US 2007/0165031 A1 · Scripted graphics in a process environment

Abstract

Graphic elements and graphic displays are provided for use in a process environment to display information to one or more users about the process environment, such as the current state of devices within a process plant. The graphic elements and displays include one or more objects, each of which includes a visualization, which depicts an entity within the process environment, a property associated with the depicted process entity and a routine that operates in conjunction with the visualization and the property to cause a change in the-visualization based on a change in the property, or to cause a change in the process environment based on user input through the visualization. In this manner, the graphic objects can be used to create displays that graphically illustrate, through animations and other visual operations, the changing state of the process or detected events within the process. These same graphic elements may be used to enable users to interact with a visualization on a user interface screen, such as through a mouse or a keyboard device, to cause a change in the object property, which may then provide an input to a device within the process plant.

Claims37

Dependent claims

A display entity for use in presenting a visual depiction of a process entity of a process plant to a user on a display device, the display entity comprising:

a computer readable memory;
and,
a display object stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on a processor, the display object including:
a property memory adapted to store a value of a property associated with the process entity;
a graphic representation of the process entity adapted to be displayed to a user on a display device when the display object is executed on a processor;
and
a routine that operates in conjunction with the graphic representation of the process entity displayed to the user and that is associated with the value of the property.

4 more elements

A graphic display editor for use in a process plant to create a graphical display that represents the operation of one or more entities within the process plant, the graphic display editor comprising:

a library of graphic objects, each graphic object including a visual representation of a physical or a logical entity within the process plant;
a graphically based editor canvas routine that enables a. user to define an executable graphic display by placing one or more visual representations of the graphic objects from the library of graphic objects onto an edit canvas to define a manner in which the one or more visual representations of the graphic objects will be displayed on a display device to a user during execution of the graphic display;
a property definition canvas routine adapted to enable a user to define a property associated with at least one of the plurality of graphic objects;
a binding definition routine adapted to enable a user to specify a binding between the property and a runtime environment within the process plant;
and
a definition routine adapted to enable a user to define a routine that operates in conjunction with the visual representation of one of the graphic objects and the property during execution of the graphic display.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Scripted graphics in a process environment

Life of this patent

Scripted graphics in a process environment

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims37