Method for Automatically Evaluating Alarm Clusters

Abstract

A method for identifying an output alarm message of an alarm message cluster in a management system of a technical installation is proposed, wherein alarm messages arriving in the management system of the technical installation are detected and stored in a storage device, a specific time range is defined for further processing the alarm messages contained in the time range, at least one time instant within the time range, at which an output alarm message arrives in the technical installation is determined, and the at least one specific time instant is transmitted to a control device, which is embodied to display the alarm messages.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an output alarm message of an alarm message cluster in a management system of a technical installation, the method comprising: a) detecting alarm messages arriving in the management system of the technical installation and storing the detected alarm messages in a storage device; b) defining a specific time range for further processing of the detected alarm messages contained in the specific time range; c) determining at least one time instant, within the specific time range, at which an output alarm message arrives in the technical installation; and d) transmitting the at least one time instant to a control device, which is configured to display the detected alarm messages.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the following steps are performed within the scope of determining the at least one time instant: i) totaling all active alarm messages in the specific time range and determining an associated totaling function; ii) identifying local minima of the associated totaling function; and iii) transmitting the identified local minima to the control device.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local minima are transmitted sorted based on a specific criterion to the control device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the local minima are transmitted sorted based on a specific criterion to the control device.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the specific criterion comprises a value according to an amount of the local minima.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the specific criterion comprises a value according to an amount of the local minima.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to predetermine the specific time range in accordance with step b).

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identified local minima and detected alarm messages are presented to an operator of the technical installation in an automated manner via the control device; and wherein the detected alarm messages have accumulated in a specific range about the local minima in the technical installation.

9. An operation station server of a management system in a technical installation, comprising: a processor; and memory; wherein the operation station server is configured to: a) detect alarm messages arriving in the management system of the technical installation and store the detected alarm messages in a storage device; b) define a specific time range for further processing of the detected alarm messages contained in the specific time range; c) determine at least one time instant, within the specific time range, at which an output alarm message arrives in the technical installation; and d) transmit the at least one time instant to a control device, which is configured to display the detected alarm messages.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The afore-cited properties, features and advantages of this invention as well as the manner in which they are achieved will become clearer and more intelligible in conjunction with the following description of the exemplary embodiment which is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary graphical plot of a time range in accordance with invention;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a graphical plot of the totaling function resulting from the example exemplary graphical plot of FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration of the sorting of local minima in accordance with the invention;

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of the architecture of a management system of a technical installation configured as a processing installation in accordance with the invention; and

[0029] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the method in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a time range 1. The time range 1 comprises 17 individual time instants at which alarm messages, which arrive in a management system of a technical installation, are either activated (triangular symbol with upward peak) or deactivated (triangle symbol with downward peak). Here, the numbers in the triangle symbols stand for the number of newly added active or deactivated alarm messages.

[0031] Within the scope of an evaluation of these alarm messages, a totaling function 2 is determined in a first step. The totaling function 2 resulting from the example according to FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. The totaling function 2 forms the number of alarm messages which are active at a specific time instant within the specific time range 1.

[0032] Based on the totaling function 2, the local minima 3a, 3b, 3c of the course of the totaling function are determined in a subsequent step. The knowledge behind the invention is therefore that output alarm messages, in other words the initial alarm messages of a cluster of alarm messages or suchlike, are potentially located in the vicinity of these local minima 3a, 3b, 3c.

[0033] The local minima 3a, 3b, 3c are then sorted based on the value, according to amount, of the respective local minima 3a, 3b, 3c, as shown in FIG. 3. Here, the numerical value in the circle symbols of the local minima 3a, 3b, 3c indicates a sorting sequence of the local minima 3a, 3b, 3c. The local minima 3a, 3b, 3c and the corresponding time instants are transmitted to a control device in the technical installation. The control device allows an operator to selectively determine the ranges within the time range 1, which are relevant to taking appropriate measures within the context of an alarm message cluster.

[0034] A display of the control device can be configured such that a visualized partial time range of the more comprehensive time range 1 indicates a more immediate vicinity of the individual local minima. Advantageously, a range of X10 seconds up to X+10 seconds is displayed, for instance, where an identified local minimum 3a, 3b, 3c has the time stamp X. The local minimum is accordingly visualized in the center of the display of the control device.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of the architecture of a management system 4 of a technical installation configured as a processing installation. The management system 4 has a server of a control system or an operator station server 5.

[0036] A control device or client 6 is connected to the operator station server 5 via a terminal bus 7. The terminal bus 7 can be configured, without limitation, as an industrial Ethernet, for instance.

[0037] A device 8 is linked to the operator system server 5 via an installation bus 9. Here, the connected device 8 can alternatively also be an application, in particular a web application. Within the scope of the invention, any number of devices and/or applications can be connected to the operator system server 5. The installation bus 9 can be configured, without limitation, as an industrial Ethernet, for instance. The device 8 can in turn be connected to any number of subsystems (not shown).

[0038] The operator station server 5 comprises a process data file 10, a process image service 11 and a visualization service 12. (Alarm) messages which have been received from the connected devices 8 via the process image service 11 are inter alia retrievably stored in the process data file 10. The visualization service 12 can be used to transmit data to the control device 6 or the client 6. The inventive method explained previously is implemented via an alarm flood evaluation service 13, which is part of the visualization service 12 of the operator station server 5. Here, the alarm flood evaluation service 13 provides a user of the control device 6 with the correspondingly processed data by way of an output flow 14. The user can also send commands to the alarm flood evaluation service 13 in the reverse direction via an input flow 15, in order to configure its requirements appropriately.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the method for identifying an output alarm message of an alarm message cluster in a management system 4 of a technical installation. The method comprises detecting alarm messages arriving in the management system 4 of the technical installation and storing the detected alarm messages in a storage device 10, as indicated in step 510. Next, a specific time range 1 is defined for further processing of the detected alarm messages contained in the specific time range 1, as indicated in step 520.

[0040] Next, at least one time instant, within the specific time range 1, at which an output alarm message arrives in the technical installation is determined, as indicated in step 530.

[0041] Next, the at least one time instant is transmitted to a control device 6, which is configured to display the detected alarm messages, as indicated in step 540.

[0042] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail with the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the examples disclosed and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the protective scope of the invention.

[0043] Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.