JP2016115358A - Methods, systems and non-transitory computer-readable medium for providing role-based user interface - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide methods and apparatus to provide a role-based user interface.SOLUTION: An example system includes a display device to depict a user interface. The example system also includes a processor. The example processor is to receive object information for an object in a process control system during a session, determine a user role on the basis of the session, determine whether the object information is qualifying information on the basis of the user role, and display the object information via the user interface when the object information is qualifying information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates generally to process control systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for providing a role-based user interface.

  In general, a process control system, such as used in chemical processing, petroleum refining, or other processing steps, includes one or more process control devices and input / output (I / O) devices, the process control device. And the input / output device is communicatively connected to at least one host or operator workstation and one or more field devices via an analog bus, a digital bus or a combination analog / digital bus. Field devices may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches, and transmitters (eg, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and flow sensors) that perform process control functions within the process, such as opening and closing valves and measuring process control parameters. Do. The process controller receives signals indicating process measurements made by the field device and processes this information to control the execution of control routines, other process control decisions, and the sounding of process control system alarms. Create a signal. In this method, the process controller uses the field device over the bus and / or uses other communication links that communicatively connect the field device to execute and coordinate the control strategy.

  Process information from field devices and controllers may be made available to systems that include one or more applications (ie, software routines, programs, etc.) that are executed on an operator workstation (eg, a processor-based system). Thereby, the operator can, for example, visually confirm the current state of the process (eg, through a graphical user interface), change process control routine settings, process evaluation, change process operations (eg, through a visual object map), field devices and It is possible to execute a desired process-related function such as visual confirmation of an alarm created by the process control device, human resource development and / or process operation simulation for the purpose of process evaluation. Many process control systems also include one or more application stations. In general, these application stations include personal computers, workstations, and the like that are communicatively connected to controllers, operator workstations, and other systems within a process control system over a local area network (LAN). Used and implemented.

  In one known process control system, one or more operating terminals and / or application stations can be configured within a process control system, such as campaign management functions, maintenance management functions, virtual control functions, diagnostic functions, real-time monitoring functions, safety-related functions, configurations. One or more software applications that perform functions or the like may be executed. In addition, some known process control systems include processes that include alarms, process variable values, process related quality parameter values, process fault detection information, and / or process state information generated by a controller or device in the process. One or more operating terminals and / or application stations with a graphical user interface for displaying control information are provided.

  In some known process control systems, one or more process control related applications include user interface functionality, such as an operator station or terminal operating system (eg, Windows) that provides a graphical interface to the process control system. Exchange information directly with the base operating system). In such a system, various applications, particularly the graphical user interface portion, exchange information directly with the operating system of the operator station directly (eg independently of other applications). The management of these relatively independent graphical interfaces (eg displays and windows) is complex because each display provides different types of information (eg diagrams, sentences, trends, alarms, etc.) at different times. is there. Furthermore, the value for information displayed through a graphical interface varies from person to person. For example, a graphical interface for a diagnostic management application displays information that cannot be used by the user and is therefore a very complex display.

  Generally, a software system that develops, monitors, and operates a process control environment and exchanges information with the process control environment provides a user interface in a role-dependent view to various users. More specifically, the software system filters and organizes engineering tools and information according to the user's role in the corresponding organization (“organizational role” or simply “role”). Organizational roles are, by way of example only, production managers, maintenance managers, control system engineers, or electrical instrumentation engineers. More generally, an organizational role is any combination of responsibility, access rights and other privileges, security tolerance, skills expected of a user, and so on. The software system provides the user with filtered information and tool selection, for example, in a view that includes a predetermined user interface screen, several user interface screens, a set of related user interface screens displayed at the same time, etc. Also good. Thereby, two users having different organizational roles may be presented with software applications, libraries, assets, data trees, etc. with different options and / or arrangements after login. Furthermore, as these users select and invoke functions within their views, the computing environment may continuously filter and organize information according to the user's role. As a result, users can find relevant information faster and easily perform and correct appropriate corrective actions to distinguish between information relevant to their job role / task and non-critical data. Potential human errors associated with cognitive overload (or pressure) that must be reduced can be reduced. In terms of production plant environment, this time savings and reduction of human errors often results in customer millions of dollars in production losses due to mistakes leading to production losses due to plant shutdowns or non-conforming products Can be eliminated. In extreme cases, human errors can lead to death or injury to plant personnel or damage to expensive process equipment.

  Role-dependent views include, for example, (1) visualization including process displays, dashboards, various faceplates, machine views, etc. (2) logic displays that represent control modules, phases, recipes, operations, functions, etc. (3) Standard operation procedure, device manual, material handling node, instruction or “knowledge” display including loop diagram, (4) Business information display showing order, equipment tracking, material consumption, power consumption, etc. (5) Equipment Any suitable number of user interfaces including information such as system health indications including status data, device alerts, vibration data, and (6) input / output (I / O) indications showing I / O devices and signals A screen may be provided. As an example, when a control system engineer logs in, the software system will display a process diagram and dashboard as part of the visualization, a control module, phase, operations and functions as part of the logic display, and a loop diagram as part of the knowledge display. Etc. may be created. Also, at the time of login of an electrical instrumentation engineer, the software system may create a device dashboard as part of visualization, computation as part of logic, and device manual as part of knowledge display. If the role-dependent view comprises multiple screens, the screen-to-screen navigation may be role-dependent, for example, if the computer environment displays equipment status to both the process control engineer and the electrical instrumentation engineer, the software system Presents a link to the electrical instrumentation engineer (for example, a button on the toolbar, a choice in the pull-down menu, an icon to display next to a piece of equipment) and navigates directly to equipment tracking, You do not have to present it.

  To create a role-dependent view, the software system organizes functions and data into layers, each of which contains information collected from a variety of information sources (databases, devices that output real-time signals, operator inputs, etc.) , It may be mapped to the role of the user. The mapping of layers to user-dependent views may be dedicated to each software system operating as each component of the software system or the entire software system. In an embodiment, the software system retrieves a user role from a database, uses each configuration file to identify the information layer mapped to the user role for the selected software application, and creates a role-dependent view. . Since any desired number of levels of roles within the organization can be defined, the software system may create multiple views of functions and data to create a predetermined view. For example, the role of the maintenance manager may correspond to a plurality of sub roles depending on the technical scope for which the maintenance manager is responsible. In general, the roles are multistage with an arbitrary number. Users can further configure their own views, and may optionally override layer mapping in their role-dependent views.

  Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of techniques including methods and systems for providing a role-based user interface. An exemplary system includes a display device that displays a user interface and one or more processors. The one or more processors receive object information regarding an object of the process control system during a session, determine a user role based on the session, determine whether the object information is authorization information based on the user role, When the object information is authorization information, the object information is displayed through the user interface.

  Another exemplary embodiment is a method that displays a user interface, receives object information associated with an object of a process control system during a session, and determines a user role based on the session. . In this method, whether or not the object information is authorization information is determined based on the role of the user. If the object information is authorization information, the object information is displayed through the user interface.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary process control system and workstation in which role-based users are developed as part of a software system that develops, monitors, operates, and exchanges information with the process control system. An interface can be implemented. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for implementing the workstation of FIG. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary role-based display interface implemented at the workstation of FIG. FIG. 4 shows another exemplary role-based display interface. FIG. 5 shows another exemplary role-based display interface. FIG. 6 shows another exemplary role-based display interface. FIG. 7 shows another exemplary role-based display interface. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for implementing the exemplary workstation of FIGS. FIG. 9 is a diagram of an example processor platform used and / or programmed for execution of the example process of FIG. 8, and more generally for the implementation of the example workstation of FIGS. It is. FIG. 10 is a diagram of an exemplary hierarchical menu organized according to an asset-centric perspective and may be displayed at the workstation of FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram of an exemplary hierarchical menu organized according to a logic-centric view and may be displayed at the workstation of FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram of an exemplary mapping of cluster information associated with a process control system to multiple organizational roles. FIG. 13 is a diagram of an exemplary role-only navigation path between cluster information associated with the process control system of FIG.

In particular, although exemplary methods and apparatus with software and / or firmware executing in hardware are described below, these examples are merely illustrative and should not be considered limiting. For example, it is contemplated that some or all of the hardware, software, and firmware components can be implemented exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, or any combination of hardware and software. Thus, while the following description describes exemplary methods and apparatus, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the presented embodiments are not the only way to implement such methods and apparatuses. .
Examples of process control system / environment related information types

  In known systems, there are many ways to present information related to a process control system, beyond application and environment boundaries. For example, in an application executed in an engineering environment, diagnostic information may be presented with a status display superimposed or visually customized for each node type of the physical network. A node is an object or device that performs wired communication and / or wireless communication with another device. For example, field devices, switches, firewalls, etc. may all be considered nodes. In another second application executed in the engineering environment, control integrity diagnostic information may be shown in the form of status icons in the module diagram. An engineering environment is a software environment that presents information through a standard software interface. In addition, each of the different applications may include various levels of information that are useful or unhelpful for a particular user. For example, a maintenance engineer who is responsible for maintaining an asset (eg, a high performance device such as a valve) in a plant may be interested in highly detailed information about the asset (eg, diagnostic parameters, maintenance history, etc.). The operator's interest is primarily about whether the asset (eg, a valve) is opened or closed, and how much product is passing through the valve. The control system engineer may indirectly monitor the valve and determine from the signal from the asset whether the asset is adversely affecting the engineer's control strategy or logic. For example, even if the control system engineer selects not to display valve information, a change in valve state may be notified.

  The software system according to the present disclosure can present information related to an object corresponding to an aspect of a process that can be presented to a user among other types of information. In addition, an object may include one or more facets that describe certain characteristics of the object. The number of facets that an object describes that object may be arbitrary. For example, the process control object facet includes object identification information (for example, object name, tag, nickname, etc.), object physical information (for example, tank construction material, high-function device size, etc.), and logical information about the object. (Eg instructions or executable code (also called functional blocks or modules)), graphical information about the object (eg process display using icons rather than logic), input / output information about the object (eg received from assets) And user task information about the object (eg, related actions that the user can perform on the object), and the like. Using object facets, the information displayed to the user through the user interface can be filtered to a specific user (eg, maintenance technician, operator, reliability engineer, supervisor, control system engineer, control room operator, etc.) The user interface for displaying related information can be customized.

  The software system also provides information related to tasks that are a series of tasks performed by the user. Task sequences can be simplified as much as possible to perform functions such as form filling and value changes on the process control system. As the task becomes more complex, the unit can be started or started, or the process loop can be adjusted. In some embodiments, users may create and / or modify tasks to better meet plant needs.

  In the example disclosed herein, each facet may have a default task of three sets. In the configuration task, the user can configure the characteristics of the object. For example, configuration tasks may include downloading software or information, exporting information, updating information, inspecting objects, manipulating instrumentation assets (eg, control devices), performing methods on instrumentation assets, and the like. A run-time editing task allows the user to edit the contents of an object at run time. For example, if the object is a graph, the runtime editing task may provide a way to change the line shown in the graph. Exemplary runtime editing tasks include column filtering, interface resizing, facet hiding or showing, context changing (eg, specifying or selecting another object), view changing, and / or trend tracing. Including the addition of For run-time write / execute tasks, the user can change the run-time value. For example, a graphical block that can be used to visualize a connection provides an interface that can disable the connection. Exemplary run-time write / execute tasks include: change operating mode, change object set point, change alarm range, remove or disable service, skip consolidation, notify alarm, adjust object or process, change value Includes responding to enforcement, alarm analysis, and / or system prompts.

  Further, the user may create (customize) an additional task suitable for a specific person or user role. Exemplary user-defined tasks include requesting input by a user, opening a display, dashboard and / or faceplate, starting another task, and the like.

  However, the value of a task is not all equal for the user. For example, a software application that performs a diagnostic function can detect digital control system hardware (e.g., controller loading, control module normality, etc.) from the normality of software code (or logical components) executing on the controller. Any range of diagnostic information can be provided, up to the physical normality of a single instrument such as a network switch, workstation, etc.), process equipment (eg, heat exchanger, etc.), or temperature transmitter. For example, process control operators, system engineers, configuration engineers, maintenance personnel, technical support, and others may perform tasks using various aspects of the exemplary integrated graphical user interface described herein. Good. Thus, the information or tasks presented to the user through the examples described herein may account for differences in responsibilities of the user or each person, such as, for example, an operator, configuration engineer, maintenance personnel, and / or technical support. Good. Unlike conventional systems, the software system disclosed herein organizes (eg, customizes) the user interface by performing role-based filtering to provide the user with the best state for the user's responsibilities or duties. . That is, the information or tasks displayed to the user can be the user's organizational role or responsibility, the context or state of the objects in the system, and / or an arrangement organized in the default desktop, a dedicated visualization in the user interface, or Filtering may be performed based on the display layout.

  In addition, an object including a graphical component and an interface to one or more physical devices that update the graphic component in real time may be used to create the process diagram. The object may be dedicated to a control strategy (eg, a PID loop object) or device specific (eg, a temperature sensor object). The user interface filters the data the object receives from the process plant and displays information related to the user's organizational role. Process diagrams can also be created using hard-coded reference information for devices. When creating the supplementary display, the software system of the present disclosure retrieves configuration data for specifying the relationship between the control strategy and the device from one or more configuration databases, and uses the retrieved information to use the supplementary display for the operator and the supplement for maintenance. A display or other supplemental display dedicated to the user's role may be automatically created.

  In addition to the information filtering process based on the user's organizational role or responsibility, the software system of the present disclosure may filter the information to be displayed to the user based on the user's preference. Examples of information filtering that are displayed to the user include presenting default settings for the software application based on the user's organizational role or responsibility, and showing or hiding specific information in the software application (eg, for hierarchical tree content Filtering), changing object display name, title or description, displaying process physical component interface connections from different perspectives, filtering tasks to present to users, determining which object facets to display, which applications Filtering whether to make available to the user and / or determining which alert types and alarm types to display to the user. In some embodiments, the system may customize the user interface of the user display using multiple filters. In such embodiments, the system may filter in multiple layers, multiple levels, or multiple stages. For example, a first layer filter filters facets based on the user's organizational role and / or responsibilities, and a second layer filter filters facets based on a particular asset (eg, a valve) A three-layer filter may filter facets based on priority (eg, does it meet a threshold displayed by an alarm?), And a fourth-layer filter may filter facets based on user preferences.

As discussed in detail below, the software system of the present disclosure organizes data from functions and multiple information sources into role-specific layers such as a maintenance layer, an operator layer, and a control system engineering layer to filter information. It is also possible to make it easier.
Example of process control environment

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary process control environment 100 that includes an exemplary role-based processor 102 and a process control system 104. The example role-based processor 102 may be implemented within the workstation 106 and / or provided within the workstation 106. In another embodiment, role-based processor 102 may be included in a server, a distributed computer network, and / or other computing device that is communicatively connected to workstation 106.

  In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 implements a software system that creates a view based on the user's organizational role as described above. For clarity, exemplary functions of the software system described above are described below with reference to the role-based processor 102.

  The example process control system 104 may comprise any manufacturing facility, process facility, automation facility, safety instrumentation facility, and / or other process control configuration or system. In certain embodiments, the process control system 104 may include multiple facilities located at different locations. Further, the exemplary process control environment 100 may include other process control systems (not shown) that are provided in the same facility and / or located in different facilities.

  Exemplary process control environment 100 illustrates one type of system that advantageously employs the exemplary methods and software systems described in more detail below. However, the exemplary methods and software systems shown herein may be other, more complex or simpler than the exemplary process control environment 100 and / or process control system 104 shown in FIG. It may be employed in systems and / or systems used in connection with process control activities, enterprise management activities, communication activities, and the like.

  The example process control system 104 of FIG. 1 includes a controller 108 that is communicatively connected to a workstation 106. The process control system 104 also includes a field device 112 (eg, input and / or output devices). Field device 112 may comprise any type of process control component that is capable of receiving input, creating output, and / or controlling the process. The field device 112 may include a control device such as a valve, a pump, a fan, a heater, a cooler, and / or a mixer that controls the process. Further, the field device 112 may include a measuring device or a monitoring device such as, for example, a temperature sensor, a pressure gauge, a concentration meter, a liquid level meter, a flow meter, and / or a vapor sensor that measures each part of the process. The control device may receive instructions from the controller 108 through the input 114 and execute specified commands to change the processes implemented and / or controlled by the field device 112. Further, the measurement device measures process data, environmental data, and / or input device data, and transmits the measured data to the control device 108 through the output 116 as process data. The process data may include a variable value that is a measurement output from each field device 112.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the exemplary controller 108 may communicate with the field device 112 in the process control system 104 via input 114 and / or output 116. Input 114 and output 116 may be implemented by a data bus. This data bus may be connected to intermediate communication components within the process control system 104. These communication components may comprise a field connection box that communicatively connects the field device 112 in the command area to the data bus. Further, the communication component may comprise a marshalling cabinet that organizes a communication path to the field device 112 and / or the field connection box. Still further, the communication component comprises an I / O device 118 (eg, an I / O card) that receives data from the field device 112 and converts the data into communication data that can be received by the exemplary controller 108. Also good. In addition, these I / O devices 118 may convert data or communications from the controller 108 into a data format that can be processed by the corresponding field device 112. For example, the data bus may be implemented using fieldbus protocols or other wired (eg, Profibus, DeviceNet, Foundation Fieldbus) and / or wireless communication protocols (eg, Wireless HART protocol, etc.).

  The example controller 108 of FIG. 1 manages one or more control routines (eg, process control algorithms, functions, and / or instructions) that control the field device 112 within the process control system 104. Control routines include process monitoring applications, alarm management applications, process trends and / or history applications, diagnostic applications, batch processing and / or campaign management applications, statistical applications, streaming video applications, advanced control applications, safety instrumented applications, etc. But you can. The control routine may allow the process control system 104 to reliably create a specified number of desired products whose quality is within a predetermined threshold. For example, the process control system 104 may be configured as a batch system that produces products as a result and / or during a batch process. In other embodiments, the process control system 104 may comprise a continuous process manufacturing system that continuously produces products. Still further, the controller 108 may send process data used in the control routine to the exemplary role-based processor 102.

  In the example process control environment 100 of FIG. 1, the workstation 106 may be communicatively connected to the controller 108 via a local area network (LAN) 110. The exemplary workstation 106 may comprise computing devices including personal computers, laptop computers, servers, controllers, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), microcomputers, and the like. Further, workstation 106 may be implemented using any suitable computer system or processing system (eg, processor platform 900 shown in FIG. 9). For example, the workstation 106 can be implemented using a single processor personal computer, a single or multiprocessor workstation, and the like.

  The example of FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary workstation 106 that is external to the process control system 104. In another embodiment, the workstation 106 may be included in the process control system 104 and may be communicatively connected to the controller 108. In addition, the process control environment 100 may include a router (not shown) to communicatively connect other workstations (not shown) to the controller 108 and / or connect the workstation 106 to other It may be communicably connected to another control device (not shown) in the process control system. The process control environment 100 may also include a firewall (not shown) that provides a remote workstation (eg, a workstation external to the process control environment 100) that accesses resources within the process control environment 100. Good.

  The example LAN 110 may be implemented using any desired communication medium and protocol. For example, the LAN 110 may be a wired or wireless Ethernet communication system. However, other communication media and protocols can be used where appropriate. In addition, although a single LAN 110 is shown, duplicate communication paths between the workstation 106 and each similar workstation (not shown) using multiple LANs or suitable communication hardware within the workstation 106. May be provided.

  Exemplary workstations 106 and / or other workstations accessing process control system 104 may be configured to visually confirm, change, and modify one or more processes within process control system 104. Good. The exemplary workstation 106 allows a user to review and / or manipulate one or more user display screens and / or applications, which allow the user to change roles-based process control system variables. Visually confirm, visually confirm the status of the role-based process control system, visually confirm the status of the role-based process control system, visually confirm the alarm of the role-based process control system, and / or Process control system settings (eg, set points, operating conditions, clear sound alarm, silence alarm, etc.) can be changed. An exemplary method of implementing the exemplary workstation 106 is described below with reference to FIG. An exemplary user display application used to implement the exemplary workstation 106 is described below with reference to FIGS.

The exemplary workstation 106 includes and / or implements a role-based processor 102 that monitors process control routines and / or process control information transmitted by the controller 108 to identify and / or determine status issues. . The process control information may be generated by, for example, a process control device including the field device 112, the control apparatus 108, and the components in the process control system 104. Alternatively, process control information and / or status information may be generated by an application. The application may utilize process control information from field device 112 and / or controller 108 to compute and / or determine status information and / or other process control information. For example, the Delta V software suite sold by Emerson Process Management includes applications that collect adjustments, status conditions, diagnostics and / or performance parameters or metrics by field device 112. Using the collected parameters, the application may display system-wide status information through the user interface, or more detailed visualization on a dedicated role basis.
Examples of role-based processor functionality

  In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 dynamically customizes information presented to the user through a role-based presentation interface (eg, the exemplary role-based presentation interface of FIGS. 3-7) to the user's role. Information is displayed to the user based on the assigned criteria. Thereby, the role-based presentation interface can display authorization information to the user, while excluding (eg, not displaying) information that cannot be authorized by the criteria assigned to the user's role. In some embodiments, the predetermined criteria may be represented by a threshold value. In some embodiments, role-based processor 102 may disclose incremental information to the user. That is, the role-based processor 102 may not initially disclose information to the user, but may later allow the user to access a portion of the information. For example, the user may initially select a visual confirmation of alarm information that does not meet the priority threshold and is therefore initially excluded by the role-based processor 102. In such an embodiment, the user may expand a hidden portion of (alarm) information on the user interface to obtain additional information about the alarm. In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 displays authorization information in an item form (tab form) so that one or more items are expanded by default and one or more items are collapsed by default. May be. For example, depending on the user's organizational roles and / or responsibilities, the role-based processor 102 may first limit what items the user can deploy or visually confirm. In such an embodiment, the role-based processor 102 determines which information (eg, in a collapsed state) to add based on the assignment criteria for the user's role is appropriate before presenting the next information. You may make a second decision. In this method, the role-based processor 102 discloses progressive information to the user, for example, by filtering the initial (default) partial information about a given task, or when the user requests that information. And allow the user to determine which certification information is important for accomplishing a given task.

  In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 illuminates the user's role against a list of authorized information stored in a data structure such as, for example, a look-up table, and determines which information is authorized information. In such an embodiment, if the information matches the authorized information listed in the lookup table, the information is determined to be authorized information. For example, the role-based processor 102 displays the physical facets and schematized facets of process control system objects (eg, nodes or entities) to a maintenance technician, and objects based on a list of authorized information stored in a lookup table. The logical facet may be excluded.

  In some embodiments, role-based processor 102 may employ a user-controlled filter. In such an embodiment, the user-controlled filter may be prioritized over authorization information or a visual form of preference. For example, a user may prefer information displayed in a table rather than in a pie chart, or may prefer to visually identify objects or facets that are not normally relevant to the user's role. In such a case, for example, the authorization information based on the user's organizational role or responsibility may be further filtered by the user's personal preference (for example, a user-controlled filter).

  The role-based processor 102 can organize functions and data from one or more information sources into a role-specific layer, such as a maintenance layer, an operator layer, or a control system engineering layer, to facilitate information filtering. It is. Each layer can support data collection from one or more information sources. For example, the role-based processor 102 can create, as an example, a maintenance layer that includes diagnostic parameters reported from field devices, maintenance history retrieved from a maintenance database, opinions submitted by technicians regarding field devices, and the like. The role-based processor 102 displays maintenance layer information if the user's organizational role is, for example, a maintenance manager, and does not display maintenance layer information if the role is a control system engineer. Can do. Depending on how the role-based processor 102 is implemented, the user can enable and disable the role-only layer with a few commands, sometimes with only one command. Furthermore, depending on the implementation method, the role-only layer can specify the layout of information related to the layer.

  Further, the role-based processor 102 can facilitate navigation between information screens based on the user's organizational role. For example, if the role-based processor 102 displays equipment status information to both an instrumentation engineer and a configuration engineer, the role-based processor 102 provides the instrumentation engineer with controls that navigate directly to the equipment tracking screen, Not provided to configuration engineers. The control can be, for example, a button on a toolbar, an option in a pull-down menu, an icon displayed next to a device description, or other suitable interactive instruction display showing a direct link. In this manner, the role-based processor 102 allows the user to “walk the path” that is relevant between functions and / or real entities, and how information is logically linked in the process control environment 100. I can understand more.

  Still further, the role-based processor 102 can form links to various information in hierarchical menus and “pivots”, or highlight subset links in the menu depending on the user's organizational role. And a specific viewpoint can be formed. Exemplary menus can include a selectable asset list, an I / O point list, a logical entity list, a visualization list, and the like. Depending on the user's organizational role, the role-based processor 102 can create the menu, for example, in an asset-centric view or a logic-centric view.

  More generally, the role processor 102 can provide a role-dependent view to all those responsible for configuring, operating, managing, etc. the process control environment. One such role is the management of process parameters such as flow rate, level, temperature, pressure, etc., monitoring of events related to process control loops, and generally ensuring the accuracy of control logic implemented within the process plant. There may be the role of the operator responsible for. Alternatively, there may be the role of a maintenance technician responsible for monitoring and calibration of individual field devices and the general management of equipment used in the process control plant. Separately, there is a role of network administrator who is responsible for network connectivity between workstations, controllers, data servers, databases, and other network devices, plant network safety, and installation of the latest software. There may be. As a more specific example, the operator interface of the role-based processor 102 allows an operator to oversee the operation of a process plant that performs a process control function that defines a control strategy with multiple field devices. Instead of providing a general operator view at the operator workstation, the role-based processor 102 may create a view with information specific to the operator's role. To that end, the role-based processor 102 may request the operator to log in or identify the role. In addition to providing control and information to the role-only layer for the operator, the role-based processor 102 may continue the user-only configuration (ie, maintain between login sessions).

  The role-dependent operator view may graphically represent the process plant (“process diagram”) and display additional information about selected portions of the process plant depending on the role of the operator. Process diagrams include, for example, field devices (eg, valves, pumps, sensors, transmitters) associated with corresponding process control functions, equipment (eg, tanks, mixers) in which these field devices operate, field devices and equipment ( For example, diagrams or schematic representations of connections (eg, pipes) that conduct process fluid between pipes) and electrical connections (eg, wiring, wireless links) between field devices can be included. The role-based processor 102 may display additional information in text and / or diagrams for example on one or more individual windows, a graphic layer overlaid on the process diagram, or a banner placed at the bottom, top or side of the process diagram. It may be displayed.

  In overview, the operator may select a position on the process diagram, actuate a control such as a button on the user interface, and request a supplemental display from the user interface. Further, the role-based processor 102 may automatically perform supplementary display according to a predetermined schedule or based on another event in response to detection of an abnormal state. The role-based processor 102 may interpret the position selected by the user according to the user's organizational role. Clicking on or near the location on the diagram depicting the flow sensor, the operator will select the control loop in which the flow sensor operates, and the maintenance engineer will select the physical device (ie, the flow sensor). Let's go.

For the operator, the supplemental display (or “operator supplemental display”) may include, for example, a configuration display representing control logic implemented by a predetermined portion of the process plant as a logic block to be interconnected. The logic block may be a function block of a Foundation ^TM fieldbus. The supplementary display for the operator may include a parameter history display that represents a history of a predetermined process parameter (for example, an input flow rate to a predetermined processing stage). In addition, the operator supplemental display may include a knowledge type display that lists links to internal and external materials available in a part of the process plant, provides access to the operator logbook, and lists help topics. Still further, the supplementary display for the operator may include a device dependent display that lists the identifiers of field devices used in the part of the process plant to which the process diagram corresponds. The device dependent display may retrieve a device-specific diagram from the configuration database and display it next to each identifier of the field device. Additional operator displays may be added if necessary, devices used in the part of the process plant to which the process diagram corresponds, coupling devices and corresponding connection states associated with these devices, alarms for some process plants, It may include a detailed display that presents detailed information related to adjustment parameters and the like.

As another example, when the user is a maintenance engineer or is associated with a maintenance worker, a supplemental display (or “maintenance supplemental display”) is used to control the device (eg, control loop). A control-dependent display for the selected device that identifies a portion of The maintenance supplementary display may include a knowledge type display that is substantially the same as the knowledge type display created for the operator. In particular, the knowledge type display may list not only links to operator logbooks, help topics, etc., but also links to internal and external materials available on the device. In addition, the maintenance supplementary display provides a diagnostic display to assist the maintenance engineer when placing physical devices in the process plant, identifying the alarm source, and determining the relevance between the device and other equipment. You may prepare. A diagnostic display, for example, displays a fieldbus segment combined with a device connected to the fieldbus segment, highlighting the corresponding figure, displaying an exclamation mark or other visual indicator next to the device, or other appropriate The device that issued the alarm may be specified by various methods. Still further, the supplementary display for maintenance may include a device description display including device identification according to the Extended Device Description Language (EDDL), device configuration and setup data, and device diagnosis data, depending on the implementation method. In some cases, the device description display may include so-called device faceplates, if necessary, according to the actual physical exterior of the device, including dials and instruments, or similar photographs or drawings, and include device-specific process data (e.g. , Pressure set point, pressure measurement, valve operating rate). If the device is a high performance valve that runs in response to valve software (eg, the AMS ValveLink application provided by Emerson Process Management ^™ as part of the PlantWeb (R) suite), the supplementary display for maintenance An additional valve software display updated with the data to be output may be included.

  The role-based processor 102 may have a supplementary display creation function and may also have a main display creation function. The main display can include, for example, a process display defined by the configuration engineer, and the role-based processor 102 can provide additional information through supplemental displays in response to event detection in the process plant and receiving commands from the user interface. Can be selected and displayed automatically. To create the primary and / or secondary representations, the role-based processor 102 (1) real-time process data from the process control system 104, (2) control logic from a configuration database (not shown). Related to device configuration data, process and device diagrams, control strategy information such as links between control strategies and devices, (3) application data from one or more dedicated applications, (4) process or device parameters from history, Historical data executed in one or more databases (shown), (5) reference information from a knowledge type database (not shown), etc. can be obtained.

  In some cases, the role-based processor 102 uses a display structure that defines multiple layers, such as an operator layer, a maintenance layer, and a network layer. The role-based processor 102 uses real-time process data to update information related to each tier regardless of the user's organizational role, but currently relevant / selected views (eg, for operators, for maintenance) Depending on, only one or more selected layers may be displayed.

The supplement display may be a display format that can be configured by the user so that each user can specify which information is included in the corresponding supplement display. In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 automatically switches the operator supplemental display to the maintenance supplemental display or vice versa in response to a command received from the user interface.
Although the embodiments disclosed herein relate to filtering process control information based on user roles and objects, other filtering methods are possible. For example, the role-based processor 102 may filter information based on permissions or security tolerance contrasts, tags or metadata associated with process control facet information, or the context of objects in the control system.
Example of a workstation providing a role-based view

  FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for implementing the workstation 106 of FIG. The workstation 106 of FIG. 2 includes at least one programmable processor 200. The example processor 200 of FIG. 2 executes coded instructions in the main memory 202 of the processor 200 (eg, in random access memory (RAM) and / or read only memory (ROM)). The processor 200 may be any processing device such as a processor core, a processor, and / or a microcontroller. The processor 200 may execute, among other things, an operating system 204, a role-based processor 102, a workstation application 208, and a role-based presentation interface 210. The exemplary operating system 204 is an operating system made by Microsoft®. The example main memory 202 of FIG. 2 may be implemented by and / or within the processor 200 and / or one or more memories and / or memory devices operably connected to the processor 200. It may be. Although the embodiments disclosed herein are described in connection with a processor, the disclosed techniques may be used in conjunction with a rules engine, a distributed processing system, and the like.

To allow a user to exchange information with the exemplary processor 200, the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2 includes an input device 214 and an output device 216. User input may be communicated to the processor 200 by one or more input devices 214 such as a keyboard, stylus pen, voice recognition system, mouse, and / or touch screen. The output from the processor 200 is received by one or more output devices 216, such as, for example, a display device capable of displaying the user interface and / or application implemented by the processor 200 and / or more generally the exemplary workstation 106. , May be communicated to the user. Exemplary output devices 216 include, but are not limited to, computer monitors, computer screens, televisions, mobile devices (eg, smartphones, Blackberry ^™ , iPad ^™ , and / or iPhone ^™ ).

  The example operating system 204 of FIG. 2 performs and / or facilitates display of the role-based presentation interface 210 by and / or at the output device 216. In order to facilitate the exchange of information between applications and people performed by the exemplary workstation 106, the exemplary operating system 204 implements an application programming interface (API). Thereby, the exemplary role-based processor 102 can define and / or select the role-based presentation interface 210 via the workstation application 208 and cause the operating system 204 to display the defined and / or selected role-based presentation interface 210. And / or can be instructed to display. An exemplary role-based presentation interface 210 is described below with reference to FIGS.

  The exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2 comprises an exemplary role-based processor 102 for presenting process control system displays and / or applications. The example role-based processor 102 of FIG. 2 filters facets (eg, tasks, information, etc.) based on predetermined criteria, dynamically creates a role-based presentation interface 210 via the workstation application 208, and / Or define. For example, depending on the person accessing the workstation 106 (eg, the user's organizational role or responsibility), certain tasks or information are displayed through the role-based presentation interface 210 and other information facets are hidden (eg, non- Display). In other embodiments, the role-based processor 102 organizes what is displayed to the user through a default desktop arrangement and display layout (FIG. 5). For example, depending on the number of monitors connected to the workstation 106 and the person accessing the workstation 106, the role-based processor 102 may automatically display different information on one or more monitors by default. In such an embodiment, the user may modify or override role-based defaults according to his / her preference for desktop placement and display layout.

  In one embodiment, the information facets filtered by the role-based processor 102 include tasks to be performed by the user and one or more subtasks. For example, a cause diagnosis that a display element (for example, a main task) cannot be updated may be included in the task. The execution of the main task may include determining which component is associated with the display element (eg, the first subtask), verifying the integrity of the input / output connections of that component (eg, the second subtask), etc. Good.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the information is filtered based on criteria related to the user's role. A role may be defined by one or more tasks or responsibilities that a person typically performs. An exemplary role is a control room operator. Responsibilities and / or tasks associated with such operators include safety in the plant and near the plant, detection of problems that may affect the environment or equipment (eg status problems), plant equipment performance and safety Securing production, starting / stopping production equipment on schedule, process monitoring and control to ensure optimal performance, and / or monitoring critical trends and implementing countermeasures to identify potential process problems May be included. Another exemplary role is a control system engineer. The control system engineer has related responsibilities and / or tasks, including production support from the control system perspective (eg, confirming that the process is being performed correctly) and / or control of the system configuration, and design the configuration Perform and inspect, determine if the problem is related to the control system, resolve manufacturing problems, determine alarm notifications (eg, conditional alarms, limits, etc.), and / or maintain control strategies. Responsibilities, goals and / or tasks may be assigned to roles in advance and later modified (eg, added, deleted, adjusted, etc.), eg, by a user manager software application, for example.

  For example, the role-based processor 102 may specify the number of roles in a state in which duties, goals, and / or tasks are set and assigned in advance to each role. For example, the exemplary role-based processor 102 may be a batch operator, control room operator leader, production manager, reliability manager, control system engineer, process engineer, instrumentation engineer, instrumentation engineer, reliability maintenance engineer, technical assistance. Different responsibilities, goals and tasks may be pre-assigned to engineers, equipment maintenance technicians, control system managers, control room operators, and the like. There are people in the plant who perform the responsibilities, goals and / or tasks associated with each role, but it is not necessary to have personnel in the plant so that each person can have a different role. That is, in a plant, one person may be assigned multiple roles in advance and perform their responsibilities, goals and / or tasks. Also, even in the same role, different plants may have different responsibilities, goals and / or tasks. For this reason, a user manager software application may be used to customize the assignment of responsibilities, goals and / or tasks for each role or specific to each person. For example, if a person at a plant has the role of production manager, the person may perform the tasks of production manager, process engineer, and instrumentation engineer. In such cases, the user manager customizes the responsibilities, goals and / or tasks assigned to the person to include pre-assignment tasks for production managers, process engineers and instrumentation engineers. As a result, it is not necessary for the person to perform role change work to be performed because the display is different from the information desired by the person. Conversely, all the information that can be used by the production manager, process engineer, and instrumentation engineer is already available to the user without the user having to bother filtering (eg, mouse click).

  In one embodiment, role-based processor 102 provides security by allowing tasks to be granted. The user is given permission, and the task has various permission levels. Permission levels may be specified per task, module, module parameter, parameter field, instrumentation asset, digital control system hardware, and / or plant equipment. In some embodiments, the permission level of the main task does not override the permission level of the subtask.

  In some embodiments, a management span may be assigned to each person. Span covers all tasks that the user can perform. Management spans may be assigned geographically or may be location-based (eg, entire site, plant area, one plant room, one process). In some embodiments, management spans may be assigned on an object basis (eg, limited by a given object or information facet about the object). For example, the management span for the user may be limited to the calibration of the control instrumentation asset by the user. In another example, the management span may be location-based or a combination of geo-based and object-based (eg, allowing a user to calibrate control instrumentation assets near a plant reactor). In some embodiments, the management span may be application-based (eg, allowing a user to configure aspects of a software application that performs a safety function). In another embodiment, the workstation may have a management span. For example, a predetermined workstation provided in a process control environment (for example, the process control environment 100 in FIG. 1) may function only in a predetermined operation mode. In some embodiments, the management span may be a management span common to users and workstations. For example, even a user who is responsible for the management span of the entire site may be limited to operations related to the reactor area by being a workstation accessed by the user. In some embodiments, the management span may be context based. For example, the management span may limit the object information displayed to the user after confirming whether the object information is privileged information or exclusive information.

Although an exemplary method for implementing the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 2, the data structures, components, processes and devices illustrated in FIG. 2 may be combined, split, rearranged, erased, excluded, And / or another method. Further, exemplary processor 200, exemplary main memory 202, exemplary operating system 204, exemplary role-based processor 102, exemplary workstation application 208, exemplary role-based presentation interface 210, and / or More generally, the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2 may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Still further, the exemplary workstation 106 may include additional components, processes and / or devices in lieu of or in addition to those shown in FIG. 2 and / or the data shown. A plurality of any or all of structures, components, processes, and devices may be provided.
Example of presentation interface

  FIG. 3 illustrates an example role-based presentation interface 300 used for display and / or application and / or more generally implementations of the example workstation 106 of FIGS. The example role-based presentation interface 300 may be displayed as an independent interface or in combination with one or more other component or role-based interface interfaces (not shown). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the role-based presentation interface 300 displays a role-based interface for a control system engineer that executes a software application that performs a diagnostic function. The role-based display interface 300 includes a navigation frame 302, a content frame 304, and a task frame 306. The navigation frame 302 includes an exemplary hierarchical tree 308 that navigates between nodes connected to a physical network. The content frame 304 comprises an exemplary node descriptor 310 that displays additional information about the node selected in the hierarchical tree 308, for example. The current state of the selected node may be graphically indicated by an icon such as an exemplary status icon 312 disposed at the right end of the content frame 304, for example. The content frame 304 also includes an exemplary diagnostic parameter list 314 that includes a diagnostic column list for the selected node along with a description column 316 and a value column 318. The explanation column 316 and the value column 318 include related information corresponding to each diagnosis parameter listed in the diagnosis parameter list 314. The task frame 306 includes a diagnostic task list 320 that includes, along with subtasks 322, a diagnostic task list for selected nodes accessible to the user, which provides additional options and / or information to the user.

  In certain embodiments, the diagnostic tasks displayed in task list 320 may vary by person (eg, the user's organizational role and / or responsibility). For example, the Verbose Log task and the Application Log task listed in the task list 320 are related to a software application to be debugged (eg, an exemplary software application that performs a diagnostic function), and the role-based processor 102 is a control system engineer. When creating the role-based presentation interface 300, the Verbose Log task and / or the Application Log task may be excluded.

  FIG. 4 shows another exemplary role-based presentation interface 400. The role-based presentation interface 400 shows an example navigation frame 402 and an example content frame 404 in a collapsed state. In the illustrated embodiment, a user searches using, for example, the exemplary search bar 412 and the search results are listed in an exemplary result list 406 with exemplary result description portions 408 and 410. . As shown in FIG. 4, the result description unit 408 includes an exemplary status display 418, an exemplary node descriptor 414, and an exemplary task button 416. On the other hand, the result description unit 410 includes an exemplary status display 420 and a node descriptor 422. In the illustrated embodiment, the colors of status displays 418 and 420 represent the node state of the result description section. For example, a red status display may indicate that there is a problem with the corresponding node, and a green status display may indicate that the corresponding node is functioning normally. Other methods may be used to represent the node state. Node descriptors 414, 422 present information about the node, such as node name, node location, and / or problem description. Furthermore, the task button 416 allows the user to obtain additional information regarding the corresponding node. For example, the user may be able to solve the problem with the task button 416.

  In some embodiments, the information displayed in the role-based presentation interface 400 varies from person to person (eg, the user's organizational role and / or responsibility). For example, the role-based processor 102 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may exclude task buttons (eg, selectable interface objects) for a given person. In some implementations, incremental information may be disclosed if a task button (eg, exemplary task button 416) is selected. For example, the task button 416 may not be displayed, and a command for repairing the problem may be displayed on the result description unit 408 for a predetermined person. By selecting the task button 416, the user may obtain information for problem repair that has been previously excluded from the role-based presentation interface 400. In another embodiment, the result description in the result list 406 may include problematic nodes (eg, result description 408) and exclude nodes with no known issues (eg, result description 410). Other combinations of information display and exclusion on the role-based presentation interface 400 are possible.

  In some embodiments, desktop placement and / or display layout may be determined by role-based processor 102 based on the user's organizational role and / or responsibility. For example, if the workstation 106 is designated to have a four-monitor configuration, the role-based processor 102 automatically creates a different role-based presentation interface 210 for each monitor based on four common software applications used by the user's role, And / or may be defined.

  FIG. 5 is another exemplary role-based presentation interface 500. The role-based presentation interface 500 is a desktop arrangement for display of four monitors, and a plurality of applications are operating together through a plurality of monitors on the same workstation. In the illustrated embodiment, each exemplary monitor 502, 504, 506, 508 displays a graphical user interface corresponding to a different software application. For example, the monitor 502 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 510 for a software application that performs a diagnostic function, displaying a system-wide diagnosis of the process. The monitor 504 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 512 for a software application that performs control logic functions and displays selected functional blocks including inputs and outputs. The monitor 506 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 514 for a software application that performs the interface connection of the physical component of the process and displays a connection map of the physical component of the process. The monitor 508 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 516 for a software application that performs node management functions and displays detailed information for the selected node.

  In certain embodiments, role-based presentation interface 500 comprises other combinations and / or arrangements of monitors. For example, two, three, or more monitor displays may be arranged. In one embodiment, the role-based presentation interface 510, 512, 514, 516 for each monitor 502, 504, 506, 508 is in response to changes or selections in information displayed in another role-based presentation interface. Update or reload. For example, if the user selects a valve control module on the role-based presentation interface 510, the role-based presentation interface 512 displays functional blocks including input / output point criteria for the valve control module, and the role-based presentation interface 514 Highlighting the valve and displaying the main control display for the valve control module, the role-based presentation interface 516 displays detailed information about the valve. In certain embodiments, whether one or more role-based presentation interfaces reload or update based on any changes or selections on another role-based presentation interface, for each user role and / or user. You may set by.

  FIG. 6 is another exemplary role-based presentation interface 600. The role-based presentation interface 600 includes an example navigation frame 602 and an example content frame 604. In the illustrated embodiment, the navigation frame 602 displays a portion of the connection map for the process control system 104. The connection map is a topology map that represents interface connections between input / output subsystems of physical components. On the other hand, the configuration map is a topology map that represents connections between physical components of the process as the configuration is designed. For example, the configuration map displays connections based on how the user wants to connect physical components, while the connection map displays interface connections as they are actually connected.

  FIG. 7 is another exemplary role-based presentation interface 700 showing relevant key performance metrics and system capacity. The role-based presentation interface 700 includes an example resource tab 702 and a corresponding example graph 704. In the illustrated embodiment, the resource tab 702 is in a collapsed state. Meanwhile, an exemplary resource tab 706 (eg, a “Learn More” tab) of the role-based presentation interface 700 is in an expanded state.

  The example role-based presentation interface 700 also includes an example resource tab 708 that is also collapsed. The resource tab 708 provides information regarding the system capacity of the selected object (eg, control device). If the resource tab 708 is in an expanded state, the resource tab 708 displays information to the user regarding system hardware / configuration contrary to the document format system fence. A system fence limits the number of resources attributed to an object. For example, the system fence for control device allocates the maximum number of modules that can configure the control device. In such an embodiment, the system capacity information of the control device may be displayed by the number of modules in which the control device is currently configured. In some embodiments, the resource tab 708 may display a data graph (eg, a bar graph) so that capacity usage is visually identifiable. In some embodiments, system capacity information may be displayed in different colors by capacity level. For example, if the number of modules is less than 75% of the system fence (for example, the maximum number of modules capable of configuring an object), it is displayed in green. If the number of modules exceeds 90% of the system fence, it may be displayed in orange.

Furthermore, the system capacity information displayed on the role-based presentation interface 700 may be different for each user. For example, the role-based processor 102 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may exclude system capacity information for objects that are less than 75 percent of the default capacity, for example.
Exemplary process and platform for creating role-based views

  FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart of an exemplary process for implementing the exemplary workstation 106 of FIGS. 1 and / or 2. The example process of FIG. 8 may be performed on one or more processors, one or more controllers, and / or one or more other suitable processing devices. For example, the process of FIG. 8 may be associated with a processor (eg, the exemplary processor 902 discussed below with reference to FIG. 9), flash memory (eg, “thumb drive”), ROM, and / or random access memory RAM, etc. It may be embodied in coded instructions (eg, computer readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory machine / computer accessible or readable medium. As used herein, the term non-transitory computer readable medium is clearly defined and includes any non-transitory computer readable storage device (and may carry a propagation signal). Excluded) or other storage media in which information is stored for any amount of time (eg, extended time, permanently, short time, temporary storage, and / or during information caching).

  Alternatively, some or all of the exemplary operations of FIG. 8 may be performed on any application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic, hardware, firmware, etc. You may implement by the combination of these. Also, one or more of the operations shown in FIG. 8 may be performed manually or in any combination of the foregoing techniques, such as any combination of firmware, software, discrete logic, and / or hardware. Further, although the exemplary process of FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that there are many other ways to implement the exemplary process of FIG. It will be possible. For example, the execution order of the blocks may be changed and / or some of the described blocks may be changed, deleted, partially separated, or combined. Further, some or all of the exemplary operations of FIG. 8 may be performed in sequence and / or in parallel, eg, in separate processing threads, processors, devices, discrete logic, circuits, etc.

  The process of FIG. 8 begins at block 800 with a workstation (eg, exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2) executing a role-based processor (eg, exemplary role-based processor 102 of FIG. 2), block 802. At, a role-based presentation interface (eg, exemplary role-based presentation interface 210 of FIG. 2) is displayed. At block 804, role-based processor 102 receives process control information and / or status information.

  At block 806, the role-based processor 102 receives user criteria that determine whether to display or exclude information. For example, the user criteria may be based on the user's organizational role or responsibility. In another example, the user criteria may correspond to a predetermined object type, an information facet about the object, and / or an association between objects. For example, node asset or node descriptor information may be displayed in a role-based presentation interface and logic information about the node may be excluded by the role-based processor 102. In one embodiment, when a user accesses workstation 106, the user logs into an account and initiates a session, which is related to the user's role (eg, as defined by a user manager software application). To). In such an embodiment, role-based processor 102 receives default user criteria based on the logged-in user's organizational roles and / or responsibilities.

  At block 808, the role-based processor 102 determines whether the information meets user criteria. For example, the role-based processor 102 utilizes a user role and illuminates the information against a list of authorized information related to the user role. In some embodiments, the authorization information list is stored in a data structure (eg, a look-up table) in memory (eg, the exemplary main memory 202 of FIG. 2). If the information is not suitable, control processing proceeds to block 810 where the information is excluded by the role-based processor 102. Further, role-based processor 102 creates and / or updates role-based presentation interface 210 based on the determination at block 808. Control processing then returns to block 802 to display the updated role-based presentation interface 210.

  Alternatively, if the role-based processor 102 determines that the information is appropriate at block 808, the control process proceeds to block 812, where the role-based processor 102 sets the user preference above the authorization information. For example, a user may prefer a predetermined visualization (eg, displaying information in a table rather than a pie chart). In some embodiments, user preferences may be prioritized over authorized information display. For example, a production manager who prefers indirect asset (eg, valve) monitoring may set user preferences to hide valve information by default. In such embodiments, user preferences that hide (or do not display) certain information take precedence over the display of authorized information about the valve. At block 814, the role-based processor 102 displays the information. In addition, role-based processor 102 creates and / or updates role-based presentation interface 210 based on the determinations at blocks 808 and 812. Control processing then returns to block 802 to display the updated role-based presentation interface 210.

  FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary process used and / or programmed to perform the exemplary process of FIG. 8 and / or more generally to execute the exemplary workstation 106 of FIGS. 1 is a schematic diagram of a processor platform 900. For example, the processor platform 900 can be implemented with one or more general purpose processors, processor cores, microcontrollers, and the like.

  The processor platform 900 of the example of FIG. 9 includes at least one general purpose programmable processor 902. The processor 902 executes coded instructions 904 and / or 908 that are in the main memory (eg, RAM 906 and / or ROM 910) of the processor 902. The processor 902 may be any processing device such as a processor core, processor and / or microcontroller. The processor 902 may perform, among other things, the example process of FIG. 8 and implement the example operator station 104 described below. The processor 902 communicates with the main memory (comprising ROM 910 and / or RAM 906) via the bus 912. The RAM 906 may be implemented with DRAM, SDRAM, and / or any other RAM device, and the ROM 910 may be implemented with flash memory and / or other desired memory devices. Access to the memories 906 and 910 may be controlled by a memory controller (not shown).

The processor platform 900 also includes an interface circuit 914. The interface circuit 914 may be implemented with any interface standard such as a USB interface, a Bluetooth interface, an external memory interface, a serial port, a general purpose input / output. One or more input devices 916 and one or more output devices 918 are connected to the interface circuit 914. Input device 916 and / or output device 918 may be used, for example, to provide role-based presentation interface 210 to exemplary output device 216 of FIG.
Examples of pivoting menus based on role-based perspectives

  FIG. 10 is an illustration of an exemplary hierarchical menu 1000 in which the role-based processor 102 or another suitable software component displays an asset-centric view of a predetermined distillation range (eg, part of the process control system 104). Is to create. Specifically, the role-based processor 102 creates an interactive display of a combination hierarchy that includes assets such as process equipment, I / O points, logic, and visualization resources. The interactive display is “pivoted” to show, for example, a maintenance technician or another user's point of view that is particularly interested in assets available in the process control system 104. As can be seen from the menu 1000 compared to the menu 1100 shown in FIG. 11, the distillation range is presented from a different viewpoint.

  In general, pivoting a menu around a given selection category for an item or resource organizes the items around the selection category, selects a specific level of detail where the menu has been branched into one or more, and allows different items in the menu to be Visually highlighted and different items are colored differently or have different style parameters. The role-based processor 102 can use categorized items in multiple views. For example, the role-based processor 102 can use plant areas, units, and process cells in both asset-centric and logic-centric presentation menus.

  In the menu 1000, items 1002-1014 correspond to assets, items 1020-1024 correspond to logic items, items 1040-1048 correspond to I / O points, item 1060 is a graphical resource, and item 1080 is an important performance evaluation. Corresponds to the index (KPI). When menu 1000 is pivoted by asset, items 1002-1014 become the main component of menu 1000 and the remaining items are represented as subordinate components or associated with each asset.

  The role defaults to the main viewpoint, such as the asset-centric viewpoint of FIG. 10, but in one embodiment, the user can change the viewpoint independently for each case of a related application / view provided by the role-based processor 102. . For example, the maintenance engineer can change the default (asset-centric) viewpoint of the selection screen to a logic-centric view, for example. For this purpose, the role-based processor 102 can include arbitrary controls such as buttons and pull-down menus.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary hierarchical menu 1110 that is displayed by the role-based processor 102 with the same distillation range as the asset-centric viewpoint in the menu 1100 as a logic-centric viewpoint. It was created to do. In the menu 1100, items 1102 and 1104 correspond to assets, items 1120-1128 correspond to logic items, items 1140-1148 correspond to I / O points, and item 1160 corresponds to a resource diagram. Unlike the menu 1000, the menu 1110 has fewer assets, more logic items, and shows a hierarchy with more logic item names than other items.

An interactive menu with the same settings as items related to the various facets of the process control system as described above can be organized primarily with assets (FIG. 10), logic items (FIG. 11), or other items. .
Further diagram representing role-based filtering

  As an additional diagram representing role-based filtering, diagram 1200 of FIG. 12 shows a mapping of cluster information associated with the process control system to a plurality of organizational roles. Specifically, information that the role-based processor 102 can present to the user includes, for example, visualization, business data, logic, normality data, knowledge, and an I / O device. For each type of information, the role-based processor 102 can indicate functions, resources, various entities, and the like.

  The role-based processor 102 can select a predetermined data type from each of these categories as data having the highest relevance to the predetermined role. For example, the role-based processor 102 can select a process display to display to the control system engineer as at least a default option (in at least some embodiments, a user with another role can request additional viewing of the process display. ). The role-based processor 102 can select a dashboard for each of the control system engineer, electrical instrumentation engineer, and production manager. As also shown in FIG. 12, the role-based processor 102 can select the machine view for default display only to the control system engineer.

  Further, the role-based processor 102 can assist a user “walk the path” that is relevant between data types. Referring to FIG. 13, a user can designate a context such as a predetermined heat exchanger by first selecting a visualization process display for the heat exchanger. The role-based processor 102 can automatically suggest a transition to a control module, device list, device alert, etc., as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. Specifically, the role-based processor 102 provides interactive control that directly links the visualization process display to a display screen such as a control module, device list, device alert, etc., and a user viewing the visualization process display for the heat exchanger It can be immediately known which data is related to the current context of the heat exchanger. That is, for example, the user can be presented with a short list of items in the current context automatically created by the role-based processor 102 without having to explicitly select device alerts from equipment status, device alerts, and vibration data items within the health category. it can. Further, even if the user does not specify that the device alert is potentially associated with the current context (heat exchanger), the role-based processor 102 can direct the user to potentially relevant information.

  In general, the role-based processor 102 performs role-only path navigation on the user's organization for movement between information screens and / or controls. In this way, the role-based processor 102 can assist the user in grasping the “big picture” available in the system and related information.

  Although certain exemplary methods, apparatus, and products have been described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Such examples are intended to be non-limiting examples. In addition, the present invention covers all methods, apparatuses, and products that appropriately fall within the scope of the appended claims in accordance with the wording or equivalent theory.

Claims (23)

A display device for displaying a user interface for accessing information in the process control system;
A system comprising one or more processors,
The one or more processors are:
Establish a login session for the user,
Determine a user's organizational role, including a combination of responsibilities and privileges within the organization associated with the process control system;
The user login session receives object information regarding the object of the process control system,
Determining whether the object information is authorization information based on the organizational role of the user;
When the object information is certification information, the object information is displayed through the user interface, but when the object information is not certification information, the object information is not displayed through the user interface. System. The one or more processors are:
Create multiple role-only layers, each containing different information gathered from multiple sources,
The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of role dedicated layers is selected based on the organizational role of the user, and the selected role dedicated layer includes the object information. The one or more processors are:
Generate a first screen that displays the object information,
Based on the organizational role, identifying a navigation path interconnecting a plurality of screens comprising the first screen and the second screen, each of the plurality of screens includes information related to the process control system,
The system of claim 1, configured to transition to the second screen in response to a command received through the user interface.   The organizational role is selected from a list comprising (1) a production manager, (2) a maintenance manager, (3) a control system engineer, (4) an electrical instrumentation engineer, and (5) a control room operator. The system according to 1.   The one or more processors are configured to determine whether the object information is qualification information in light of the organizational role in a list including qualification information for each role on a plurality of organizations. The system according to 1.   The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine whether the object information is qualifying information in light of the organizational role of the user over a geographical management span.   The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine whether the object information is credential information against a context-based management span in light of the organizational role of the user.   The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to exclude the object information if the object information is not authorization information.   The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to organize the authorization information based on the organizational role of the user.   The system according to claim 1, wherein the object information corresponds to a part of a configuration capacity of the object.   The system of claim 10, wherein the processor colors and displays the portion of the constituent capacity.   The system of claim 1, wherein the processor visually customizes and displays the object information. Providing a user interface for accessing information in a process control system;
Establish a user login session with one or more processors,
Determining at one or more processors a user's organizational role including a combination of responsibilities and privileges within the organization associated with the process control system;
During the session, the one or more processors receive object information related to process control system objects;
The one or more processors determine whether the object information is authorization information based on the organizational role of the user,
The object information is displayed through the user interface when the object information is authorization information, but the object information is not displayed through the user interface when the object information is not authorization information. In addition, create multiple role-only layers, each containing different information gathered from multiple sources,
The method of claim 13, wherein one of the plurality of role-dedicated layers is selected based on the organizational role of the user, and the selected role-only layer includes the object information. further,
Generate a first screen that displays the object information,
Based on the organizational role, identifying a navigation path interconnecting a plurality of screens comprising the first screen and the second screen, each of the plurality of screens includes information related to the process control system,
The method of claim 13, wherein the screen is shifted to the second screen in response to a command received through the user interface.   The organizational role is selected from a list comprising (1) a production manager, (2) a maintenance manager, (3) a control system engineer, (4) an electrical instrumentation engineer, and (5) a control room operator. 14. The method according to 13.   14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the object information is authorization information further includes illuminating a user's role permissions to a task permission level.   The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the object information is authorized information further comprises illuminating a geographical management span with user role permissions.   The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the object information is authorization information further includes illuminating a user's role in the authorization information list.   14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the object information is authorization information further comprises illuminating a context-based management span with permissions on the user's role.   The method of claim 13, further comprising excluding the object information if the object information is not authorization information.   The method of claim 13, further comprising organizing the authorization information based on the role of the user. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, wherein one or more processors execute the instructions in the machine, the instructions cause the machine to
Establish a login session for the user,
Determine the user's organizational role, including the combination of responsibilities and privileges within the organization associated with the process control system;
The user login session receives object information regarding the object of the process control system,
Determining whether the object information is authorization information based on the organizational role of the user;
If the object information is authorization information, the object information is displayed through a user interface. If the object information is not authorization information, the object information is not displayed through the user interface. A temporary computer-readable medium.