Wireless Interface for Process Control Instruments
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional process control systems in industrial facilities require physical user interfaces for accessing and configuring equipment, which increases costs, size, and complexity, and complicates secure and convenient access.
Innovation Solution
A wireless device is used to present a graphical user interface to users for configuring process control instruments, allowing configuration settings to be transmitted wirelessly for reconfiguration, eliminating the need for physical interfaces and enabling secure, convenient access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical user interfaces (keyboards and displays) are included in process control instruments, then operators can directly access and configure equipment, but equipment size, cost, and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the user interface functionality from the process control instrument itself and places it on a separate mobile computing device. The process control instrument retains only the essential control and processing functions, while the mobile device provides the graphical user interface, keyboard, and display capabilities. This separation eliminates the need for physical interfaces at the instrument level, reducing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile computing device serves multiple functions: it acts as a user interface for the process control instrument, provides configuration capabilities, enables monitoring, and can be used to access multiple different instruments. This multi-functional approach replaces dedicated physical interfaces at each instrument with a single versatile device.
2Adaptability or versatility
If physical user interfaces are installed at each process control instrument, then configuration is possible, but cost and equipment size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a virtual representation of the process control instrument's interface on the mobile device's display rather than physical hardware interfaces. The graphical user interface replicates the necessary configuration and monitoring functions in software, eliminating the need for physical keyboards, displays, and buttons at each instrument location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical physical interfaces (keyboards, buttons, physical displays) with wireless electronic communication and software-based graphical interfaces. Configuration data is transmitted electronically between the mobile device and the process control instrument, eliminating mechanical components.
3Ease of operation
If wireless communication is used to access process control instruments, then access is convenient and secure, but requires proximity to instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wireless communication intermediary that enables data transmission between the mobile device and the process control instrument. This intermediary layer facilitates secure communication while maintaining the benefits of wireless access, allowing configuration and monitoring without physical connection while managing the proximity requirement through wireless signal transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes moving a wireless device into communication range of a process control instrument in an industrial process system. The method also includes presenting to a user, at the wireless device, a graphical user interface associated with the process control instrument. The method further includes receiving from the user one or more configuration settings associated with the process control instrument. In addition, the method includes transmitting information identifying the one or more configuration settings to the process control instrument in order to reconfigure the process control instrument. The method could optionally include presenting to the user, at the wireless device, a second graphical user interface when the wireless device is used to perform a function unrelated to interacting with the process control instrument. Here, the graphical user interface associated with the process control instrument could be presented in response to the wireless device detecting the process control instrument.