Innovations in Control System Operator Interfaces

Emerson's Cindy ScottEmerson's Camilo FadulOperators in plant and production facilities have relied on Operator Interfaces (OIs), also known as human-machine interfaces (HMIs), as their window into the process—to monitor, control and work through abnormal situations.

In a ControlGlobal.com article, OI package empowers operations, Emerson’s Cindy Scott and Camilo Fadul, describe advancements in OI technology introduced in DeltaV Live to simplify both the creation and ongoing interactions through the OI.

Some of the innovations cited include:

…scalable graphics, built-in display hierarchy navigation, real-time and historical trending capabilities, alarms prioritized by the user, and system-wide security.

DeltaV LiveThe underlying technology is based on HTML5, which lays the foundation for universal, cross-platform graphics that are easy to design and configure.

Camilo explained:

“After extensive analysis, we landed on HTML5 because we could deliver a great user experience, enable mobility, and it will be the leading graphics technology for the foreseeable future… Based on research with the Center for Operator Performance [hyperlink added], we’ve built in specialized features that provide more and better tools for operators right out of the box.”

He described simplifications from a design and engineering standpoint, which includes a library of reusable graphical elements GEMs. These elements can be selected, created or modified once and reused multiple times, and remain linked to their class to simplify changes. If changes are made on a library GEM, they are automatically updated on all the instances of that class.

From an ongoing operations standpoint, Camilo noted:

“Human-centered design principles are built in from the ground up… Users can create different display hierarchies, and easily define different levels of displays by simply dragging and dropping them into the hierarchy.”

Cindy added:

“Today, newer operators expect a more modern look, with the ability to personalize and have more control over their operator interface… With DeltaV Live, we’ve created a true ‘operations experience’ – not just another operator interface.”

Read the article for other capabilities such as scalable graphic to zoom in and out, live snippets and other innovations.

For additional information visit the DeltaV Live section of Emerson.com and connect and interact with other DeltaV experts around the globe in the DeltaV group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Innovations in Control System Operator Interfaces appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.