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Process control terminal

  • US 5,006,976 A
  • Filed: 02/23/1989
  • Issued: 04/09/1991
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A process control terminal for allowing an operator to perform process control functions and application functions in addition to the process control functions, said process control terminal reserving a predetermined screen portion for process control information to eliminate the possibility that process control alarms will not appear on the screen and thus not be brought to the attention of a process control operator, said process control terminal comprising:

  • a processor;

    a bus connected to said processor;

    a display terminal connected to said bus, said display terminal having a screen;

    a process control network controller connected to said bus for allowing process control information to be received from a process controller;

    a host network controller connected to said bus for allowing application information to be received from a host computer and for allowing application information to be transmitted to a host computer;

    first means for periodically determining the existence of an alarm condition, said first means causing an alarm indication to be generated in a first predetermined portion of said screen, said first predetermined portion of said screen being reserved for process control information only; and

    second means for causing said application information to be displayed on said screen, said second means including means for preventing said application information to be displayed on said first predetermined portion of said screen reserved for said process control information, said preventing means causing said application information to be displayed on a second predetermined portion of said screen to ensure that said process control information cannot be overwritten by said application information thus causing a process control operator monitoring said screen to miss an alarm condition.

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