Tabbed Interface for Industrial Control System Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems face challenges in efficiently navigating large amounts of information, leading to operator fatigue and potential errors due to limited time and context sensitivity, with existing navigation methods requiring significant engineering effort or system resources.
Innovation Solution
A method for an industrial control system that utilizes a designated view with graphic user interface objects, such as tabs, to quickly switch between process control interfaces, maintaining data in memory for efficient access and reducing resource load, allowing multiple windows to be open simultaneously for improved navigation and task completion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all child window objects including graphics are loaded at runtime, then complete information is available for all interfaces, but processor, display and system resources are heavily loaded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent loads and maintains objects for all child windows in memory during the initialization phase (design time) rather than at runtime. This preliminary action ensures that all information is pre-loaded and ready for immediate access, eliminating the need to load graphics and objects when the user actually needs them, thus reducing runtime resource consumption while maintaining complete information availability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple process control interfaces are displayed simultaneously in separate windows, then operators can access multiple views, but navigation between interfaces becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple process control interfaces into a single integrated window using a tabbed interface. Instead of requiring separate windows for each interface, multiple interfaces are combined within one window, allowing operators to switch between views by selecting tabs. This eliminates the need to navigate between multiple separate windows, significantly reducing navigation time while maintaining the ability to access multiple process control interfaces simultaneously.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional navigation methods with multiple separate windows are used, then each interface can be fully displayed, but operator fatigue increases and decision-making slows down
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a traditional multi-window spatial arrangement to a tabbed interface within a single window. This represents a dimensional change in the user interface organization, where multiple interfaces that would traditionally require separate window spaces are now organized in a different dimension (tabs) within the same window space. This allows full interface information to be maintained while dramatically improving ease of operation by eliminating window switching overhead and reducing operator fatigue.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing an improved user navigation interface for an industrial control system. The system includes a computer and a display device and a computer implemented workplace application. The system also includes a plurality of process control interfaces displayed on the display device. The process control interfaces include one or more software objects for controlling and/or monitoring objects controlled by the control system. The method includes displaying in the user interface a set of the process control interfaces generated by one instance of the workplace application in a designated view that includes a corresponding set of graphic user interface objects. Each graphic user interface object identifies and, on selection, displays the corresponding the process control interface. By selecting a first or second graphic user interface objects, a user can switch between a display of a first process control interface and a display of the second process control interface provided by the same instance of the workplace application. A graphic user interface, a system and a computer program for carrying out the method are also described.