# US 2019/0171196 A1 · Operator System and Method for Operating and Observing a Technical Plant to be Controlled

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- Number: US 2019/0171196 A1
- Document ID: US20190171196A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/209,342
- Filed: 2018-12-04
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-05
- Assignees: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Benjamin Lutz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190171196A1

## CPC

- G05B 23/0216: {Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration}
- G05B 19/4184: {characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system}
- G05B 23/0267: {Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]}
- G05B 23/027: {Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm}
- G05B 23/0272: {Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user}
- G05B 2219/31437: Monitoring, global and local alarms
- G05B 2219/31467: Display of operating conditions of machines, workcells, selected programs
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)

## Abstract

A method for operating and observing a technical plant to be controlled, wherein block symbols for plant schematics can be generated which are structured, personalized, and assembled dynamically at runtime which, for example, enable an efficiently guided and assisted handling of alarm messages by an operator, where the dynamically updated display of alarm-producing process objects based on an equipment hierarchy enables an evaluation of items causing floods of alarms.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for operating and observing a technical plant to be controlled, comprising:
storing access authorizations in an operator server of an operator system, said access authorizations describing to which process objects an operator, which is logged on to the operator system, is allowed to have at least one of (i) read access and (ii) write access;
storing a process map having process map modules belonging to the process objects in the operator server;
storing block symbols, belonging to the process objects, of plant schematics, and storing faceplates belonging to the process objects, in the operator server;
entering a node which is selectable by an operator in an equipment hierarchy for a respective plant schematic for opening the respective plant schematic for display on an operator client of the operator system;
storing automation modules belonging to the process objects in an automation device, the automation modules transmitting messages to the operator server at runtime of the automation device;
wherein when messages are transmitted to the operator server, the method further comprising:
determining, based on the transmitted messages,
which of the process objects are generating messages;
determining, based on the stored access authorizations, whether the operator which is logged on to the operator system, is authorized to access that process object generating the message;
reading out a path name describing the path of the process object generating a message in the equipment hierarchy in a respective process map modules; and
displaying the block symbols of the process objects generating the message when the operator which is logged on is authorized to operate the process objects generating the message, and when a message node in the equipment hierarchy is selected by the operator which is logged on.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the event that the displayed block symbol of the respective process objects generating a message is selected by the operator, the faceplate belonging to that block symbol is opened for the purpose of operating the process object; and wherein the faceplate and the block symbol is removed after operation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein further symbols which point to removed block symbols are displayed in addition to the displayed block symbols.

### Claim 4

An operator system for a process control system, comprising:
an operator system including an operator server in which access authorizations are stored, said access authorizations describing to which process objects an operator which is logged on to the operator system is allowed to have at least one of (i) read access and (ii) write access, a process map having process map modules belonging to the process objects being stored in the operator server, and block symbols, belonging to the process objects, of plant schematics and also faceplates belonging to the process objects, being stored in the operator server; and
a node which is selectable by an operator entered in an equipment hierarchy for a respective plant schematic for opening the respective plant schematic for display on an operator client of the operator system;
wherein the operator server is configured to receive, from an automation device in which automation modules belonging to the process objects are stored, messages from the automation modules at runtime of the automation device;
wherein the operator system is configured, in an event that messages are received by the operator server, to:
determine, based transmitted the messages, which of the respective process objects are generating a message;
determine, based on the stored access authorizations, whether the operator which is logged on to the operator system is authorized to access that process object generating the message; and
read out a path name describing the path of the process object generating a message in the equipment hierarchy in the respective process map modules; and
display the block symbols of the process objects generating the message in the event that the operator which is logged on is authorized to operate the process objects generating the message, and in the event that the operator who is logged on selects a message node in the equipment hierarchy.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The operator system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the operator system (2, 4) is further configured, in the event that the displayed block symbol (27, 28) of the respective process objects generating the message is selected by the operator, to open a faceplate belonging to that block symbol (27, 28) for operating the process object and to remove the faceplate and the block symbol (27, 28) after operation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The operator system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operator system (4) is configured to display further symbols (33) which point to removed block symbols (27, 28) in addition to the displayed block symbols.