Fisher-rosemount Systems, Inc

Karen Johnson

Michael George Ott

Julian Kevin Naidoo

Aaron C Jones

Deborah R Colclazier

Robert G Halgren, Iii

Denis David

Ian Nadas

Cody Troyer

Duane L Harnish

Amanda McConville

Jessica Siu Liu

Terry P Vallery, Jr

Monja Lajoie

Simran Ahuja

Methods and apparatus to generate and display trends associated with a process control system are disclosed. An example apparatus includes memory, machine readable instructions, and processor circuitry to execute the instructions to generate a first graphical user interface. The first graphical user interface to include a graphical representation of a component in a process control system. The processor circuitry to generate a second graphical user interface. The second graphical user interface to include a chart region with a trend represented therein. The trend indicative of values of a process parameter of the process control system over a period of time. The processor circuitry to automatically generate the trend in the chart region in response to a graphical element being dragged and dropped from the first graphical user interface to the second graphical user interface.

Methods and apparatus to generate and display trends associated with a process control system

The described techniques enable a skid communicator tool to quickly change network settings to those required by a particular skid or network in a process control environment with which a user of the tool wishes to establish communication. These techniques are helpful because skids and networks in process control environments often require different network settings for any device attempting to communicate with the skids or network, and a user often must manually load these network settings every time she wants to communicate with a different network or skid. By contrast, the techniques enable the skid communicator tool to seamlessly connect to, disconnect from, and reconnect to any of the skids or other networks requiring different network settings with minimal input from the user, thus enabling a user to easily move through and interact with different areas, units, or equipment of the process control environment.

Quick connection techniques for skid communicator tool

A method for efficiently managing configuration of modular control systems includes Detecting a communicative coupling between a workstation and a modular control system, determining whether an active project stored in a memory of the workstation matches a saved project stored in a memory of the modular control system, where each of the active project and the saved project includes a respective coordinated set of data for controlling operation of the modular control system, and when the active project and the saved project do not match, (i) determining whether the active project is correct for the modular control system, and (ii) when the active project is incorrect the modular control system, automatically providing, via an interactive user interface, a control for transferring at least a portion of the saved project from the memory of the modular control system to the active project in the memory of the workstation.

Assistant application for a modular control system

Techniques for assessing and managing versions of a configuration file associated with a modular control system of a process plant are described. According to certain aspects, systems and methods device may access data associated with multiple versions of a configuration file, including a computing device version and a control version, as well as a last backup instance of the configuration file. The systems and methods may compare the versions and determine any discrepancies between the versions, including which of the versions is the most recent. The systems and methods may present information associated with the comparison to enable a user to select which of the versions may be need to be updated, resolved, or provided to the controller so that the modular control system may be properly configured.

Systems and methods for assessing configuration files associated with a process control system

A modular control system includes a modular controller that implements control logic of the modular control system, where the controller is built natively on a platform of a distributed control system, equipment configured to perform a physical function in a process plant according to the control logic, and a configuration database storing configuration parameters of the modular control system. In a first mode of operation, the modular control system operates as a standalone module, and in a second mode of operation, the modular control system operates natively as one or several nodes of a distributed control system.

Systems and methods for merging modular control systems into a process plant

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Karen Johnson