METHODS AND APPARATUS TO MANAGE PROCESS CONTROL STATUS ROLLUPS

• US 20110144777A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Scott, Cindy, Firkins, Molly Marie, Gilbert, Stephen C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,557,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/80
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31472 Graphical display of process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm
• 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: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to manage process control status rollups are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving process control information from at least one process control device included within a process control system, determining at least one issue associated with a portion of the received process control information, receiving a selection of a status type, determining if the at least one issue is associated with the selected status type, and displaying a process control status rollup associated with the selected status type and including the at least one issue.

Claims

1. A method to manage process control status rollups, the method comprising:

receiving process control information from at least one process control device included within aprocess control system;

determining at least one issue associated with a portion of the received process control information;

receiving a selection of a status type;

determining if the at least one issue is associated with the selected status type; and

displaying a process control status rollup associated with the selected status type and including the at least one issue.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the status type includes at least one of an alarm, a message, a simulation, a field device issue, an abnormal condition, a knowledge available condition, a field device maintenance condition, a field device status condition, an improve control condition, an altered alarm, an action request, an altered field device, a control bypass, a process control routine with an improper mode, a process control routine with an issue, an alarm with an issue, or a user defined condition.

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

receiving a selection of a time;

determining at least one issue associated with the process control system that occurred at the selected time;

receiving a selection of a second status type;

determining if the at least one issue at the selected time is associated with the selected second status type; and

displaying the at least one issue associated with the selected second status type and indicating the at least one issue occurred at the selected time.

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

determining a priority for the at least one issue, the priority associated with the selected status type; and

displaying a priority indicator corresponding to the determined priority for the least one issue.

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

determining at least one of a description of the at least one issue, a device status description associated with the at least one issue, a frequency of the least one issue, a date of occurrence of the at least one issue, a time of occurrence of the at least one issue, an operating mode of the at least one issue, an operator description of the at least one issue, a location of the at least one issue, an identifier associated with the at least one issue, or at least one mitigation action for the at least one issue; and

displaying at least one of the description of the at least one issue, the device status description associated with the at least one issue, the frequency of the least one issue, the date of occurrence of the at least one issue, the time of occurrence of the at least one issue, the operating mode of the at least one issue, the operator description of the at least one issue, the location of the at least one issue, the identifier associated with the at least one issue, or the at least one mitigation action for the at least one issue.

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

prior to receiving the selection of the status type, determining the status type associated with the at least one issue;

if there is more than one issue, counting the number of issues associated with each determined status type; and

displaying in the process control status rollup at least one of the at least one issue, the determined associated status type, or the number of issues associated with each determined status type.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

if there is more than one issue, calculating a status factor for each of the determined status types based on the least one issue associated with the selected status type; and

calculating a process factor based on the at least one status factor.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the status factor is at least one of a summary, a safety summary, an availability summary, or a reliability summary of the at least one issue associated with the selected status type.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the process factor is at least one of a summary, a safety summary, an availability summary, or a reliability summary of the at least one status factor.

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

receiving a selection of a sub-status type included within the selected status type;

determining if the at least one issue is associated with the sub-status type; and

displaying the at least one issue in the process control status rollup associated with the sub-status type.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising upon receiving a selection of the status type, displaying the at least one issue associated with the selected status type in an electronic process plant display associated with the process control system by highlighting at least a portion of the electronic plant display that is associated with the least one issue.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising upon receiving a selection of the least one issue, displaying the at least one issue in an electronic process plant display by highlighting at least a portion of the electronic plant display that is associated with the selection of the least one issue.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising calculating a status factor based on the least one issue associated with the selected status type.

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

prior to receiving a selection of a status type, receiving a selection of a process control component type;

determining if the at least one issue is associated with the selected process control component type; and

displaying the at least one issue in a second process control status rollup associated with the selected component type.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the process control component type includes at least one of a field device, a process control component, a process control unit of equipment, a type of field device, an area of field devices, a process control area, at least one area of control of an operator, a batch area, at least one field device associated with a batch process, or a display area.

16. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the process control status rollup is displayed in at least one of a user interface, a process control interface, a graphical user interface, or a web-based user interface.

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

receiving a selection of a time period;

determining one or more status issues that occurred during the time period; and

displaying the one or more status issues that occurred during the time period within the status rollup.

18. An apparatus to manage process control status rollups, the apparatus comprising:

an issue detector to determine at least one issue associated with a portion of received process control information;

a rollup processor to determine if the at least one issue is associated with a selected status type; and

a display manager to display a process control status rollup associated with the selected status type and including the at least one issue.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising:

a process control information receiver to receive the process control information from at least one process control device included within a process control system; and

a selection receiver to at least one of;

receive a selection of a status type;

receive a selection of a second status type;

receive a selection of a sub-status type included within the selected status type;

receive a selection of a process control component type;

or

receive a selection of a time.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the rollup processor is to:

determine at least one issue associated with the process control system that occurred at the selected time by accessing a process control information database that includes process control information associated with the selected time; and

determine if the at least one issue at the selected time is associated with the selected second status type.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein the display manager is to display the at least one issue associated with the selected second status type and indicating the at least one issue occurred at the selected time.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein:

the rollup processor is to determine if the at least one issue is associated with the sub-status type; and

the display processor is to display the at least one issue in the process control status rollup associated with the sub-status type.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein:

the rollup processor is to determine if the at least one issue is associated with the selected component type; and

the display manager is to display the at least one issue in a second process control status rollup associated with the selected component type.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein:

the rollup processor is to determine at least one of a description of the at least one issue, a device status description associated with the at least one issue, a frequency of the least one issue, a date of occurrence of the at least one issue, a time of occurrence of the at least one issue, an operating mode of the at least one issue, an operator description of the at least one issue, a location of the at least one issue, an identifier associated with the at least one issue, or at least one mitigation action for the at least one issue; and

the display processor is to display at least one of the description of the at least one issue, the device status description associated with the at least one issue, the frequency of the least one issue, the date of occurrence of the at least one issue, the time of occurrence of the at least one issue, the operating mode of the at least one issue, the operator description of the at least one issue, the location of the at least one issue, the identifier associated with the at least one issue, or the at least one mitigation action for the at least one issue.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein:

the issue detector is to determine a priority for the at least one issue, the priority associated with the selected status type; and

the display manager is to display a priority indicator corresponding to the determined priority for the least one issue.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the rollup processor is to:

prior to receiving the selection of the status type, determine the status type associated with the at least one issue;

if there is more than one issue, count the number of issues associated with each determined status type;

if there is more than one issue, calculate a status factor for each of the determined status types based on the least one issue associated with the selected status type; and

calculate a process factor based on the at least one status factor.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein the display manager is to display in the process control status rollup at least one of the at least one issue, the determined associated status type, or the number of issues associated with each determined status type.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising a highlight processor to at least one of:

display the at least one issue associated with the selected status type in an electronic process plant display associated with the process control system by highlighting at least a portion of the electronic plant display that is associated with the least one issue;

or

display the at least one issue in the electronic process plant display by highlighting at least a portion of the electronic plant display that is associated with the selection of the least one issue.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the rollup processor is to calculate a status factor based on the least one issue associated with the selected status type.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the process control status rollup is displayed in at least one of a user interface, a process control interface, a graphical user interface, or a web-based user interface.

24. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. A machine-accessible medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive process control information from at least one process control device included within aprocess control system;

determine at least one issue associated with a portion of the received process control information;

receive a selection of a status type;

determine if the at least one issue is associated with the selected status type; and

display a process control status rollup associated with the selected status type and including the at least one issue.

36-46. -46. (canceled)