Hierarchical Data Binding for Scalable Industrial GUI Configuration
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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 equipment sources to GUI components. Instead of manually configuring each GUI element, the system automatically binds GUI components to data sources, allowing data to be copied and displayed through the interface without manual intervention for each individual component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal data binding mechanism that can handle multiple data sources and GUI components through a single configuration approach. The binding system serves multiple functions: data retrieval, data mapping, automatic UI generation, and real-time updates, eliminating the need for separate manual configuration processes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If designers need to understand software development to create user interfaces, then custom interfaces can be built, but the complexity and difficulty of interface creation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces data binding as an intermediary layer between data sources and GUI components. This mediator automatically handles the complex mapping and synchronization tasks, allowing designers to work with high-level bindings rather than implementing complex software development logic directly. The binding system translates data source changes into appropriate GUI updates without requiring designers to understand the underlying software complexity.
3Productivity
If manual configuration methods are used for industrial process monitoring, then interfaces can be created, but scalability to large-scale operations with multiple factories and hundreds of motors becomes infeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configuration process into independent data binding units that can be individually created and managed. Each GUI component can be bound to specific data sources independently, allowing the system to scale to large numbers of components without requiring holistic reconfiguration. This segmentation enables modular configuration where changes to one component do not affect others.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic data binding that automatically adapts when data sources or GUI components are added or removed. The binding system dynamically updates configurations based on real-time changes in the industrial environment, enabling the interface to scale automatically as new equipment is added without requiring static pre-planning for all possible scenarios.
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.