display the graphic trend symbol in a spatially realistic location within a graphical representation of the process control plant while maintaining the hierarchical structure or each hierarchical level of the process plant. The graphic display application may also include a zoom feature that enables a user to quickly drill down through tend data to obtain more information and to support problem identification and diagnosis tasks.

A method of visualizing one or more interlock chains in a process control system includes detecting an interlock event, obtaining pre-configured interlock logic data associated with field components in the process control system, and automatically generating at least a first interlock chain visualization by analyzing the pre-configured interlock logic data. The visualization graphically indicates interlock dependencies among at least a subset of the field components. The method also includes causing the first interlock chain visualization, and possibly other, related chain visualizations, to be presented to a user via a user interface, alone or with related controls (e.g., for resetting all components in the visualized chain).