User Interface for a Portable Communicator for Use in a Process Control Environment

• US 20100141596A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Junk, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,013,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23377 Touch screen, with representation of buttons, machine on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A portable communicator for use in a process control system. The portable communicator includes a touchscreen configured to receive input from a user. The touchscreen may include a user interface that separate the scrolling functionality from the selection functionality. In one embodiment, the user interface includes a first portion and a second portion that is separate from the first portion. The first portion of the user interface includes multiple input fields associated with a multiple parameters of a field device. The first portion enables a user to scroll through the multiple input fields (e.g., via a grab-and-drag mechanism), and the second portion enables the user to select a value for at least one of the multiple input fields in the first portion.

Claims

1. A portable communicator for use in a process control system, the process control system including a controller coupled to a field device, the controller configured to communicate with the field device to control a physical process parameter or to measure a physical process control parameter in a process plant, the portable communicator comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable memory having computer-readable instructions executable on the processor;

a touchscreen; and

a software application stored on the computer readable memory and configured to execute on the processor to provide a user interface on the touchscreen, the user interface comprising;

a grab-and-drag portion including a plurality of input fields, wherein the plurality of input fields is scrollable via a grab-and-drag mechanism; and

a selection portion that is separate from the grab-and-drag portion, wherein the selection portion is configured to received from a user a selection of a value for one of the plurality of input fields in the grab-and-drag portion.

2. The portable communicator of claim 1, wherein the selection portion comprises a plurality of selection elements corresponding to the plurality of input fields.

3. The portable communicator of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of selection elements is anon-blocked selection element, the non-blocked selection element configured to receive from the user a value for a corresponding input field.

4. The portable communicator of claim 3, wherein the non-blocked selection element is configured to provide the user with a plurality of possible values for the corresponding input field when the user selects the non-blocked selection element, and wherein the non-blocked selection element is configured to receive from the user a selection of one of the plurality of possible values for the corresponding input field.

5. The portable communicator of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of selection elements is a blocked selection element, the blocked selection element configured to block the user from selecting a value for a corresponding input field.

6. The portable communicator of claim 5, wherein the blocked selection element includes a visual indicator alerting the user that the blocked selection element is configured to block the user from selecting the value for the corresponding input field.

7. The portable communicator of claim 1, wherein the grab-and-drag portion is adjacent to the selection portion.

8. The portable communicator of claim 7, wherein the grab-and-drag portion is horizontally adjacent to the selection portion.

9. The portable communicator of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of input fields includes a name and a value associated with the respective input field, and wherein the name and the value associated with a given input field is displayed on the user interface in an offset form.

10. A portable communicator for use in a process control system, the process control system including a controller coupled to a field device, the controller configured to communicate with the field device to control a physical process parameter or to measure a physical process control parameter in a process plant, the portable communicator comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable memory having computer-readable instructions executable on the processor;

a touchscreen; and

a software application stored on the computer readable memory and configured to execute on the processor to provide a user interface on the touchscreen, the user interface comprising;

a first portion including a plurality of input fields, wherein the plurality of input fields is scrollable; and

a second portion that is separate from the first portion, wherein the second portion is configured to receive from a user a selection for one of the plurality of input fields in the first portion.

11. The portable communicator of claim 10, wherein the second portion comprises a plurality of selection elements corresponding to the plurality of input fields.

12. The portable communicator of claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of selection elements is anon-blocked selection element configured to enable a user to select a value for a corresponding input field.

13. The portable communicator of claim 12, wherein the non-blocked selection element is configured to provide the user with a plurality of possible values for the corresponding input field when the user selects the non-blocked selection element, and wherein the non-blocked selection element is configured to receive from a user a selection one of the plurality of possible values for the corresponding input field.

14. The portable communicator of claim 10, wherein the plurality of input fields is scrollable via a grab-and-drag mechanism.

15. A method of interacting with an entity in a process control system, the process control system including a controller coupled to a field device, the controller configured to communicate with the field device to control a physical process parameter or to measure a physical process control parameter in a process plant, the method comprising:

providing a user interface on a touch screen of a portable communicator, the portable communicator having a processor and a computer-readable memory including computer-readable instructions executable on the processor to provide the user interface, the user interface comprising;

a first portion including a plurality of input fields, wherein the plurality of input fields is scrollable; and

a second portion that is separate from the first portion, wherein the second portion is configured to receive from the user a selection of a value for one of the plurality of input fields;

receiving via the user interface the selection of the value for the one of the plurality of input fields; and

initiating a communication with the field device via the portable communicator to configure or measure one of the plurality of parameters of the field device associated with the one of the plurality of input fields based on the received selection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the portable communicator is a generic mobile communication device selected from a group comprising a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a pocket personal computer (PC).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of input fields is scrollable via a grab-and-drag mechanism.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising blocking the user from selecting a value for a blocked one of the plurality of input fields.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising indicating to the user, via a visual indication, which of the plurality of input fields is the blocked one of the plurality of input fields

20. The method of claim 15, wherein initiating the communication with the field device comprises initiating the communication with the field device in a wireless manner and without communicating the controller.

21. A process control system comprising:

a field device;

a controller coupled to the field device, the controller configured to communicate with the field device to control a physical process parameter or to measure a physical process control parameter in a process plant; and

a portable communicator coupled to the field device, the portable communicator comprising;

a processor;

a computer-readable memory having computer-readable instructions executable on the processor;

a touchscreen; and

a software application stored on the computer readable memory and configured to execute on the processor to provide a user interface on the touchscreen, the user interface comprising;

a first portion including a plurality of input fields, wherein the plurality of input fields is scrollable; and

a second portion that is separate from the first portion, wherein the second portion is configured to receive from a user a selection for one of the plurality of input fields in the first portion.