Touchscreen Priority Matrix for Industrial Fault Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In industrial control rooms, operators face challenges in efficiently identifying and rectifying fault reports due to the complexity of visualizing and managing technical data across separate display areas, which hinders quick assessment and processing of priority fault messages.
Innovation Solution
A user interface featuring a two-dimensional matrix with touch-sensitive display areas sorted by priority and plant parts, combined with a logical view of the industrial installation, allows for the prioritization and localization of fault reports, enabling operators to quickly identify and address critical issues by selecting and controlling system parts through intuitive user guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If fault messages are displayed in separate display areas according to information sources, then each fault message can be visualized, but the operator cannot quickly identify and prioritize fault messages among large amounts of information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a two-dimensional matrix layout where fault messages are organized by priority levels (rows) and plant components (columns). This dimensional transformation allows operators to simultaneously view multiple fault messages with different priorities and components in a structured grid, enabling quick identification of critical issues without scrolling through separate display areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments fault messages into distinct priority levels (e.g., high, medium, low priority) and plant components, displaying each segment in specific matrix cells. This segmentation allows operators to focus on high-priority faults first while maintaining awareness of lower-priority issues, improving fault processing efficiency through hierarchical organization.
2Loss of information
If multiple fault messages are displayed separately, then complete information is provided, but the operator faces difficulty in analyzing and prioritizing the fault messages
Solution Approach 1:
The matrix display adds dimensional organization to fault message presentation, with priority levels forming one dimension and plant components forming another. This dimensional structure automatically performs analysis and prioritization by visual grouping, reducing the cognitive load on operators while preserving complete fault message information in the appropriate matrix cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by giving different visual characteristics to different priority levels and plant components within the matrix. High-priority faults may be displayed with distinctive colors or positioning, allowing operators to quickly identify critical issues without analyzing all fault messages equally, thus easing the analysis process while maintaining information completeness.
3Loss of information
If a comprehensive view of all fault messages is provided, then all information is available, but the operator cannot quickly assess the condition of the industrial plant
Solution Approach 1:
The two-dimensional matrix transforms comprehensive fault message data into a visually accessible format where priority and component information are simultaneously displayed. Operators can assess plant condition at a glance by scanning the matrix for high-priority faults in critical components, reducing assessment time while maintaining access to all fault message data through the structured display.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary organization and prioritization of fault messages before presentation to the operator. By pre-sorting faults into priority levels and plant components in the matrix structure, the system eliminates the need for operators to manually analyze and prioritize faults, enabling rapid plant condition assessment while preserving complete fault information.
4Productivity
If fault messages are organized by priority and plant component, then quick identification is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While the matrix structure adds organizational complexity, it actually simplifies the operator's task by providing intuitive visual cues. The two-dimensional arrangement with priority rows and component columns creates a familiar grid pattern that is easier to scan than unstructured lists, improving identification speed without significantly increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The matrix display serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays all fault messages, organizes them by priority and component, enables quick identification, and provides a structured overview of plant condition. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate displays or manual sorting operations, ultimately simplifying the overall system despite the organized structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
Technical installation data are visually preprocessed in a targeted manner in a control room or on a tablet with a touchscreen in mobile use by presenting a priority matrix. For this purpose, the interference messages are sorted, for example, horizontally with descending priority from left to right and vertically according to the installation part and are output. This largely relieves an operator of analysis and prioritization of the interference messages. The operator can therefore identify, locate and eliminate the most important interference messages in a shorter time. The number of priorities and installation parts considered is flexible since the matrix can be scaled to a wide variety of installation types, installation sizes and processes. All technical installation data relevant to assessing the situation are combined in one view. A second display area with a logical view is used to provide an overview of the complete industrial installation. Overview and detailed information is advantageously combined in this combined presentation, as a result of which the operator can analyse the interference messages more efficiently and can easily and quickly assess the state of the industrial installation.