ICS Frontend System Drag-and-Drop Association with GIS Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial control system (ICS) frontend systems lack flexibility in handling user input data for identifying physical locations of ICS objects and retrieving their technical status, as they do not support drag and drop operations between ICS and GIS objects to automatically execute functions.
Innovation Solution
A frontend system for ICS that concurrently visualizes ICS and GIS views, allowing users to perform directed associating operations like drag and drop, multi-touch, or voice-controlled interactions to associate objects between views, with a processor component filtering and executing allowed operations to update visualization data and improve accessibility to ICS component status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional search box or predefined list methods are used to identify ICS objects, then system reliability is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to impractical user interaction patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a clipboard function as an intermediary between the user and the ICS objects. The clipboard acts as a temporary storage medium that holds object identifiers, allowing users to paste them into search boxes without directly typing or navigating through lists. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the interaction pattern while maintaining system reliability by ensuring accurate object identification through clipboard-based transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-copying object identifiers to the clipboard before the user needs to search for them. The clipboard function automatically stores the identifier when the user selects an object, so that the identification action is already prepared and ready for pasting into the search box, reducing the steps the user must take.
2Adaptability or versatility
If drag and drop operations are implemented between ICS and GIS objects, then adaptability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal associating operation that handles multiple interaction patterns (drag and drop, multi-touch gestures, voice commands) through a single unified mechanism. This multi-functional approach allows the system to adapt to different user preferences and input methods without requiring separate complex handling logic for each interaction type, thereby improving adaptability while managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the system recognize and differentiate between multiple input gestures (drag, multi-touch, voice), the patent inverts the approach by having the user explicitly initiate an associating operation that is then interpreted in the context of the target view. The system waits for the user to indicate the intent to associate, then determines the specific operation type, simplifying the recognition logic while maintaining versatility.
3Ease of operation
If multiple interaction patterns are supported for object association, then ease of operation improves, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an associating operation as an intermediary step between the user's input gesture and the system's interpretation. Rather than directly detecting and differentiating between drag, multi-touch, or voice commands, the system uses the associating operation as a mediator that standardizes the input flow. The user performs the gesture, the associating operation captures and standardizes it, then the system processes the standardized input, reducing the complexity of detection and measurement.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A frontend system (100) of an industrial control system (170) includes a visualization component (110) configured to concurrently visualize a functional ICS view (117) and a further functional view (118). The functional ICS view (117) is representative of ICS data (171) associated with the industrial control system (170). The further functional view (1 18) is either a further functional ICS view which is representative of ICS data associated with the industrial control system (170) or is a functional GIS view which is representative of GIS data (181) associated with a geographic information system (180). The functional views (117, 118) are configured to perform a function in response to an associating event. The system further has a data input component (120) configured to receive input data from a user, the input data indicating a directed associating operation (10, 20) between the functional ICS view (117) and the further functional view (118). A processor component (130) of the system is configured to launch the associating event in response to the received input data if the directed associating operation is allowed. If the directed associating operation (10) is directed from at least one object of the further functional view (118) to the functional ICS view (117), the function associated with the functional ICS view (117) is performed based on one or more properties of the at least one object of the further functional view (118). if the directed associating operation (20) is directed from at least one ICS object of the functional ICS view (117) to the further functional view (118), the function associated with the further functional view (118) is performed based on properties of the at least one ICS object. Finally, visualization data of the functional views (117, 118) is updated according to the performed function.