Status tree monitoring and display system

• US 5,032,978 A
• Filed: 09/28/1989
• Issued: 07/16/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Elm, William C., Mundy, A. Dean, Watson, Craig D., Eastman, Mary C., Carrera, John P., Easter, James R., Lipner, Melvin H., Woods, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUGGIERO, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US07/414,211
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 364/188, 364/189, 364/146, 364/138, 364/139, 364/152-157, 376/215, 376/216, 376/217, 376/245, 376/248, 376/259, 340/722, 340/753
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0227 Qualitative history assessment, whereby the type of data acted upon, e.g. waveforms, images or patterns, is not relevant, e.g. rule based assessment; if-then decisions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A display, a display method and an apparatus are disclosed which produce a summary display depicting function states using discrete state bars centered in one window of a two-window display. The other window on the summary display includes meters for the parameters along the active path of the status tree for the most relevant function as determined by the operator. Each meter indicates not only the current value of the parameter being monitored but the ranges of the different function states as they correspond to the parameter being displayed by the meter. Each meter also carries a data quality indicator. A second level display is provided which depicts the status tree with the active path highlighted allowing the operator to review the decision made by the status tree. The second level display also indicates the values of the parameters used in the decision-making process and includes a miniature version of the summary display that allows the operator to continuously monitor system summary status while reviewing the second level display. A third level display is also provided which depicts detailed information on the sensor values of the parameters being monitored as well as the exact questions being answered by decision trees of the process control monitoring system along with the answers. This third level display also includes a miniature version of the summary status display.

Claims

1. A display for a process control system monitoring process control data which determines discrete process parameters, said display comprising:

a meter image including an actual value indicator indicating an actual parameter value of a portion of the process control data and a scale spatially associated with the actual value indicator; and

variable range brackets spatially associated with said meter image each indicating ranges for the actual parameter value, said brackets are color coded in dependence on a system status which results when the parameter value falls within the bracket range.

2. A display for a process control system monitoring process control data which determines discrete process parameters, said display comprising:

a meter image including an actual value indicator indicating an actual parameter value of a portion of the process control data and a scale spatially associated with the actual value indicator;

variable range brackets spatially associated with said meter image each indicating ranges for the actual parameter value; and

a procedure name spatially associated with each bracket, the procedure name indicating a procedure performed by an operator in dependence on the actual parameter value.

3. A display for a process control system monitoring process control data which determines discrete process parameters, said display comprising:

meter images, each meter image associated with at least one item along an active path in a status tree designating the parameter, each meter image identifies the item monitored and provides a digital value for the item and each meter image including an actual value indicator indicating an actual value of a portion of the process control data and a scale spatially associated with the actual value indicator; and

variable range brackets spatially associated with each said meter image each indicating process status ranges for the actual value.

7. A display as recited in claim 3, wherein each range bracket associated with one of the meter images indicates a process status determined from parameters in addition to a parameter associated with the actual value indicator of the one of the meter images.

4. A display for a process control system monitoring process control data which determines discrete process parameters, said display comprising:

a meter image including an actual value status indicator indicating an actual value of a portion of the process control data, the actual value status indicator including a data quality indicator and a scale spatially associated with the actual value indicator; and

variable range brackets spatially associated with said meter image each indicating ranges for the actual value.

5. A display for a process control system monitoring process control data which determines discrete process parameters, said display comprising:

a meter image including an actual value indicator indicating an actual value of a portion of the process control data and a scale spatially associated with the actual value indicator; and

variable range brackets spatially associated with said meter image each indicating ranges for the actual value where the process has discrete states and the each range indicted by each bracket indicates values of the parameter for which the state of the process will remain the same.

6. A display, comprising:

a meter image including an actual value indicator indicating an actual value of data and a scale spatially associated with the actual value indicator; and

variable range brackets spatially associated with said meter image each indicating a process status range for the actual value, the actual value of the data indicates the actual value of a process which has discrete states and the range indicated by each bracket indicates values of the parameter for which the status of the process will remain the same.