Method and apparatus for controlling a process plant with location aware mobile control devices

• US 10,324,423 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• 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., Beoughter, Ken J., Christensen, Daniel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennison, Jerry B
• Application Number:
  US14/028,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A computer-readable storage medium for controlling a process plant includes instructions operable to determine the location of a device in the process plant and to display data related to proximate devices. The instructions cause a processor to transmit to a server a first request for first data from a data storage area and to receive from the server, in response to the first request, first data from the storage area. The instructions cause the processor to cause the display to display the first data received from the server and to receive an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to an external device. The instructions cause the processor to transmit to the server a second request for second data according to the received indication and to receive second data from the server.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, executable by a processor in a mobile user interface device for controlling a process at a process plant, the instructions operable to cause the processor to:

transmit to a server a first request for first process data from a data storage area;

receive from the server, in response to the first request, first process data from the storage area;

cause a display of the mobile user interface device to display the first process data received from the server within a user interface for controlling the process at the process plant;

receive a signal that (a) represents an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to an external device and (b) causes the mobile user interface device to;

(i) transmit to the server a second request for second process data according to the indication of proximity to the external device represented by the signal;

(ii) receive from the server, in response to the second request, second process data; and

(iii) cause the display of the mobile user interface device to display the second process data received from the server within the user interface for controlling the process at the process plant so that a user can monitor the second process data.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to receive the signal representing the indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to the external device comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to an additional user interface device.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 2, further including instructions for causing the processor to transmit, in response to receiving the signal, a request for state information of the additional user interface device, wherein the second process data is process data associated with the requested state information of the additional user interface device.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 3, wherein the instructions to cause the display of the mobile user interface device to display the second process data received from the server within the user interface for controlling the process so that a user can monitor the second process data comprise instructions to:

duplicate on the display of the mobile user interface device the display of the additional user interface device.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 3, wherein the instructions to cause the display of the mobile user interface device to display the second process data received from the server within the user interface for controlling the process so that a user can monitor the second process data comprise instructions to:

arrange on the display of the mobile user interface device the data displayed on the additional user interface device.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to receive the signal representing the indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to the external device comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to a process control device.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to transmit to the server a second request for second process data according to the received signal comprise instructions for causing the processor to transmit to the server an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to the process control device, and wherein the instructions for causing the processor to receive second process data comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive process data related to the process control device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to receive process data related to the process control device comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive and display data of one or more of:

(a) an alarm associated with the process control device;

(b) a maintenance task associated with the process control device;

(c) an diagrammatic depiction of the area of the process plant associated with the process control device;

or

(d) a status of an area of the process plant associated with the process control device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to receive the signal representing the indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to the external device comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive an indication that the mobile user interface device is in a particular area of the process plant.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to transmit to the server a second request for second process data according to the received signal comprise instructions for causing the processor to transmit to the server an indication that the mobile user interface control device is in the particular area of the process plant, and wherein instructions for causing the processor to receive second process data comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive process data related to the particular area of the process plant.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the instructions for causing the processor to receive process data related to the process control device comprise instructions for causing the processor to receive and display data of one or more of:

(a) an alarm associated with the particular area of the process plant;

(b) a maintenance task associated with the particular area of the process plant;

(c) a diagrammatic depiction of the particular area of the process plant;

or

(d) a status of an area of the process plant associated with the process control device.

12. A system for controlling a process at a process plant, the system comprising:

(A) a server;

(B) a mobile user interface device configured to;

(i) receive from the server first process data,

(ii) display the first process data within a user interface for controlling the process at the process plant; and

(C) an external device separate from the mobile user interface device;

wherein the mobile user interface device is further configured to receive a signal that (a) represents an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to the external device and (b) causes the mobile user interface device to do the following in response to receiving the signal representing the indication;

(i) transmit to the server a request for second process data according to the received indication of proximity to the external device represented by the signal;

(ii) receive from the server, in response to the request, second process data; and

(iii) display the second process data received from the server within the user interface for controlling the process at the process plant so that a user can monitor the second process data.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the external device is a process control device and wherein the second process control data is:

(a) an alarm associated with the particular area of the process plant;

(b) a maintenance task associated with the particular area of the process plant;

(c) a diagrammatic depiction of the particular area of the process plant;

or

(d) a status of an area of the process plant associated with the process control device.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to transmit the signal received by the mobile user interface device.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the external device is configured to wirelessly transmit the signal received by the mobile user interface device.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile user interface device is further configured to receive the signal by capturing an image of the external device.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the external device is a process control device.

18. A method for controlling a process at a process plant, the method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile user interface device and from a server, first process data;

displaying at the mobile user interface device the first process data within a user interface for controlling the process at the process plant;

receiving at the mobile user interface device a signal that (a) represents an indication that the mobile user interface device is in proximity to an external device and (b) causes the mobile user interface device to perform the following;

(i) transmitting from the mobile user interface device to the server a request for second process data according to the received indication of proximity to the external device represented by the signal;

(ii) receiving, at the mobile user interface device in response to the request, second process data; and

(iii) displaying at the mobile user interface device the second process data within the user interface for controlling the process at the process plant so that a user can monitor the second process data.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the external device is an additional user interface device, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, in response to the mobile user interface device receiving the signal, a request for state information of the additional user interface device; and

receiving the requested state information of the additional user interface device;

wherein the second process data is process data associated with the requested state information of the additional user interface device.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the external device is a process control device.