Hierarchical GUI Data Binding for Multi-Machine Industrial Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for industrial processes is time-consuming and infeasible when developers need to hardcode and update information for multiple machines, especially for managers overseeing large-scale industrial operations, as existing methods require manual configuration and understanding of software development.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to design and implement GUIs through web browsers, enabling the selection of preprogrammed components, generating new components, and associating data values with component properties using property tree structures, with data bindings between subtrees representing components and data sources, allowing for dynamic updates and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If developers manually configure and hardcode information for each machine in GUIs, then the interface can display relevant information, but the design and update process becomes time-consuming and infeasible for large-scale industrial operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses data binding to automatically copy and map data from industrial devices to GUI components. Instead of manually configuring each GUI element, the system automatically binds GUI properties to device data sources, enabling rapid deployment and automatic updates when device data changes. This eliminates the need for developers to manually copy and update information for each machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The GUI system performs self-configuration through automatic data binding. When data sources are connected, the system automatically maps data properties to corresponding GUI components without requiring manual intervention. This self-service capability allows the interface to adapt automatically to new devices and data structures, significantly reducing configuration time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If designers need to understand software development to create user interfaces, then custom interfaces can be built, but the complexity increases and accessibility decreases for non-technical users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automatic data binding mechanism as an intermediary between data sources and GUI components. This binding layer handles the complexity of data mapping and synchronization automatically, allowing users to create customized interfaces through configuration rather than programming. The binding mechanism mediates between the simple user configuration and the complex underlying data structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The data binding system provides universal functionality that works across different device types and data sources. A single binding configuration approach can be applied to various industrial devices, making the system versatile without requiring different configuration methods for each device type. This universal approach reduces the learning curve and makes the system accessible to non-technical users.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual configuration methods are used for industrial process monitoring, then interfaces can be created, but scalability becomes limited when managing multiple factories with hundreds of motors
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically copies and maps device data to GUI components through data binding. When new devices are added to the system, the binding mechanism automatically creates corresponding GUI representations without requiring manual configuration for each device. This copying approach enables seamless scaling from single devices to hundreds of motors across multiple factories.
Solution Approach 2:
The data binding system is dynamic and automatically adapts when device configurations or data structures change. New devices, properties, or data sources can be integrated without reconfiguring existing GUIs, as the binding mechanism dynamically adjusts to accommodate changes. This dynamic capability enables easy scaling to large numbers of devices while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system provides a design interface for designing and implementing graphical user interfaces that users can access through web browsers. Depending on the configuration of the graphical user interfaces, the users may be able to monitor and control industrial processes by interacting with components that correspond to the industrial processes as displayed in user interfaces at client devices. The design interface includes functionality for selecting preprogrammed components, or for generating new components for display. The design interface further allows designers to associate data values received from a variety of sources with properties of the components in the user interfaces. In particular, properties associated with a component of an interface are stored in property tree structures, making dynamic changes to the components possible. Data bindings between subtrees representing components and sets of data from industrial and other sources allows for designs that scale with the availability of the data.