초록 ▼

A preferred process for evaluating the performance of a process control system comprises generating a first set of data comprising a plurality of measurements of a first parameter controlled by the process control system and generating a second set of data comprising a plurality of measurements of a

A preferred process for evaluating the performance of a process control system comprises generating a first set of data comprising a plurality of measurements of a first parameter controlled by the process control system and generating a second set of data comprising a plurality of measurements of a second parameter controlled by the process control system. A preferred process also comprises calculating a first statistical index from the first set of data using a statistical process control method, calculating a second statistical index from the second set of data using the statistical process control method, and combining the first and second statistical indices to produce a performance index representative of the performance of the process control system at controlling the first and second parameters.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process for evaluating the performance of a system, comprising:sampling data representative of a first and a second parameter controlled by the system; calculating a first and a second statistical index for the respective first and second parameters; scaling the first and second statistical ind

1. A process for evaluating the performance of a system, comprising:sampling data representative of a first and a second parameter controlled by the system; calculating a first and a second statistical index for the respective first and second parameters; scaling the first and second statistical indices based on predetermined characteristics of the first and second parameters; and combining the first and second statistical indices. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein scaling the first and second statistical indices based on predetermined characteristics of the first and second parameters comprises scaling the first and second statistical indices on a linear basis.3. The process of claim 1, wherein scaling the first and second statistical indices based on predetermined characteristics of the first and second parameters comprises scaling the first and second statistical indices based on a relative economic impact of the first and second parameters.4. The process of claim 1, wherein scaling the first and second statistical indices based on predetermined characteristics of the first and second parameters comprises scaling the first and second statistical indices based on a relative magnitude of the first and second parameters.5. The process of claim 1, wherein scaling the first and second statistical indices based on predetermined characteristics of the first and second parameters comprises scaling the first and second statistical indices on a non-linear basis.6. The process of claim 5, wherein scaling the first and second statistical indices on a non-linear basis comprises squaring each of the first and second indices.7. The process of claim 1, wherein calculating a first and a second statistical index for the respective first and second parameters comprises calculating the first and second statistical indices using a statistical process control method.8. The process of claim 7, wherein the statistical process control method is a Shewhart statistical process control method.9. The process of claim 7, wherein calculating the first and second statistical indices using a statistical process control method comprises calculating a range and an arithmetic mean of a first sample of the data representative of the first process operating parameter and a second sample of the data representative of the second process operating parameter.10. The process of claim 1, wherein combining the first and second statistical indices comprises combining the first and second statistical indices using a square-root sum-of-squares technique.11. The process of claim 1, wherein sampling data representative of a first and a second parameter controlled by the system comprises sampling the data representative of the first parameter a predetermined number of times over a predetermined interval and simultaneously sampling the data representative of the second parameter the predetermined number of times over the predetermined interval.12. The process of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of times is six and the predetermined interval is approximately ten seconds.13. The process of claim 1, further comprising sampling and storing data representative of an operating condition of an automated system controlled by the system.14. A device for evaluating the performance of a system, comprising an input/output interface for communicating with the system, and a central processing unit electrically coupled to the input/output interface and comprising a processor electrically coupled to the input/output interface, a memory-storage device electrically coupled to the processor, a power supply electrically coupled to the processor and the memory-storage device, and a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the memory-storage device for:sampling data representative of a first and a second parameter controlled by the system; calculating a first and a second statistical index for the respective first and second parameters; scaling the first and second statistical indices based on predetermined characteristics of the first and second parameters; and combining the first and second statistical indices. 15. The device of claim 14, further comprising a display screen and a keypad electrically coupled to the input/output interface.16. The device of claim 14, further comprising a casing for housing the central processing unit and the input/output interface.17. The device of claim 14, wherein the input/output interface is communicatively coupled to the process control system by an Ethernet connection.18. The device of claim 14, wherein calculating a first and a second statistical indices for the respective first and second parameters comprises calculating a range and an arithmetic mean of a first sample of the data representative of the first process operating parameter and a second sample of the data representative of the second process operating parameter.