Historian Trend Chart Generation with Transparency Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional human-machine interface (HMI) systems in industrial control environments fail to accurately alert users to critical conditions due to their reliance on averaged data values and inability to effectively display trend charts for multiple tags, leading to potential missed alerts and poor visualization of data exceeding alert thresholds.
Innovation Solution
The system generates graphical displays with three trend charts for each data tag, including time-weighted average, minimum, and maximum values over a predetermined period, allowing for transparency adjustments to display multiple tags on a single chart, thereby prioritizing the average trend while showing maximum and minimum values in a subordinate manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional HMI systems use averaged data values for alert notifications, then the system can simplify data processing, but it fails to accurately alert users to critical conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data representation into multiple trend charts (average, minimum, maximum) instead of using a single averaged value. This allows the system to maintain processing simplicity while improving alert accuracy by displaying multiple data perspectives simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional average data representation to a multi-dimensional visualization including average, minimum, and maximum trend charts. This dimensional expansion enables users to perceive critical conditions that would be masked in single-average representations.
2Device complexity
If conventional HMI systems use single-chart displays, then the interface remains simple, but it cannot render graphical displays for multiple tags
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple trend charts (average, minimum, maximum) into a single integrated display interface. This combining approach maintains interface simplicity while enabling multi-tag display capability through transparent overlay of multiple data series.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system is designed to universally handle multiple tags and data types through a single interface that can render average, minimum, and maximum trends for any number of tags simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate display mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If the system displays detailed trend data for all tags, then measurement precision is improved, but the overwhelming volume of data becomes difficult to digest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detailed trend data into three distinct chart types (average, minimum, maximum) that can be displayed together. This segmentation organizes the overwhelming data volume into manageable visual components while preserving measurement precision through detailed trend representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color and transparency variations to differentiate between multiple tags and data series in the display. This visual encoding allows users to quickly distinguish between different tags and their respective trend data, making the complex information more digestible while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
Automated generation of graphical displays of industrial process data tags including three trend charts for each data tag. The displays include trend charts for the time-weighted average, the minimum value, and the maximum value over a predetermined time period. Altering the transparency of the trend charts for the minimum value and maximum value enables displaying data for multiple tags on a single chart.