Class-based Unit Coordination Utilizing Link Groups

Class-based recipes allow a single recipe to be executed against all Units that meet the required functionalities. Phases required to perform inter-unit coordination can be used to transfer information from any source unit to any destination unit utilizing Phase linking functionality. Based on the equipment arbitration requirements these coordination Phases can be shared among multiple units or can be created so each unit has its own instance of the required Phase. A philosophical approach to an ISA-88 solution is that Phases should not depend on other Phases to perform their tasks unless they are involved in the same activity. The basis for this design takes advantage of a product functionality called “Link Groups”. Link Groups are defined during the recipe definition and indicate what set of Phases are intended to be used in conjunction.