Presenting process data of a process control object on a mobile terminal

• US 10,054,914 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Research Ltd. (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Vartiainen, Elina, Olausson, Martin, Bronmark, Jonas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alvarez, Olvin Lopez
• Application Number:
  US14/400,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20150177718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23161 Hand held terminal PDA displays machine control program when user is near that machine

Abstract

A method, presentation control arrangement and a computer program product enables a user of a process control system to obtain details of a process control object. Distances between a mobile terminal of the user and process control objects in an area around the mobile terminal are determined as well as the closest process control object to the mobile terminal, process data of this object is obtained and presented together with a representation of the object on a display of the mobile terminal, where the representation of the closest process control object is emphasized compared with the presentation of other process control objects and the amount of process data being presented is dependent on the distance between the mobile terminal and the process control object.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a user of a process control system to obtain details of a process control object, wherein the process control system is a computerized process control system of an industrial plant for controlling an industrial process and comprises a plurality of process control objects, the method being performed by a processor executing a presenting control arrangement and comprising the steps of:

guiding the user carrying a mobile terminal to a predetermined area around a first process control object based on an indication that the first process control object needs inspection;

and when in the predetermined area around the first process control object further performing the steps of;

determining distances between the mobile terminal of the user and said process control objects in a predetermined area around the mobile terminal;

determining a primary process control object, which is the process control object that is closest to the mobile terminal in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal;

obtaining process data of the primary process control object; and

automatically presenting representations of said process control objects on a display of the mobile terminal,

wherein;

the presentation of the representation of the primary process control object is emphasized compared with the presentation of the other process control objects in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal,

the process data of the primary process control object is presented together with the corresponding representation at a center of the display of the mobile terminal and is highlighted, and includes extended detail information comprising at least one of a faceplate of the primary process control object or real time process data, and

the amount of process data being presented increases with decreasing distance between the mobile terminal and the primary process control object.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining process data of at least one other process control object in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal, which process data is presented together with the representation of this other process control object, where the amount of process data of the other process control object being presented is less than the amount of process data presented together with the representation of the primary process control object.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein representations of the objects can be actuated for presenting further process data and presenting further process data related a process control object based on a user actuation of the representation of the corresponding process control object.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein representations of the objects can be actuated for presenting further process data and presenting further process data related a process control object based on a user actuation of the representation of the corresponding process control object.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining position data of the mobile terminal and obtaining position data about process control objects in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal, where the determining of distances is performed based on the obtained positions.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process control objects are devices with interfaces via which measurements of the industrial process are being made and to which control commands are given.

7. A data presentation control arrangement for enabling a user of a process control system to obtain details of a process control object, wherein the process control system is a computerized process control system of an industrial plant for controlling an industrial process and comprises a plurality of process control objects, the data presentation control arrangement comprising:

a guiding unit configured to receive an indication that a first process control object needs inspection and to guide the user carrying a mobile terminal to a predetermined area around the first process control object based on the indication;

a positioning unit;

and a presentation control unit,

wherein when the user is in the predetermined area around the first process control object;

the positioning unit is configured to;

determine distances between the mobile terminal of the user and said process control objects in a predetermined area around the mobile terminal; and

determine a primary process control object, which is the process control object that is closest to the mobile terminal in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal, and

the presentation control unit is configured to;

obtain process data of the primary process control object; and

automatically present representations of said process control objects on a display of the mobile terminal, and

wherein;

the presentation of the representation of the primary process control object is emphasized compared with the presentation of the other process control objects,

said process data is presented together with the corresponding representation at a center of the display of the mobile terminal and is highlighted, and includes extended detail information comprising at least one of a faceplate of the primary process control object or real time process data,

the amount of process data being presented increases with decreasing distance between the mobile terminal and the primary process control object, and

the data presentation control arrangement executed by a processor.

8. The data presentation control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the presentation control unit is further configured to obtain and present process data of at least one other process control object in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal, where the amount of process data of the other process control object being presented together with the representation of this process control object is less than the amount of process data presented together with the representation of the primary process control object.

9. The data presentation control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein representations of the process control objects can be actuated for presenting further process data and the presentation control unit is further configured to present further process data related to a process control object based on a user actuation of the representation of the corresponding process control object.

10. The data presentation control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the positioning unit is further configured to obtain position data of the mobile terminal, obtain position data about process control objects in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal and determine the distances based on said position data.

11. The data presentation control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein it is implemented in the mobile terminal of the user.

12. The data presentation control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein it is implemented in a data presentation control server in the process control system.

13. The data presentation control arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the process control objects are devices with interfaces via which measurements of the industrial process are being made and to which control commands are given.

14. A computer program product for enabling a user of a process control system to obtain details of a process control object, wherein the process control system is a computerized process control system of an industrial plant for controlling an industrial process and comprises a plurality of process control objects, said computer program product being provided on a non-transitory data carrier comprising computer program code configured to cause a data presentation control arrangement to, when said computer program code is loaded into at least one device providing the data presentation control arrangement:

guide the user carrying a mobile terminal to a predetermined area around a first process control object based on an indication of the first process control object needing inspection, and

when in the predetermined area around the first process control object further;

determine distances between a mobile terminal of the user and said process control objects in a predetermined area around the mobile terminal;

determine a primary process control object, which is the process control object that is closest to the mobile terminal in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal;

obtain process data of the primary process control object; and

automatically present representations of said process control objects on a display of the mobile terminal,

wherein;

the presentation of the representation of the primary process control object is emphasized compared with the presentation of the other process control objects in the predetermined area around the mobile terminal, and said process data is presented together with the corresponding representation at a center of the display of the mobile terminal and is highlighted, and includes extended detail information comprising

at least one of a faceplate of the primary process control object or real time process data, and the amount of process data being presented increases with decreasing distance between the mobile terminal and the primary process control object.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the process control objects are devices with interfaces via which measurements of the industrial process are being made and to which control commands are given.