Graphic element with multiple visualizations in a process environment

• US 7,680,546 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Tennyson, Hao, Beoughter, Ken J., Nixon, Mark J., Gilbert, Stephen, Lucas, J. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US10/590,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20070132779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23424 Select construction element from function library
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25067 Graphic configuration control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31467 Display of operating conditions of machines, workcells, selected programs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31469 Graphical display of process as function of detected alarm signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31472 Graphical display of process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31474 Icon display for quick access of detailed information
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32342 Real time simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/12 Symbolic schematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/14 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/12 characterised by design entry means specially adapted for CAD, e.g. graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4488 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 : Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 : Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 : Animation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4026 : Bus for use in automation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 : Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 : Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 : Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 : Minimising material used in manufacturing processes
• 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: Y02P 90/30 : Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 : Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 : Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 : for process control and configuration

Abstract

Smart graphic elements are provided for use as portions or components of one or more graphic displays, which may be executed in a process plant to display information to users about the process plant environment, such as the current state of devices within the process plant. Each of the graphic elements is an executable object that includes a property or a variable that may be bound to an associated process entity, like a field device, and that includes multiple visualizations, each of which may be used to graphically depict the associated process entity on a user interface when the graphic element is executed as part of the graphic display. Any of the graphic element visualizations may be used in any particular graphic display and the same graphic display may use different ones of the visualizations at different times. The different visualizations associated with a graphic element make the graphic element more versatile, at they allow the same graphic element to be used in different displays using different graphical styles or norms. These visualizations also enable the same graphic element to be used in displays designed for different types of display devices, such as display devices having large display screens, standard computer screens and very small display screens, such as PDA and telephone display screens.

Claims

1. A graphical support layer system to support graphic display and data structure needs of functional areas of a process plan by presenting a visual depiction of a plurality of physical or logical process elements associated with the process plant to a user via a display device, the graphical support layer system comprising:

a computer readable memory; and

a plurality of display objects corresponding to the process elements, stored on the computer readable memory, and executable by a processor, each display object including;

any number of properties or parameters associated with the process element; and

a multiplicity of graphic visualizations of the process element, wherein one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations is displayed on the display device as a graphic representation of the process element when the display object is executed by a processor;

a graphic display stored on the computer readable memory, the graphic display corresponding to a depiction of an interaction of the plurality of process elements and adapted to be executed on a processor, the graphic display including;

references or copies of the plurality of display objects; and

indications of which of the graphic visualizations to display on the display device during execution of the graphic display;

wherein the system enables display of selected graphic visualizations of the plurality of display objects when displaying the graphic display;

the graphic visualizations enabling the same display object to be used in displays designed for different types of display devices or in displays designed using different graphical styles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity of the one of the multiplicity of graphical visualizations that is to be displayed on the display device when the display object is executed is selectable.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object further includes an indication defining one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations as a default graphic visualization.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a first one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element according to a first graphical standard or norm and a second one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element according to a second graphical standard or norm.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first graphical standard or norm is associated with an oil and gas industry graphical standard or norm or with a pharmaceutical industry graphical standard or norm.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a first one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element according to a first graphical style and a second one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element according to a second graphical style.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a first one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element in a manner designed for display on a first type of display device and a second one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element in a manner designed for display on a second type of display device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first type of display device is a standard computer screen and the second type of display device is a handheld display device associated with a personal data assistant or a wireless telephone.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first type of display device includes a display screen that is significantly different in size than the second type of display device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a first one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element in a manner associated with a first function within the process plant and a second one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations depicts the process element in a manner associated with a second function within the process plant.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object is executable to accept and store different ones of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations at different times.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object is executable to change graphic visualizations to use in the graphic display after the display object associated with the graphic display.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object is executable to store different ones of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations created by different designers, so that a second one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations may be created by a different person than a first one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object further includes a routine that executes when the display object is executed to perform an operation with respect to a value of the at least one property stored in a property memory.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object further includes an animation routine that animates one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations based on a value of the at least one property.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the animation routine animates the one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations by applying at least one of a skew, a rotation, a translation, a resizing, or a color change to the one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations enables a user to interact with the one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations to perform a function.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the function includes specifying a change to a value within a runtime environment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the runtime environment includes a control routine.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the executable routine detects a condition associated with the process element and indicates the detected condition via the one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the executable routine detects a state associated with the process element and indicates the state via the one of the multiplicity of graphic visualizations.

22. A graphic display that executes in a process plant to display information about the current state of devices within the process plant and represents interconnections between a plurality of physical or logical process elements within the process plant, the graphic display comprising:

a plurality of graphical objects interconnected together, wherein each of the graphical objects is associated with and includes multiple visualizations of a corresponding one of the plurality of process elements on a display screen during execution of the graphic display; and

values for properties associated with the plurality of process elements;

wherein each of the plurality of graphical objects includes multiple visualizations of a corresponding one of the plurality of process elements and an indication of which of the multiple visualizations to display on a display screen during execution of the graphic display;

the graphic visualizations enabling the same display object to be used in displays designed for different types of display devices or in displays designed using different graphical styles.

23. The graphic display of claim 22, wherein the value for a one of the properties is bound to data source of a runtime environment within the process plant to receive data associated with the one of the properties during the execution of the graphic display.

24. The graphic display of claim 22, further including a routine that changes at least one of the multiple visualizations of the one of the plurality of graphic objects during execution of the graphic display.

25. The graphic display of claim 24, wherein the routine comprises an animation routine that animates the one of the multiple visualizations during execution of the graphic display.

26. The graphic display of claim 22, wherein the indication of which of the multiple visualizations to display is user changeable.

27. The graphic display of claim 22, wherein a first one of the multiple visualizations of the one of the plurality of graphic objects depicts the process element according to a first graphical standard or norm and a second one of the multiple visualizations depicts the process element according to a second graphical standard or norm.

28. The graphic display of claim 22, wherein a first one of the multiple visualizations of the one of the plurality of graphic objects depicts the process element in a manner suited to be displayed on a first type of display device and a second one of the multiple visualizations depicts the process element in a manner suited to be displayed on a second type of display device.

29. The graphic display of claim 28, wherein the first type of display device includes a display screen that is significantly different in size than the second type of display device.

30. The graphic display of claim 22, wherein the display object is executable to accept different ones of the multiple visualizations at different times.