Systems and methods for supporting multi-language display view capabilities in a process control plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11704010-B2
Application number	US-201816131694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

Techniques for configuring and presenting multiple languages at a user interface executing in an operating environment of a process plant include configuring, in a configuration environment, a multi-language interface object to indicate a plurality of languages that may be presented at the user interface. The multi-language interface object includes a parameter whose value is changeable, within the operating environment, to indicate a desired language that is to be presented on the user interface. A configuration of the graphical display view that references the configured multi-language interface object is downloaded into the operating environment. Thus, during runtime, changes in the language utilized at the user interface are implemented without any additional downloads from or communications with the configuration environment. Independently selectable user controls may be provided to independently control the language utilized by fixtures of the user interface and the language in which graphical display view content is presented.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for configuring a graphical display view of a process plant to utilize multiple languages, the method comprising:
configuring, via a user interface of a computing device executing a graphical configuration application in a configuration environment of the process plant, a multi-language interface object to indicate and control which desired one or more languages of a plurality of languages that the graphical display view, while executing in an operating environment of the process plant, is able to present at a user interface device, the multi-language interface object including a first language parameter of which a first language parameter value is independently changeable in the operating environment to indicate a first desired language, of the plurality of languages, in which fixtures of the graphical display view are to be presented and a second language parameter of which a second language parameter value is independently changeable in the operating environment to indicate a second desired language in which contents of the graphical display view are to be presented; and
downloading, via the graphical configuration application of the configuration environment into the user interface device for execution in the operating environment, the configured multi-language interface object and a configuration of the graphical display view, wherein the configuration of the graphical display view references the first language parameter and the second language parameter of the downloaded multi-language interface object within the operating environment so that the graphical display view, during runtime execution at the user interface device, (i) presents the fixtures of the graphical display view using a first respective language indicated by a first current language parameter value, currently selected in the operating environment, of the first language parameter of the multi-language interface object, (ii) simultaneously presents, in conjunction with the presentation of the fixtures of the graphical display view in the first respective language, the contents of the graphical display view using a second respective language indicated by a second current language parameter value, currently selected in the operating environment, of the second language parameter of the multi-language interface object, and (iii) presents respective, repeatedly updated indications of one or more process values that are generated by one or more control elements while executing in the operating environment to control a process at the process plant.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring, via the user interface of the computing device executing the graphical configuration application, a multi-language string object to define support, in one or more languages of the plurality of languages, for the at least one text string included in the graphical display view; and
downloading an instance of the configured multi-language string object into the user interface device,
wherein the configuration of the graphical display view comprises a published configuration of the graphical display view that references the multi-language interface object and the insta nce of the configured multi-language string object.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the instance of the configured multi-language string object is included in the published configuration of the graphical display view.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein configuring the multi-language string object to define support, in the one or more languages of the plurality of languages, for the at least one text string included in the graphical display view comprises configuring the multi-language string object to define support, in the one or more languages of the plurality of languages, for a particular text string that is to be displayed on a graphical display element included in the graphical display view.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the graphical display view comprises a published configuration of the graphical display view that includes support for each language of the plurality of languages.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein an operator application executing at the user interface device includes a selectable language user control that is configured to, responsive to a selection of a third desired language via the selectable user control, update the second current language parameter value to a respective language para meter value indicative of the third desired language.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
configuring, via the graphical configuration application, a display view object defining the graphical display view to reference the multi-language interface object, and
downloading, via the graphical configuration application, the configured display view object from the configuration environment into the user interface device for execution in the operating environment of the process plant so that the graphical display view updates, during runtime execution at the user interface device and exclusive of any communication with the configuration environment, the respective language utilized by the contents of the graphical display view responsive to selections indicated via the selectable language user control.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the display view object defines a display element to be presented on the graphical display view;
the display element is linked to a respective control element included in the one or more control elements;
the display element includes a respective text string, the respective text string linked to a multi-language string object that is configurable in the configuration environment to present the respective text string in the respective language indicated by the updated second current language parameter value; and
the respective text string includes at least one of (i) the one or more process values that are generated by the respective control elements, or (ii) respective descriptions of the display element.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the display element is configured to reference (i) the second language parameter of the multi-language interface object within the operating environment, and (ii) the multi-language string object for a respective language indicated by a language para meter value of the referenced second language parameter to obtain a text string of the respective language.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the method further comprises independently selecting the first language parameter value and the second language parameter value responsive to respective selections of respective selectable language user controls.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
an operator application executing the graphical display view at the user interface device is configured to, within the operating environment, reference the first current language parameter value of the first language parameter of the multi-language interface object and access the downloaded configuration of the graphical display view for the first respective language corresponding to the first current language parameter value of the first language parameter to thereby present fixtures included in the operator application using the first respective language corresponding to the first current language para meter value of the first language parameter; and
the graphical display view is configured to, within the operating environment, reference the second current language parameter value of the second language parameter of the multi-language interface object and access the downloaded configuration of the graphical display view for the second respective language corresponding to the second current

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Naidoo Julian K
• Strinden Daniel R
• Havekost Robert B
• Noah Drew Thomas
• Coffman Roberta

Classifications

• G06T11/26

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G05B19/41845

  characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity · CPC title

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G05B19/41835

  characterised by program execution · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title