Methods for a data driven interface based on relationships between process control tags

• US 8,825,183 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Hammack, Stephen Gerard, Campney, Bruce Hurbert, Zhou, Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): JARRETT, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/728,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20110230980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32154 Object, attribute for geometry, technology, function oop
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32155 Editor and library for objects

Abstract

Navigation between process control graphics representative of process control entities in an operator display includes a list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference. Each process control graphical element identification uniquely identifies a process control graphical element of the operator display, each relationship is between various physical/logical entities and each relationship value reference uniquely identifies a logical and/or physical relationship between two or more entities within the process plant. One or more relationships are associated with a graphical object. Each relationship value reference is bound to two or more process control graphical elements of the operator display based on associated process control graphical element identifications.

Claims

1. A method for navigation in an operator display in a process control system for use in a process plant, the method comprising:

receiving a list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference, wherein each process control graphical element identification uniquely identifies a process control graphical element of the operator display, wherein each process control graphical element graphically illustrates an entity within the process plant, and wherein each relationship value reference uniquely identifies a logical and/or physical relationship between two or more entities within the process plant, wherein each relationship value reference comprises a process control tag that uniquely identifies a first process control entity, a process control tag type that references a description of the first process control entity, a related process control tag type that references a description of a second process control entity related to the first process control entity, and a related process control tag that uniquely identifies the second process control entity;

binding each relationship value reference to two or more process control graphical elements of the operator display based on the associated process control graphical element identifications, wherein a relationship value reference bound to two or more process control graphical elements uniquely identifies the logical and/or physical relationship between the two or more entities graphically illustrated by the two or more process control graphical elements;

displaying a first process control graphical element in the operator display;

reading, in response to a user selection of the first process control graphical element, a relationship value reference bound to the first process control graphical element; and

displaying a second process control graphical element linked to the first process control graphical element by the relationship value reference binding the first and second process control graphical elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein binding each relationship value reference to two or more process control graphical elements of the operator display based on the associated process control graphical element identifications comprises creating a navigation link between the two or more process control graphical elements of the operator display, the program further comprising:

driving navigation of the operation display from the first process control graphical element to the second process control graphical element using the relationship value reference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference comprises receiving relationship data defining a relationship between a plurality of process control tags, wherein each process control tag uniquely identifies a process control entity amongst the plurality of process control tags.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each relationship value reference in the list of relationship value references comprises:

a relationship key comprising information pertaining to the relationship of the first process control entity with the second process control entity in the process plant; and

a relationship value comprising the related process control tag, wherein the related process control tag is a unique identification of the relationship between the first and second process control entities, wherein the related process control tag is unique among the process control tags.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the relationship key comprises:

the process control tag of the first process control entity;

the process control tag type; and

the related process control tag type.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each relationship value reference in the list of relationship value references further comprises metadata, the metadata comprising:

a relationship type describing the relationship between the first and second process control entities; and

the cardinality of the relationship between the first and second process control entities.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the relationship type comprises one of:

a hierarchical relationship or a lateral relationship.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship between the first and second process control entities comprises more than one degree of separation based on the configuration of the process control entity in the process control system.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first process control graphical element in the operator display comprises a graphical sub-element associated with the relationship value reference if the process control graphical element is bound to a relationship value reference, and

wherein reading, in response to a user selection of the first process control graphical element, a relationship value reference bound to the first process control graphical element comprises reading, in response to a user selection of the graphical sub-element, the relationship value reference associated with the graphical sub-element.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein displaying a first process control graphical element in the operator display comprises displaying a first faceplate associated with the first process control graphical element, and

wherein displaying a second process control graphical element linked to the first process control graphical element by the relationship value reference binding the first and second process control graphical elements comprises displaying a second faceplate associated with the second process control graphical element.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference comprises receiving the list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications without accessing process control system runtime data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference comprises:

receiving a list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference from a relationship storage database;

replicating the list of relationship value references and process control graphical element identifications associated with each relationship value reference on an operator workstation running the operator display.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a relationship value reference and two or more process control graphical element identifications associated with the relationship value reference;

publishing the relationship value reference and the two or more process control graphical element identifications; and

binding each configured relationship value reference to two or more process control graphical elements of the operator display based on the two or more configured process control graphical element identifications.

14. The method of claim 1,

wherein the entity associated with the first process control graphical element comprises one of the group consisting of:

a control algorithm, a function block, a function block parameter, a process control module, an equipment module, a process control module step, a process control module transition, a process control module action, a process control device, a process controller, a process control loop, a process control unit, a process control area, an alarm, a faceplate display, a detail display, a primary control display, a user-defined display, a diagnostic display, a standard operating procedure for a device, a material safety data sheet, a process control recipe, and a process control system node, and

wherein the entity associated with the second process control graphical element comprises one of the group consisting of;

a control algorithm, a function block, a function block parameter, a process control module, an equipment module, a process control module step, a process control module transition, a process control module action, a process control device, a process controller, a process control loop, a process control unit, a process control area, an alarm, a faceplate display, a detail display, a primary control display, a user-defined display, a diagnostic display, a standard operating procedure for a device, a material safety data sheet, a process control recipe, and a process control system node.