Interface method and apparatus for alarms

• US 10,235,853 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kurella, Nagesh, Banerjee, Abhik, Srivastava, Ayush, Gundeboina, Siva S., Vakulabharanam, Venkata Ramana, Kenny, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Hien L
• Application Number:
  US15/387,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20170364236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

One or more industrial machines is selected from a navigation screen. The selected one or more industrial machines represents a context. A database is accessed and a visualization related to the one or more industrial machines and associated with the context is retrieved. Alarm data related to one or more alarms associated with the one or more industrial machines is received. The visualization is dynamically rendered to a user on a graphical display unit such that the alarm data is selectively displayed within the visualization and in a single view to the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

electronically tagging selected industrial machines during a configuration process, the tagged industrial machines being assets for which alarm information can be displayed;

auto generating a navigation screen by importing an application model into a database, the application model comprising an HMI screen bound to a model representing a graphical tree;

selecting one or more industrial machines from the navigation screen, the selected one or more industrial machines representing a context;

receiving alarm data related to the tagged alarms and storing the alarm data in the database;

accessing the database and retrieving a visualization and the alarm data related to the one or more industrial machines and associated with the context;

dynamically rendering the visualization to a user on a graphical display unit such that the alarm data is selectively displayed within the visualization and in a single view to the user;

wherein the alarm data is displayed over a visual representation of the user'"'"'s physical and geographical environment, and wherein the alarm data comprises a first alarm icon for alarm data from a first industrial machine and a second alarm icon for alarm data from a second industrial machine;

wherein the user'"'"'s physical and geographic environment and the positioning of the first alarm icon and the second alarm icon are depicted in the visualization so as to allow the user to ascertain a geographic relationship between the first industrial machine and the second industrial machine, an operational relationship between the first industrial machine and the second industrial machine, and a relationship between alarms occurring at the first industrial machine and alarms occurring at the second industrial machine.

2. The method of claim 1, dynamically updating the alarm data with new alarm data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical relationship is over a plant or factory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the first alarm icon or the second alarm icon is by the user is effective to display text that indicates an action to take.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the alarm with the highest priority, and graphically highlighting that the icon associated with this alarm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical relationship is over a geographic region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one or more industrial machines from a navigation screen comprises selecting a machine from a model tree.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a graphical display unit;

a processor coupled to the graphical display unit;

wherein a user electronically tags selected industrial machines during a configuration process, the tagged industrial machines being assets for which alarm information can be displayed;

wherein the processor auto generates a navigation screen on the graphical display unit by importing an application model into a database, the application model comprising an HMI screen bound to a model representing a graphical tree;

wherein a user selects one or more industrial machines from the navigation screen on the graphical display unit, the selected one or more industrial machines representing a context;

wherein the processor is configured to retrieve from the database a visualization related to the one or more industrial machines and associated with the context, the visualization also including alarm data related to one or more alarms associated with the one or more industrial machines, the alarm data stored in the database, wherein the processor is configured to dynamically render the visualization to the user on the graphical display unit such that the alarm data is selectively displayed within the visualization and in a single view to the user;

wherein the alarm data is displayed over a visual representation of the user'"'"'s physical and geographical environment, and wherein the alarm data comprises a first alarm icon for alarm data from a first industrial machine and a second alarm icon for alarm data from a second industrial machine;

wherein the user'"'"'s physical and geographic environment and the positioning of the first alarm icon and the second alarm icon are depicted in the visualization so as to allow the user to ascertain a geographic relationship between the first industrial machine and the second industrial machine, an operational relationship between the first industrial machine and the second industrial machine, and a relationship between alarms occurring at the first industrial machine and alarms occurring at the second industrial machine.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the alarm data in the visualization is dynamically updated with new alarm data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the geographical relationship is over a plant or factory.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selection of the first alarm icon or the second alarm icon is by the user is effective to display text that indicates an action to take.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor graphically highlights an icon associated with the alarm with the highest priority.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the geographical relationship is over a geographic region.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the navigation screen comprises a model tree.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the visual representation of the user'"'"'s physical and geographical environment is a map.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the map is a geographic map or a map showing individual pieces of equipment.