GENERATING CHECKLISTS IN A PROCESS CONTROL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140282257A1
• 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 10,152,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• 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

A method executed in a process control environment automatically generates, displays, and tracks check lists according to assigned work items. The work items include information such as required equipment, required safety equipment, required tools, target function, and target equipment. The target function and/or target equipment information can be associated, together or separately, with the required equipment, required safety equipment, and required tools if the required equipment and tools are not specifically included in the work items. The check lists indicate the required equipment, tools, devices, parts, maintenance materials, manuals, and/or documents, that are necessary to perform the target function on the target equipment. A check list is displayed on a user interface device, which tracks, internally or in cooperation with a supervisor engine, whether a user of the user interface device has checked off the items on the check list.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for facilitating task completion in a process plant, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a work item from a plurality of work items stored in a database of work items;

determining from the selected work item one or more items required for the execution of the work item;

generating a checklist of the one or more items for display to a person executing the work item; and

displaying the checklist to the person executing the work item.

2. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein determining from the selected work item one or more items required for the execution of the work item comprises reading one or more fields of the work item.

3. A computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein reading one or more fields of the work item comprises one or more of:

reading a required equipment field, reading a required safety equipment field, reading a required tool field, and reading a field indicating a location of a target piece of equipment within the process plant.

4. A computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein reading one or more fields of the work item comprises reading a field specifying a target task to be completed.

5. A computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein reading one or more fields of the work item comprises reading a field specifying a target task to be completed and a target equipment or a target equipment type.

6. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein determining from the selected work item one or more items required for the execution of the work item comprises determining the task to be completed, the equipment on which the task to be completed will be performed, or both.

7. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein generating a checklist of one or more items for display to a person executing the work item comprises generating a checklist including one or more of the following:

(i) a piece of safety equipment;

(ii) a tool;

(iii) a process control device;

(iv) a part for a process control device; and

(v) a maintenance material.

8. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein generating a checklist of one or more items for display to a person executing the work item comprises retrieving information from one or more of the following:

(i) an equipment manual associated with a process control device associated with the work item;

(ii) an equipment manual associated with a tool required to execute the work item;

(iii) a safety document;

(iv) a standard operating procedure;

(v) a document associated with a location of a process control device associated with the work item.

9. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the checklist to a person executing the work item comprises receiving an indication that a user assigned to execute the work item has activated a mobile user interface device and displaying the checklist to the user.

10. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of a work item comprises receiving the selection on a first user interface device, and wherein displaying the checklist to the person executing the work item comprises:

receiving an indication that a state of the first user interface device has been transferred to a second user interface device; and

displaying the checklist on the second user interface device.

11. A computer implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, for each of the one or more items on the checklist, an indication that a person viewing the displayed checklist has the item.