Methods and apparatus to draw attention to information presented via electronic displays to process plant operators

• US 8,103,367 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Schleiss, Duncan, Scott, Cindy
• Primary Examiner(s): Blount, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US12/275,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 340/569, 340/511, 340/517, 700/80, 700/83, 715/771, 715/970
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to draw attention to information presented via electronic displays to process plant operators are disclosed. A disclosed example method to draw attention to information presented to a process plant operator comprises presenting an electronic process plant display, collecting process plant data, processing the process plant data to identify a portion of a process plant, and modifying the electronic process plant display to at least partially obscure substantially all of the process plant display except for the identified portion.

Claims

1. A method to draw attention to information presented to a process plant operator, the method comprising:

presenting an electronic process plant display for a process plant;

collecting process plant data from the process plant while the process plant operates;

processing the process plant data, using a processor, to identify an element of the process plant;

determining whether the operator is interacting with the process plant display; and

if the operator is not interacting with the process plant display, modifying the electronic process plant display to at least partially obscure a first portion of the process plant display that does not include the identified element.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identified element of the process plant corresponds to at least one of a most recent alarm, a new alarm, a change in a alarm state, a status change, a flag, a flag change, a new item, a new variable, a most recent change in state, a cluster of alarms, a deviation in the rate of change, a bad input, a bad output, a troublesome control loop, a faulty device, a chronically sticky valve, or a fault.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein modifying the electronic process plant display comprises:

identifying a geometric region surrounding the identified element of the process plant display; and

obscuring the portion of the electronic process plant display outside the geometric region.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein a second portion of the electronic process plant display that includes the identified element is at least one of unobscured or unmodified when the first portion is modified.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the modifying the electronic process plant display to at least partially obscure the first portion comprises at least one of desaturing the first portion, diminishing the first portion in appearance or overlaying a partially transparent image on the first portion.

6. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the geometric region comprises at least one of a circular region, an oval region, a star shaped region, or a rectangular region.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the element of the process plant is associated with a piece of equipment of the process plant.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the process plant display comprises an active display window.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein collecting process plant data and processing the process plant data to identify the element of the process plant are performed at an operator station.

10. An operator station apparatus, comprising:

an operator display module to present an operator application on a display; and

a spotlighter to analyze process plant data collected from a process plant during an operation of the process plant to identify an element of the process plant, to determine whether an operator is interacting with the operator application, and to obscure a first portion of the operator application that does not include the identified element of the process plant if the operator is not interacting with the operator application.

11. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the identified element of the process plant corresponds to at least one of a most recent alarm, a new alarm, a change in a alarm state, a status change, a flag, a flag change, a new item, a new variable, a most recent change in state, a cluster of alarms, a deviation in the rate of change, a bad input, a bad output, a troublesome control loop, a faulty device, a chronically sticky valve, or a fault.

12. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the spotlighter is to obscure the first portion of the operator application by:

identifying a geometric region surrounding the identified element of the operator application; and

obscuring the operator application outside the geometric region.

13. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein a second portion of the operator application that includes the identified element is at least one of not obscured or not modified when the first portion is modified.

14. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the spotlighter is to obscure the first portion of the operator application by at least one of desaturating colors, diminishing in appearance or overlaying an image on the first portion of the operator application.

15. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the geometric region comprises at least one of a circular region, an oval region, a star shaped region, or a rectangular region.

16. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the operator station apparatus comprises an operator station of a process plant control system.

17. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising an operating system to present the operator application and to enable the spotlighter to obscure the first portion of the operator application.

18. An operator station apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the operator application comprises an active display window.

19. A tangible article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to draw attention to information presented to a process plant operator by at least:

presenting an electronic process plant display for a process plant in an operational state;

collecting process plant data from the process plant;

processing the process plant data to identify an element of the process plant;

determine whether an operator is interacting with the process plant display; and

if the operator is not interacting with the process plant display, modifying the electronic process plant display to at least partially obscure at least a first portion of the process plant display not including the identified element.

20. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the identified element of the process plant corresponds to at least one of a most recent alarm, a new alarm, a change in a alarm state, a status change, a flag, a flag change, a new item, a new variable, a most recent change in state, a cluster of alarms, a deviation in the rate of change, a bad input, a bad output, a troublesome control loop, a faulty device, a chronically sticky valve, or a fault.

21. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to modify the electronic process plant display by at least:

identifying a geometric region surrounding the identified portion element of the process plant; and

obscuring the electronic process plant display outside the geometric region.

22. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein a second portion of the electronic process plant display that includes the identified element is at least one of unobscured or unmodified when the first portion is modified.

23. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the at least the first portion of the electronic process plant display is at least one of desaturated, diminished in appearance or overlaid with a partially transparent image.

24. A method to draw attention to information presented to a process plant operator, the method comprising:

presenting an electronic process plant display for an operating process plant;

collecting process plant data from the operating process plant;

processing the process plant data to identify an element of the operating process plant;

identifying, a first display area not including the identified element of the process plant display and a second display area including the identified element of the process plant display;

highlighting the second display area to draw attention to the element when the operator is interacting with the process plant display; and

obscuring the first display area to draw attention to the element when the operator is not interacting with the process plant display.

25. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the identified element of the process plant corresponds to at least one of a most recent alarm, a new alarm, a change in a alarm state, a status change, a flag, a flag change, a new item, a new variable, a most recent change in state, a cluster of alarms, a deviation in the rate of change, a bad input, a bad output, a troublesome control loop, a faulty device, a chronically sticky valve, or a fault.

26. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the second display area of the electronic process plant display is at least one of desaturated, diminished in appearance or overlaid with a partially transparent image.

27. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the first display area comprises at least one of a circular region, an oval region, or a rectangular region.

28. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the element of the process plant is associated with a piece of equipment of the process plant.

29. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the process plant display comprises an inactive display window.