Multiple aspect operator interface for displaying fault diagnostics results in intelligent process control systems

• US 5,420,977 A
• Filed: 10/12/1993
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Osaka Gas Company Limited, Vanderbilt University
• Original Assignee: Osaka Gas Company Limited, Vanderbilt University
• Inventors: Okuda, Koji, Miyasaka, Nobuji, Padalkar, Samir, Sztipanovits, Janos, Karsai, Gabor, Biegl, Csaba
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Application Number:
  US08/135,313
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/157, 395/160, 395/161
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24065 Real time diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24103 Graphical display of proces as function of detected alarm signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0243 model based detection method, e.g. first-principles knowledge model
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/14 checking the detection circuits
• 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: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

In a fault diagnostic system, an operator interface simultaneously displays an operations hierarchy and a components hierarchy in two separate windows. The display system is used with a model-based diagnostic system that monitors operational parameters of an industrial process. The diagnostic system identifies possible failure source components in the industrial process and the display system uses these diagnostics to display the most interesting portions of the operations hierarchy and the components hierarchy. The most interesting node, to be displayed with its subtree, is defined as the node at the lowest level of the hierarchy that is both a fault source and that has more children than than other fault sources at that level.

Claims

1. A method for interactively displaying results of a diagnostic analysis system used for analyzing operation of a monitored process, comprising the steps of

providing a hierarchical component model representing a relationship between components of the monitored process, any of the components being a potential faulty component,

providing a hierarchical process operation model representing a relationship between operations of the monitored process, any of the operations possibly affected by the potential faulty component,

receiving, from the diagnostic analysis system, signals indicating potential faulty components,

simultaneously displaying, based on the received signals, in a first display window of a display at least a portion of the hierarchical component model including the potential faulty component and in a second display window at least a portion of the hierarchical process operation model including the operations possibly affected by the potential faulty component, and

allowing a user to scroll said first window in two orthogonal directions independent of the scrolling in said second window,

providing a plurality of nodes to each said hierarchical model, each said node being at a hierarchical level in said hierarchical model,

providing a plurality of propagation paths to each said hierarchical model wherein each said path interconnects two said nodes for representing propagation of information from a node at a lower hierarchical level to a node at a higher hierarchical level;

designating the node at the highest hierarchical level to be a root node and any node interconnected to a selected node and having a hierarchical level lower than the hierarchical level of said selected node to be a subnode of said selected node; and

automatically determining, based upon the signals from the diagnostic analysis system, a base-display node which serves as a highest level node of a portion of the hierarchial model to be displayed in one of said windows, said base-display node initially being designated the root node for each hierarchical model,

providing alarms at associated nodes to each said hierarchical model, each said alarm having a first clear state and a second selected state, and

wherein said automatic determining step comprises the steps of

reading current data signals from the diagnostic system wherein said data signals represent the current state of alarms at various nodes,

determining from said data signals one selected node to designate as the base-display node,

displaying a subtree of the hierarchical model in one of said windows wherein said base-display node is a highest level node in said subtree, and

wherein said determining from said data signals step comprises the steps of

reading the alarms at selected nodes;

designating any node having an alarm in said selected state as a fault source node;

determining how many subnodes are interconnected to each fault source node, and designating the fault source node having the most interconnected subnodes as the base-display node.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of

altering said display at each node at which a fault or alarm occurs to provide a visual indication of said fault or alarm.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of

changing a background color of a block identifying a node having a fault or alarm condition for making a visual presentation of the fault or alarm condition to a user.

4. Apparatus for interactively displaying results of a diagnostic analysis system used for analyzing operation of a monitored process, comprising

means for providing a hierarchical component model representing a relationship between components of the monitored process, any of the components being a potential faulty component,

means for providing a hierarchical process operation model representing a relationship between operations of the monitored process, any of the operations possibly affected by the potential faulty component,

means for receiving signals, from the diagnostic analysis system, indicating potential faulty components,

means for simultaneously displaying, based on the received signals, in a first display window of a display at least a portion of the hierarchical component model including the potential faulty component and in a second display window at least a portion of the hierarchical process operation model including the operations possibly affected by the potential faulty component, and

means for allowing a user to scroll said first window in two orthogonal directions independently of the scrolling in said second window,

wherein each said hierarchical model of the means for providing a hierarchical component model and the means for providing a hierarchical process operation model includes:

a plurality of nodes, each said node being at a hierarchical level in said hierarchical model,

a plurality of propagation paths wherein each said path interconnects two said nodes for representing propagation of information from a node at a lower hierarchical level to a node at a higher hierarchical level;

wherein the node at the highest hierarchical level is a root node and any node interconnected to a selected node and having a hierarchical level lower than the hierarchical level of said selected node is a subnode of said selected node; and

said apparatus further comprising

means for automatically determining, based upon the signals from the diagnostic analysis system, a base-display node which serves as a highest level node of a portion of the hierarchical model to be displayed in one of said windows, said base-display node initially being designated the root node for each hierarchical model;

wherein each said hierarchical model of the means for providing a hierarchical component model and the means for providing a hierarchical process operation model includes;

alarms at associate nodes, each said alarm having a first clear state and a second selected state, and wherein said automatic determining means comprises

means for reading current data signals from the diagnostic system wherein said data signals represent the current state of alarms at various nodes,

means for determining from said data signals one selected node to designate as the base-display node, and

means for displaying a subtree of the hierarchical model in one of said windows wherein said base-display node is a highest-level node in said subtree;

wherein said determining from said data signals means comprises

means for reading the alarms at selected nodes;

means for designating any node having an alarm in said selected state as a fault source node;

means for determining how may subnodes are interconnected to each fault source node, and

means for designating the fault node having the most interconnected subnodes as the base-display node.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising

means for altering said display at each node at which a fault or alarm occurs to provide a visual indication of said fault or alarm.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising

means for changing a background color of a block identifying a node having a fault or alarm condition for making a visual presentation of the fault or alarm condition to a user.