Abstract: Graphical user interface (GUI) based systems and methods are disclosed for regionizing full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices. A regionizer application receives a full-size process plant display that graphically represents at least a portion of a process plant that includes graphic representations of a plurality of process plant entities. The regionizer app determines display region(s) of the full-size process plant display that define corresponding view portions of the full-size process plant display. The display regions are transmitted to a mobile user interface device for rendering by a mobile display navigation app. The GUI based systems and methods can also automatically detect graphical process control loop display portions within full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices.

Abstract: Graphical user interface (GUI) based systems and methods are disclosed for regionizing full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices. A regionizer application receives a full-size process plant display that graphically represents at least a portion of a process plant that includes graphic representations of a plurality of process plant entities. The regionizer app determines display region(s) of the full-size process plant display that define corresponding view portions of the full-size process plant display. The display regions are transmitted to a mobile user interface device for rendering by a mobile display navigation app. The GUI based systems and methods can also automatically detect graphical process control loop display portions within full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices.

Abstract: A method and a system facilitate remote commissioning of workstations for controlling, maintaining, and/or configuring process control field devices in a process control plant. Using a configuration workstation coupled to the workstation by a communication network, a user may specify a configuration for the workstation in software and, upon selecting the workstation for commissioning, can effect configuration of the workstation, according to the specified configuration, remotely from the configuration workstation. Effecting configuration of the workstation may include installing/updating an operating system, installing/updating an operator, maintenance, or configuration interface application, and/or installing/updating a process plant configuration. Upon completion of the configuration, the workstation is operable to communicate with a process controller to implement control, maintenance, and/or configuration of the process control plant.

Abstract: Graphical user interface (GUI) based systems and methods are disclosed for regionizing full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices. A regionizer application receives a full-size process plant display that graphically represents at least a portion of a process plant that includes graphic representations of a plurality of process plant entities. The regionizer app determines display region(s) of the full-size process plant display that define corresponding view portions of the full-size process plant display. The display regions are transmitted to a mobile user interface device for rendering by a mobile display navigation app. The GUI based systems and methods can also automatically detect graphical process control loop display portions within full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices.

Abstract: A graphical display configuration system of a process control system provides features within the configuration environment that allow a user to create, define, edit, and easily preview the runtime appearance and/or runtime behavior of graphical elements and/or graphical displays in-line with the configuration workflow of the user, without having to compile and/or download draft graphical configurations into the operating environment of a process plant supported by the process control system, and/or without requiring specialized scripts to be implemented within the operating environment of the process plant. Previews of runtime appearances and/or runtime behaviors of draft configurations of graphical elements and/or graphical displays (that are eventually to be executed within the operating environment of the process control system) are able to generated and presented exclusively within the configuration environment, e.g., for testing and/or verification.

Abstract: A method and a system facilitate remote commissioning of workstations for controlling, maintaining, and/or configuring process control field devices in a process control plant. Using a configuration workstation coupled to the workstation by a communication network, a user may specify a configuration for the workstation in software and, upon selecting the workstation for commissioning, can effect configuration of the workstation, according to the specified configuration, remotely from the configuration workstation. Effecting configuration of the workstation may include installing/updating an operating system, installing/updating an operator, maintenance, or configuration interface application, and/or installing/updating a process plant configuration. Upon completion of the configuration, the workstation is operable to communicate with a process controller to implement control, maintenance, and/or configuration of the process control plant.

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.

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.

Abstract: Techniques for configuring layouts and display view hierarchies and presenting display views in an operating environment of a process plant according to the layouts and display view hierarchies include providing graphical user controls at a graphical display configuration application for defining a layout. The layouts indicate a manner in which divide one or several display screens into one or several display regions, where each display region presents a display view that includes indications of process control elements. The graphical display configuration application also includes graphical user controls for defining a display view hierarchy of the display views by assigning levels of detail to the display views and designating some of the display views as subviews of other display views. An operator application obtains the defined layout and display view hierarchy and presents the display views at an operator workstation according to the obtained layout and/or display view hierarchy.

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.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating secure communication between a process control application executing on a mobile device and a mobile server communicatively coupled to a process control environment includes the instantiation, in a cloud-based environment, of a relay connection element. Each of the mobile server and any mobile applications executing on mobile devices authenticates itself to the relay connection element. The relay connection element, the process control applications executing on the mobile devices, and the mobile server, each receive the necessary credentials through a series of authenticated requests between a variety of elements in the cloud-based environment, such that elements in the system necessarily authenticate one another before any information is provided to another element.

Abstract: Graphical user interface (GUI) based systems and methods are disclosed for regionizing full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices. A regionizer application receives a full-size process plant display that graphically represents at least a portion of a process plant that includes graphic representations of a plurality of process plant entities. The regionizer app determines display region(s) of the full-size process plant display that define corresponding view portions of the full-size process plant display. The display regions are transmitted to a mobile user interface device for rendering by a mobile display navigation app. The GUI based systems and methods can also automatically detect graphical process control loop display portions within full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices.

Abstract: Graphical user interface (GUI) based systems and methods are disclosed for regionizing full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices. A regionizer application receives a full-size process plant display that graphically represents at least a portion of a process plant that includes graphic representations of a plurality of process plant entities. The regionizer app determines display region(s) of the full-size process plant display that define corresponding view portions of the full-size process plant display. The display regions are transmitted to a mobile user interface device for rendering by a mobile display navigation app. The GUI based systems and methods can also automatically detect graphical process control loop display portions within full-size process plant displays for rendering on mobile user interface devices.

Abstract: Techniques for reconciling discrepancies between the runtime operation of a process plant and the configuration for the process plant allow for the process plant to be operated in a predictable and consistent manner. Additionally, techniques for reconciling discrepancies in the process plant enable inappropriate parameter values to be detected and reconciled efficiently and before such inappropriate values are included into configuration. Such techniques reduce the risk of downtime for online operation of the process plant to troubleshoot object configuration. A configuration engineer may provide one or more reconciliation instructions to reconcile the discrepancy. A configuration application then updates the process control environment of the process plant in accordance with the one or more reconciliation instructions. In some cases, the discrepancy is resolved by updating a configuration file for the object. In other cases, the discrepancy is resolved by updating the runtime instantiation of the object.

Abstract: Techniques for configuring layouts and display view hierarchies and presenting display views in an operating environment of a process plant according to the layouts and display view hierarchies include providing graphical user controls at a graphical display configuration application for defining a layout. The layouts indicate a manner in which divide one or several display screens into one or several display regions, where each display region presents a display view that includes indications of process control elements. The graphical display configuration application also includes graphical user controls for defining a display view hierarchy of the display views by assigning levels of detail to the display views and designating some of the display views as subviews of other display views. An operator application obtains the defined layout and display view hierarchy and presents the display views at an operator workstation according to the obtained layout and/or display view hierarchy.

Abstract: Configuring graphical display views to be presented, at a user interface of an operating environment of a process plant, using multiple graphical display themes includes configuring a display theme object to indicate a plurality of themes via which the display view is able to be presented at the user interface. The display theme object includes a parameter whose value is changeable, within the operating environment, to indicate a desired theme that is to be utilized, and the display theme object is downloaded from the configuration environment into the operating environment. Thus, during runtime, changing the theme via which the graphical display view is presented is achieved without any additional downloads from or communications with the configuration environment. User controls may be provided to an operator to select different themes, and/or to override various visual aspects of themes to achieve optimum visibility. Themes may be automatically changed based on sensed conditions.

Abstract: The described methods and systems give users situational awareness regarding control loops in a process control system. The user can utilize the loop interface described herein to quickly understand how a given element (e.g., a device or function block) relates to other elements of the control loop. This enables the user to appreciate how modifying a parameter or device, for example, may impact control of the process. The user need not be intimately familiar with the logic associated with a control loop to understand the status of the control loop and its constituent elements. Further, in an embodiment, the user can easily correct certain statuses (e.g., unusual conditions) that arise with respect to the control loop.

Abstract: Systems and methods of configuring process control systems for operating process plants including multi-variable devices are disclosed herein. Multi-variable devices generate data associated with primary parameters and subsequent parameters. To facilitate configuration and use of subsequent parameters within process control systems, new device objects may be generated to represent the subsequent parameters. The new device objects may be generated as child device objects of parent device objects representing the multi-variable devices. Each child device object may also have a unique tag to identify the new device object within the process control system. The subsequent parameters of the multi-variable devices may thus be used within the process control system by reference to the tags of the corresponding child device objects.

Abstract: Module-based systems and methods are described for controlled roll-out of module classes for configuring a process plant. In various aspects the module-based systems and methods generate a second version of a module class based on a modification to a first version of the module class, where the module class is associated with one or more module instances that are each associated with a process control element of the process plant. The module-based systems and methods execute a roll-out instruction to update an upgraded process control element, where the upgraded process control element is associated with a new module instance based on the second version of the module class. The roll-out instruction is also designed to ignore or skip a non-upgraded process control element, where the non-upgraded process control element remains associated with a previous module instance based on the first version of the module class.

Abstract: Systems and methods of configuring process control systems for operating process plants including multi-variable devices are disclosed herein. Multi-variable devices generate data associated with primary parameters and subsequent parameters. To facilitate configuration and use of subsequent parameters within process control systems, new device objects may be generated to represent the subsequent parameters. The new device objects may be generated as child device objects of parent device objects representing the multi-variable devices. Each child device object may also have a unique tag to identify the new device object within the process control system. The subsequent parameters of the multi-variable devices may thus be used within the process control system by reference to the tags of the corresponding child device objects.