Operator Station Visualization for Granular Image Loading Status
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guiding systems for technical systems, such as manufacturing or process plants, lack the ability to convey the loading status of system images to operators, leading to potential misinterpretations and incorrect decisions due to incomplete or partially loaded images.
Innovation Solution
A guiding system that includes a visualization service trained to determine the transmission status of image elements from the operator station server to the operator station client and visually present this information to the operator, enabling them to understand when a system image is fully loaded and reliable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a heterogeneous plant display is used with multiple distributed applications, then adaptability and modularity are improved, but reliability and performance of the operator station client deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The plant display is segmented into multiple independent applications (alarm control, trend control, webcam control, etc.) that can be distributed on different servers. Each application is encapsulated in a container that can be independently loaded and managed by the operator station client, improving modularity while maintaining stability through isolated failure domains.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary service layer is introduced between the distributed applications and the operator station client. This service manages the loading, coordination, and error handling of multiple applications, shielding the client from the complexity and potential failures of the heterogeneous application architecture.
2Loss of information
If complex controls with archived diagnostic data are used, then information completeness is improved, but loading time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Archived diagnostic data is pre-processed and prepared for display before being requested by the operator. When a complex control element is activated, the system proactively retrieves and prepares the necessary archived data in the background, reducing the perceived loading time while ensuring complete information is available.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading of archived diagnostic data continues in the background without blocking the operator's interaction with the interface. The system maintains continuous data retrieval and processing operations, allowing the operator to continue other tasks while the data is being loaded, thus eliminating idle waiting time.
3Ease of operation
If no loading status indication is provided, then interface simplicity is improved, but operator decision reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Complex control elements are visually distinguished by color coding or graphical indicators that change based on their loading status. For example, elements may appear in gray while loading and transition to full color when complete, providing intuitive feedback without complicating the interface. This allows operators to quickly assess the reliability of displayed information at a glance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a control system (1) for a technical plant, in particular a process or manufacturing plant, which control system has an operator station server (2) and an operator station client (3), wherein the operator station server (2) is designed to transmit, for operation and monitoring, an image (15, 20) of the technical plant to the operator station client ((33)), the image (15, 20) comprising a plurality of image elements (16, 17), wherein the operator station client (3) is designed to visually display the image (15, 20) with the plurality of image elements (16, 17) to an operator of the technical plant, and wherein the control system (1) has a visualisation service (9a, 9b, 27), which, for a first part (9a), is implemented on the operator station server (2) and, for a second part (9b), is implemented on the operator station client (3). The control system (1) is characterised in that the visualisation service (9a, 9b, 27) is designed to determine information about an accumulated transmission status of the plurality of image elements (16, 17) from the operation station server (2) to the operator station client (3) and to visually display same to the operator of the control system (1), wherein the accumulated transmission status is a logical Boolean value.