Device information display apparatus, storage device storing device information display program, and device information display method

• US 9,052,706 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Fujii, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Yuhui R
• Application Number:
  US13/347,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• 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

Abstract

A device information display apparatus that communicates with a field device and acquires a device information of the field device to display the device information on a display device, the device information display apparatus may include: a changing unit that changes the device information to be displayed on the display device, the changing being performed based on operation instructions received from an input device; a definition file generation unit that generates a definition file for prescribing the device information to be displayed on the display device, the generating being performed based on the device information changed by the changing unit; and a switching unit that switches the device information to be displayed on the display device, the switching being performed based on the definition file generated by the definition file generation unit.

Claims

1. A device information display apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to communicate with a field device;

a tokenizer configured to acquire a device information of the field device, which is described in a format of an EDDL file or an XML file, to create a DD file, the DD file being customized based on the EDDL file or the XML file;

a DD analysis unit configured to read the DD file and access the device information of the field device;

a display unit configured to display the accessed device information on a display device;

an analysis unit configured to analyze a reference frequency and a setting frequency of the device information displayed on the display device;

a display parameter management unit and a display parameter changing unit configured to manage and change the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the changing being performed based on operation instructions received from an input device;

a display parameter generation unit configured to generate a display parameter definition file for prescribing the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the generating being performed based on the device information changed by the display parameter management unit and the display parameter changing unit; and

a display parameter switching unit configured to switch the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the switching being performed based on the display parameter definition file generated by the display parameter generation unit.

2. The device information display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display management unit and the display parameter changing unit are configured to extract a device information where reference frequency and setting frequency exceed a predetermined value based on an analysis result of the analysis unit and display the extracted device information on the display device.

3. The device information display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a parameter search unit configured to search for a device information associated with keywords, which has been instructed through the operation instructions of the input device, from the device information, which has been managed by the display parameter management unit; and

a search result management unit configured to store and manage a search result of the parameter search unit,

wherein the display parameter management unit and the display parameter changing unit are configured to change the device information to be displayed on the display device, the changing being performed based on the search result managed by the search result management unit.

4. The device information display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display menu creation unit configured to create a display menu file based on the EDDL file and the display parameter definition file generated by the display parameter generation unit, the display menu file prescribing the accessed device information in order to display the accessed device information, which has been acquired by communicating with the field device, on the display device provided in another device.

5. The device information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication unit is configured to acquire the accessed device information by controlling a communication device to communicate with the field device.

6. The device information display apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a storage device configured to store an EDDL file, which is a text formation file that describes the device information of the field device and is capable of hierarchically defining the device information based on characteristics or attributes of the field device, the DD file, which is obtained by converting the EDDL file into a binary format file treatable in the device information display apparatus, and the display parameter definition file.

7. The device information display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the storage device stores the EDDL file, the DD file and the display parameter definition file in different areas respectively and manages the EDDL file, the DD file and the display parameter definition file.

8. The device information display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the tokenizer is configured to create the DD file from the EDDL file.

9. The device information display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the storage device is configured to store the display menu file, and

the tokenizer is configured to create the DD file from the display menu file.

10. The device information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display device is configured to display a window comprising:

a tree display area that for displaying function blocks of the field device as a list with a tree format;

a parameter display area for displaying names and values of parameters of function blocks selected by a user'"'"'s operation from the function blocks displayed as the list in the tree display area as a list;

a mode switching button used to switch an operation mode of the parameter display area;

a parameter acquisition button used to instruct parameter acquisition from the field device; and

a parameter setting button used to instruct parameter setting for the field device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a device information display program for causing a computer to serve as:

a communication unit for communicating with a field device;

a tokenizer for acquiring a device information of the field device, which is described in a format of an EDDL file or an XML file, to create a DD file, the DD file being customized based on the EDDL file or the XML file;

a DD analysis unit for reading the DD file and accessing the device information of the field device;

a display unit for displaying the accessed device information on a display device;

an analysis unit configured to analyze a reference frequency and a setting frequency of the device information displayed on the display device;

a display parameter management unit and a display parameter changing unit for changing the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the changing being performed based on operation instructions received from an input device;

a display parameter generation unit for generating a display parameter definition file for prescribing the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the generating being performed based on the device information changed by the display parameter management unit and the display parameter changing unit; and

a display parameter switching unit for switching the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the switching being performed based on the display parameter definition file generated by the display parameter generation unit.

12. A device information display method comprising:

communicating with a field device;

acquiring a device information of the field device, which is described in a format of an EDDL file or an XML file, to create a DD file, the DD file being customized based on the EDDL file or the XML file;

reading the DD file

accessing the device information of the field device;

displaying the accessed device information on a display device;

analyzing a reference frequency and a setting frequency of the accessed device information displayed on the display device;

managing and changing the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the changing being performed based on operation instructions received from an input device;

generating a display parameter definition file for prescribing the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the generating being performed based on the device information that has been changed; and

switching the accessed device information to be displayed on the display device, the switching being performed based on the display parameter definition file that has been generated.

13. The device information display method according to claim 12, further comprising:

analyzing a reference frequency and a setting frequency of the device information displayed on the display device;

extracting a device information where reference frequency and setting frequency exceed a predetermined value based on an analysis result of the analyzing; and

displaying the extracted device information on the display device.

14. The device information display method according to claim 12, further comprising:

searching for a device information associated with keywords, which has been instructed through the operation instructions of the input device, from the device information, which has been managed;

storing and managing a search result of the searching; and

changing the device information to be displayed on the display device, the changing being performed based on the search result that is managed.

15. The device information display method according to claim 12, further comprising:

creating a display menu file based on the EDDL file and the display parameter definition file that has been generated, the display menu file prescribing the accessed device information in order to display the accessed device information, which has been acquired by communicating with the field device, on the display device provided in another device.

16. The device information display method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing an EDDL file, which is a text formation file that describes the device information of the field device and is capable of hierarchically defining the device information based on characteristics or attributes of the field device, the DD file, which is obtained by converting the EDDL file into a binary format file treatable in the device information display apparatus, and the display parameter definition file.

17. The device information display method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing an EDDL file, which is a text formation file that describes the device information of the field device and is capable of hierarchically defining the device information based on characteristics or attributes of the field device, a DD file, which is obtained by converting the EDDL file into a binary format file treatable in the device information display apparatus, and the display parameter definition file in different areas respectively.

18. The device information display method according to claim 16, further comprising:

creating the DD file from the EDDL file.

19. The device information display method according to claim 18, further comprising:

storing the display menu file; and

creating the DD file from the display menu file.

20. The device information display method according to claim 12, further comprising:

displaying function blocks of the field device as a list with a tree format;

displaying names and values of parameters of function blocks selected by a user'"'"'s operation from the function blocks, which are displayed as the list;

switching an operation mode of the displaying as the list;

instructing parameter acquisition from the field device; and

instructing parameter setting for the field device.