Mobile Control Session Continuity Across Process Plant Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current process control systems in plants face limitations such as data archiving issues due to memory constraints, inefficient communication, and data silo structures, leading to cumbersome workflows and inaccurate data for troubleshooting and predictive modeling.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of context-aware mobile user interface devices that cooperate with expert systems and big data systems to facilitate efficient operation and maintenance by enabling seamless data access, workflow management, and collaboration, allowing for the initiation and resumption of user sessions across devices and locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If data is archived in centralized databases with limited memory, then data storage is achieved, but data accessibility and retrieval efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized database into distributed data storage across multiple user interface devices, servers, and locations. Each device maintains relevant data locally while connected to the broader system through the data highway, eliminating the single-point bottleneck of centralized storage and enabling parallel data access from multiple locations simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to data storage by distributing data across multiple physical locations and devices rather than confining it to a single centralized database. This multi-dimensional storage architecture allows operators to access data from any location in the plant, transforming the data access model from centralized-sequential to distributed-parallel.
2Ease of operation
If control systems use centralized hardware devices in control rooms, then administrative control is improved, but operator mobility and on-site responsiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes user interface devices universal by enabling multiple device types (workstations, mobile devices, tablets) to perform the same process control functions. Any device can serve as a control interface, monitoring station, or configuration tool, eliminating the functional limitations of location-specific hardware and enabling operators to perform administrative tasks from anywhere in the plant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static, location-fixed control interface into a dynamic system where control capabilities move with the operator. Mobile user interface devices enable operators to dynamically relocate their control station to wherever they are needed in the plant, adapting the control system's physical presence to operational requirements in real-time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mobile user interface devices are implemented, then operator mobility and on-site access are improved, but session continuity and data consistency across devices deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuous user session state across device transitions by implementing persistent session management. When operators switch between workstations, mobile devices, or tablets, their session context (including active displays, alarm states, and configuration work) is automatically maintained and transferred, eliminating interruptions and ensuring unbroken workflow continuity across the entire device ecosystem.
Data Source
AI summary
User interface sessions in a user interface device are initiated or resumed according to stored state data. A session request is received from a first client device. A user profile associated with the session request is identified and a determination made as to whether a previous session exists. If no previous session exists, a new session is instantiated using a default session configuration. If a previous session exists, a new session is instantiated according to the previous session.