Process Trend Visualization Using Min-Max Secondary Alarms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing visualization methods for industrial process data fail to reliably display trend curves when the display period is too large, leading to missed process alarms and distorted predictions due to the formation of mean or median values, which obscures the identification of secondary alarms.
Innovation Solution
A visualization method that determines the minimum and maximum values of process data points during the acquisition period and displays secondary alarms if these values exceed predetermined thresholds, allowing for more accurate prediction and immediate identification of process alarms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the display period is increased to show longer-term trends, then the overview of process development is improved, but the reliability of alarm detection deteriorates due to data smoothing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the process data into multiple acquisition periods within the display period, calculating minimum and maximum values for each segment. This segmentation preserves extreme values that would otherwise be smoothed out in a single aggregate calculation, enabling reliable alarm detection while maintaining long-term trend visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to the trend curve by displaying minimum and maximum values as separate visual elements (e.g., error bars or shaded regions) alongside the mean/median trend line. This dimensional enhancement allows operators to simultaneously perceive central tendency and extreme values without compromising either trend overview or alarm detection.
2Ease of operation
If mean or median values are used to smooth process data, then the trend curve becomes more readable, but the identification of secondary alarms deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the display period into multiple acquisition periods and calculating min/max for each segment, the patent preserves precise extreme value information that would be lost in overall smoothing, enabling accurate secondary alarm identification while maintaining readable trend visualization through aggregated statistics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different parts of the data representation: mean/median values provide smooth trend readability, while minimum and maximum values provide precise alarm detection capability. This local differentiation allows each data aspect to serve its optimal function.
3Device complexity
If the acquisition period is increased to reduce data points, then the display complexity is reduced, but the detection of process extremes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the acquisition process into multiple smaller periods within the overall display period. Each segment calculates minimum and maximum values, preserving extreme detection precision even when the overall display period is long. This segmentation approach reduces display complexity by aggregating data while maintaining precision through segment-level statistics.
Data Source
AI summary
Industrial technical plant controlled and monitored by a process control, wherein a visualization system requests a history of selected process datum for that display period from a process control system and outputs the associated profile as a graphic forming process data points, where the visualization system determines the particular process data point as the average or median of the values of the selected process datum in a collection period characteristic of the particular process data point and where, for the particular process data point, the visualization system also determines the minimum and/or the maximum values of the selected process datum during the collection period such that whenever the minimum is below a predefined minimum value and/or the maximum exceeds a predefined maximum value, the visualization system indicates, together with the particular process data point, a secondary alarm not set by the process control system, but set by the visualization system.