METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CREATE PROCESS CONTROL GRAPHICS BASED ON PROCESS CONTROL ALGORITHM INFORMATION

• US 20090249237A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Jundt, Larry Oscar, Ott, Michael George, Campney, Bruce Hubert, Hammack, Stephen Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23258 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23261 Use control template library
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23274 Link graphical data for display automatically into program
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 for process control and configuration

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to automatically link process control graphics to process control algorithm information are described. An example method involves displaying a first process control image including process control algorithm information and displaying adjacent to the first process control image a second process control image to include process control graphics. The method automatically links at least some of the process control algorithm information to a graphic in the second process control image in response to user inputs associated with the first and second process control images.

Claims

1. A method of automatically linking process control graphics to process control algorithm information, the method comprising:

displaying a first process control image including process control algorithm information;

displaying adjacent to the first process control image a second process control image to include process control graphics; and

automatically linking at least some of the process control algorith information to a graphic in the second process control image in response to user inputs associated with the first and second process control images.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein automatically linking comprises selecting and dragging the at least some of the process control algorithm information to the graphic to automatically link a path for the at least some of the process control algorithm information to the graphic.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising automatically linking a plurality of paths for the at least some of the process control algorithm information to one or more graphics.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein selecting comprises one of copying, highlighting, lassoing, or boxing with a cursor.

5. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein dragging comprises one of dropping, pasting, inserting, or moving.

6. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising selecting and dragging multiple parameters to the graphic.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising displaying information representing the at least some of the process control algorithm information linked to the graphic.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the process control algorithm information comprises at least one process control function containing at least one process control parameter.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein each of a plurality of process control parameters is individually selectable.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the graphic comprises a defined property prior to automatically linking the at least some of the process control algorithm information to the graphic.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising automatically linking the at least some of the process control algorithm information to a property of the graphic.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the property of the graphic further comprises a data source field.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the process control algorithm information comprises one or more process control parameters.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising selecting and dragging multiple process control parameters to the second process control image.

15. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising automatically linking one of the process control parameters to a property of the graphic.

16. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the graphic comprises at least one of a numeric field, a display element, a graph, a chart, a data, or a data representation.

17. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein automatically linking comprises selecting and dragging the at least some of the process control information to an area of the second process control image without a process control graphic, prompting a user with a list of at least one data representation of the process control algorithm information, and automatically linking a path for the at least some of the process control algorithm information to at least one data representation from the list in response to a user selection.

18. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising displaying a graphic representing the at least some of the process control algorithm information automatically linked to the graphic.

19. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising displaying the list prior to automatically linking the at least some of the process control algorithm information to the graphic.

20. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising filtering the list based on the at least some of the process control algorithm information dragged to the area of the second process control image without a process control graphic.

21. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first process control image including process control hardware information; and

automatically linking at least some of the process control hardware information to a graphic in the second process control image in response to user inputs associated with the first and second process control images.

22. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein automatically linking comprises selecting and dragging the graphic to the first process control image.

23. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein automatically linking comprises selecting and dragging at least one process control graphic to the first process control image, prompting a user with a list of at least one process control function of the process control algorithm information, creating a process control function, and automatically linking a path from the graphic to at least one process control function in response to a user selection from the list.

24. A method as defined in claim 23, further comprising displaying the at least one process control function representing the process control graphic automatically linked to at least some of the process control algorithm information.

25. A method as defined in claim 23, further comprising displaying the list prior to automatically linking the path for the graphic to the at least one process control function.

26. A method as defined in claim 23, further comprising filtering the list based on the at least one process control graphic dragged to the first process control image.

27. A system to automatically link process control graphics to process control algorithm information, the system comprising:

a display containing a first process control image including process control algorithm information;

the display containing a second process control image to include process control graphics adjacent to the first process control image; and

a path link from at least some of the process control algorithm information to a graphic in the second process control image based on user inputs associated with the first and second process control images.

28-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

display a first process control image including process control algorithm information;

display adjacent to the first process control image a second process control image to include process control graphics; and

automatically link at least some of the process control algorithm information to a graphic in the second process control image in response to user inputs associated with the first and second process control images.

42-52. -52. (canceled)