SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO GRAPHICALLY DISPLAY PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM INFORMATION

• US 20140303754A1
• Filed: 04/09/2013
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark, Cook, Maia B., Manes, Daniel I., Smallman, Harvey S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,983,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31472 Graphical display of process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]

Abstract

Systems and methods to graphically display process control system information are disclosed. Some example methods include monitoring process variables in a process control system, determining a current state of a first one of the process variables, and determining a trend associated with the first process variable. Some such examples further include generating a first graphic representative of information associated with the first process variable, the information comprising the current state of the first process variable and the trend of the first process variable. Some example methods also include rendering the first graphic via a display.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring process variables in a process control system;

determining a current state of a first one of the process variables;

determining a trend associated with the first process variable;

generating a first graphic representative of information associated with the first process variable, the information comprising the current state of the first process variable and the trend of the first process variable; and

rendering the first graphic via a display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises at least one of a direction of the first process variable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises a rate of change of the first process variable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises a projected state of the first process variable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises any of a relative position of the first process variable with respect to a set point, a relative distance of the first process variable with respect to an alarm limit, or a relative deviation of the first process variable from the set point with respect to a range of operational values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises whether the trend of the first process variable is at least one of increasing, decreasing, improving, worsening, oscillating, maintaining, or indeterminate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises a current value of the first process variable, a current value of the set point, a current value of the alarm limit, an output associated with the first process variable, a graph representing the trend associated with the first process variable, or alarm tagging over time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second graphic representative of the information associated with the first process variable, the second graphic to represent more of the information than the first graphic; and

rendering the second graphic via the display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second graphic is rendered along with the first graphic.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

rendering a first plurality of graphics corresponding to a first portion of the process variables, the first plurality of graphics including the first graphic;

rendering a second plurality of graphics corresponding to a second portion of the process variables, the second plurality of graphics to represent more of the information than the first plurality of the graphics, the second plurality of graphics including the second graphic;

receiving a request to render a third plurality of graphics corresponding to the first portion of the process variables, the third plurality of graphics to represent more information than the first plurality of graphics;

rendering the third plurality of graphics via the display, the third plurality of graphics replacing the first plurality of graphics; and

rendering a fourth plurality of graphics corresponding to the second portion of the process variables via the display, the fourth plurality of graphics to represent less information than the second plurality of graphics, the fourth plurality of graphics replacing the second plurality of graphics.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a hierarchy of components of the process control, the hierarchy comprising first components associated with a first level of the hierarchy and second components associated with a second level of the hierarchy, wherein ones of the first components contain one or more of the second components, the first and second components corresponding to any of plants, sites, areas, units, equipment modules, or control modules in the process control system;

generating a process diagram to graphically represent a selected component corresponding to one of the first components or second components, the process diagram comprising elements representative of subcomponents within the selected component, the first process variable associated with a first one of the subcomponents; and

rendering the process diagram via the display, wherein the first graphic associated with the first process variable is rendered within the process diagram adjacent the first subcomponent.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating first navigation buttons corresponding to the first components in the first level of the hierarchy;

generating second navigation buttons corresponding to the second components in the second level of the hierarchy; and

rendering a navigation pane via the display comprising at least some of the first and second navigation buttons to graphically indicate a relationship of the first and second components in the hierarchy, the navigation pane including a selected navigation button corresponding to the selected component.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

graphically identifying any of the first or second navigation buttons corresponding to the first or second components within a path in the hierarchy from a top level component down to the selected component; and

graphically distinguishing the selected navigation button from the other first and second navigation buttons.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining summary data associated with active alarms for each of the first and second components, the summary data comprising at least one of a presence of one or more active alarms corresponding to one or more of the process variables associated with each of the first and second components, a number of the active alarms associated with each of the first and second components, the current state of each of the one or more process variables associated with each of the first and second components, or a projected state of each of the one or more process variables associated with each of the first and second components; and

rendering alarm summary icons with each of the first and second navigation buttons indicative of the summary data corresponding to each of the first and second components associated with the corresponding first and second navigation buttons, wherein the alarm summary icons associated with the first navigation buttons include the summary data associated with the second components contained within the corresponding first component.

15. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

monitor a process variable in a process control system;

generate an icon indicative of information associated with the process variable, the information comprising a current state of the process variable and a trend of the process variable; and

render the icon via a display.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the icon is concurrently rendered in at least two locations within the display.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the two locations correspond to any of a first location in a diagram graphically representative of one or more components of the process control system, a second location in an alarm banner, or a third location in a sidebar.

18. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the current state is graphically represented by a color or shading of a first portion of the icon.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, wherein the information represented by the icon further comprises a projected state, the projected state graphically represented by a color or shading of a second portion of the icon.

20. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the trend is graphically represented by a shape of at least a portion of the icon.

21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the shape varies to indicate when the trend of the process variable is increasing, decreasing, oscillating, maintaining, or indeterminate.

22. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the information represented by the icon further comprises a direction of the process variable, the direction of the process variable graphically represented by an orientation or an edge of the shape.

23. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the information represented by the icon further comprises whether the trend is improving or worsening, a worsening trend graphically represented by a thick border of a portion of the icon.

24. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the information represented by the icon further comprises a relative position of the process variable with respect to a set point, the relative position graphically represented by a spatial relationship of a set point indicator and a process variable indicator in the icon.

25. The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the information represented by the icon further comprises a relative deviation of the process variable from the set point with respect to a range of operational values, the relative deviation graphically represented by the spatial relationship of the set point indicator and the process variable indicator relative to a range indicator.

26. The storage medium of claim 25, wherein the information represented by the icon further comprises a relative distance of the process variable with respect to an alarm limit, the relative distance graphically represented by the spatial relationship of the set point indicator, the process variable indicator, and the range indicator relative to an alarm limit indicator.

27. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises a rate of change of the process variable, the rate of change graphically represented by a number of rate indicators associated with the icon.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a processor to monitor a process variable in a process control system, the processor to generate an icon to graphically represent a current state of the process variable and a projected state of the process variable; and

a display to render the icon via an operator interface.

29. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the information represented by the first graphic further comprises any of a relative position of the first process variable with respect to a set point, a relative distance of the first process variable with respect to an alarm limit, or a relative deviation of the first process variable from the set point with respect to a range of operational values.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the icon is concurrently rendered in at least two locations within the display.