JP2021002396A - Method and system for providing role-based user interface and non-transitory computer-readable medium - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method and a device for providing a role-based user interface.SOLUTION: A display device is provided which displays a user interface. An illustrative system also includes a processor. An illustrative processor receives object information related to an object of a process control system 104 during a session, judges the role of a user based on the session, judges based on the role of the user whether or not the object information is certification information, and if the object information is the certification information, displays the object information through the user interface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to process control systems in general, and in particular to methods and devices that provide role-based user interfaces.

Process control systems, such as those commonly used in chemical processing processes, petroleum refining, or other processing processes, include one or more process control devices and input / output (I / O) devices. And the input / output devices are communicably connected to at least one host or operator workstation and one or more field devices via an analog bus, digital bus or combined analog / digital bus. Field devices may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (eg, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and flow rate sensors) for in-process process control functions such as opening and closing valves and measuring process control parameters. Do. The process control unit receives a signal indicating a process measurement made by the field device and processes this information to control it for performing control routines, making other process control decisions, and sounding process control system alarms. Create a signal. In this method, the process control unit 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 with one or more applications (ie, software routines, programs, etc.) running on operator workstations (eg, processor-based systems). 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 diagram), field devices and It can perform desired functions related to the process, such as visual confirmation of alarms created by the process control device and / or process operation simulation for human resource development and / or process evaluation. Many process control systems also include one or more application stations. In general, these application stations include personal computers, workstations, etc. that are communicable with control devices, 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 are in the process control system, campaign management function, maintenance management function, virtual control function, diagnostic function, real-time monitoring function, safety related function, configuration. You may run one or more software applications that achieve functionality and the like. In addition, one known process control system is a process that contains alarms, process variable values, process-related quality parameter values, process failure detection information, and / or process state information created by a controller or device within the process. Provide one or more operating terminals and / or application stations with a graphical user interface for displaying control information.

In one known process control system, one or more process control related applications include user interface capabilities, such as an operator station or terminal operating system (eg, Windows) that provides a graphical interface to the process control system. Information can be exchanged directly with the base operating system). In such a system, various applications, especially the graphical user interface section, directly and independently (eg, independently of other applications) exchange information with the operating system of the operator station. Managing these relatively independent graphical interfaces (eg displays and windows) is complex because each display provides different types of information (eg figures, sentences, trends, alarms, etc.) at different times. is there. Moreover, the value of information displayed through a graphical interface varies from person to person. For example, a graphical interface for a diagnostic management application displays information that is not available to the user, resulting in a very complex display.

In general, a software system that develops, monitors, and operates a process control environment and exchanges information with the process control environment provides a user interface with a role-dependent view for 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”). An organizational role is, by way of example, a production manager, a maintenance manager, a control system engineer, or an electrical instrumentation engineer. More generally, organizational roles are any combination of responsibilities, access rights and other privileges, security tolerances, skills expected of users, and so on. The software system provides the user with filtered information and tool selection in a view including, for example, a predetermined user interface screen, several generations of user interface screens, a set of related user interface screens displayed at the same time, and the like. May be good. This may allow two users with different organizational roles to be presented with software applications, libraries, assets, data trees, etc. with different choices and / or arrays after login. Further, since these users select and call functions in their respective views, the computer environment may continuously filter and organize information according to the user's role. As a result, users must find relevant information faster, easily take appropriate corrective actions, analyze it, and distinguish between information that is relevant to their work role / task and non-essential data. Potential human error associated with cognitive overload (or pressure) that must be reduced can be reduced. In terms of the production plant environment, this time savings and reduction of human error often results in customers losing millions of dollars due to mistakes that lead to production losses due to plant outages or non-specification products. Can be eliminated. In extreme cases, human error can result in the death or injury of plant personnel or the damage of expensive process equipment.

Role-dependent views are, for example, (1) visualizations including process displays, dashboards, various faceplates, machine views, etc., (2) logic displays that represent control modules, phases, recipes, operations, functions, etc. (3) Instruction or "knowledge" display including standard operation procedure, device manual, material handling node, loop diagram, etc., (4) Business information display showing order, equipment tracking, material consumption, power consumption, etc., (5) Equipment Any appropriate number of user interfaces including information such as system health indications including status data, device alerts, vibration data, etc., and (6) input / output (I / O) indications indicating I / O devices and signals. It may have a screen. As an example, when the control system engineer logs in, the software system has a process display and dashboard as part of the visualization, and a loop diagram as part of the control module, phase, arithmetic and function, knowledge representation as part of the logic display. Etc. may be created. Also, upon login of the electrical instrumentation engineer, the software system may create a device dashboard as part of the visualization, arithmetic as part of the logic, and a device manual as part of the knowledge representation. If the role-dependent view has multiple screens, the interscreen navigation may be role-dependent, for example, if the computer environment displays equipment status to both process control engineers and electrical instrumentation engineers, 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 that appears next to one piece of equipment) to navigate directly to equipment tracking, and this link is for process control engineers. You do not have to show it.

To create role-dependent views, software systems organize functions and data into layers, each containing information gathered from a variety of sources (databases, devices that output real-time signals, operator inputs, etc.). , May be mapped to the user's role. Layer mapping for user-dependent views may be dedicated to each component of the software system or to each software system that operates as a whole software system. In an example, the software system looks up the user's role in the database and uses each configuration file to identify the information layer mapped to the user's role for the selected software application and create a role-dependent view. .. Since the level of role in the organization can be defined by any desired number, the software system may stack multiple layers 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 in which the maintenance manager is responsible. In general, the roles are multi-stage with an arbitrary number. Users can also configure their own views, optionally prioritizing layer mapping in their role-dependent views.

This specification discloses exemplary embodiments of the technology, including methods and systems that provide role-based user interfaces. An exemplary system comprises a display device displaying a user interface and one or more processors. During a session, one or more processors receive object information about objects in the process control system, determine the role of the user based on the session, determine whether the object information is authorization information based on the role of the user, and so on. If the object information is authorization information, display the object information through the user interface.

Another exemplary embodiment is a method that displays a user interface, receives object information related to objects in a process control system during a session, and determines a user's role based on the session. .. In this method, it is also determined based on the role of the user whether the object information is the authentication information, and if the object information is the authentication information, the object information is displayed through the user interface.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary process control system and workstation diagram of a role-based user at that workstation as part of a software system that develops, monitors, operates, and exchanges information with the process control system. The interface can be implemented. FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method of implementing the workstation of FIG. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary role-based display interface implemented on 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 flow chart of an exemplary process of implementing the exemplary workstations of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary processor platform used and / or programmed for the execution of the exemplary process of FIG. 8, more generally for the implementation of the exemplary workstations of FIGS. 1 and 2. Is. FIG. 10 is a diagram of an exemplary hierarchical menu organized according to an asset-centric perspective, which can be displayed on the workstation of FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram of an exemplary hierarchical menu organized according to a logic-centric perspective, which can be displayed on the workstation of FIG. FIG. 12 is an exemplary mapping of cluster information related to a process control system for multiple roles in an organization. FIG. 13 is a diagram of an exemplary role-only navigation path between cluster information related to the process control system of FIG.

In particular, exemplary methods and devices with software and / or firmware running on hardware are described below, but these examples are merely exemplary and should not be considered limiting. For example, it is believed that some or all of the hardware, software, and firmware components can be implemented exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, or in any combination of hardware and software. Thus, although the following description illustrates exemplary methods and devices, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the examples presented are not the only way to implement such methods and devices. ..
Examples of information types related to process control systems / environments

In known systems, there are many ways to present information related to process control systems beyond the boundaries of applications and environments. For example, in an application executed in an engineering environment, diagnostic information may be presented by overlapping the status display for each node type of the physical network or visually customizing it. A node is an object or device that communicates by wire and / or wirelessly with another device. For example, field devices, switches, firewalls, etc. may all be considered nodes. In another second application running in the engineering environment, control integrity diagnostic information may be presented 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. Also, each of the above different applications may contain varying levels of information that may or may not be useful to a particular user. For example, a maintenance technician responsible for maintaining an asset in a plant (eg, a high performance device such as a valve) may be interested in highly detailed information about that asset (eg, diagnostic parameters, maintenance history, etc.). The operator's interest will primarily be how the asset (eg, valve) opens and closes, 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, the control system engineer may choose to hide valve information and be notified of changes in valve state.

The software system in the present disclosure can present information about an object corresponding to a mode of 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 features of the object. The number of facets that an object has that describes the object may be arbitrary. For example, a process control object facet contains object identification information (eg, object name, tag, nickname, etc.), physical information about the object (eg, tank construction material, high-performance device size, etc.), and logical information about the object. (For example, instructions or executable code, (also called functional blocks or modules)), graphical information about objects (eg, process display using icons instead of logic), input / output information about objects (eg, received from assets) It may include user task information about the object (eg, related actions that the user can perform on the object), and so on. Object facets can be used to filter the information displayed to a user through the user interface to a specific user (eg, maintenance engineer, operator, reliability engineer, supervisor, control system engineer, control room operator, etc.). You can customize the user interface to display relevant information.

The software system also provides information related to tasks that are a series of tasks performed by the user. The task sequence can be simplified as much as possible to perform functions such as filling out forms and changing values on the process control system. More complex tasks can include starting or starting units, or adjusting process loops. In some embodiments, the user may create and / or modify tasks to better meet plant needs.

In the embodiments disclosed herein, each facet may have a default task consisting of three sets. The configuration task allows the user to configure the features of the object. For example, configuration tasks may include downloading software or information, exporting information, updating information, inspecting objects, manipulating instrument assets (eg, controls), performing methods on instrument assets, and so on. A run-time edit task allows the user to edit the contents of an object at run time. For example, if the object is a graph, the run-time editing task may provide a way to change the lines shown in the graph. Illustrative run-time editing tasks include filtering columns, resizing interfaces, hiding or showing facets, changing context (for example, specifying or selecting another object), changing views, and / or trend tracing. Including the addition of. Run-time write / run tasks allow the user to change run-time values. For example, a graphical block that can be used to visualize concatenation provides an interface that allows concatenation to be disabled. Illustrative run-time write / execute tasks include changing operating modes, changing object configuration points, changing alarm ranges, removing or disabling services, skipping connections, alarm notifications, adjusting objects or processes, and values. Includes coercion, alarm analysis, and / or response to system prompts.

In addition, the user may create (customize) additional tasks for a particular person or user's role. Illustrative user-defined tasks include requesting input by the user, opening a display, dashboard and / or faceplate, starting another task, and so on.

However, the value of a task to the user is not all equal. For example, a software application that performs diagnostic functions can be viewed from the normality of software code (or logical components) executed by the control unit (eg, control device loading, control module health, etc.) to digital control system hardware (eg, control module health). It can provide any range of diagnostic information, from network switches, workstations, etc.), process equipment (eg, heat exchangers, etc.), or the physical health of a single instrument such as a temperature transmitter. For example, process control operators, system engineers, configuration engineers, maintenance personnel, technical support, etc. may perform their tasks using various aspects of the exemplary integrated graphical user interface described herein. Good. Thus, the information or tasks presented to a user through the examples described herein may take into account differences in the responsibilities of the user or each person, such as, for example, operators, configuration engineers, maintenance personnel, and / or technical support. Good. Unlike traditional systems, the software systems disclosed herein organize (eg, customize) the user interface by performing role-based filtering to provide the user with the optimal state for their responsibilities or duties. .. That is, the information or tasks displayed to the user can be the user's organizational roles or responsibilities, the context or state of objects in the system, and / or arrays organized in the default desktop, dedicated visualizations in the user interface, or It may be filtered based on the display layout.

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

In addition to information filtering based on the user's organizational roles or responsibilities, the software system of the present disclosure may filter the information displayed to the user based on the user's preferences. Examples of information filtering to display to the user include presenting default settings for the software application based on the user's organizational role or responsibilities, and showing or hiding specific information in the software application (eg, for hierarchical tree content). Filtering), changing the display name, title or description of objects, viewing interface connections of process physical components from a different perspective, filtering tasks presented to users, determining which object facets to display, which application Includes filtering for availability to the user and / or determining which alert and alarm types to display to the user. In some embodiments, the system may use multiple filters to customize the user interface of the user display. In such embodiments, the system may be filtered 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, a second layer filter filters facets based on a particular asset (eg, a valve), and so on. A three-layer filter may filter facets based on priority (eg, does the alarm meet the threshold displayed?), And a fourth layer filter may filter facets based on user preference.

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

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

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

The exemplary process control system 104 may include any manufacturing equipment, process equipment, automation equipment, safety instrumentation equipment, and / or other process control configurations or systems. In one embodiment, the process control system 104 may include multiple facilities located at different locations. Further, in the exemplary process control environment 100, other process control systems (not shown) may be provided within the same facility and / or located at different facilities.

An exemplary process control environment 100 shows a type of system that favorably employs exemplary methods and software systems described in more detail below. However, the exemplary methods and software systems presented herein are, if necessary, other more complex or simpler than the exemplary process control environment 100 and / or process control system 104 shown in FIG. It may be adopted in a system and / or a system used in connection with process control activities, corporate management activities, communication activities, and the like.

The exemplary process control system 104 of FIG. 1 includes a control device 108 communicatively connected to the workstation 106. The process control system 104 also includes a field device 112 (eg, an input and / or output device). The field device 112 may include any type of process control component as long as it is capable of receiving inputs, creating outputs, and / or controlling the process. The field device 112 may include, for example, a control device such as a valve, pump, fan, heater, cooler, and / or mixer that controls the process. In addition, the field device 112 may include measuring or monitoring devices such as temperature sensors, pressure gauges, densitometers, liquid level gauges, flow meters, and / or steam sensors that measure each part of the process. The control device may receive a command from the control device 108 through the input 114, execute the specified command, and change the process performed and / or controlled by the field device 112. Further, the measuring device measures the process data, the environmental data and / or the input device data, and transmits the measured data to the control device 108 through the output 116 as the process data. This process data may include variable values that are measurement outputs from each field device 112.

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

The exemplary control device 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 trend and / or history applications, diagnostic applications, batch processing and / or campaign management applications, statistics applications, streaming video applications, advanced control applications, safety instrumentation applications, and more. It may be. The control routine may ensure that the process control system 104 produces 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 results in and / or manufactures products during the batch process. In another embodiment, the process control system 104 may include a continuous process manufacturing system that continuously manufactures the product. Furthermore, the control device 108 may transmit the process data used in the control routine to the exemplary role-based processor 102.

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

The embodiment of FIG. 1 shows an exemplary workstation 106 outside the process control system 104. In another embodiment, the workstation 106 may be provided within the process control system 104 or may be directly communicably connected to the control device 108. In addition, the process control environment 100 may include a router (not shown) to communicatively connect another workstation (not shown) to the control device 108 and / or connect the workstation 106 to another workstation 106. It may be communicably connected to another control device (not shown) within the process control system. The process control environment 100 may also include a firewall (not shown) that provides remote workstations (eg, workstations outside the process control environment 100) that access resources within the process control environment 100. Good.

The exemplary 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 method. However, other communication media and protocols can be used if suitable. Further, although a single LAN 110 is shown, overlapping communication paths between the workstation 106 and each similar workstation (not shown) using a plurality of LANs or suitable communication hardware within the workstation 106. May be provided.

An exemplary workstation 106 and / or other workstations accessing the process control system 104 may be configured to visually see, modify, and modify one or more processes within the process control system 104. Good. An exemplary workstation 106 allows the user to view and / or manipulate one or more user display screens and / or applications, and the user display screens and / or applications allow the user to view and / or manipulate variables in a role-based process control system. Visually check, visually check the status of the role-based process control system, visually check the status of the role-based process control system, visually check the alarm of the role-based process control system, and / or Process control system settings (eg, set points, operational status, clear sound alarms, silent alarms, 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. 3-7.

An exemplary workstation 106 comprises and / or implements a role-based processor 102 that monitors process control routines and / or process control information transmitted by controller 108 to identify and / or determine status issues. .. The process control information may be generated by, for example, a process control device including a field device 112, a control device 108, a component, etc. in the process control system 104. Alternatively, process control information and / or status information may be generated by the application. The application may use the process control information from the field device 112 and / or the control device 108 to calculate and / or determine the status information and / or other process control information. For example, the Delta V software suite sold by Emerson Process Management includes an application that collects tuning, status status, diagnostics and / or performance parameters or metrics by field device 112. Using the collected parameters, the application may display system-wide status information or more detailed, dedicated role-based visualization information through the user interface.
Examples of Role-Based Processor Functions

In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 dynamically customizes the information presented to the user through a role-based presentation interface (eg, the exemplary role-based presentation interface of FIGS. 3-7) to accommodate the user's role. Display information to the user based on the assigned criteria. This allows the role-based presentation interface to display credentials to the user, while excluding (eg, not displaying) information that cannot be certified by the criteria assigned to the user's role. In some embodiments, a given criterion may be represented by a threshold. In some embodiments, the role-based processor 102 may progressively disclose information to the user. That is, the role-based processor 102 does 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 choose to visually confirm the 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 certification information in tabular form so that one or more items are expanded by default and one or more items are collapsed by default. You may. For example, depending on the user's organizational roles and / or responsibilities, the role-based processor 102 may first limit which items the user can deploy or visually confirm. In such an embodiment, the role-based processor 102 determines which (eg, collapsed) information is appropriate to add based on the allocation criteria for the user's role before presenting the following information: You may make a second decision. In this method, the role-based processor 102 gradually discloses 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 credentials are important to accomplish a given task.

In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 illuminates the user's role against a list of credentials stored in a data structure, such as a lookup table, to determine which information is the credentials. In such an embodiment, if the information matches the certification information listed in the lookup table, the information is determined to be certification information. For example, the role-based processor 102 displays to the maintenance technician the physical and graphical facets of an object (eg, a node or entity) in the process control system, and the object is based on a list of credentials stored in a lookup table. You may exclude the logical facet of.

In some embodiments, the role-based processor 102 may employ a user-controlled filter. In such an embodiment, the user-controlled filter may take precedence over a visual form of certification information or preferences. For example, a user may prefer information displayed in a table rather than a pie chart, or may prefer to visually see objects or facets that are not normally relevant to the user's role. In such cases, for example, authorization information based on the user's organizational roles and responsibilities may be further filtered by the user's personal preferences (eg, user-controlled filters).

The role-based processor 102 can also organize data from functions and one or more information sources into role-dedicated layers such as a maintenance layer, an operator layer, and a control system engineering layer to facilitate information filtering. Is. Each layer is capable of collecting data from one or more sources. For example, the role-based processor 102 can create a maintenance layer as an example, which includes diagnostic parameters reported from the field device, maintenance history searched from the maintenance database, opinions about the field device submitted by the technician, and the like. The role-based processor 102 displays the maintenance layer information if the user's organizational role is, for example, a maintenance manager, and does not display the maintenance layer information if the role is a control system engineer. Can be done. Depending on how the role-based processor 102 is implemented, the user can enable or disable the role-only layer with just a few commands, sometimes just one command. Further, depending on the implementation method, the role-dedicated layer may specify the layout of the information related to the layer.

In addition, 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 instrumentation and configuration engineers, the role-based processor 102 provides the instrumentation engineer with control to navigate directly to the equipment tracking screen. Not provided to configuration engineers. The control can be, for example, a button on the toolbar, a choice in a pull-down menu, an icon displayed next to a device description, or another suitable interactive instruction display indicating a direct link. In this method, the role-based processor 102 allows the user to "walk the path" that is relevant between features and / or real objects, and how information in the process control environment 100 is logically linked. I can understand more.

Furthermore, the role-based processor 102 can form links to various information within the hierarchical menu and "pivot", or emphasize subset links within the menu, depending on the user's organizational role. And can form a specific point of view. An exemplary menu 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 menus, 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 anyone responsible for configuring, operating, managing, etc. the process control environment. One such role is to manage process parameters such as flow rate, level, temperature, and pressure, monitor events related to process control loops, and ensure the accuracy of control logic that is typically implemented within the process plant. May have the role of an operator responsible for. Alternatively, there may be the role of a maintenance technician responsible for monitoring and calibrating individual field devices and for general management of equipment used within the process control plant. Separately, the role of network administrator responsible for network connectivity between workstations, controllers, data servers, databases, and other network devices, plant network security, installation of the latest software, etc. There may be. As a more specific embodiment, the operator interface of the role-based processor 102 allows the operator to supervise the operation of a process plant in which process control functions that define control strategies are performed by multiple field devices. The role-based processor 102 may create a view with information specific to the operator's role, rather than providing a general operator view on the operator workstation. To do so, the role-based processor 102 may require the operator to log in or identify the role. In addition to providing the operator with control and information to the role-only layer, the role-based processor 102 may continue the user-only configuration (ie, hold it between login sessions).

The role-dependent operator view may graphically represent the process plant (“process diagram”) and display additional information about selected parts 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 the corresponding process control functions, equipment on which these field devices operate (eg tanks, mixers), field devices and equipment (eg tanks, mixers). Diagrams or schematic representations of connections (eg, pipes) that conduct process fluids between (eg, pipes) and electrical connections (eg, wiring, wireless links) between field devices can be included. The role-based processor 102 provides additional information by supplementing 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.

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

For the operator, the supplementary display (or "supplementary display for operator") may include, for example, a configuration display representing the control logic executed by a predetermined part of the process plant as interconnecting logic blocks. The logic block may be a functional block of the Foundation ^TM fieldbus. The supplementary display for the operator may include a parameter history display representing a history of predetermined process parameters (eg, input flow rate to a predetermined processing stage). In addition, the operator supplementary display may include a knowledge-based display that lists links to internal and external resources available in parts of the process plant, makes the operator logbook accessible, lists help topics, and so on. Furthermore, the supplementary display for the operator may include a device-dependent display listing the identifiers of the field devices used by the process diagram as part of the corresponding process plant. The device-dependent display may search the device-specific diagram from the configuration database and display it next to each identifier of the field device. Additional operator displays, if necessary, include devices used by some of the process plants that the process diagram corresponds to, the connected devices and corresponding connected states associated with these devices, and some process plant alarms. It may include a detailed display that presents detailed information related to adjustment parameters and the like.

As another example, if the user is a maintenance technician or is associated with a maintenance worker, the supplemental display (or "maintenance supplementary display") is a control strategy in which the device operates (eg, a control loop). ) May include a control-dependent display for the selected device that identifies part of it. The maintenance supplementary display may include substantially the same knowledge type display as the knowledge type display created for the operator. In particular, the knowledge-based display may list links to internal and external materials available on the device, as well as links to operator logbooks, help topics, and the like. In addition, the supplementary maintenance display provides diagnostic display to assist maintenance technicians in placing physical devices within the process plant, identifying alarm sources, and determining the relevance between the device and other equipment. You may prepare. The diagnostic display displays, for example, the fieldbus segment combined with the device connected to the fieldbus segment, highlighting the corresponding diagram, displaying an exclamation mark or other visual indicator next to the device, or otherwise appropriate. The device that issued the alarm may be identified by any method. Furthermore, the supplementary display for maintenance may include a device description display including device identification, device configuration and setup data, and device diagnostic data according to the Extended Device Description Language (EDDL), depending on the method of implementation. In some cases, the device descriptive display may include device-specific process data (eg, device-specific process data, such as a so-called device faceplate, with or similar photographs or diagrams of the actual physical exterior of the device, optionally with dials and instruments. , Pressure set point, pressure measurement, valve dynamics). 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 ^TM as part of the PlantWeb (R) suite), the supplementary maintenance display will be provided by the valve software. A valve software display that is updated with the output data may be added and included.

The role-based processor 102 may have a function of creating a supplementary display, and may also have a function of creating a main display. The primary display can include, for example, a process display defined by the configuration engineer, where the role-based processor 102 provides additional information through supplementary displays in response to event detection within the process plant and command reception from the user interface. Can be selected and displayed automatically. To create a primary and / or secondary display, the role-based processor 102 uses (1) real-time process data from the process control system 104, and (2) control logic from a configuration database (simply not shown). , 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) related to process or device parameters from history, It is possible to obtain historical data executed in one or more databases (shown), (5) reference information from a knowledge-type database (not shown), and the like.

Optionally, the role-based processor 102 uses a display structure that defines a plurality of 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 the situation, only one or more selected layers may be displayed.

The supplementary display may be in a user-configurable display format such that each user can specify which information is included in the corresponding supplementary display. In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 automatically switches the operator supplementary display to the maintenance supplementary display and vice versa in response to a command received from the user interface.
The examples disclosed herein relate to filtering process control information based on user roles and objects, but other filtering methods are possible. For example, role-based processor 102 may filter information based on authorization or security tolerance contrasts, tags or metadata associated with process control facet information, or the context of objects in the control system.
An example of a workstation that provides a role-based view

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method of implementing workstation 106 of FIG. The workstation 106 of FIG. 2 comprises at least one programmable processor 200. The exemplary 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 unit such as a processor core, a processor, and / or a microcontroller. Processor 200 may, among other things, execute operating system 204, role-based processor 102, workstation application 208, and role-based presentation interface 210. An exemplary operating system 204 is a Microsoft (R) operating system. The exemplary 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 will be described in the context of a processor, the disclosed technology may be used in connection with a rules engine, a distributed processing system, or the like.

To allow the user to exchange information with the exemplary processor 200, the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2 comprises an input device 214 and an output device 216. Input by the user may be transmitted to the processor 200 by one or more input devices 214 such as a keyboard, stylus pen, speech recognition system, mouse, and / or touch screen. Output from processor 200 is provided by one or more output devices 216, such as, for example, a processor 200 and / or, more generally, a display device capable of displaying a user interface and / or application performed by an 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 ^TM , iPad ^TM , and / or iPhone ^TM ).

The exemplary operating system 204 of FIG. 2 performs and / or facilitates the display of the role-based presentation interface 210 by and / or in the exemplary output device 216. To facilitate the exchange of information between the application and the person implemented 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 workstation application 208, causing the defined and / or selected role-based presentation interface 210 to be displayed on the operating system 204. , And / or can be ordered to display. An exemplary role-based presentation interface 210 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3-7.

To present a process control system display and / or application, the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2 comprises an exemplary role-based processor 102. The exemplary 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 workstation application 208, and / Or define. For example, depending on the person accessing workstation 106 (eg, the user's organizational role or responsibility), display a given task or information through the role-based presentation interface 210 and hide other information facets (eg, non-). To display). In another embodiment, the role-based processor 102 organizes what is displayed to the user through the default desktop layout and display layout (FIG. 5). For example, depending on the number of monitors connected to workstation 106 and the person accessing workstation 106, the role-based processor 102 may automatically display different information on one or more monitors by default. In such embodiments, users may modify or override role-based defaults according to their preferences 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, the task may include a cause diagnosis in which a display element (for example, the main task) cannot be updated. Even if the execution of the main task includes determining which component is associated with the display element (eg, the first subtask), verifying the integrity of the component's input / output connections (eg, the second subtask), etc. Good.

In the illustrated embodiment, the information is filtered based on criteria related to the user's role. Roles may be defined by one or more tasks or responsibilities that a person normally performs. An exemplary role is the control room operator. Responsibilities and / or tasks associated with such operators include detection of problems that may affect safety, the environment or equipment in and around the plant (eg, status problems), plant equipment performance and safety. Securing, starting / stopping production equipment on schedule, process monitoring and control to ensure optimum performance, and / or observing important trends and implementing countermeasures to identify potential process problems May be included. Another exemplary role is the control system engineer. The control system engineer has relevant responsibilities and / or tasks, including production support from a control system perspective (eg, checking that the process is being executed correctly) and / or controlling the system configuration, designing the configuration. Implement and inspect, determine if the problem is related to the control system, resolve production 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.) by, for example, in a user manager software application.

For example, the role-based processor 102 may specify the number of roles by setting responsibilities, goals, and / or tasks for each role and assigning them in advance. 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. Engineers, equipment maintenance technicians, control system managers, control room operators, etc. may be pre-assigned with different responsibilities, goals, and tasks. The plant has people who perform the responsibilities, goals and / or tasks associated with each role, but the plant does not have to be staffed so that each person can have a different role. That is, in a plant, one person may be pre-assigned to multiple roles to perform their responsibilities, goals and / or tasks. Also, different plants may have different responsibilities, goals and / or tasks, even if they have the same role. For this reason, the User Manager software application may be used to customize responsibilities, goals and / or task assignments for each role or individual. For example, if one person in a plant holds the position of production manager, that 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 that person to include pre-assigned tasks for production managers, process engineers and instrumentation engineers. As a result, the person does not need to perform the role change work in the system because the information displayed is different from the information desired by the person. Conversely, all the information available to the production manager, process engineer, and instrumentation engineer is already available to the user without the user having to bother to filter (eg, mouse click).

In one embodiment, the role-based processor 102 secures the task by permitting it. Users are granted permissions and tasks are given different permission levels. Permit 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 take precedence over the permission level of the subtasks.

In some embodiments, a management span may be assigned to each person. The span covers all tasks that the user can perform. Management spans may be geographically allocated or location-based (eg, entire site, plant area, plant room, process unit). In some embodiments, management spans may be allocated on an object basis (eg, limited by a given object or information facets about the object). For example, the control span for the user may be limited to the user's calibration of control instrument assets. In another embodiment, the control span may be a location-based or geographic-based and object-based combination (eg, allowing the user to calibrate control instrument assets near the reactor of the plant). In some embodiments, the management span may be application-based (eg, allowing the user to configure aspects of a software application that performs safety functions). 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 of 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, a user 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 to be displayed to the user after confirming whether the object information is privileged information or exclusive information.

An exemplary method of implementing the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2, but the data structures, components, processes and devices shown in FIG. 2 can be combined, split, rearranged, erased, excluded, And / or may be carried out in another way. In addition, an exemplary processor 200, an exemplary main memory 202, an exemplary operating system 204, an exemplary role-based processor 102, an exemplary workstation application 208, an exemplary role-based presentation interface 210, and / or. More generally, the exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2 may be implemented with hardware, software, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Furthermore, the exemplary workstation 106 may include additional components, processes and / or devices in place of or in addition to those shown in FIG. 2 and / or the illustrated data. It may include a plurality of structures, components, processes, and / or devices thereof.
Presentation Interface Example

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary role-based presentation interface 300 used to display and / or apply, and / or more generally to implement the exemplary workstation 106 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The exemplary role-based presentation interface 300 may be displayed as an independent interface or in combination with one or more other components or role-based interface interfaces (not shown). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the role-based presentation interface 300 displays a role-based interface for a control system engineer who 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 the physical network. Content frame 304 includes, for example, an exemplary node descriptor 310 that displays additional information about the nodes selected in the hierarchical tree 308. The current state of the selected node may be graphically indicated by, for example, an icon such as an exemplary status icon 312 arranged at the right end of the content frame 304. The content frame 304 also includes an exemplary diagnostic parameter list 314 containing a diagnostic parameter list for the selected node, along with a commentary column 316 and a value column 318. The commentary column 316 and the value column 318 include relevant information corresponding to each diagnostic parameter listed in the diagnostic parameter list 314. Task frame 306, along with subtask 322, includes a diagnostic task list 320 that includes a diagnostic task list for selected nodes that the user can access, the subtask 322 providing the user with additional choices and / or information.

In one embodiment, the diagnostic tasks displayed in task list 320 vary from person to person (eg, the organizational role and / or responsibility of the user). For example, the Verbose Log task and the Application Log task listed in Task List 320 relate to software applications to debug (eg, exemplary software applications that perform diagnostic functions), where the role-based processor 102 is a control system engineer. When creating the role-based presentation interface 300 for, the Software Debug task and / or the Application Debug task may be excluded.

FIG. 4 shows another exemplary role-based presentation interface 400. The role-based presentation interface 400 shows an exemplary navigation frame 402 and an exemplary content frame 404 in a collapsed state. In the illustrated embodiment, the user searches, for example, using the exemplary search bar 412, and the search results are described in the exemplary result list 406 with exemplary result description units 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 the status displays 418 and 420 represent the node state of the result description section. For example, a red status display may indicate 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 and 422 provide information about a node, such as node name, node location, and / or problem description. In addition, the task button 416 allows the user to obtain additional information about 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 on 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 for a given person (eg, selectable interface objects). In some embodiments, the task button (eg, exemplary task button 416) may be selected to gradually disclose additional information. For example, the task button 416 may not be shown, and an instruction to repair the problem may be displayed in the result description unit 408 for a predetermined person. By selecting the task button 416, the user may obtain information for problem repair previously excluded from the role-based presentation interface 400. In another embodiment, the result description section in the result list 406 may include problematic nodes (eg, result description section 408) and exclude nodes without known problems (eg, result description section 410). Information display and exclusion on the role-based presentation interface 400 in other combinations is also possible.

In some embodiments, the desktop placement and / or display layout may be determined by the role-based processor 102 based on the user's organizational roles and / or responsibilities. For example, if workstation 106 is specified 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 the 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 display desktop arrangement of four monitors, with a plurality of applications running together on the same workstation through the plurality of monitors. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the exemplary monitors 502, 504, 506, 508 displays a graphical user interface that corresponds to a different software application. For example, monitor 502 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 510 for software applications that perform diagnostic functions and displays system-wide diagnostics for that process. Monitor 504 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 512 for software applications that perform control logic functions and displays selected functional blocks that include inputs and outputs. Monitor 506 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 514 for a software application that performs interface connections for the physical components of a process and displays a connection map of the physical components for that process. Monitor 508 displays an exemplary role-based presentation interface 516 for software applications that perform node management functions and displays detailed information about selected nodes.

In one embodiment, the role-based presentation interface 500 comprises another combination and / or arrangement of monitors. For example, two, three, or more monitor displays may be arranged. In one embodiment, the role-based presentation interfaces 510, 512, 514, 516 for each monitor 502, 504, 506, 508 respond to changes or selections in the 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 a functional block containing input / output point references for the valve control module, and the role-based presentation interface 514 The valve is highlighted to display the main control display for the valve control module, and the role-based presentation interface 516 displays detailed information about the valve. In one embodiment, whether one or more role-based presentation interfaces are reloaded or updated based on any changes or choices on another role-based presentation interface and / or user for each user role. It may be set by.

FIG. 6 is another exemplary role-based presentation interface 600. The role-based presentation interface 600 includes an exemplary navigation frame 602 and an exemplary content frame 604. In the illustrated embodiment, the navigation frame 602 displays a portion of the connection map of the process control system 104. A connection map is a topology map that represents the interface connections between the input / output subsystems of a physical component. A configuration map, on the other hand, is a topology map that represents the connections between the physical components of a process, as configured. For example, a configuration map shows connections based on how the user wants to connect physical components, while a connection map shows 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 exemplary resource tab 702 and an exemplary graph 704. In the illustrated embodiment, the resource tab 702 is in the folded state. On the other hand, the exemplary resource tab 706 of the role-based presentation interface 700 (eg, the "Learn More" tab) is in an expanded state.

The exemplary role-based presentation interface 700 also comprises an exemplary resource tab 708 in the collapsed state. Resource tab 708 provides information about the system capacity of the selected object (eg, controller). The resource tab 708, when deployed, displays information to the user about system hardware / configuration that violates the documented system fence. System fences limit the number of resources attributed to an object. For example, the control device system fence 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 currently configured in the control device. In some embodiments, the resource tab 708 may display a data graph (eg, a bar graph) so that the capacity utilization is visually visible. In some embodiments, the system capacity information may be color coded for each capacity stage. For example, if the number of modules is less than 75% of the system fence (eg, the maximum number of modules that can be configured as an object), it is displayed in green. If the number of modules exceeds 90% of the system fence, it may be displayed in orange.

Further, 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, for example, system capacity information for objects that are less than 75 percent of the default capacity.
Illustrative processes and platforms for creating role-based views

FIG. 8 is a typical flowchart of an exemplary process of implementing the exemplary workstation 106 of FIGS. 1 and / or 2. The exemplary process of FIG. 8 may be performed on one or more processors, one or more control units, and / or one or more suitable processing units. For example, the process of FIG. 8 is associated with a processor (eg, an exemplary processor 902 with reference to FIG. 9 and discussed below), such as flash memory (eg, "thumb drive"), ROM and / or random access memory RAM, etc. It may be embodied in a non-temporary machine / computer accessible or readable medium-stored coding instruction (eg, computer readable instruction). As used herein, the term non-temporary computer-readable medium is clearly defined and the medium includes any non-temporary computer-readable storage device (also including propagating signals). Excludes) or includes other storage media in which information is stored for any time (eg, during extended time, permanently, short time, temporary storage, and / or information caching).

Alternatively, some or all of the exemplary operations of FIG. 8 may be optional, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable logic devices (FPLDs), individual logic, hardware, firmware, etc. It may be carried out by the combination of. Further, one or more operations shown in FIG. 8 may be performed manually or in any combination of the above techniques, such as any combination of firmware, software, individual logic, and / or hardware. Further, although the exemplary process of FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that many other methods are possible to carry out the exemplary process of FIG. You can do it. 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. In addition, some or all of the exemplary operations of FIG. 8 may be performed in sequence and / or, for example, in another processing thread, processor, device, individual logic, circuit, etc. in parallel.

The process of FIG. 8 starts at block 800 on a workstation (eg, exemplary workstation 106 of FIG. 2) running a role-based processor (eg, the exemplary role-based processor 102 of FIG. 2) and starts at block 802. Displays a role-based presentation interface (eg, the exemplary role-based presentation interface 210 in FIG. 2). At block 804, role-based processor 102 receives process control information and / or status information.

At block 806, the role-based processor 102 receives a user criterion for determining whether to display or exclude information. For example, user criteria may be based on a user's organizational role or responsibilities. In another embodiment, the user criteria may correspond to a given object type, information facets about the object, and / or relationships between objects. For example, node asset or node descriptor information may be displayed in the 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 in to an account and initiates a session, which is related to the user's role (eg, as defined by the user manager software application). To). In such an embodiment, the role-based processor 102 receives default user criteria based on the organizational roles and / or responsibilities of the logged-in user.

At block 808, role-based processor 102 determines if the information meets user criteria. For example, the role-based processor 102 utilizes a user's role and illuminates that information with a list of credentials associated with the user's role. In one embodiment, the certification information list is stored in a data structure (eg, a lookup table) of memory (eg, the exemplary main memory 202 of FIG. 2). If the information is not suitable, the control process proceeds to block 810 and the information is excluded by the role-based processor 102. Further, the role-based processor 102 creates and / or updates the role-based presentation interface 210 based on the determination in block 808. The control process 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 suitable in block 808, the control process proceeds to block 812, and the role-based processor 102 sets the user preference higher than the certification information. For example, a user may prefer a given visualization (eg, displaying information in a table rather than a pie chart). In some embodiments, user preferences may take precedence over authorization 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 an embodiment, the user preference to hide (or not display) certain information takes precedence over the display of authorization information about the valve. At block 814, the role-based processor 102 displays information. Further, the role-based processor 102 creates and / or updates the role-based presentation interface 210 based on the determination in blocks 808 and 812. The control process then returns to block 802 to display the updated role-based presentation interface 210.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary used and / or programmed to perform the exemplary process of FIG. 8 and / or, more generally, the exemplary workstation 106 of FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a schematic diagram of the 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 embodiment of FIG. 9 comprises at least one general purpose programmable processor 902. The processor 902 executes the coding instructions 904 and / or 908 in the main memory of the processor 902 (eg, RAM 906 and / or ROM 910). The processor 902 may be any processing unit such as a processor core, a processor and / or a microcontroller. Processor 902 may, among other things, perform the exemplary process of FIG. 8 and implement the exemplary operator station 104 described below. The processor 902 communicates with the main memory (which includes ROM 910 and / or RAM 906) via bus 912. The RAM 906 may be implemented in a DRAM, SDRAM and / or any other RAM device, and the ROM 910 may be implemented in a flash memory and / or other desired memory device. Access to 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, and general-purpose input / output. One or more input devices 916 and one or more output devices 918 are connected to the interface circuit 914. The input device 916 and / or the output device 918 are used, for example, to provide the role-based presentation interface 210 to the exemplary output device 216 of FIG.
Examples of pivoted menus according to role-based perspectives

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an exemplary hierarchical menu 1000 in which the role-based processor 102 or another suitable software component presents an asset-centric perspective view of a predetermined distillation range (eg, part of a process control system 104). Is to create. Specifically, the role-based processor 102 creates an interactive representation 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 the perspective of, for example, a maintenance technician or another user who is particularly interested in the assets available in the process control system 104. As can be seen by comparing Menu 1000 with Menu 1100 shown in FIG. 11, the distillation range is presented from a different viewpoint.

In general, when you pivot a menu around a given selection category for an item or resource, the items are organized around the selection category, selecting a specific level of detail that branches the menu into one or more, and different items in the menu. It is visually emphasized and different colors are added to different items or different styles of parameters are added. The role-based processor 102 can use categorical items in a plurality of views. For example, role-based processor 102 can use plant areas, units, and process cells in both asset-centric and logic-centric presentation menus.

In 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 corresponds to graphical resources, and item 1080 corresponds to important performance evaluation. Corresponds to the index (KPI). When the menu 1000 is pivoted by assets, items 1002-1014 become the main configuration of the menu 1000 and the remaining items are represented as substructures or related to each asset.

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

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an exemplary hierarchical menu 1110. In the hierarchical menu 1110, the role-based processor 102 displays the same distillation range as the asset-centric viewpoint in the menu 1100 as a logic-centered viewpoint. It was created to do so. 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 items 1160 correspond to resource diagrams. Unlike the menu 1000, the menu 1110 has few assets and many logic items, and shows a hierarchy with many logic item names as compared with other items.

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

As an additional diagram representing role-based filtering, FIG. 1200 of FIG. 12 shows the mapping of cluster information related to process control systems to roles on multiple organizations. Specifically, the information that the role-based processor 102 can present to the user includes, for example, visualization, business data, logic, health data, knowledge, and I / O devices. 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 the data most relevant to the predetermined role. For example, the role-based processor 102 can select the process display to be displayed to the control system engineer as at least a default option (at least in some embodiments, a user with another role can additionally request and view the process display. ). The role-based processor 102 can select a dashboard for each of the control system engineer, the electrical instrumentation engineer, and the production manager. As also shown in FIG. 12, the role-based processor 102 allows only the control system engineer to select the machine view for the default display.

In addition, the role-based processor 102 can assist the user in "walking the path" that is relevant between data types. With reference to FIG. 13, the user can specify a context such as a predetermined heat exchanger by first selecting the heat exchanger visualization process display. The role-based processor 102 can automatically suggest a transition to control modules, device lists, device alerts, etc., as shown in the schematic of FIG. Specifically, the role-based processor 102 performs interactive control that directly links to the visualization process display on the display screen of the control module, device list, device alert, etc., so that the user who sees the visualization process display for the heat exchanger can see it. It is possible to immediately see which data is related to the current context of the heat exchanger. That is, for example, a short item list of the current context automatically created by the role-based processor 102 is presented to the user without explicitly selecting the device alert from the equipment status, device alert, and vibration data items in the health category. it can. In addition, the role-based processor 102 can direct the user to potential relevant information without the user specifying that the device alert is potentially related to the current context (heat exchanger).

In general, the role-based processor 102 provides role-specific path navigation on the user's organization for navigating between information screens and / or controls. In this method, the role-based processor 102 can assist the user in grasping the "big picture" and related information available in the system.

Although the present specification has described predetermined exemplary methods, devices and products, 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, devices, and products that properly fall within the scope of the appended claims in accordance with the wording or the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims (11)

A display device that displays a user interface for accessing information in a process control system,
A system with one or more processors
The one or more processors
Establish a login session for the user and
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 that defines a context for retrieving further information about the process control system object and related to the process control system.
It is determined whether the object information is certified information based on the organizational role of the user.
When the object information is certified information, the object information is displayed through the user interface via the first screen, but when the object information is not certified information, the object information is not displayed through the user interface. ,
Based on the organizational role and relevance to the context, a navigation path that interconnects a plurality of screens including the first screen and the second screen is identified, and each of the plurality of screens is related to the process control system. Including each information to be done
A control for navigating directly from the first screen to the second screen is provided via the first screen, the control to a user having an organizational role other than the determined organizational role. Is not provided,
The screen shifts to the second screen according to the user who activates the control.
A system characterized by being configured in this way. The one or more processors
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 is configured to include the object information. The organizational role is selected from a list that includes (1) production manager, (2) maintenance manager, (3) control system engineer, (4) electrical instrumentation engineer, and (5) control room operator. 1 or the system according to claim 2. The one or more processors determine whether the object information is authorization information.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the certification information of each role in a plurality of organizations is determined by illuminating the role in the organization in a list including each. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to exclude the object information if the object information is not certified information. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one or more processors are configured to organize the certification information based on the organizational role of the user. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the object information corresponds to a part of the constituent capacity of the object. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processor displays a part of the constituent capacity in color. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the processor visually customizes and displays the object information. A method comprising a step executed by the one or more processors according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores an instruction that, when one or more processors execute the instruction in the machine, causes the machine to execute the instruction according to the step of any one of claims 1-9. A non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores instructions to execute.