Markup language-based, dynamic process graphics in a process plant user interface

• US 9,880,540 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• 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: Nixon, Mark J., Hao, Tennyson, De Guzman, Francis, Rodriguez, Richard, Valderama, Ryan, Lucas, J. Michael, Beoughter, Ken J., Gilbert, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US10/590,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,654 Days
• Field of Search: 700 17, 700 83, 715764
• 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 user interface system for a process plant includes a graphic display editor to configure a process graphic display having a graphic display element representative of a process plant element of the process plant. The process graphic display is specified via configuration information set forth in a declarative language. A graphics rendering engine generates a depiction of the process graphic display during runtime based on commands derived from the configuration information set forth in the declarative language. The configuration information for the process graphic display may be stored as an object, which, for instance, may include first and second portions to define a graphical parameter and identify a data source, respectively. The graphical parameter may be directed to defining a graphical depiction of the process plant element and, to this end, may be set forth in a formal in accordance with the declarative language. The data source may specify a location or path for data indicative of on-line operation of the process plant element to be displayed via the graphical depiction.

Claims

1. An object entity stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium within an object oriented programming environment for programming functionality for use with a user interface system for a process control system, the object entity comprising:

a first portion defining graphics for a depiction of a process plant element of the process control system via the user interface;

a second portion identifying a data source for data indicative of on-line operation of the process plant element to be displayed via the depiction wherein data indicative of the online operation of the process plant element is retrieved from the data source when the graphics for the depiction of the process plant element are rendered for display via the user interface so that the depiction of the process plant element is displayed via the user interface in a manner indicative of the on-line operation of the process plant element; and

a third portion defining a method to be implemented to simulate on-line operation of the process plant element;

wherein the first portion is set forth in a declarative format; and

wherein the object entity within the object oriented programming environment operates to depict both on-line and simulation operation of the process plant element that includes displaying data calculated from the simulation via the depiction when the graphics for the depiction of the process plant element are rendered for display via the user interface.

2. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the first portion defines an instance of a shape object utilized in rendering the depiction.

3. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the first portion defines an instance of a composite shape object utilized in rendering the depiction.

4. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the declarative format is in accordance with an extensible markup language.

5. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the declarative format comprises a vector graphics format for script defining the graphics.

6. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the first portion further defines a data conversion parameter to specify a graphical depiction of the data indicative of on-line operation of the process plant element.

7. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the graphics include animated elements having animation indicative of the on-line operation of the process plant element.

8. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the declarative format is converted into a vector graphics format for rendering the depiction of the process plant element.

9. The object entity of claim 1, wherein the third portion further defines one or more methods to be implemented to depict both on-line and simulation operation of the process plant element.

10. A user interface system for a process control system, comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer processor provide;

a graphic display editor to configure a process graphic display having a graphic display element representative of a process plant element of the process control system, wherein the process plant element corresponds to an object entity within an object oriented programming environment that includes the graphic display element, and wherein configuration information for the process graphic display generated by the graphic display editor is stored in the computer-readable medium in accordance with a declarative language, the object entity including the configuration information;

a conversion engine for generating commands in accordance with a further declarative language different from the declarative language based on graphics related information of the configuration information and for generating a data source reference file from the configuration information for the process graphic display that identifies a data source for data to be displayed in connection with the graphic display element, and generating commands specifying a data conversion routine for the graphic display element for converting data values from the data source to graphically and dynamically display the data from the data source in association with the display of the graphics display element and to simulate on-line operation of the process plant element, wherein the process graphic display operates to depict both on-line and simulation operation of the process plant element that includes displaying data calculated from the simulation of the process plant element via the graphic display element; and

a graphics rendering engine to generate a depiction of the process graphic display during runtime based on commands derived from the configuration information.

11. The user interface system of claim 10, wherein the configuration information is stored in accordance with an object model framework based on the declarative language.

12. The user interface system of claim 11, wherein the object model framework defines primitive shape objects made available by the graphic display editor to configure the process graphic display to include an additional graphic display element constructed from the primitive shape objects.

13. The user interface system of claim 11, wherein the object model framework defines a composite object made available by the graphic display editor to configure the process graphic display to include an additional graphic display element constructed from the composite object.

14. The user interface system of claim 11, wherein the graphic display editor comprises graphical editing tools to create the composite object from previously constructed process model objects stored in the computer-readable medium.

15. The user interface system of claim 14, wherein the graphical editing tools are defined via the object model framework.

16. The user interface system of claim 10, wherein the declarative language is an extensible markup language.

17. The user interface system of claim 10, wherein the declarative language defines an XML-based format for describing the configuration information.

18. The user interface system of claim 10, wherein the further declarative language sets forth the graphics-related language in accordance with a vector graphics format.

19. The user interface system of claim 10, wherein the declarative language defines an extensible format for expressing the configuration information.

20. A method of configuring a user interface system for a process control system, comprising:

using an object representing a physical process plant element in the process control system and defining a composite graphical element that depicts the physical process plant element of the process control system to create a plurality of instances thereof in respective process graphic displays to be depicted via the user interface;

storing data in a computer-readable medium of the user interface system defining the plurality of instances of the composite graphical element;

modifying the object defining the composite graphical element;

propagating the modification to each of the plurality of instances of the composite graphical element; and

automatically updating each of the plurality of instances of the composite graphical element to reflect the modification.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the object comprises a definition set forth in an XML-based graphics language.

22. An object entity stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium within an object oriented programming environment for programming functionality for use with a user interface system for a process control system, the object entity comprising:

a graphics portion defining graphics for a depiction of a process element via the user interface;

a parameters portion identifying configurable aspects of the graphics; and

a navigation portion identifying data sources for content to be displayed in connection with the graphics; and

a simulation portion defining a method to be implemented to simulate the on-line operation of the process element;

wherein the graphics portion, the parameters portion, the navigation portion, and the simulation portion are stored in the computer-readable medium discretely; and

wherein the object entity within the object oriented programming environment operates to depict both on-line and simulation operation of the process element that includes displaying data calculated from the simulation via the depiction of the process element in connection with the graphics.

23. The object entity of claim 22, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a plurality of memory storage devices, such that the graphics portion, the parameters portion, the navigation portion, and the simulation portion are not stored on a single memory storage device.

24. The object entity of claim 22, wherein the graphics portion comprises a description in an XML-based graphics language.