User interface that integrates a process control configuration system and a field device management system

• US 6,618,630 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Westbrock, Jon D., Nixon, Mark J., Jundt, Larry O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini, Albert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US09/342,573
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/19, 700/83, 700/87, 700/180, 709/220, 709/223
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31104 Remote configuration of parameters of controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31121 Fielddevice, field controller, interface connected to fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A user interface is adapted to be used in a process control network having a controller communicatively coupled to a plurality of field devices, a process control configuration database and a workstation having a display, a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the controller. The user interface includes a process control configuration system that enables a user to manipulate and view a process control solution for use in the process control network, a field device management system that enables a user to communicate with one of the field devices and an interface that passes data between the process control configuration system and the field device management system to enable simultaneous use of the process control configuration system and the field device management system.

Claims

1. A user interface for use in a process control network that operates according to a process control configuration solution, comprising:

a controller that implements at least a portion of the process control configuration solution;

a plurality of field devices communicatively coupled to the controller;

a workstation communicatively coupled to the controller, the workstation including a processor, a memory and a display;

a process control configuration system stored in the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor that manipulates process control configuration information stored in a process control configuration database pertaining to a configuration of the process control network and that configures process control solutions;

a field device management system stored in the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to configure the field devices, calibrate the field devices, monitor the field devices, troubleshoot the field devices, generate alarms about the field devices, track alarms in the field devices and test the field devices and to implement two-way communication with respect to field device management information stored in at least one of the field devices or in a field device management database associated with at least one of the field devices;

an interface adapted to be executed on the processor that passes data between the process control configuration system and the field device management system to enable simultaneous use of the process control configuration system and the field device management system; and

a display routine that displays the process control configuration information and the field device management information via the display.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display routine simultaneously displays the process control configuration information and the field device management information via the display.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the workstation is a personal computer.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display routine produces a plurality of icons on the display, wherein one of the icons represents one of the field devices, further including a calling routine that calls the field device management system upon selection of the one of the icons by a user.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interface is a distributed component object module.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the data is field device identification data.

7. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the field device identification data represents a field device serial number.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the process control configuration information is stored in the memory and the field device management information is stored in the memory.

9. A user interface system adapted to be used in a process control network having a controller communicatively coupled to a plurality of field devices, a process control configuration database that stores process control configuration information pertaining to the process control network and a workstation having a display, a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the controller, the user interface system comprising:

a process control configuration system stored in the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to access the process control configuration database network and that configures process control solutions;

a field device management system stored in the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to enable a user to configure the field devices, calibrate the field devices, monitor the field devices, troubleshoot the field devices, generate alarms about the field devices, track alarms in the field devices and test the field devices and to communicate via two-way communication field device management information stored in at least one of the field devices or in a field device management database associated with at least one of the field devices pertaining to at least one of the field devices; and

an interface adapted to be executed on the processor that passes data between the process control configuration system and the field device management system to enable simultaneous use of the process control configuration system and the field device management system.

10. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the field device management system displays the field device management information and the process control configuration system displays process control configuration information simultaneously on the display of the workstation.

11. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the process control configuration system displays process control configuration information and field device management information simultaneously on the display of the workstation.

12. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the field device management system displays process control configuration information and field device management information simultaneously on the display of the workstation.

13. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the process control configuration system produces a plurality of icons on the display, wherein one of the icons represents a field device stored in the process control configuration database and wherein the user interface system further includes a subroutine that calls the field device management system upon selection of one of the icons by a user.

14. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the user interface is a distributed component object module.

15. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the data is field device identification data.

16. The user interface system of claim 9, wherein the data represents a field device serial number.

17. A method of creating a user interface comprising the steps of:

operating a process control configuration system to access process control configuration information from a process control configuration database network and that configures process control solutions;

displaying images representing the process control configuration information on a display;

recognizing when an image on the display related to a field device is selected;

searching a memory for identification data related to the selected image;

communicating the identification data from the process control configuration system to a field device management system through an interface wherein the field device management system configures the field devices, calibrates the field devices, monitors the field devices, troubleshoots the field devices, generates alarms about the field devices, tracks alarms in the field devices and tests the field devices;

searching via two-way communication for field device management information related to the identification data stored in at least one of the field devices or in a field device management database associated with at least one of the field devices;

displaying the field device management information on the display with the process control configuration information; and

allowing the field devices to be configured.

18. The method of creating a user interface of claim 17, wherein the step of communicating includes the step of using a distributed component object model as the interface.

19. The method of creating a user interface of claim 17, further comprising the step of running the process control configuration system and the field device management system on a single processor.

20. The method of creating a user interface of claim 17, further comprising the step of the storing process control configuration information, the identification data and the field device management information in a single memory.