APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A PAN AND ZOOM DISPLAY FOR A REPRESENTATION OF A PROCESS SYSTEM

• US 20140240356A1
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Laycock, Graeme, Cupitt, David James, Spear, James, Duncanson, Ian
• Granted Patent: US 9,240,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/634
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31472 Graphical display of process
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method includes displaying regions in a graphical display. At least two regions correspond to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system. A thumbnail region corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system. A viewport region corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system less than the entirety of the representation of the process system. The viewport region is disposed and movable within the thumbnail region. A current view region corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system. The current view is associated with the viewport region. The method also includes, responsive to user activation, moving the viewport region within the thumbnail region and updating the current view region. The thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside the viewport region.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a plurality of regions in a graphical display, at least two of the regions corresponding to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system, wherein the regions include;

a thumbnail region that corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system;

a viewport region that corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system that is less than the entirety of the representation of the process system, the viewport region disposed and movable within the thumbnail region; and

a current view region that corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system, the current view associated with the viewport region; and

responsive to user activation, moving the viewport region within the thumbnail region and updating the current view region;

wherein the thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside of the viewport region.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a second user activation, resizing visual indicia associated with the process system within the current view region.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to the second user activation, resizing a boundary of the viewport region.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and

resizing the visual indicia within the current view region comprises enlarging or shrinking the visual indicia within the current view region by an amount that is proportional to the amount of zoom.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and

resizing the boundary of the viewport region comprises enlarging or shrinking the boundary of the viewport region in an amount that is inversely proportional to the amount of zoom.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subscribing to operational data associated with visual indicia displayed in the current view region; and

upon updating the current view region, unsubscribing from operational data associated with visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

upon updating the current view region, remaining subscribed to fault condition data for the visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fault condition indicator comprises at least one alarm icon.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device configured to generate a graphical display having a plurality of regions, at least two of the regions corresponding to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system, wherein the regions include;

a thumbnail region that corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system;

a viewport region that corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system that is less than the entirety of the representation of the process system, the viewport region disposed and movable within the thumbnail region; and

a current view region that corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system, the current view associated with the viewport region; and

wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, responsive to user activation, to move the viewport region within the thumbnail region and to update the current view region; and

wherein the thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside of the viewport region.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, responsive to a second user activation, to resize visual indicia associated with the process system within the current view region.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, responsive to the second user activation, to resize a boundary of the viewport region.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and

the at least one processing device is configured to enlarge or shrink the visual indicia within the current view region by an amount that is proportional to the amount of zoom.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and

the at least one processing device is configured to enlarge or shrink the boundary of the viewport region in an amount that is inversely proportional to the amount of zoom.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to:

subscribe to operational data associated with visual indicia displayed in the current view region; and

upon updating the current view region, unsubscribe from operational data associated with visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, upon updating the current view region, to remain subscribed to fault condition data for the visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one fault condition indicator comprises at least one alarm icon.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to:

generate a graphical display having a plurality of regions, at least two of the regions corresponding to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system, wherein the regions include;

a thumbnail region that corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system;

a viewport region that corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system that is less than the entirety of the representation of the process system, the viewport region disposed and movable within the thumbnail region; and

a current view region that corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system, the current view associated with the viewport region; and

responsive to user activation, move the viewport region within the thumbnail region and update the current view region;

wherein the thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside of the viewport region.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to:

responsive to a second user activation, resize visual indicia associated with the process system within the current view region.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to:

subscribe to operational data associated with visual indicia displayed in the current view region; and

upon updating the current view region, unsubscribe from operational data associated with visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to:

upon updating the current view region, remain subscribed to fault condition data for the visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.