Process Plant HMI Display Hierarchy for Real-Time View Customization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current operator Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) in industrial process control systems face challenges in efficiently managing alarms and access to real-time control data across multiple operator workstations, leading to increased complexity and difficulty in customizing and maintaining HMI configurations.
Innovation Solution
A graphical display configuration and usage system that includes a centralized configuration database and a graphical display configuration application, allowing for the creation, definition, and publication of operator HMIs or display views. This system enables real-time updates and customization of display views on operator workstations without requiring them to halt execution or communicate with a back-end configuration server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current operator HMI systems are used to manage alarms and access real-time control data across multiple operator workstations, then real-time monitoring capability is maintained, but system complexity and difficulty in customizing and maintaining HMI configurations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The HMI configuration is segmented into template definitions and instance deployments. Templates define reusable display views, alarm configurations, and navigation hierarchies that can be independently configured and then instantiated across multiple workstations. This separation allows centralization of configuration management while maintaining local flexibility, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses template copying and instantiation to deploy HMI configurations across multiple operator workstations. A single template definition can be copied and instantiated on numerous workstations, ensuring consistency while reducing the effort and complexity of manually configuring each workstation individually. Changes to templates automatically propagate to all instances.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional HMI configuration systems require communication with back-end configuration servers for updates, then centralized control is maintained, but network load and operational interruptions increase
Solution Approach 1:
HMI configuration data is pre-loaded and cached on each operator workstation during system initialization or off-line periods. This preliminary action allows the workstation to operate independently with local configuration data, reducing the need for continuous real-time communication with the back-end server and thereby reducing network load.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a configuration cache or local database on each workstation that acts as an intermediary between the back-end configuration server and the HMI runtime environment. This intermediary stores configuration data locally, allowing the HMI to read from and write to local storage without constant server communication, thus reducing network traffic while maintaining centralized control through selective synchronization.
3Adaptability or versatility
If operators need to customize display views in real-time, then operational flexibility is improved, but system complexity and maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The HMI configuration system allows dynamic customization of display views at runtime through template-based parameters. Operators can modify template properties such as displayed data, alarm thresholds, and navigation structure without recompiling or reconfiguring the entire system. These dynamic changes are stored and can be persisted, providing flexibility while maintaining system manageability through the template framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The template system provides universal configuration objects that can serve multiple functions and be instantiated in various contexts. A single alarm template or display view template can be reused across multiple workstations and application scenarios, reducing the total number of unique configurations needed and simplifying maintenance through centralized template management.
4Stability of the object's composition
If HMI configurations are updated across multiple workstations, then system consistency is improved, but communication network load and update time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Configuration updates are segmented and distributed selectively to workstations rather than broadcasting entire configuration sets. Only changed template elements or specific configuration parameters are updated and transmitted to affected workstations, reducing update time and network load while maintaining consistency through targeted synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
Configuration changes are prepared and validated in advance before deployment to workstations. The system performs preliminary configuration processing, such as compiling template changes or validating syntax, before distributing updates. This preliminary action reduces the actual update time at workstations and ensures consistency without requiring lengthy synchronization operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for configuring layouts and display view hierarchies and presenting display views in an operating environment of a process plant according to the layouts and display view hierarchies include providing graphical user controls at a graphical display configuration application for defining a layout. The layouts indicate a manner in which divide one or several display screens into one or several display regions, where each display region presents a display view that includes indications of process control elements. The graphical display configuration application also includes graphical user controls for defining a display view hierarchy of the display views by assigning levels of detail to the display views and designating some of the display views as subviews of other display views. An operator application obtains the defined layout and display view hierarchy and presents the display views at an operator workstation according to the obtained layout and/or display view hierarchy.