System for configuring graphic display elements and process modules in process plants

• US 7,783,370 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• 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: Beoughter, Ken J., Blevins, Terrence L., Nixon, Mark J., Gilbert, Stephen, Lucas, J. Michael, Webb, Arthur, Campney, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Douglas S
• Application Number:
  US10/575,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700 19- 21, 700/65, 700/83, 700/96, 700/113, 700/177, 700/282, 703/3, 703/7, 703/9, 702/188, 714 46- 47, 715/747
• US Class Current: 700/83
• 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

A system for facilitating configuration of a process plant may include a process graphics editor and a process module editor. The process graphics editor may facilitate creation and/or modification of a graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant. The process module editor may facilitate creation and/or modification of a process module. A process module may include one or more interconnected process objects representative of one or more corresponding physical entities in the process plant. The system may also include a supervisor module communicatively coupled to the process graphics editor and the process module editor. The supervisor module may be capable of detecting changes made to the graphical representation of the physical entities using the process graphics editor. In response to detecting such changes, the supervisor module may instruct the process module editor to make a corresponding change, if any, to a process module.

Claims

1. A user interface method for facilitating configuration of a process plant, the method performed by a computer processor executing a set of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, the method comprising:

segmenting a display into at least a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion;

displaying in the first portion a workspace to create a simulation algorithm for at least a portion of the process plant, at least a portion of the simulation algorithm being defined by depictions of connections among process objects in the workspace;

displaying in the second portion a library of process objects capable of being added to the workspace, at least one of the process objects in the library having at least one associated graphical representation of a physical entity in the process plant corresponding to the process object, wherein the process object having the associated graphical representation of the physical entity includes simulation functionality that is based on behavior of the physical entity; and

if a process object in the workspace is selected by a user, displaying in the third portion indications of parameters of the selected process object.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the one process object comprises at least one of a stream object, a connection object, an actuator object, a standard process object, a custom process object, or a user defined process object.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if one of the indications of parameters is selected by the user, providing a display to enable the user to modify a parameter corresponding to the one indication.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if the user indicates that a new parameter corresponding to the one process object is to be added, providing a display to enable the user to add the new parameter; and

displaying in the third portion an indication of the new parameter.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically generating at least some of the depictions of connections among process objects in the workspace based on a process graphic created using a process graphics editor, the process graphic depicting at least the portion of the process plant.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to select a model for a process object in the workspace, the model to be selected from a plurality of models, the model to simulate behavior of a physical entity in the process plant corresponding to the process object.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein prompting the user to select the model comprises prompting the user to select the model from at least a step response model and a first principals model.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the process object in the workspace is capable of having a step response model associated with a first parameter of the process object and a first principals model associated with a second parameter of the process object.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if one of the indications of parameters is selected by the user, providing a display to enable the user to link a parameter corresponding to the one indication to a control module adapted to execute on one or more process controllers to implement process control activities in the process plant.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if one of the indications of parameters is selected by the user, providing a display to enable the user to link a parameter corresponding to the one indication to a control module adapted to execute on one or more process controllers to implement process control activities in the process plant.

11. A system for facilitating configuration of a process plant, the system comprising:

a process graphics editor to facilitate creation or modification of a graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant, the graphical representation adapted to be displayed on a display device;

a process module editor to facilitate creation or modification of a process module, the process module including one or more interconnected process objects representative of one or more corresponding physical entities in the process plant, at least one of the process objects including a method adapted to perform a function using parameter data to produce an output related to process operation associated with the corresponding physical entities in the process plant;

a supervisor module communicatively coupled to the process graphics editor and the process module editor, the supervisor module to detect a change made to the graphical representation of the physical entities in the process plant using the process graphics editor and to instruct the process module editor to make a corresponding change, if any, to the process module;

wherein each of the process graphics editor, the process module editor, and the supervisor module further comprises a set of computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the supervisor module is adapted to detect a change made to the process module using the process module editor and to instruct the process graphics editor to make a corresponding change, if any, to the graphical representation of the physical entities in the process plant.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein at least some changes made to the process module using the process module editor have no corresponding change to the graphical representation of the physical entities in the process plant.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein at least some changes made to the graphical representation of the physical entities in the process plant using the process graphics editor have no corresponding change to the process module.

15. A system according to claim 11, wherein the process graphics editor is adapted to cause the graphical representation to be stored in a database;

wherein the process module editor is adapted to store the process module in the database separate from the graphical representation.

16. A system according to claim 11, further comprising a computer readable memory;

wherein the process graphics editor is an application stored on the computer readable memory and is adapted to be executed on a processor to facilitate creation or modification of the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant;

wherein the process module editor is an application stored on the computer readable memory and is adapted to be executed on the processor to facilitate creation or modification of the process module;

wherein the supervisor module is an application stored on the computer readable memory and is adapted to be executed on the processor to detect the change made to the graphical representation of the physical entities in the process plant and to instruct the process module editor to make the corresponding change, if any, to the process module.

17. A system according to claim 11, wherein the process module editor is adapted to permit a user to select a model for a process object from a plurality of models, the model to simulate behavior of a physical entity in the process plant corresponding to the process object.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the process module editor is adapted to permit a user to select at least one of a step response model and a first principals model for the process object.

19. A system according to claim 17, wherein if a connection between a first process object and a second process object in the process module is created, one of the first process object and the second process object is capable of passing to the other of the first process object and the second process object at least one of a connection status, a mass flow parameter, a pressure parameter, a temperature parameter, a specific heat parameter, a density parameter, a flow not possible parameter, a pressure basis for pressure/flow network parameter, or a flow basis for pressure/flow network parameter.

20. A method for facilitating configuration of a process plant, the method comprising:

detecting, using a supervisor module application being executed by a first processor, a change to a graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant, the graphical representation adapted to be displayed on a display device, the change to the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant made using a process graphics editor communicatively coupled to the supervisor module application;

determining, using the supervisor module application, a corresponding change, if any, to be made to a process module corresponding to the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant, the process module comprising one or more interconnected process objects representative of the physical entities in the process plant; and

if the corresponding change to be made to the process module is determined, instructing, using the supervisor module application, a process module editor communicatively coupled to the supervisor module application to modify the process module according to the determined change to be made to the process module;

wherein each of the supervisor module application, the graphics editor, and the process module editor further comprises a set of computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

21. A method according to claim 20, the method further comprising:

detecting, using the supervisor module, a change to the process module, the change to the process module made using the process module editor;

determining, using the supervisor module application, a corresponding change, if any, to be made to the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant corresponding to the detected change to the process module; and

if the corresponding change to be made to the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant is determined, instructing, using the supervisor module application, the process graphics editor to modify the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant according to the determined change to be made to the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant.

22. A method according to claim 20, wherein the process graphics editor and the process module editor are applications executed by the first processor.

23. A method according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the process graphics editor or the process module editor is an application executed by a second processor.

24. A method according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the one or more interconnected process objects comprises at least one of a stream object, a connection object, an actuator object, a standard process object, a custom process object, or a user defined process object.

25. A method according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the one or more interconnected process objects includes a method adapted to perform a function using parameter data to produce an output related to process operation associated with the physical entities in the process plant.

26. A method according to claim 20, the method further comprising:

copying a version of the graphical representation of physical entities in the process plant, if any, from a database to a computing system separate from the database and communicatively coupled to the database; and

copying a version of the process module, if any, from the database to the computing system.