Unified Industrial Plant Network Visualization System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for industrial plants visualize only selected parts of technical equipment based on functional aspects, requiring users to switch between different views or windows to access comprehensive network communication topology, which is inefficient and labor-intensive for updates.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that integrates visualization of all network devices and communication connections within a single graphical interface, using a data processing unit to transform device and network data into displayable information, showing geographical locations, physical and logical connections, and communication paths, allowing a unified view of the industrial plant's communication network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate tools are used for different technical aspects (DCS, electrical power supply, monitoring), then each tool can provide specialized functionality, but multiple separate GUIs are required and users must switch between them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate visualization tools (DCS, electrical power supply, monitoring) into a single unified graphical interface that displays all technical equipment and communication networks simultaneously. This consolidation eliminates the need for users to switch between multiple separate GUIs while preserving the specialized functionality of each tool through integrated visualization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified graphical interface serves multiple functions simultaneously: it visualizes process control equipment, electrical power supply systems, monitoring devices, and communication networks all in one view. This multi-functional approach allows a single GUI to replace multiple specialized tools while maintaining adaptability to different technical aspects.
2Ease of manufacture
If each tool visualizes only its own data in separate windows, then data representation is simple, but comprehensive network topology requires switching between multiple views
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate data visualizations into a single integrated graphical display that shows all network devices, communication connections, and technical equipment simultaneously. This merging eliminates the time required to switch between multiple separate windows while maintaining clear and simple data representation through unified visualization.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual updates are performed for each separate view, then each visualization can be customized, but updates are labor-intensive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The unified graphical interface automatically updates itself by retrieving current status information from the technical equipment and communication networks. This self-updating capability eliminates the need for manual updates while maintaining customization, as the system automatically reflects changes in network topology and device status without user intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary system and method for displaying technical equipment of an industrial plant includes a graphical display unit and a user interface for receiving image handling parameters. A data storing unit provides data relating to the technical equipment in the form of device data and network data describing a communication network of the industrial plant. The device data describes network devices which are all connected to the communication network and belong to the industrial plant, and the network data describes all the communication connections between the network devices. A data processing unit is arranged for retrieving the provided data, transforming all the device data and all the network data into displayable information, and providing the image representations together with other displayable information to the graphical display unit. The graphical display unit is arranged to display the image representations and other displayable information according to the image handling parameters.