Systems and methods for graphical display configuration design verification in a process plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054974-B2
Application number	US-201816121116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Techniques for assessing the completeness of a graphical display configuration of a process plant include receiving or obtaining a list of expected display views to be included in the draft of the process plant's graphical configuration or a portion thereof. For each expected display view, a graphical display configuration application obtains a list of expected control references corresponding to the display view and determines whether the control references are included in the display view, whether the control references are configured and stored in a control configuration database, and/or whether related display views corresponding to the control references are configured. The graphical display configuration application then generates a completeness assessment report indicating the control references which were not included in the corresponding display view, the control references which were not configured and stored in the control configuration database, and the related display views which were not configured.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for assessing completeness of a graphical display configuration of a process plant, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a computing device executing a graphical display configuration application in a configuration environment of the process plant, indications of a plurality of display views which combine to represent the process plant, each display view including indications of process control elements;
obtaining, by the graphical display configuration application, indications of sets of control or graphical references corresponding to the plurality of display views, wherein each set of control or graphical references corresponds to one of the plurality of display views, and wherein each control or graphical reference in the each set of control or graphical references refers to a process control element or display view element represented in the corresponding display view;
determining whether an indication of at least one control or graphical reference is included in the corresponding display view;
in response to determining that the indication of the at least one control or graphical reference is included in the corresponding first display view, determining whether the at least one control or graphical reference is stored in a control configuration database;
in response to determining that the at least one control or graphical reference is stored in the control configuration database, determining whether related display views or display view elements corresponding to the at least one control or graphical reference are included in the plurality of display views; and
presenting, by the graphical display configuration application, a completeness assessment report based on an analysis of each of the plurality of display views, the completeness assessment report indicating one or more warnings or errors in the plurality of display views, wherein the one or more warnings or errors are identified based on at least one of: (i) that an indication of the at least one control or graphical reference in the sets of control or graphical references is not included in the corresponding display view, (ii) that the at least one control or graphical reference in the sets of control or graphical references is not stored in the control configuration database, or (iii) that the related display views or display view elements corresponding to the at least one control or graphical reference in the sets of control or graphical references are not included in the plurality of display views.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a warning or error corresponding to the at least one control or graphical reference in response to determining that the indication of the at least one control or graphical reference is not included in the corresponding display view, that the at least one control or graphical reference is not stored in the control configuration database, or that the related display views or display view elements corresponding to the at least one control or graphical reference are not included in the plurality of display views.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the completeness assessment report includes for each of the one or more warnings or errors in the plurality of display views:
presenting an indication of a display view in which the each warning or error occurred;
presenting an indication of the at least one control or graphical reference corresponding to the each warning or error; and
presenting an explanation of the each warning or error.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
presenting an indication of a particular display view element of the display view at which the warning or error was discovered.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the completeness assessment report includes automatically generating and presenting the completeness assessment report, by the graphical display configuration application, in response to receiving a request to save one or more of the plurality of display views.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the indications of sets of control or graphical references corresponding to the plurality of display views includes obtaining the indications of sets of control or graphical references expected to be included in the plurality of display views.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the indication of the at least one control or graphical reference is included in the corresponding display view includes determining whether a display view element in the corresponding display view has been configured with the at least one control or graphical reference, or determining whether a function included in the corresponding display view indicates the at least one control or graphical reference.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the control reference refers to a control module, node, process control device, or signal transmitted or received by the control module, node, process control device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indications of the plurality of display views are obtained from a centralized graphical configuration database storing display view objects each defining a configuration of the respective display view.

10. A computing device for assessing completeness of a graphical display configuration of a process plant, the computing device comprising:
one or more processors;
a user interface;
a communication unit; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors, the user interface, and the communication unit, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a graphical display configuration application thereon executing in a configuration environment of the process plant that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing device to:
obtain indications of a plurality of display views which combine to represent the process plant, each display view including indications of process control elements;
obtain indications of sets of control or graphical references corresponding to the plurality of display views, wherein each set of control or graphical references corresponds to one of the plurality of display views, and wherein each control or graphical reference in the each set of control or graphical references refers to a process control element or display view element represented in the corresponding display view;
determine whether an indication of at least one control or graphical reference is included in the corresponding display view;
in response to determining that the indication of the at least one control or graphical reference is included in the corresponding display view, determining whether the at least one control or graphical reference is stored in a control configuration database;
in response to determining that the at least one control or graphical reference is stored in the control configuration database, determining whether related display views or display view elements corresponding to the at least one control or graphical reference are included in the plurality of display views; and
present, via the user interface, a completeness assessment report based on an analysis of each of the plurality of display views, the completeness assessment report indicating one or more warnings or errors in the plurality of display views, wherein the one or more warnings or errors are identified based on at least one of: (i) that an indication of the at least one control or graphical reference in the sets of control or graphical references is not included in the corresponding display view, (ii) that the at least one control or graphical reference in the sets of control or graphical references is not stored in the control configuration

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Naidoo Julian K
• Strinden Daniel R
• Uy Cristopher Ian Sarmiento
• Fadul Camilo
• Westbrock Jon
• Hammack Stephen G
• Noah Drew T

Classifications

• G06F11/3698

  Environments for analysis, debugging or testing of software · CPC title

• G05B19/409 Primary

  characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters (G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F11/32

  with visual {or acoustical} indication of the functioning of the machine · CPC title

• G06F3/04845 Primary

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06T2200/24

  involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] · CPC title