Alarm Message Display Throttling for Control System Overload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control systems for process engineering plants face performance issues and potential failure during operation and monitoring due to high alarm volumes, sudden changes, and long-lasting volatility, which can lead to significant loss of performance and system failure in visualizing alarm messages.
Innovation Solution
A control system with a computer-implemented alarm message service that manages the display time for alarm messages, allowing the operator station client to determine if the available time for visual presentation is exceeded, and limits the display if necessary, prioritizing critical alarms and acknowledging previously displayed messages to prevent system overload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the operator station client displays all alarm messages without limitation, then the operator receives complete alarm information, but the system performance degrades and may fail during high alarm volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively limiting the display of alarm messages based on system performance conditions. The operator station client monitors its performance metrics and chooses to display only a subset of alarm messages when performance thresholds are exceeded, rather than displaying all messages unconditionally. This partial display approach maintains system reliability while still providing essential alarm information to the operator.
2Loss of information
If the operator station client processes and displays all alarm messages, then complete alarm information is provided to the operator, but the processing time and system resources are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial action by processing and displaying only a selected portion of alarm messages when performance conditions require it. The operator station client evaluates its processing capacity and selectively renders alarm messages based on priority, recency, or other criteria, thereby reducing processing time while maintaining essential information delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing performance thresholds and display limitation criteria before high alarm volume situations occur. The system continuously monitors performance metrics against these pre-defined thresholds and automatically adjusts display behavior in advance of system failure, allowing smooth transitions between full and partial display modes without interrupting operation.
3Quantity of substance
If the system displays unlimited alarm messages during high alarm volumes, then all alarm information is visible to the operator, but the visualization system becomes overloaded and fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the alarm message display capacity adaptive rather than static. The operator station client dynamically adjusts the number and type of alarm messages displayed based on real-time monitoring of its performance metrics. When performance thresholds are exceeded, the system automatically transitions to a limited display mode, and can return to full display mode when performance improves, creating a dynamic response to changing system conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by selectively displaying a subset of alarm messages when the total alarm volume exceeds system capacity. This approach allows the visualization system to handle high alarm volumes by displaying only the most critical or recent messages, preventing system overload while still providing the operator with essential alarm information.
4Loss of information
If the operator station client renders complex alarm message displays, then detailed alarm information is presented, but the rendering time exceeds the allowed display time budget
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively rendering alarm message details based on available time budget and performance conditions. When rendering time would exceed the allowed budget, the system chooses to render only essential alarm message information or simplifies the display representation, thereby reducing rendering time while maintaining critical information delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is proposed for the visual display of a plant image (11, 12) of a technical plant, in particular a process or manufacturing plant, which has an operator station server (2) and an operator station client (3), wherein the plant image (11, 12) includes an alarm message display (14), the method comprising: transmitting a plant image (11, 12) of the technical plant from the operator station server (2) to the operator station client (3), wherein the plant image (11, 12) includes the alarm message display (14); when transmitting the plant image (11, 12) with the alarm message display (14), a computer-implemented alarm notification service (8) of the operator station server (2) informs the operator station client (3) of a time period that may be spent on the visual display of the alarm message display (14); visual display of the plant image (11, 12) with the alarm message display (14) by the operator station client (3);Informing the Operator Station Client (3) about the occurrence of a new or updated alarm message in the control system (1) via a message from the alarm notification service (8); Determining by the Operator Station Client (3) the actual display time for the visual presentation of the alarm message indicator (14); Determining by the Operator Station Client (3) whether the display time for the visual presentation of the alarm message indicator (14) with the new or updated alarm message would exceed the time that the Operator Station Client (3) is permitted to spend on the visual presentation of the alarm message indicator (14); Restricting the visual presentation of the alarm message indicator (14) by the Operator Station Client (3) if the available time is exceeded.