Method and device for monitoring and controlling an industrial process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9720402-B2
Application number	US-201314759626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2013
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for facilitating monitoring and control of an industrial process by means of a portable device comprising a projector arranged to project process graphics associated with process components of the industrial process. The method comprises a) obtaining, by means of the portable device, process component identification data of a process component; b) obtaining distance data for determining a distance between the portable device and the process component; and c) obtaining a process graphics image based on the process component identification data and the distance data for projection by the portable device, wherein the process graphics image is associated with a portion of the industrial process comprising the process component, and wherein information contained in the process graphics image is based on the distance between the portable device and the process component. The present disclosure further relates to a computer program and to a portable device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating monitoring and control of an industrial process by means of a portable device comprising a projector arranged to project process graphics associated with process components of the industrial process, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
a) obtaining, by means of the portable device, process component identification data of a process component;
b) obtaining distance data for determining a distance between the portable device and the process component;
c) obtaining a process graphics image based on the process component identification data and the distance data for projection by the portable device, wherein the process graphics image is associated with a portion of the industrial process comprising the process component, and wherein information contained in the process graphics image is based on the distance between the portable device and the process component; and
d) obtaining an orientation of the projector of the portable device relative to the process component, wherein in the step c) the information contained in the process graphics image is further based on the obtained orientation,
wherein the step d) of obtaining an orientation of the projector of the portable device relative to the process component determines which portion of the process graphics describing the industrial process and containing a representation of the process component is obtained in the process graphics image in the step c).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of determining a size of the process graphics image based on the obtained distance.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising the step of obtaining data from a tag arranged on the process component, wherein the step of obtaining the distance is based on the data obtained from the tag.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the step a) of obtaining comprises obtaining identification data from a tag arranged on the process component.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of obtaining data from a tag arranged on the process component, wherein the step of obtaining the distance is based on the data obtained from the tag.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the step a) of obtaining comprises obtaining identification data from a tag arranged on the process component.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising the step of comparing a size of the tag with a reference size of a tag based on the data obtained from the tag arranged on the process component.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the step a) of obtaining comprises obtaining identification data from a tag arranged on the process component.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step a) of obtaining comprises obtaining identification data from a tag arranged on the process component.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step d) of obtaining the orientation of the projector of the portable device relative to the process component comprises obtaining data from a tag arranged on the process component, wherein the orientation is obtained based on the data obtained from the tag.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising the step of comparing a location of the tag with a tag of a reference model of the process component based on the data obtained from the tag arranged on the process component.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of projecting the process graphics image onto the process component.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of obtaining a selection, via the portable device, of a representation of the process component displayed in the process graphics image.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising the step of obtaining a user command and controlling the process component based on the user command.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the process graphics image provided in the step c) depicts a larger portion of the process graphics describing the industrial process the greater the distance between the portable device and the process component is.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of displaying a cursor in the process graphics image projected, allowing a user of the portable device to move the cursor in the process graphics image and to select objects displayed therein by interacting with an input unit of the portable device.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out by the portable device.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out by a control system of the industrial process.

19. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer-executable components for causing a portable device to perform the steps recited in claim 1 when the computer-executable components are run on a processor included in the portable device.

20. A portable device for facilitating monitoring and control of an industrial process, wherein the portable device comprises:
a projector; and
a processor comprising computer executable components arranged to perform the steps of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Abb Technology Ltd
• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Vartiainen Elina
• Boberg Peder
• Qvarnström Oskar

Classifications

• G05B19/418 Primary

  Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] · CPC title

• Y02P90/22

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G05B2219/36167

  Use camera of handheld device, pda, pendant, head mounted display · CPC title

• G05B19/41875 Primary

  characterised by quality surveillance of production · CPC title

• G05B2219/32014

  Augmented reality assists operator in maintenance, repair, programming, assembly, use of head mounted display with 2-D 3-D display and voice feedback, voice and gesture command · CPC title