Preview mode for configuration logic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11092939-B2
Application number	US-201916594336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2019
Priority date	Oct 7, 2019
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

The described techniques enable plant personnel to avoid the time and labor-intensive process associated with traditional design systems by enabling users to design, test, and “preview” control logic for controlling a process before downloading the control logic to a configuration database or process controller in the plant. This enables the quick testing and improvement of control logic during the design phase, avoiding the time-consuming iterative process of designing, downloading to a database, propagating to a live controller, and testing on the physical controller. It also separates testing of logic and non-logic aspects of a controller configuration, enabling a user to finish designing the control logic before downloading the configuration to the controller, where she only needs to test non-logic aspects of the configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more field devices;
a process controller coupled to the one or more field devices;
a user interface device coupled to the process controller, the user interface device configured to:
display a GUI for designing controller configurations, the GUI including a canvas area;
detect user input representing a user placing a set of graphic representations of function blocks in the canvas area;
generate a draft control routine for a draft controller configuration, wherein the draft control routine includes a plurality of function blocks corresponding to the set of graphic representations, each of the plurality of function blocks including (i) at least one input for receiving values from a parameter set via the GUI, from a one of the one or more field devices, or from a one of the other function blocks; and (ii) at least one output for transmitting values to a one of the one or more field devices or to a one of the other function blocks;
implement a preview mode by: (i) configuring at least one of the plurality of function blocks to receive a control input from a one of the one or more field devices; (ii) executing the draft control routine in a sandbox environment; and (iii) displaying one or more values of one or more parameters utilized or impacted by the draft control routine to enable the user to monitor the draft control routine during execution; and
in response to detecting a user interaction with an element of the GUI indicating that the draft controller configuration is finalized: transmit the draft controller configuration, including the draft control routine, so that the process controller can receive the draft controller configuration and be configured to operate in accordance with the draft controller configuration.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface device is further configured to:
(i) detect user input representing a command to inject a new value for an input or output of a function block in the draft control routine; and
(ii) inject the new value by overriding a current value carried by the input or output so that the input or output instead carries the new value.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface device is further configured to:
modify, based on user input, one or more logic parameters for control logic implemented by the plurality of function blocks when the draft control routine is executed.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the user interface device is configured to modify the one or more logic parameters during the preview mode while the draft control routine is being executed.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface device is configured to transmit the draft controller configuration by: transmitting the draft controller configuration to a configuration database from which the draft controller configuration is propagated to the process controller.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface device is further configured to:
download a current controller configuration from the process controller, the current controller configuration including a current control routine;
implement a second preview mode by (i) executing the current control routine; and (ii) displaying values of one or more parameters utilized by the current control routine to enable monitoring of the current control routine during execution and to enable comparison to the draft control routine.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the process controller is a first process controller from a plurality of controllers;
wherein the user interface device is further configured to detect user input indicating that the draft controller configuration should be assigned to the first process controller;
in response to detecting the user input indicating that the draft controller configuration should be assigned to the first process controller: assigning the draft controller configuration to the first process controller.

8. A method comprising:
displaying, at a user interface device, a GUI for designing controller configurations, the GUI including a canvas area;
detecting, at the user interface device, user input representing a set of graphic representations of function blocks placed in the canvas area;
generating, by the user interface device, a draft control routine for a draft controller configuration for a process controller, wherein the draft control routine includes a plurality of function blocks corresponding to the set of graphic representations, each of the plurality of function blocks including (i) at least one input for receiving values from a field device or from a one of the other function blocks; and (ii) at least one output for transmitting values to a field device or to one of the other function blocks;
implementing a preview mode by: (i) configuring at least one of the plurality of function blocks to receive a control input from a field device; (ii) executing the draft control routine in a sandbox environment; and (iii) displaying values of one or more parameters utilized or impacted by the draft control routine to enable monitoring of the draft control routine during execution; and
in response to detecting a user interaction with an element of the GUI indicating that the draft controller configuration is finalized: transmitting the draft controller configuration, including the draft control routine, so that the process controller can receive the draft controller configuration and be configured to operate in accordance with the draft controller configuration.

9. The method of claim 8 , further including:
(i) detecting user input representing a command to inject a new value for an input or output of a function block in the draft control routine; and
(ii) injecting the new value by overriding a current value carried by the input or output so that the input or output instead carries the new value.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
modifying, based on user input, one or more logic parameters for control logic implemented by the plurality of function blocks when the draft control routine is executed.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein modifying the one or more logic parameters includes modifying the one or more logic parameters during the preview mode while the draft control routine is being executed.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user interface device is configured to transmit the draft controller configuration by: transmitting the draft controller configuration to a configuration database from which the draft controller configuration is propagated to the process controller.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
implementing a second preview mode by (i) executing a current control routine of a current controller configuration downloaded from the process controller; and (ii) displaying values of one or more parameters utilized by the current control routine to enable monitoring of the current control routine during execution and to enable comparison to the draft control routine.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the process controller is a first process controller from a plurality of controllers and wherein the method further comprises:
detecting user input indicating that the draft controller configuration should be assigned to the first process controller;
in response to detecting the user input indicating that the draft controller configuration should be assigned to the first process controller: assigning the draft controller configuration to the first process controller.

15. A system comprising:
one or more field devices;
a process controller coupled to the se

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Naidoo Julian K
• Uy Cristopher Ian Sarmiento
• Joshi Prashant
• Strinden Daniel R

Classifications

• G06F11/3698

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

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G05B19/0426 Primary

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title

• G06F11/3013 Primary

  where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems (testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02) · CPC title

• G06F11/3672

  Test management · CPC title