IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,412,238
Granted Patent B2
US 12,412,238 · App. 17/959,480 · Granted Sep 9, 2025

Process graphics generator for a zoomable diagram representing an industrial process plant

Inventors: Heiko Koziolek (Karlsruhe, DE); Julius Rueckert (Langen, DE); Benjamin Kloepper (Mannheim, DE); Hadil Abukwaik (Weinheim, DE); Pablo Rodriguez (Ilvesheim, DE); Andreas Berlet (Schriesheim, DE)
Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
G06T3/40G06T11/206G06T11/60G06T2210/36G08B21/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,412,238
App. No.
17/959,480
Granted
Sep 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method used for generating a zoomable diagram includes providing a topology diagram of at least a part of the industrial plant for interacting with components of the industrial plant; generating, for each zoom-level of the zoomable diagram, a zoomed diagram comprising a zoomed view of each one of the plurality of objects and connections, by applying at least following rules to each object: from a first predefined zoom-level, collapse all objects of a plant-segment to one object and keep only connections that cross the plant-segment's border, and introduce an plant-segment related alarm measure as a function of all alarm statuses of the plurality of objects of the plant-segment; and when interacting with the components of the industrial plant, determining, for each plant-segment, the plant-segment related alarm measure, and outputting the plant-segment related alarm measure for healing a cause of the alarm.

Claims (42)

1. A method for generating a zoomable diagram of an industrial plant for an analysis of an alarm, the method comprising:

providing a topology diagram of at least a part of the industrial plant for interacting with components of the industrial plant, wherein the topology diagram comprises a plurality of objects, each of the plurality of objects representing a component of the industrial plant, and a plurality of connections, each of the plurality of connections representing a logical and/or a physical connection between at least two of the components;

generating, for each zoom-level of the zoomable diagram, a zoomed diagram comprising a zoomed view of each one of the plurality of objects and the plurality of connections, wherein a zoomed view is generated by applying rules to each object, the rules including, for a zoomed diagram having a plurality of zoom-levels:

from a first predefined zoom-level, collapse all objects of a plant-segment to one object and keep only connections that cross the plant-segment's border; and

introduce a plant-segment related alarm measure as a function of all alarm statuses of the plurality of objects of the plant-segment, and, when a scaled-down object is smaller than a predefined size, hide the scaled-down object based on a rank-stage of the object type, wherein the rank-stage comprises an association to a respective component of the industrial plant and a hiding priority relative to other components of the industrial plant;

storing the zoomed diagram for each of the plurality of zoom-levels; and

when interacting with the components of the industrial plant by utilizing the plurality of zoomable diagrams,

determining, for each plant-segment, the plant-segment related alarm measure, and

outputting the plant-segment related alarm measure for healing a cause of the alarm.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, for each plant-segment, a plant-segment related key performance indicator (KPI) measure, wherein the KPI measure is a function of all KPIs of the plurality of objects of the plant-segment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein for each of a plurality of the object alarm statuses and a related plant-segment related alarm measure, displaying an object's KPI status and the plant-segment related key performance indicator (KPI) measure by highlighting the object or the plant-segment, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing a size of off-page references from a second predefined zoom-level.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zoomed view is generated by applying an additional rule to each object, the additional rule being: scale down the object proportional to the zoom-level or, from a third predefined zoom-level.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zoomed view is generated by applying at least one of following additional rules to each object:

from a fourth predefined zoom-level, hide graphical and/or textual fillings of the object;

from a fifth predefined zoom-level, merge redundant objects to one object;

from a sixth predefined zoom-level, merge all sensors, or all sensors of one type, to one sensor, and/or

from a seventh predefined zoom-level, merge all actuators of one type to one actuator.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rules and a plurality of rank-stages are configurable.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the topology diagram has a semantic of a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the topology diagram has a semantic of a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) which is enriched by a database containing meta-data about the industrial plant.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein, which, when executed on a processor, instructs the processor to perform a method comprising:

providing a topology diagram of at least a part of the industrial plant for interacting with components of the industrial plant, wherein the topology diagram comprises a plurality of objects, each of the plurality of objects representing a component of the industrial plant, and a plurality of connections, each of the plurality of connections representing a logical and/or a physical connection between at least two of the components;

generating, for each zoom-level of the zoomable diagram, a zoomed diagram comprising a zoomed view of each one of the plurality of objects and the plurality of connections, wherein a zoomed view is generated by applying rules to each object, the rules including, for a zoomed diagram having a plurality of zoom-levels:

from a first predefined zoom-level, collapsing all objects of a plant-segment to one object and keep only connections that cross the plant-segment's border; and

introducing a plant-segment related alarm measure as a function of all alarm statuses of the plurality of objects of the plant-segment, and, when a scaled-down object is smaller than a predefined size, hide the scaled-down object based on a rank-stage of the object type, wherein the rank-stage comprises an association to a respective component of the industrial plant and a hiding priority relative to other components of the industrial plant;

storing the zoomed diagram for each of the plurality of zoom-levels; and

when interacting with the components of the industrial plant by utilizing the plurality of zoomable diagrams,

determining, for each plant-segment, the plant-segment related alarm measure, and

outputting the plant-segment related alarm measure for healing a cause of the alarm.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , further comprising determining, for each plant-segment, a plant-segment related key performance indicator (KPI) measure, wherein the KPI measure is a function of all KPIs of the plurality of objects of the plant-segment.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein for each of a plurality of the object alarm statuses and a related plant-segment related alarm measure, displaying an object's KPI status and the plant-segment related KPI measure by highlighting the object or the plant-segment, respectively.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , further comprising increasing a size of off-page references from a second predefined zoom-level.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the zoomed view is generated by applying an additional rule to each object, the additional rule being: scale down the object proportional to the zoom-level or, from a third predefined zoom-level.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the zoomed view is generated by applying at least one of following additional rules to each object:

from a fourth predefined zoom-level, hide graphical and/or textual fillings of the object;

from a fifth predefined zoom-level, merge redundant objects to one object;

from a sixth predefined zoom-level, merge all sensors, or all sensors of one type, to one sensor, and/or

from a seventh predefined zoom-level, merge all actuators of one type to one actuator.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the rules and a plurality of rank-stages are configurable.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the topology diagram has a semantic of a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID).

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the topology diagram has a semantic of a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) which is enriched by a database containing meta-data about the industrial plant.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 2, 2022
From: KOZIOLEK, HEIKO; RUECKERT, JULIUS; KLOEPPER, BENJAMIN; ABUKWAIK, HADIL; RODRIGUEZ, PABLO; BERLET, ANDREAS
To: ABB SCHWEIZ AG
Reel/Frame 061949/0844 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 21201012 · Oct 5, 2021 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230109414A1 · Apr 6, 2023
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