A system and method for controlling automation includes a machine performing at least one operation and including a sensor for generating data in response to a performance of the operation by the machine. Data generated by the sensor is stored for retrieval by a server in data memory storage. The server includes at least one display template for displaying the data, and the server generates a data display by populating the at least one display template with the data. The data template can be populated with data in real time, to display the data display immediate to the generation of the data. The display template includes a data feature which is differentiated for displaying the data feature in a mode determined by the data populating the data display. The data display can be displayed in real time by a user device in communication with the server.

Techniques for presenting historized process parameter values in a process plant include presenting, via a user interface of an operator application, indications of process control elements in a first display region within a layout of a display view. Each of the process control elements is associated with one or more process parameters. The operator application also presents a trend display view in a second display region within the layout of the display view. The trend display view includes sets of historized process parameter values for process parameters presented in the first display region. For example, the trend display view in the second display region is linked to the display view in the first display region. In this manner, the trend display view presents charts or other graphical depictions of historized process parameter values for process parameters included in the first display region.

Flexible graphic element objects in a process plant are configurable both in a run-time operating environment in which a process is being controlled and in a configuration environment. An instantiated flexible graphic element object may be a display view or may be another graphic element included on a display view. A graphic element object may be linked to and/or derived from another graphic element object, and changes to a particular graphic element object may be propagated to its derivations, e.g., according to a distribution policy. Changes to definitions corresponding to a particular graphic element object (e.g., to the definition of a graphic element attribute such as a shape, animation, event handler or property) may be overridden or modified in another object derived from the particular graphic element object. The modified derived object may be renamed and saved separately from the particular graphic element object.

A method for an automatic generation of industrial process graphics includes: receiving engineering data, device data, and sensor data of an industrial plant having a plurality of field devices, the engineering data, device data, and sensor data being assigned to a single or multiple field devices; extracting field device information for each field device of a plurality of the field devices from the assigned engineering data, device data, and sensor data; and generating a plurality of process graphics for each field device of the plurality of the field devices. The plurality of process graphics for each field device covers a plurality of different abstraction levels of the industrial plant.

Flexible graphic element objects in a process plant are configurable both in a run-time operating environment in which a process is being controlled and in a configuration environment. An instantiated flexible graphic element object may be a display view or may be another graphic element included on a display view. A graphic element object may be linked to and/or derived from another graphic element object, and changes to a particular graphic element object may be propagated to its derivations, e.g., according to a distribution policy. Changes to definitions corresponding to a particular graphic element object (e.g., to the definition of a graphic element attribute such as a shape, animation, event handler or property) may be overridden or modified in another object derived from the particular graphic element object. The modified derived object may be renamed and saved separately from the particular graphic element object.

A display method of a manufacturing status to visualize a manufacturing status of products each manufactured through processing performed by a plurality of apparatuses included in a manufacturing line includes identifying, for each product to be manufactured in a certain manufacturing unit, a starting time or an ending time or both of the processing performed on the product by a first apparatus and a starting time or an ending time or both of the processing performed on the product by a second apparatus based on log information of the first apparatus and log information of the second apparatus, the first and the second apparatuses being included in the manufacturing line, the second apparatus performing the processing after the processing performed by the first apparatus, using a processor.

A system is provided for determining causes of faults in a manufacturing system. The system stores data associated with a processing system which includes machines and associated processes, wherein the data includes timestamp information, machine status information, and product-batch information. The system determines, based on the data, a topology of the processing system, wherein the topology indicates flows of outputs between the machines as part of the processes. The system determines information of machine faults in association with the topology. The system generates, based on the machine-fault information, one or more fault parameters which indicates frequency and severity of a respective fault. The system constructs, based on the topology and the machine-fault information, a system model which includes the one or more fault parameters, thereby facilitating diagnosis of the processing system.

A system is provided for determining a manufacturing network topology and fault propagation information. During operation, the system stores data associated with a processing system which includes machines and associated processes, wherein the data includes timestamp information, machine status information, and product-batch information. The system determines, based on the data, a network topology which corresponds to the processing system, wherein the network topology indicates flows of outputs between the machines as part of the processes. The system determines utilization information of a plurality of the machines of the processing system. The system displays one or more of the flows of outputs based on the utilization information, thereby facilitating diagnosis of the processing system.

A control system for a technical plant, in particular a process or manufacturing plant, includes an operator station server and an operator station client, wherein the operator station server includes a computer implemented visualization service that transmits a plant mimic diagram to the operator station client that visually presents the plant mimic diagram to an operator of the control system, where a digital process image of the technical plant is implemented on the operator station server, the operator station server additionally enables the operator to continuously monitor a runtime operator specifiable state of an operator-specifiable measuring device of the technical plant, where the operator station server additionally notifies the operator of a state change of the measuring device, independently of a visual presentation of the plant mimic diagram, and where the measuring device state is obtainable from the digital process image of the technical plant implemented on the operator station server.

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. The GUI based systems and methods can further refactor full-size process plant displays at various zoom and detail levels for visualization on mobile user interface devices.