Apparatus and method for providing a pan and zoom display for a representation of a process system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9240164-B2
Application number	US-201313779154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2013
Priority date	Feb 27, 2013
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A method includes displaying regions in a graphical display. At least two regions correspond to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system. A thumbnail region corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system. A viewport region corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system less than the entirety of the representation of the process system. The viewport region is disposed and movable within the thumbnail region. A current view region corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system. The current view is associated with the viewport region. The method also includes, responsive to user activation, moving the viewport region within the thumbnail region and updating the current view region. The thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside the viewport region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
displaying a plurality of regions in a graphical display, at least two of the regions corresponding to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system, wherein the regions include:
a thumbnail region that corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system, wherein the thumbnail region comprises a thumbnail viewport identifying a first viewable area defined by a boundary disposed and movable within the thumbnail region that corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system that is less than the entirety of the representation of the process system; and
a current view region that corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system, wherein the current view is an enlarged view of the first viewable area defined by the thumbnail viewport, and wherein the current view region comprises a clickable hyperlink hotspot that defines a current viewport defining a second viewable area;

responsive to a first user activation, moving the thumbnail viewport within the thumbnail region and updating the current view region; and
when the clickable hyperlink hotspot is selected, displaying the second viewable area in the current view region and adding a nested region configured to display the first viewable area, wherein the nested region comprises the current viewport;
wherein the thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside of the current view and the thumbnail viewport.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to a second user activation, resizing visual indicia associated with the process system within the current view region.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
responsive to the second user activation, resizing the boundary of the thumbnail viewport.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and
resizing the boundary of the thumbnail viewport comprises enlarging or shrinking the boundary of the thumbnail viewport by an amount that is inversely proportional to the amount of zoom.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and
resizing the visual indicia within the current view region comprises enlarging or shrinking the visual indicia within the current view region by an amount that is proportional to the amount of zoom.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
subscribing to operational data associated with visual indicia displayed in the current view region; and
upon updating the current view region, unsubscribing from operational data associated with visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
upon updating the current view region, remaining subscribed to fault condition data for the visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fault condition indicator comprises at least one alarm icon.

9. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processing device configured to generate a graphical display comprising a plurality of regions, at least two of the regions corresponding to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system, wherein the regions include:
a thumbnail region that corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system, wherein the thumbnail region comprises a thumbnail viewport identifying a first viewable area defined by a boundary disposed and movable within the thumbnail region that corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system that is less than the entirety of the representation of the process system; and
a current view region that corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system, wherein the current view is an enlarged view of the first viewable area defined by the thumbnail viewport, and wherein the current view region comprises a clickable hyperlink hotspot that defines a current viewport defining a second viewable area;

wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, responsive to a first user activation, to move the thumbnail viewport within the thumbnail region and to update the current view region;
wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, when the clickable hyperlink hotspot is selected, to display the second viewable area in the current view region and add a nested region configured to display the first viewable area, wherein the nested region comprises the current viewport; and
wherein the thumbnail region is configured to identify at least one fault condition indicator outside of the current view and the thumbnail viewport.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, responsive to a second user activation, to resize visual indicia associated with the process system within the current view region.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, responsive to the second user activation, to resize the boundary of the thumbnail viewport.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and
the at least one processing device is configured to enlarge or shrink the boundary of the thumbnail viewport by an amount that is inversely proportional to the amount of zoom.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the second user activation defines an amount of zoom; and
the at least one processing device is configured to enlarge or shrink the visual indicia within the current view region by an amount that is proportional to the amount of zoom.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to:
subscribe to operational data associated with visual indicia displayed in the current view region; and
upon updating the current view region, unsubscribe from operational data associated with visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured, upon updating the current view region, to remain subscribed to fault condition data for the visual indicia no longer displayed in the current view region.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one fault condition indicator comprises at least one alarm icon.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to:
generate a graphical display having a plurality of regions, at least two of the regions corresponding to different portions of a representation of an industrial process system, wherein the regions include:
a thumbnail region that corresponds to an entirety of the representation of the process system, wherein the thumbnail region comprises a thumbnail viewport identifying a first viewable area defined by a boundary disposed and movable within the thumbnail region that corresponds to a portion of the representation of the process system that is less than the entirety of the representation of the process system; and
a current view region that corresponds to a current view of the representation of the process system, wherein the current view is an enlarged view of the first viewable area defined by the thumbnail viewport, and wherein the current view region comprises a clickable hyperlink hotspot that defines a current viewport

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Cupitt David James
• Spear James
• Laycock Graeme
• Duncanson Ian

Classifications

• G06T11/26

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G09G5/14 Primary

  Display of multiple viewports · CPC title

• G06T3/40

  Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• G05B2219/31472

  Graphical display of process · CPC title