Process control system including alarm priority adjustment

• US 5,768,119 A
• Filed: 04/12/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Faltesek, Roy, Beoughter, Ken J., Havekost, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US08/631,556
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 364/146, 364/188, 364/133, 364/187, 364/136, 395/200.03, 395/200.05, 395/200.02, 345/214, 345/215, 345/965, 345/970
• US Class Current: 700/4
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31438 Priority, queue of alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31439 Alarms can be warning, alert or fault
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31469 Graphical display of process as function of detected alarm signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36136 User configurable graphics selected as function of kind of machining, display builder
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36138 Configuration of operator panel, using os-2 modular programs, masks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0208 characterized by the configuration of the monitoring system

Abstract

A process control system includes an alarm and event monitoring and display system for which various users of the system can easily prioritize the alarm and event information that is displayed. The alarm and event configuration is highly flexible and is configured by a user to display particular events in a hierarchical manner, as directed by the user. The user sets a desired alarm priority, selecting high importance alarms for more urgent display and annunciation and rendering a lower display status to less urgent events. At log-on, a particular system user is associated with a display configuration for displaying alarm and event information that is pertinent to that user and the process control system is automatically "primed" with current alarms and initiate process information about new alarm and event occurrences.

Claims

1. A process control system comprising:

a field device including a source of event condition information;

a controller coupled to the field device;

a workstation coupled to the controller and including a user interface; and

a software system implementing an event condition monitoring and display program for the process control system, the event condition monitoring and display program including;

a plurality of control modules including event attributes, the control modules being selectively controlled and selectively distributed among the field device, the controller and the workstation, the control modules operating mutually independently and in parallel accumulating event condition information;

a display routine for accessing the event condition information from the plurality of control modules and displaying the event condition information accessed from the plurality of control modules in an order of priority selected by a user; and

a configuration routine for user-selectively defining and creating the control modules and the event attributes of the control modules, and for user selectively distributing the control modules among the field device, the controller, and the workstation.

2. A process control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the event conditions are alarm conditions.

3. A process control system according to claim 1, wherein the event conditions are consolidated at a plant area level.

4. A process control system according to claim 1 wherein the event conditions are consolidated at a module level.

5. A process control system according to claim 1 wherein the event conditions are consolidated at a user level.

6. A process control system according to claim 1, wherein the software system further comprises:

a routine for priming the event attributes with a current alarm set subject to a current user responsibility scope to begin accumulating an event count when a new user logs-on.

7. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein including a process control system including a field device including a source of event condition information, a controller coupled to the field device, and computer coupled to the controller and including a user interface, the computer program product including an event condition monitoring and display program for the process control system, the event condition monitoring and display program including;

a plurality of control modules including event attributes, the plurality of control modules being selectively controlled and selectively distributed among the field device, the controller and the workstation, the control modules operating mutually independently and in parallel accumulating event condition information;

a display routine for accessing the event condition information from the plurality of control modules and displaying the event condition information accessed from the plurality of control modules in an order of priority selected by the user; and

a configuration routine for user-selectively defining and creating the control modules and the event attributes of the control modules and for user selectively distributing the control modules among the field device the controller, and the workstation.

8. A computer program product according to claim 7 wherein:

the event conditions are alarm conditions.

9. A computer program product according to claim 7 wherein the event conditions are consolidated at a plant area level.

10. A computer program product according to claim 7 wherein the event conditions are consolidated at a module level.

11. A computer program product according to claim 7 wherein the event conditions are consolidated at a user level.

12. A computer program product according to claim 7 further comprising:

a routine for priming the event attributes with a current alarm set subject to a current user responsibility scope to begin accumulating an event count when a new user logs-on.

13. An article of manufacture encoding the computer program product according to claim 7.

14. A method for operating a process control system comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of conditions as events, the events being associated with a plant area;

activating an event journal for logging event conditions;

configuring an alarm behavior including the steps of;

creating an alarm attribute, the alarm attribute being selectively created in a control module or in an equipment module;

selectively disabling or enabling the created alarm attribute;

selectively placing an enabled alarm attribute in an acknowledged state or an unacknowledged state; and

selectively placing the alarm attribute in an active state or an inactive state;

selecting a priority for the alarm attribute; and

consolidating a plurality of active alarm conditions into a subset of highest priority alarms.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of:

transitioning between a plurality of alarm attribute states, including the steps of;

selectively disabling or enabling an alarm attribute, the alarm attribute being in an "Inactive and Acknowledged" condition when the alarm attribute is disabled;

configuring the alarm attribute with a boolean attribute so that an alarm is active when the boolean attribute is true and the alarm is inactive when the boolean attribute is true;

optionally inverting the sense of the boolean attribute with an invert attribute; and

when the alarm attribute is enabled, selectively acknowledging the alarm attribute or unacknowledging the alarm attribute.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

selectively automatically acknowledging an alarm attribute or not automatically acknowledging the alarm attribute based on priority of current alarms.

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

recording transitions of the alarm event state in an event journal for logging event conditions.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the step of consolidating a plurality of active alarm conditions includes the steps of:

ranking an alarm condition in an order of decreasing order of precedence based on an ordered priority including;

first ranking an unacknowledged condition with precedence over an acknowledged condition;

second ranking a condition in order of high selected priority, medium selected priority, then low selected priority; and

third ranking a condition in order of time of detection with a newest timestamp condition having a precedence over an older timestamp condition.

19. A method according to claim 14, wherein the step of consolidating a plurality of active alarm conditions includes the step of:

user-level consolidation including the steps of;

displaying an alarm banner in a graphical user interface;

granting alarm privilege over a one or more plant areas to a user;

predefining an attribute container supporting an alarms attribute;

constructing a display referencing the attribute container; and

allowing access to highest priority alarms based on the display referencing the attribute container.

20. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

the conditions defined as events are conditions selected from among the conditions of;

alarms;

alarm acknowledgments;

user changes including attributes written by the user, methods invoked by the user, and log-in and log-out operations by the user;

configuration changes to a run time system including system installation and de-installation operations;

Sequential Function Chart (SFC) state changes;

Operator Attention Requests (OARs); and

miscellaneous events including non-alarm state transitions and equipment state changes.

21. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein encoding the method according to claim 14.

22. An article of manufacture storing the computer program product according to claim 21.

23. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein including a process control system further including;

a routine for defining a plurality of conditions as events, the events being associated with a plant area;

a routine for activating an event journal for logging event conditions;

a routine for configuring an alarm behavior including;

a routine for creating an alarm attribute, the alarm attribute being selectively created in a control module or in an equipment module;

a routine for selectively disabling or enabling the created alarm attribute;

a routine for selectively placing an enabled alarm attribute in an acknowledged state or an unacknowledged state; and

a routine for selectively placing the alarm attribute in an active state or an inactive state;

a routine for selecting a priority for the alarm attribute; and

a routine for consolidating a plurality of active alarm conditions into a subset of highest priority alarms.

24. A computer program product according to claim 23, further comprising:

a routine for transitioning between a plurality of alarm attribute states, including;

a routine for selectively disabling or enabling an alarm attribute, the alarm attribute being in an inactive and acknowledged condition when the alarm attribute is disabled;

a routine for configuring the alarm attribute with a boolean attribute so that an alarm is active when the boolean attribute is true and the alarm is inactive when the boolean attribute is true;

a routine for optionally inverting the sense of the boolean attribute with an invert attribute; and

a routine for when the alarm attribute is enabled, selectively acknowledging the alarm attribute or unacknowledging the alarm attribute.

25. A computer program product according to claim 24, further comprising:

a routine for selectively automatically acknowledging an alarm attribute or not automatically acknowledging the alarm attribute based on priority of current alarms.

26. A computer program product according to claim 24, further comprising:

a routine for recording transitions of the alarm event state in an event journal for logging event conditions.

27. A computer program product according to claim 23, wherein the routine for consolidating a plurality of active alarm conditions includes:

a routine for ranking an alarm condition in an order of decreasing order of precedence based on an ordered priority including;

a routine for first ranking an unacknowledged condition with precedence over an acknowledged condition;

a routine for second ranking a condition in order of High selected priority, Medium selected priority, then Low selected priority; and

a routine for third ranking a condition in order of time of detection with a newest timestamp condition having a precedence over an older timestamp condition.

28. A computer program product according to claim 23, wherein the routine for consolidating a plurality of active alarm conditions includes:

a routine for user-level consolidation including;

a routine for displaying an alarm banner in a graphical user interface;

a routine for granting alarm privilege over a one or more plant areas to a user;

a routine for predefining an attribute container supporting an alarms attribute;

a routine for constructing a display referencing the attribute container; and

a routine for allowing access to highest priority alarms based on the display referencing the attribute container.

29. A computer program product according to claim 23, wherein:

the conditions defined as events are conditions selected from among the conditions of;

alarms;

alarm acknowledgments;

user changes including attributes written by the user, methods invoked by the user, and log-in and log-out operations by the user;

configuration changes to a run time system including system installation and de-installation operations;

Sequential Function Chart (SFC) state changes;

Operator Attention Requests (OARs); and

miscellaneous events including non-alarm state transitions and equipment state changes.

30. An article of manufacture storing a computer program product according to claim 23.