US 9,285,795 B2Granted

Graphic display configuration framework for unified control system interface

AssigneeFisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.

InventorsMark J. Nixon, Stephen G. Hammack, Bruce Campney, Ken Beoughter, J. Michael Lucas, Stephen Gilbert

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Abstract

A common process control graphical user interface plant operators, plant maintenance personnel, and management is disclosed which provides a real-time interface to both the process and the plant. The common interface is modular in design and is capable of supporting various specializations for each user type. Operator consoles are dedicated to each section of the plant and include additional functions such as maintenance, configuration, simulation and supervisory information. The unified for common graphical interface replaces control room displays filled with single case analog controllers, meters, and digital indicators. The common interface addresses the functions that previously were provided by the panel motor start/stop buttons and status indications, chart recorders, annunciator panels and subsystem interfaces. From a console, operators manage alarms, adjust the process by entering new setpoints or other parameters, “zoom in” on particular portions of the process for details, and utilize other specialized applications to work with their batch, advanced control, or business applications. The interface will run in both dedicated and non-dedicated modes, will run as a rich client or as part of a browser style interface utilizing web services and will run on workstations, laptops, tablet PC's, handhelds, and smart phones.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An integrated graphical user interface for a process control environment, the integrated graphical user interface comprising:

one or more processors programmed to provide the integrated graphical user interface and to operate in the process control environment to facilitate control of a process by implementing:
a resolution table including:
indications of connections between a plurality of element bindings and a plurality of data sources in the process control environment, each element binding defining a manner in which a parameter or property of a graphic element object is bound to an entity in the process control environment, each graphical element object including at least one element binding, at least one visualization, and at least one parameter or property, and
indications of connections between a plurality of display bindings and a plurality of real-time displays in the process control environment, each display binding defining a manner in which a graphical display object is bound to an entity or data element in the process control environment, each graphical display object including at least one graphical element object, at least one connector element, and at least one display binding;
two or more real-time displays provided, in a run-time environment of the process control environment, by a real-time interface to two or more functional areas of a process plant, the functional areas including operations, maintenance, configuration, and simulation,
each of the two or more real-time displays corresponding to a different functional area,
each of the two or more real-time displays having a same look and feel,
each of the two or more real-time displays being bound, using the resolution table and a respective display binding, to a respective graphical display object included in a configuration environment of the process control environment, and
each respective graphical display object including an indication of a common graphical element object from a plurality of graphical element objects included in the configuration environment;
and
a common graphical element corresponding to the common graphical element object, the common graphical element presented on each of the two or more real-time displays in the run-time environment, and the common graphical element bound, using the resolution table and a first element binding, from the plurality of element bindings, to a first data source, from the plurality of data sources, in the run-time environment.

8 more elements

An integrated graphical interface providing integrated graphical displays for operation, maintenance, configuration, and simulation of a control system, the integrated graphical interface comprising:

one or more processors programmed to provide the integrated graphical user interface and to operate in the control system to facilitate control of a process by implementing:
a resolution table including (i) indications of a plurality of connections between element bindings and data sources in the control system, each element binding defining a manner in which a parameter or property of a graphic element object is bound to an entity in the control system, each graphical element object including at least one element binding, at least one visualization, and at least one parameter or property, and (ii) indications of a plurality of connections between display bindings and real-time displays in the control system, each display binding defining a manner in which a graphical display object is bound to an entity or data element in the control system, each graphical display object including at least one graphical element object, at least one connector element, and at least one display binding;
a real-time user interface providing two or more real-time displays, each of the two or more real-time displays corresponding to a different functional level of a set of functional levels of the control system, the set of functional levels including an operations functional level, a maintenance functional level, a configuration functional level, and a simulation functional level and each of the two or more real-time displays having a same look and feel;
and
a graphic element corresponding to a common graphic element object, the graphic element included on each of the two or more real-time displays, and the graphic element bound, via a respective element binding and the resolution table, to a data source in the control system.

2 more elements

A method, comprising:

providing a resolution table including:
indications of connections between element bindings and data sources in a process plant, each element binding defining a manner in which a parameter or property of a graphic element object is bound to an entity in the process plant, each graphical element object including at least one element binding, at least one visualization, and at least one parameter or property, and
indications of connections between display bindings and real-time displays in the process plant, each display binding defining a manner in which a graphical display object is bound to an entity or data element in the process plant, each graphical display object including at least one graphical element object, at least one connector element, and at least one display binding;
providing two or more real-time displays in an integrated graphical user interface for two or more functional areas of the process plant, the functional areas including operations, maintenance, configuration, and simulation, and each of the two or more real-time displays corresponding to a different functional area, each of the two or more real-time displays having a same look and feel;
providing a set of graphical element objects, each graphical element object of the set of graphical element objects corresponding to a respective data source in the process plant and including at least one element binding defining an element interface between the each graphical element object and the respective data source included in a run-time environment of the process plant;
binding, using respective display bindings and the resolution table, the two or more real-time displays to respective graphical display objects;
binding, using a respective element binding and the resolution table, a particular graphical element object to a particular data source;
and
including, on each of the two or more real-time displays, a particular graphical element corresponding to the particular data source.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/169,223Filed 27 Jun 2011 · continuation
Priority: 4 May 2004
Published: US 2011/0252355 A113 Oct 2011
Granted: 15 Mar 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification47 codes

G05B 19/0426
Using digital processors: programming the control sequence
G05B 19/41885
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G05B 23/0267
Characterized by the response to fault detection: fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
G06F 8/20
Arrangements for software engineering: software design

Family

Application60/567,980Us provisional application · filed 4 May 2004
PCT/US2005/015393Parent of this continuation · filed 4 May 2005
US 2011/0252355 A1Pre-grant publication · published 13 Oct 2011
Application10/575,173Parent of this continuation
US 7,971,151 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2007/0211079 A1Published application
US 9,244,451 B2Related patent
US 9,285,795 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.