Display to facilitate the monitoring of a complex process

• US 7,000,193 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Albert J. Impink Jr, Bradley L. Travis, Jennifer Christman, Thomas D. Griesser
• Original Assignee: Albert J. Impink Jr, Bradley L. Travis, Jennifer Christman, Thomas D. Griesser
• Inventors: Christman, Jennifer, Travis, Bradley L., Impink, Albert J. Jr., Griesser, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US10/133,713
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/772, 715/762, 715/763, 715/778, 715/841, 345 11- 13, 376/259, 376/216, 700/9, 700/10, 700/12, 700/17, 700/19, 700/28, 700/32, 700/92, 700/108, 700/115
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user

Abstract

A display organized with the various components of a complex process represented by the rows, and selected parameters to be monitored listed in columns. The fields of the display which represent a particular “vital sign” for a particular component present two types of information: (1) alarms which indicate whether the parameter is in or out of limits and how close it is to failure; and (2) trends which indicate changes and types of changes, but do not pose a threat to the system. The alarms, in most part, are represented by solid colors. The trends are shown by the interface line between two contrasting colors or shades of colors defining the trend line and showing the direction of the trend and type of change.

Claims

1. A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of homogeneous components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of an operating condition of the component monitored, comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the signal outputs received at the input terminal; and

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said homogeneous components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of a vital sign of the corresponding homogeneous component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays a state of the corresponding vital sign as either a color coded alarm format which indicates whether the vital sign is within or out of operating limits and how close to limits it is or a color coded representation of trends format which identifies trends of the vital sign.

2. The display system of claim 1 wherein the color coded representation of trends is a coded geometric shape.

3. The display system of claim 2 wherein the coded geometric shape identifies a type of change of the trends of the vital sign.

4. The display system of claim 1 wherein the color coded representation of trends format identifies a change in a value of the vital sign or a rate of change of the value of the vital sign over a given period.

5. The display system of claim 4 wherein the color coded representation of trends is a coded geometric shape that employs color to emphasize the magnitude of a change in value or rate of change in value of the vital sign.

6. The display system of claim 4 wherein the color coded representation of trends format identifies the direction in the change in value of the vital sign.

7. The display system of claim 6 wherein the color coded representation of trends is a coded geometric shape that employs color to emphasize the direction in the change in value of the vital sign.

8. The display system of claim 1 wherein the color coded representation of trends is derived from a curve fitting algorithm.

9. The display system of claim 8 including means for establishing the probable validity of a result of the application of the curve-fitting algorithm.

10. The display system of claim 1 wherein the color coded alarm display format distinguishes between alarm states in which component malfunction or failure either has occurred or can be expected where a limiting value used for a set point is a true physical limit from those where the limiting value used for the set point is an administrative limit.

11. The display system of claim 1 wherein the display tiles are updated periodically and historical data is stored in a chronological format.

12. The display system of claim 11 wherein the periodic updating is performed automatically at a scheduled interval, including a manual update command button for updating the display tiles between the scheduled interval upon an operator command.

13. The display system of claim 12 wherein data obtained through the manual update command is discarded once displayed and not stored as part of the chronological format.

14. The display system of claim 1 wherein the display tiles are rectangular.

15. The display system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of display tiles form a matrix of the row and columns which is programmed to display in a plurality of modes upon operator command.

16. The display system of claim 15 wherein the plurality of modes includes a Snapshot mode that presents substantially a full set of indications of the vital signs for substantially all components monitored at a common point in time.

17. The display system of claim 16 wherein the plurality of modes includes a Dark Display mode that presents substantially only those vital sign indications that represent conditions that have progressed in severity from a first state, with respect to an opening limit of the corresponding component, to a second worse state with respect to the operating limit, that will likely require an operator response.

18. The display system of claim 17 wherein the Dark Display mode is the default mode of display.

19. The display system of claim 15 wherein the plurality of modes include a Dark Display mode that presents substantially only those vital sign indications that represent conditions that have progressed in severity from a first state, with respect to an operating limit of the corresponding component, to a second worse state with resect to the operating limit, that will likely require an operator response.

20. The display system of claim 15 wherein the Dark Display mode is a default mode.

21. The display system of claim 1 wherein clicking on a given tile opens a display that provides additional details of the information of the vital sign displayed by that tile.

22. The display system of claim 1 including an acknowledgment button that when activated by the operator records an acknowledgement that the operator observed a given adverse state of the vital sign of one of the components shown on the display tiles.

23. The display system of claim 22 wherein a function of the acknowledgment button is to record when the given adverse state of the vital sign of one of the components shown on the display tiles is not acknowledged by the operator.

24. The display system of claim 22 wherein the acknowledgement function when activated stores a summary of information about the vital sign being acknowledged.

25. The display system of claim 1 including a tutorial which is displayed when an operator clicks on a position on the column or row that displays the vital signs, that displays instructions to the operator, wherein a relevant portion of the instructions is highlighted where one of the tiles in the corresponding row or column shows a display format that indicates an alarm set point is being approached or exceeded.

26. The display system of claim 25 wherein the highlighting is the same color as the display tile that indicates an alarm set point is being approached or exceeded.

27. The display system of claim 25 wherein the tutorial explains the relevance of the vital sign that the operator clicked on in assessing the health of the process being tracked.

28. The display system of claim 25 wherein the tutorial specifies response procedures to be carried out by the operator, should particular tile formats appear in the column or row of the vital sign the operator clicked on.

29. The A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of an operating condition of the component monitored, comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the signal outputs received at the input terminal;

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of a vital sign of the corresponding component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays a state of the corresponding vital sign as either a color coded alarm format which indicates whether the vital sign is within or out of operating limits and how close to limits it is or a color coded representation of trends format which identifies trends of the vital sign; and

wherein the color coded representation of trends is a coded geometric shape that identifies a type of change of the trends, selected from the group of slow offset, fast offset and gradual slope change.

30. The display system of claim 29 wherein the type of change of the trends is identified by the coded geometric shape formed from the interface of two colors on a tile.

31. The display system of claim 30 wherein the geometric shape provides a corresponding visual image of the type of change.

32. A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of an operating condition of the component monitored comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the signal outputs received at the input terminal;

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of a vital sign of the corresponding component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays a state of the corresponding vital sign as either a color coded alarm format which indicates whether the vital sign is within or out of operating limits and how close to limits it is or a color coded representation of trends format which identifies trends of the vital sign and wherein the plurality of display tiles form a matrix of the rows and columns which is programmed, upon operator command, to display in a plurality of modes, including a Snapshot mode that presents substantially a full set of indications of the vital signs of substantially all components monitored at a common point in time; and

an operator version wherein the plurality of modes include a Dark Display mode that presents substantially only those vital sign indications that represent conditions that have progressed in severity from a first state, with respect to an operating limit of the corresponding component, to a second worse state with respect to the operating limit, that will likely require an operator response, further including an analyst version of the display system that comprises a Component History mode that shows a set of vital sign indications for one selected component at successive points in time over a given interval of time in the past.

33. The display system of claim 32 wherein the analyst version is run off-line.

34. The display system of claim 32 wherein the analyst version is recompiled from source code each time it is activated.

35. The display system of claim 32 wherein the analyst version further includes one and/or the other of the Snapshot mode and the Dark Display mode.

36. The display system of claim 32 wherein an analyst can communicate with an operator through the analysts version.

37. The display system of claim 32 wherein the analysts version provides an analyst with the capability to review or revise chronological history files or create new chronological files to simulate hypothetical scenarios for testing display validity and/or for training purposes.

38. The display system of claim 37 wherein the analysts version provides an analyst with the capability of reviewing analyst run with data in the chronological history files.

39. The display system of claim 32 wherein the analyst version is run at a different location than the operator version.

40. A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of an operating condition of the component monitored, comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the signal outputs received at the input terminal; and

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of a vital sign of the corresponding component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays a state of the corresponding vital sign as either a color coded alarm format which indicates whether the vital sign is within or out of operating limits and how close to limits it is or a color coded representation of trends format which identifies trends of the vital sign an wherein the plurality of display tiles form a matrix of the rows and columns which is programmed, upon operator command, to display in a plurality of modes, including a Component History mode that shows a set of vital sign indications for one selected component at successive points in time over a given interval of time in the past.

41. A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of an operating condition of the component monitored, comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the signal outputs received at the input terminal; and

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of a vital sign of the corresponding component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays a state of the corresponding vital sign as either a color coded alarm format which indicates whether the vital sign is within or out of operating limits and how close to limits it is or a color coded representation of trends format which identifies trends of the vital sign and wherein the color coded alarm format identifies a prediction of the timing of a given state of the vital sign.

42. A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of homogeneous components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of an operating condition of the component monitored, comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the signal outputs received at the input terminal; and

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said homogeneous components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of a vital sign of the corresponding homogeneous component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays a state of the corresponding vital sign as either a changeable geometric pattern or a solid coded color pattern or a pattern containing a combination of both depending on the state of the vital sign and substantially each tile is programmed to display all three patterns, the pattern displayed at any one time corresponding to the operating state of the respective vital sign.

43. A display system for tracking a process having a plurality of components that are respectively monitored via corresponding signal outputs representative of data pertaining to a vital sign of an operating condition of the component monitored, comprising:

an input terminal for receiving the signal outputs;

a processor for operating on the data received at the input terminal, wherein the processor accesses the data received over time and solves a curve fitting algorithm with the data to identify trends in the data and from the trends provides a prediction of the timing of a given state of the vital sign that is to occur in the future; and

a plurality of display tiles arranged in columns and rows with either of said columns or rows respectively representative of said components and the other of said columns or rows respectively representative of the vital sign of the corresponding component indicative of the component'"'"'s operating condition that is derived from the corresponding signal output, wherein substantially each tile portrays the prediction of the corresponding vital sign as a color coded format.

44. The display system of claim 43 wherein the process is a relational database operation and the components are tables and/or indexes in the relational database.

45. The display system of claim 44 wherein the vital sign is the number of bytes occupied in the table or index in relation to a pre-established limit which identifies the given state, over time, and the given state is the occurrence of a Next Extent or a hard limit.