Methods and apparatus to display process control device information

• US 9,547,295 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Holmes, David Farrell, Perry, Dale Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): ORTIZ RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS R
• Application Number:
  US12/890,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23084 Synoptic display of available, selectable control modules with their functions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user

Abstract

An example method includes receiving a conditional device parameter in a processor from a process control device, determining if functionality associated with the process control device is available, where the conditional device parameter indicates if the functionality is available, and displaying the conditional device parameter within a graphic via a user interface if the functionality is available.

Claims

1. A method to display process control information, the method comprising:

receiving a conditional device parameter in a processor from a process control device operating in a process control system;

determining if a functionality associated with the process control device is available based on the conditional device parameter;

displaying a graphic associated with the functionality via a user interface if the conditional device parameter indicates the functionality is available, the graphic representative of process control information generated by the process control device implementing the functionality; and

removing the graphic from the user interface if the conditional device parameter indicates the functionality is unavailable to reduce a number of graphics associated with the process control device presented to a user.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining if the functionality is available includes accessing a device descriptor associated with the process control device to determine if the functionality is enabled.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining if the functionality is available includes accessing a license library to determine if the functionality is licensed.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a second conditional device parameter indicates a second functionality associated with the process control device is available;

displaying a second graphic associated with the second functionality via the user interface if the second conditional device parameter indicates the second functionality is available; and

removing the second graphic from the user interface if the second conditional device parameter indicates the second functionality is not available.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining that the functionality associated with the process control device is not available based on the functionality being deactivated.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the conditional device parameter corresponds to at least one of a component of the process control device, a feature of the process control device, a function of the process control device, or a configuration block included within the process control device.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second conditional device parameter from a second process control device;

determining if the functionality is available based on the conditional device parameter and the second conditional device parameter; and

displaying the graphic within the user interface if the functionality is available.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the conditional device parameter is specified within an electronic device description language file within at least one of the process control device or a workstation that includes the user interface.

9. A method to display process control information, the method comprising:

receiving a conditional device parameter in a processor from a process control device;

determining if a functionality associated with the process control device is available based on the conditional device parameter, wherein determining if the functionality is available includes determining if a block mode element associated with the conditional device parameter has an appropriate status;

displaying a graphic associated with the functionality via a user interface if the functionality is available; and

removing the graphic if the functionality is unavailable.

10. A method to display process control information, the method comprising:

receiving a conditional device parameter in a processor from a process control device;

determining if a functionality associated with the process control device is available based on the conditional device parameter, wherein determining if the functionality is not available includes determining if a normal block mode element associated with the conditional device parameter has a predefined status;

displaying a graphic associated with the functionality via a user interface if the functionality is available; and

removing the graphic if the functionality is unavailable.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a computer readable storage medium to implement a runtime data receiver to receive a conditional device parameter from a process control device operating in a process control system; and

a conditional graphic manager, implemented via the computer readable storage medium, to determine if at least one graphic associated with operation of the process control device is to be displayed within a user interface based on the conditional device parameter, the at least one graphic representative of process control information generated from implementing components of the process control device associated with the conditional device parameter, the conditional device parameter indicating which of the components of the process control device are at least one of activated, licensed, or available.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising a renderer to display the at least one graphic if the conditional graphic manager determines the at least one graphic is to be displayed.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a computer readable storage medium to implement a runtime data receiver to receive a conditional device parameter from a process control device; and

a conditional graphic manager, implemented via the computer readable storage medium, to determine if at least one graphic associated with the conditional device parameter is to be displayed within a user interface based on the conditional device parameter, the at least one graphic representative of process control information generated from implementing components of the process control device associated with the conditional device parameter, wherein the conditional graphic manager is to determine if the at least one graphic is to be displayed by accessing a database to determine which of the components associated with the conditional device parameter are enabled.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a computer readable storage medium to implement a runtime data receiver to receive a conditional device parameter from a process control device; and

a conditional graphic manager, implemented via the computer readable storage medium, to determine if at least one graphic associated with the conditional device parameter is to be displayed within a user interface based on the conditional device parameter, the at least one graphic representative of process control information generated from implementing components of the process control device associated with the conditional device parameter, wherein the conditional graphic manager is to determine if the at least one graphic is to be displayed by determining if a normal block mode element associated with the conditional device parameter has a predefined status.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a computer readable storage medium to implement a runtime data receiver to receive a conditional device parameter from a process control device operating in a process control system; and

a conditional graphic manager, implemented via the computer readable storage medium, to determine if at least one graphic associated with operation of the process control device is to be displayed within a user interface based on the conditional device parameter, the at least one graphic representative of process control information generated from implementing components of the process control device associated with the conditional device parameter, wherein the conditional graphic manager is to remove the at least one graphic from being displayed if the conditional graphic manager determines that at least one of the components of the process control device associated with the conditional device parameter is disabled.

16. A tangible article of manufacture storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive a conditional device parameter from a process control device operating in a process control system, the conditional device parameter conditioned on an availability of a process control device functionality of the process control device;

determine if a graphic is available for display via a user interface based on the availability of the process control device functionality indicated by the conditional device parameter, the graphic representative of process control information generated by the process control device implementing the process control device functionality of the process control device;

display the graphic within the user interface if the conditional device parameter indicates the process control device functionality is available; and

remove the graphic from display within the user interface if the conditional device parameter indicates the process control device functionality is not available to reduce a number of graphics associated with the process control device presented to a user.

17. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 16, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine if the process control device functionality is available by accessing a device descriptor associated with the process control device to determine if the process control device functionality is enabled.

18. A tangible article of manufacture storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive a conditional device parameter from a process control device, the conditional device parameter conditioned on an availability of a process control device functionality of the process control device;

determine if a graphic is available for display via a user interface based on the availability of the process control device functionality indicated by the conditional device parameter, the graphic representative of process control information associated with the process control device, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine if the process control device functionality is available by determining if a normal block mode element associated with the conditional device parameter has a predetermined status;

display the graphic within the user interface if the process control device functionality is available; and

remove the graphic from display within the user interface if the process control device functionality is not available.