APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED VIEWING AND CONTROL OF FIELD DEVICES THROUGH CUSTOM GROUPS AND ACTIONS IN A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20150135117A1
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Rajappa, Shankar, Bhattiprolu, Subha Lalitha, Palle, Suresh Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 9,734,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31472 Graphical display of process
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A method includes generating a graphical display associated with an industrial process control system having multiple field devices. The graphical display includes a custom group of field devices, where the custom group includes a user-defined subset of the field devices. The method also includes presenting the graphical display. The method further includes receiving a request to perform an action associated with the custom group. In addition, the method includes initiating performance of the action for each field device in the custom group. The action could include a user-defined custom action, and the method could further include defining the custom action based on user input. The graphical display could include multiple custom groups of field devices and, for each custom group, identify a status of each field device in the custom group. Each custom group could identify critical field devices associated with a different functional unit in an industrial facility.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a graphical display associated with an industrial process control system having multiple field devices, the graphical display including a custom group of field devices, the custom group comprising a user-defined subset of the field devices;

presenting the graphical display;

receiving a request to perform an action associated with the custom group; and

initiating performance of the action for at least some of the field devices in the custom group.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining the custom group of field devices based on user input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

defining the custom group comprises defining the custom group using a first application; and

the method further comprises publishing the custom group to a second application for use by the second application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the action comprises a custom action; and

the method further comprises defining the custom action based on user input.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein defining the custom action comprises receiving user input defining one or more functions to be executed in order to implement the custom action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphical display includes multiple custom groups of field devices; and

for each custom group, the graphical display identifies a status of each field device in the custom group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each custom group identifies critical field devices associated with a different functional unit in an industrial facility.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom group identifies field devices selected based on an industrial facility control loop, personnel work shift, maintenance schedule, or maintenance operation model.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises capturing information associated with at least one of:

maintenance activities related to the field devices and device alerts from the field devices.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating one or more reports for the field devices in the custom group.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory configured to store an identification of a custom group of field devices, the custom group comprising a user-defined subset of field devices in an industrial process control system; and

at least one processing device configured to;

generate a graphical display for presentation, the graphical display including the custom group of field devices;

receive a request to perform an action associated with the custom group; and

initiate performance of the action for at least some of the field devices in the custom group.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to define the custom group of field devices based on user input.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the action comprises a custom action; and

the at least one processing device is further configured to define the custom action based on user input.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the graphical display includes multiple custom groups of field devices; and

for each custom group, the graphical display identifies a status of each field device in the custom group.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to generate one or more reports for the field devices in the custom group.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the custom group identifies at least one of:

critical field devices associated with a functional unit in an industrial facility; and

field devices selected based on an industrial facility control loop, personnel work shift, maintenance schedule, or maintenance operation model.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is configured to receive the request to perform the action by presenting a list of custom actions associated with the custom group and receiving a selection of one of the custom actions from the list.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code for:

generating a graphical display associated with an industrial process control system having multiple field devices, the graphical display including a custom group of field devices, the custom group comprising a user-defined subset of the field devices;

presenting the graphical display;

receiving a request to perform an action associated with the custom group; and

initiating performance of the action for at least some of the field devices in the custom group.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer program further comprises computer readable program code for:

defining the custom group of field devices based on user input; and

defining the action based on user input.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein:

the graphical display includes multiple custom groups of field devices; and

for each custom group, the graphical display identifies a status of each field device in the custom group.