METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEAMLESS STATE TRANSFER BETWEEN USER INTERFACE DEVICES IN A MOBILE CONTROL ROOM

• US 20140277594A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark J., Beoughter, Ken J., Christensen, Daniel D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,133,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for operating a process plant include multiple user interface devices, each accessing process control data for display in dynamically generated user interfaces, and each operable to transfer device state directly to another device. A first user interface device stores instructions operable to cause a processor of the first user interface device to dynamically generate a user interface for displaying process data. Process data are provided to the first user interface device by a server coupled to a unitary, logical data storage area. When a second user interface device receives from a first user interface device data indicative of the state of the first user interface device, the second user interface device dynamically generates a user interface for displaying data on the second user interface device according to the received data indicative of the state of the first user interface device.

Claims

1. A system for operating a process plant, the system comprising:

a unitary, logical data storage area including one or more data storage devices configured to store, using a common format, process data corresponding to the process plant, the process data including multiple types of process data selected from configuration data, measurement data, batch data, continuous data, and event data;

a first user interface device having a memory device storing instructions operable to cause a processor of the first user interface device to dynamically generate a user interface for displaying process data;

a server coupled to the first user interface device and to the unitary, logical data storage area and operable to provide the process data to the first user interface; and

a second user interface device having a memory device storing instructions operable to cause a processor of the second user interface device to;

receive from the first user interface device data indicative of the state of the first user interface device; and

dynamically generate a user interface for displaying data on the second user interface device according to the received data indicative of the state of the first user interface device.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the instructions operable to cause the processor of the first user interface device to dynamically generate a user interface for displaying process data comprise instructions operable to cause the processor of the first user interface device to generate dynamic content for an HTML page; and

the instructions operable to cause the second user interface device to dynamically generate a user interface for displaying data on the second user interface device comprise instructions operable to cause the processor of the second user interface device to generate dynamic content for an HTML page.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface for displaying data on the second user interface device is identical to the user interface for displaying data on the first user interface device.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein receiving from the first user interface device data indicative of the state of the first user interface device comprises establishing a wireless communication session between the first user interface device and the second user interface device.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein receiving from the first user interface device data indicative of the state of the first user interface device comprises receiving from the server the data indicative of the state of the first user interface.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first user interface device is further operable to execute a first command to alter the operation of the process plant; and

the second user interface device is further operable to execute a second command to alter the operation of the process plant.

7. A method of operating a process plant, the method comprising:

storing in a common format, in a unitary, logical data storage area, process data corresponding to the process plant, the process data including multiple types of process data selected from configuration data, measurement data, batch data, continuous data, and event data;

executing on a first user interface device a routine operable to dynamically generate a first user interface display using data retrieved by the first user interface device from a server coupled to the first user interface device and to the unitary, logical data storage area;

transferring from the first user interface device to a second user interface device data indicative of a state of the first user interface device; and

executing on the second user interface device a routine operable to dynamically generate, according to the received data indicative of the state of the first user interface device, a second user interface display using data retrieved by the second user interface device from the server.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein dynamically generating a user interface display comprises generating a dynamic HTML page.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the first user interface display and the second user interface display are identical.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein transferring from the first user interface device to a second user interface device data indicative of a state of the first user interface device comprises establishing a near-field communication (NFC) session between the first user interface device and the second user interface device

11. A method according to claim 7, wherein transferring from the first user interface device to a second user interface device data indicative of a state of the first user interface device comprises sending state data to the server from the first user interface device and receiving state data from the server at the second user interface.

12. A method according to claim 7, further comprising executing, on either the first or the second user interface device, a command to alter the operation of the process plant.

13. A first mobile control apparatus for use in a process plant, the mobile control apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor;

a first communication interface operable to communicate via a communication channel with a server storing process control data;

a memory device coupled to the processor and storing;

a dynamically generated user interface object; and

a set of machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

dynamically generate or update the user interface object to retrieve and display a specific set of process control data from the server via the communication interface;

retrieve the specific set of process control data from the server;

display the dynamically generated user interface including the specific set of process control data;

receive from a second mobile control apparatus an incoming request for state information of the first mobile control apparatus;

send to the second mobile control apparatus, in response to the incoming request for the state information of the first mobile control apparatus, information about the current state of the user interface displayed on the first mobile control apparatus;

send to a second mobile control apparatus a request for state information of the second mobile control apparatus; and

receive from the second mobile control apparatus, in response to the request for the state information of the second mobile control apparatus, information about the current state of the user interface displayed on the second mobile control apparatus.

14. A first mobile control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the dynamically generated user interface object is a dynamically generated HTML object.

15. A first mobile control apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a second communication interface operable to for a communication channel between the first mobile control apparatus and the second mobile control apparatus.

16. A first mobile control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the second communication interface is a near field communication (NFC) interface.

17. A first mobile control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein sending information about the current state of the user interface to the second mobile control apparatus comprises sending the information to the server;

and

wherein receiving from the second mobile control apparatus information about the current state of the user interface displayed on the second mobile control apparatus comprises receiving the information from the server.

18. A first mobile control apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising dynamically generate or update the user interface object according to received information about the current state of the user interface displayed on the second mobile control apparatus.