HMI Trend Pen Visualization for Industrial Process Data Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems face challenges in managing and visualizing vast amounts of data from sensors, leading to overwhelming volumes that are difficult for humans to digest, and existing HMI technologies struggle with migration to newer platforms, requiring tools for converting existing applications to newer systems.
Innovation Solution
A system for centrally managing HMI applications using a reusable template, propagating changes to symbol graphics, and maintaining status views, allowing users to edit application definitions remotely through an IDE, which facilitates data quality and status behavior definition, automatic data distribution, and alarm aggregation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sophisticated data management and process visualization techniques are used to handle large volumes of sensor data, then the system can manage and display process information effectively, but the complexity of the HMI system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The HMI system is segmented into modular components including reusable templates, symbol graphics, and configurable elements. Each template represents a self-contained functional unit that can be independently developed, tested, and deployed, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high data processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Reusable templates are designed to serve multiple functions across different HMI applications. A single template can be instantiated multiple times with different parameters to create various visualizations and control interfaces, eliminating the need to develop separate components for each function and reducing system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing HMI applications are migrated to newer platforms, then the system can leverage newer technologies and improvements, but the migration process requires complex conversion tools and increases implementation difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The migration process uses template-based copying where existing HMI applications are converted by mapping their functionality to reusable templates on the new platform. This allows faithful reproduction of application behavior while leveraging new platform capabilities, simplifying the migration process.
Solution Approach 2:
Reusable templates are pre-configured with standard functions, behaviors, and interfaces before migration begins. This preliminary preparation allows existing applications to be migrated by simply instantiating these pre-built templates with appropriate parameters, rather than rebuilding applications from scratch during migration.
3Ease of operation
If alarm aggregation and prioritization features are implemented, then operators can better prioritize responses to process conditions, but the complexity of configuring and managing alarm states increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm management system automatically aggregates and prioritizes alarms based on predefined criteria and template configurations. The system self-adjusts alarm states and propagates changes without requiring manual configuration for each alarm scenario, reducing operational complexity while improving alarm management efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm system provides automatic feedback to operators about aggregated alarm states and prioritization levels. This feedback mechanism helps operators understand system status without being overwhelmed by individual alarm details, while the underlying complexity of alarm state management is handled automatically by the system.
4Ease of operation
If remote editing of application definitions is enabled through an IDE, then users can update HMI applications without physical access to control systems, but the system requires robust data distribution and synchronization mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The IDE serves as an intermediary between users and the control system, allowing remote editing of application definitions. Changes made in the IDE are automatically distributed and synchronized to the control system through predefined communication channels, enabling remote updates without requiring complex ad-hoc synchronization mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous synchronization between the IDE and the control system through automatic data distribution mechanisms. This continuous action ensures that application definitions remain consistent across all systems without requiring manual intervention or complex batch synchronization processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A system manages human machine interface (HMI) applications for industrial control and automation. Software instructions stored on a tangible, non-transitory media and executable by a processor receive data indicative of a manufacturing/process control system being monitored and display a user interface indicative of a status of the manufacturing/process control system being monitored wherein the status is based on the received data.