Method and System for Providing a User Interface

• US 20090216341A1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Research Ltd. (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Graven, Tone Grete, Husoy, Kristoffer, Enkerud, Torgeir
• Granted Patent: US 8,125,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25168 Domotique, access through internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A method for providing a user interface for an industrial control system. Information is presented at least in part displayed in layers or filters on one or more display screens of a control system. The control system may include other media for presenting or displaying information. The content for the one or more layers, which also provide an interface to a process state or function, is determined based on information available from the control system, dependent on which of the available items of the information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden. An interface, computer programs and a control system are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface for an industrial control system wherein visual information presented at least in part displayed in layers arranged on a display screens of a control system, in which said control system a plurality of process graphics and other presentation schemes and/or devices provide information held by said control system, the method comprising:

displaying one or more layers providing an interface to a process state or function is determined based on said information available from said control system and by calculating which of the available layers comprising items of said visual information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on a status of a process controlled by said control system, the status comprising and not limited to any from the group of;

start, run, process change, event, alarm, stop, offline, configuration or maintenance, simulation.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on a task for an operator, the task comprising and not limited to any from the group of;

start up, operate, change operation, alarm handling tasks, specific process related tasks, maintenance, shut down.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information, and

displaying a first layer when loaded completely and before one or more other said layers have loaded.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information, and

displaying or otherwise presenting each layer when completely loaded according to a load order for a plurality of the one or more said layers.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on attributes of a user profile such as job description, authority, shared authorities, location, user preferences.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on any of a process status, task for a process, user profile.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a presentation scheme based on one or more representations or presentations of one or more items of said information comprising any from the group of;

real time numerical value, real time graphical value, real time text values, static text, dynamic text, static mimic, dynamic mimic, sound signal, alarm sound, static visual effect, dynamic visual effect, haptic effect, any combination of visual, sound, haptic.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on a load order for any of said one or more layers.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the load order for a said one or more layers is determined so as to reduce the loading time required before each of a series of the one or more said layers may be viewed at least in part.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the load order for a said one or more layers is determined in a priority dependent on importance of one or more representations of one or more items of said information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the load order for a said one or more layers is determined in a priority dependent on which of one or more representations of one or more items of said information shall be displayed or presented most prominently.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the load order for a said one or more layers is determined in a priority dependent on which of one or more representations of one or more items of said information shall be displayed or presented less prominently and/or in the background.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the load order for a said one or more layers is determined in a priority including one or more representations of one or more items of said information that may be omitted from the load.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the load order for a said one or more layers is determined in a priority dependent on a user preference or a user profile.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the load order and/or content for a said one or more layers is determined in a priority dependent a role of a current user and the user profile.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the role of a current user and/or the user profile may comprise, and is not limited to, any from the group of:

process operator or other person with responsibility for a part of the process, field operator, process supervisor, maintenance person, remote expert, local expert, person with responsibility for other staff, person with responsibilities during an emergency or rescue situation.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection of which of the layers shall be presented or visually displayed prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden may be changed manually by a user.

19. The method according to claim 9, wherein the selection of which of the layers shall be optimised to load or present or show representations of one or more items of said information first for recognition effect for operator during navigation/search for specific process information.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection may be manually changed by a user by means of any computer input means, or other data input means.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the selection may be manually changed by a user by means of any GUI computer input means, and/or a touch screen means, and/or a visual input means, and/or a means for inputting sound and/or a means for input through gestures.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection may be manually changed such that different representations the same of one or more items of said information may be presented at the same time.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection may be manually changed or configured to be persistent across sessions, persistent for single user, user group or all users, for the single display or for all displays, for the single work station or system wide.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the persistency of a manually changed selection may be varied by the user who specified the change.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the persistency of a manually changed selection may be configured so that other users may also access a layer with a manually changed selection.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein the representations of one or more items of said information for a process are grouped in one or more of a plurality of layers by configuring representations of control objects of said control system for inclusion in or exclusion from one or more layers according to a rule based system for optimising display or other presentation means.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the representations of one or more items of said information for a process are grouped in one or more of plurality of layers by configuring representations of information objects of said control system for inclusion in or exclusion from one or more layers according to a rule based system for optimising display.

33. The user interface according to claim 25, further comprising:

means for automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information for display or other presentation dependent on any of a process status, task for process, user profile.

34. The user interface according to claim 25, further comprising:

means for generating and outputting a presentation scheme based on one or more representations or presentations of one or more items of said information comprising any from the group of;

real time numerical value, real time graphical value, real time text values, static text, dynamic text, static mimic, dynamic mimic, sound signal, alarm sound, static visual effect, dynamic visual effect, haptic effect, any combination of visual, sound, haptic effect.

28. A user interface for an industrial control system, comprising:

layers arranged on a display screen of a control system and configured to present at least in part visual information,

a plurality of process graphics and other presentation schemes and/or devices configured to provide information held by said control system,

means for loading one or more said layers based on said information available from said control system, and

means for calculating which of the available items of said visual information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

29. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on a status of a process controlled by said control system, the status comprising and not limited to any from the group of;

start, run, process change, event, alarm, stop, offline, configuration or maintenance, simulation.

30. The user interface according to claim 29, further comprising:

means for automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on a task for an operator, the task comprising and not limited to any from the group of;

start up, operate, change operation, alarm handling tasks, specific process related tasks, maintenance, shutdown.

31. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information and displaying a first layer when loaded completely and before one or more other said layers have loaded.

32. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information for display or other presentation dependent on attributes of a user profile such as job description, authority, shared authorities, location, user preferences.

35. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for automatically loading representations of one or more items of said information dependent on a load order for any of said one or more layers.

36. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for manually changing by a user by means of any computer input means, or other data input means, a selection of which of the layers shall be optimised to load or present or be displayed.

37. The user interface according to claim 36, further comprising:

computer input means for a user to make manual changes to the selection of layers comprising and not limited to any from the group of;

any GUI computer input means, touch screen means, visual input means, means for inputting sound, means for registering input through gestures.

38. The user interface according to claim 36, further comprising:

input means for manually changing the persistence of a selection of layers to be any of persistent across sessions, persistent for single user, user group or all users, for the single display or for all displays, for the single work station or system wide.

39. The user interface according to claim 36, further comprising:

input means for the user who specified the change to subsequently varying the persistency of a manually changed selection.

40. The user interface according to claim 36, further comprising:

input means to configure the persistency of a manually changed selection so that other users may also access a layer with a manually changed selection.

41. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

means for selecting, configuring or otherwise determining the content for said one or more layers providing an interface to a process state or function based on said information available from said control system and means for calculating which of the available items of said information shall be visually displayed prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

42. The user interface according to claim 28, further comprising:

a computer generated model or 3D model arranged to map a point on the computer generated model to data held by said control system about at least one part or component held by industrial control system and also comprises means for loading content for said one or more layers which content has been determined based on said information available from said control system and means for calculating which of the available items of said information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

51. Use of a user interface for an industrial control system wherein information is presented at least in part displayed in, layers on one or more display screens of a control system, according to claim 28 for providing and presenting information in a control system of an oil or gas storage, treatment or process installation.

52. Use of a user interface for an industrial control system wherein information is presented at least in part displayed in layers on one or more display screens of a control system, according to claim 28 for providing and presenting information in a control system of an electrical generation, transmission or distribution installation.

43. An industrial control system, comprising:

a user interface for an industrial control system wherein visual information presented at least in part displayed in layers arranged on a display screens of a control system, in which said control system a plurality of process graphics and other presentation schemes and/or devices provide said information held by said control system, wherein the user interface comprises means for loading one or more said layers based on said information available from said control system and means for calculating which of the available items of said visual information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

44. The industrial control system according to claim 43, further comprising:

means for automatically loading said one or more layers based on any from the group of a process status, operator task, user profile, event or alarm.

45. The industrial control system according to claim 43, further comprising:

means for multi-media presentation of information based at least in part on said one or more layers.

46. The industrial control system according to claim 43, wherein the means for multi-media presentation of information further comprises means for generating haptic signals based at least in part on said one or more layers.

47. The industrial control system according to claim 43, further comprising:

computer program means for presenting one or more multi media human-machine interfaces based at least in part on said one or more layers.

48. The industrial control system according to claim 43, wherein the user interface comprises a computer generated model or 3D model arranged to map a point on the computer generated model to data held by said control system about at least one part or component held by industrial control system and further comprises means for loading content for said one or more layers which content has been determined based on said information available from said control system and means for calculating which of the available items of said information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

49. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer code means and/or software code portions recorded on the computer readable medium for making a computer or processor perform a method comprising displaying one or more layers providing an interface to a process state or function determined based on information available from a control system and by calculating which layer comprising items of visual information shall be visually displayed or otherwise presented prominently, or displayed less prominently, or hidden.

50. (canceled)