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United States Patent6889096
Spriggs , ; et al.May 3, 2005
Title
Industrial plant asset management system: apparatus and method
Abstract
An industrial plant asset management system comprising of a synchronized multiple view graphical user interface combining simultaneous real time and database display capability, a database including a knowledge manager and having input and output interfaces, a normalizing data acquisition module with real time and database interfaces, and a variety of device dependent data collector modules with associated signal conditioning and processing devices for providing an environment for development and deployment of visual models for monitoring plant assets.
Inventors:Spriggs; Robert L. (Gardnerville, NV), Hayashida; Robert D.  (Stateline, NV), Ceglia; Kenneth P.  (Gardnerville, NV), Seymour; Diana L.  (Carson City, NV), Peden; Michael D.  (Gardnerville, NV), Richetta; Paul F.  (Gardnerville, NV), Anderson; Matthew D.  (Gardnerville, NV), Frogget; Daryl R.  (Gardnerville, NV), Roby; Scott A.  (Gardnerville, NV), Jensen; Denmark A.  (Carson City, NV)
Assignee:Bently Nevada, LLC (Minden, NV)
Appl. No.:196007
Filed:July 15, 2002
Current U.S. Class:700/17 700/83 700/91 700/97 705/28 340/3.71 
Field of Search:700/9,17,18,83,90,91,97 340/3.71 705/28
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Primary Examiner: Gandhi; Jayprakash N.
Attorney, Agent or Firm:DeBoo; Dennis A.
Parent Case Text


This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/515,529 filed on Feb. 29, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,571.
Claims

We claim:
1. A plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a processing device, a display device coupled to said processing device for providing a graphical user interface to a user in response to receipt of signals from said processing device, a selection device coupled to said processing device for navigating about said graphical user interface and making selections, said graphical user interface including a hierarchical first view hierarchically displaying plant assets in a first window on said display device; means, operatively coupled to said processing device, for storing a configuration associated with each of said plant assets; means for creating a template comprised of at least one of said hierarchically displayed plant assets by saving in a memory at least one of said configurations associated with said at least one of said hierarchically displayed plant assets, and means for exporting said template to another plant asset management system such that said template can be subsequently used for configuring said another plant asset management system.

2. The plant asset management system of claim 1 wherein said means for exporting said template to another plant asset management system includes means for exporting said template to a file such that said file can be imported into another plant asset management system for use in configuring said another plant asset management system.

3. The plant asset management system of claim 1 wherein said means for creating said template includes means for creating said template by selecting with said selection device at least one of said hierarchically displayed plant assets for defining at least one selected plant asset and by saving in a memory at least one of said configurations associated with said at least one selected plant asset such that said template can be subsequently used for configuration purposes.

4. The plant asset management system of claim 3 wherein said at least one selected plant asset includes at least one additional plant asset and wherein said means for creating said template by saving in said memory at least one of said configurations associated with said at least one selected plant asset further includes means for creating said template by saving at least one of said configurations associated with both said at least one selected plant asset and said at least one additional plant asset such that said template can be subsequently used for configuration purposes.

5. A plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a processing device, a display device coupled to said processing device for providing a graphical user interface to a user in response to receipt of signals from said processing device, a selection device coupled to said processing device for navigating about said graphical user interface and making selections, said graphical user interface including a hierarchical first view hierarchically displaying plant assets in a first window on said display device; means, operatively coupled to said processing device, for storing a configuration associated with each of said plant assets; means for creating a template by selecting with said selection device at least one of said hierarchically displayed plant assets for defining at least one selected plant asset and by saving in a memory at least one of said configurations associated with said at least one selected plant asset such that said template can be subsequently used for configuring a plant asset management system.

6. The plant asset management system of claim 5 wherein said template can be subsequently used for configuring a single plant asset management system.

7. The plant asset management system of claim 6 further including means for exporting said template to another plant asset management system for use in configuring said another plant asset management system.

8. The plant asset management system of claim 7 further including means for exporting said template to a file such that said file can be imported into another plant asset management system for use in configuring said another plant asset management system.

9. The plant asset management system of claim 5 wherein said at least one selected plant asset includes at least one additional plant asset and wherein said means for creating said template further includes means for creating said template by saving at least one of said configurations associated with said at least one selected plant asset and by saving at least one of said configurations associated with said at least one additional plant asset such that said template can be subsequently used for configuration purposes.

10. A plant asset management system, comprising in combination: data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data, a database operatively coupled to said data acquisition means for storing said processed asset data; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database and displayed on a display of a computer; a plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in a first view of said graphical user interface for representing said plant assets and for defining an original hierarchy of plant asset objects; means for correlating said processed data to said plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in said first view; means for filtering said plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in said first view for defining a generated hierarchy of plant asset objects comprised of a set of said original hierarchy of plant asset objects with at least one of said plant asset objects in said original hierarchy of plant asset objects being omitted such that a user can designate only certain of said plurality of plant asset objects for display in said first view for managing plant assets.

11. The plant asset management system of claim 10 further including means for displaying a tabbed view of said original hierarchy of plant asset objects and said generated hierarchy of plant asset objects such that said original hierarchy and said generated hierarchy of plant asset objects can be toggled between for displaying either hierarchy in said first view for managing plant assets.

12. The plant asset management system of claim 11 wherein said filtering means further includes means for filtering said set of said plurality of plant asset objects based on a predefined attribute determined from said processed data correlated to said set of said asset objects.

13. The plant asset management system of claim 12 wherein said predefined attribute is an alarm status of an asset determined from said processed data correlated to said set of said asset objects.

14. A plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a data acquisition computer operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data, a database operatively coupled to said data acquisition computer for storing said processed asset data; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database and displayed on a display of a computer; said graphical user interface displaying a plurality of plant asset objects in a first widow view representative of said plurality of plant assets; means for displaying a bargraph view comprised of a plurality of bargraphs each conveying information correlative to a status of at least one of said plurality of plant assets; means for modifying said bargraph view by adding or deleting at least one bargraph from said bargraph view and storing said modified bargraph view in said database for defining a custom bargraph view viewable at a later time for conveying current status information at said later time of at least one of said plurality of plant assets.

15. The plant asset management system of claim 14 wherein said means for modifying said bargraph view by adding or deleting at least one bargraph from said bargraph view and storing said modified bargraph view in said database for defining a custom bargraph view viewable at a later time for conveying current status information at said later time of at least one of said plurality of plant assets by displaying at least one dynamically changing graphical bars on said graphical user interface.

16. A plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a data acquisition computer operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data, a memory operatively coupled to said data acquisition computer for storing said processed asset data correlative to asset status; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said memory and displayed on a display of a computer; said graphical user interface displaying a plurality of plant asset objects in a first widow view representative of said plurality of plant assets; said graphical user interface displaying a second widow view; means for dragging and dropping plant asset objects from said first view to said second view; means for storing a bargraph for each of said plant asset objects dragged and dropped from said first view to said second view for defining a custom bargraph view viewable at a later time for conveying current status information at said later time of at least one of said plurality of plant assets.

17. The plant asset management system of claim 16 further including means for displaying at least one dynamically changing graphical bar on said graphical user interface for conveying said current status information at said later time of said at least one of said plurality of plant assets.

18. A plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a processing device, a display device coupled to said processing device for providing a graphical user interface to a user in response to receipt of signals from said processing device, a selection device coupled to said processing device for navigating about said graphical user interface and making selections, said graphical user interface including a hierarchical first view hierarchically displaying plant assets in a first window on said display device; means, operatively coupled to said processing device, for storing at least one bargraph configuration associated with each of said plant assets; means for creating a bargraph view by selecting with said selection device at least one of said hierarchically displayed plant assets and saving in a memory said at least one bargraph configuration associated with said at least one selected hierarchically displayed plant assets such that said bargraph view can be subsequently used for conveying information correlative to a status of said at least one selected hierarchically displayed plant assets.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention relates generally to asset management systems and, in particular, to an industrial plant asset management system including a unified display environment and a common database structure for protecting and managing industrial plant assets including a multifarious grouping of machinery and processes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, industrial plants employ a multiplicity of "stand-alone" systems that include multiple computers, operating systems, applications and networks for accomplishing the same basic problem: protecting and managing plant assets. This methodology of employing one system for large critical machines another for general purpose machines, one for off-line another for on-line, one for vibration, another for oil analysis, et cetera, is in the least undesirable, and has led to significant costs in purchasing and maintaining these assorted systems. For example, high capital, integration, system maintenance, and training costs are but a few of the significant costs associated with these multiple "stand-alone" systems.

Integrating a multiplicity of different systems is still less than ideal because of the costs associated with performing the integration, training users on multiple systems, and maintaining multiple software packages. Adding to the integration costs are the significant costs associated with engineering and sustaining these multiple software packages. Training sales and service people on all of these multiple software packages also augments costs.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to reduce the number of computers and operating systems required for protecting and managing plant assets in order to lower capital cost and in order to reduce the traditional requirements for both expertise and human resources necessary to integrate and maintain these systems. Additionally, there is a need to reduce system installation cost and to reduce integration and maintenance costs prevalent in traditional prior art systems. Furthermore, there is a need to provide a system that substantially eliminates the need to configure the same device or point in multiple applications thereby resulting in a quick, easy, and less costly configuration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention recognizes the shortcomings of the known prior art and is distinguished thereover in a multiplicity of ways. Moreover, the instant invention provides an industrial plant asset system that is revolutionary from both a technology standpoint and from a business standpoint. One of the starkest differentiations that the instant invention enjoys over the known prior art involves the fact that the instant invention is not a stand-alone system that merely manages a single category of machinery nor is it an integrated system that employs multiple systems and software packages for monitoring different categories of machinery. In stark contrast, the instant invention provides a unique system that, inter alia, integrates a host of condition-monitoring devices, technologies and third party data sources into a single system that addresses all machinery types and modes of data acquisition with a single unified display application and using a common open database. Therefore, the instant invention eliminates the shortcomings of the known prior art by reducing the number of computers and operating systems required for protecting and managing plant assets. Hence, capital costs are lowered and the traditional requirement for both expertise and human resources necessary to integrate and maintain prior systems is reduced. Additionally, the instant invention reduces installation, integration and maintenance costs associated with these prior systems. Moreover, the instant invention provides a system that substantially eliminates the need to configure the same device or point in multiple applications thereby resulting in a quick, easy, and less costly system configuration.

The instant invention integrates, inter alia, on-line continuous management for critical machinery, scanning management of less critical machinery, off-line management of critical machinery and off-line management of less critical machinery into a single system, which includes performance monitoring, and decision support. Furthermore, the system is designed to provide extensive external communication capabilities. These capabilities are not limited to interfaces with other condition monitoring devices and systems, but instead extend to plant control and automation systems. This allows the user to incorporate machinery asset condition information in operational and maintenance systems, and to incorporate many types of information relating to machinery asset conditions, regardless of the source. This capability greatly enhances the effectiveness and value of the system.

As a result, the system is capable of correlating information from multiple sources that allows timely, operational decisions on machinery condition that consider both the machinery and the surrounding process conditions/constraints. Thus, the system provides fewer and less severe failures, better production availability, maintenance cost reductions, and the potential for increased production revenues. This ability is provided by the instant invention gathering information from multiple information sources within the plant control and automation systems and synchronously integrating the information onto a single unified display environment.

In one preferred form, the instant invention is comprised of a data acquisition module, a display module, a database module, and utility modules. These modules can reside on a single computer or on a plurality of independent computers that interact via a network.

The data acquisition module is in operative communication with a plurality of data acquisition devices for collecting data engendered from a plurality of transducer/sensors strategically placed at locations throughout an enterprise including machine and process measurement points. The data acquisition module processes the collected data and interfaces with and serves data to both the database module and the display module for data storage and real-time data display. Additionally, the data acquisition module may bring in data from distributed control systems (DCSs) and Historians (databases that include historical plant asset information and events).

The display module is in operative communication with the data acquisition module, the database module and the utility modules and includes a unified graphical user interface for viewing data from all of these modules. The graphical user interface is unique in that it, inter alia, provides synchronized multiple views of machine and instrument assets as well as diagnostic data and plot formats required for machinery and process diagnostics.

The database module is in operative communication with the data acquisition module, the display module and the utility modules and includes a historical/machine database and a configuration database. The historical/machine database is employed for storing, inter alia, historical enterprise asset data and collected machine and process data while the configuration database is employed for storing, inter alia, asset configurations including alarm parameters.

The utility modules are in operative communication with the data acquisition module, the database module and the display module and include modules that increase the communications abilities and functionality of the system. One important utility module is a configuration module. The configuration module allows a user to configure, via the unified graphical user interface, an enterprise and associated physical assets including asset monitoring instrumentation, asset transducers/sensors and associated properties including alarming.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a primary object of the instant invention is to provide a new, novel and useful industrial plant asset management system: apparatus and method.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide the industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which includes a unified display environment and a common database structure for protecting and managing industrial plant assets.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which is modular in design and based on a client server architecture that allows the user to configure the system as centralized, distributed, or any combination of the two.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which includes Local or Wide Area Network (LAN or WAN) support for implementing the system in a manner that takes advantage of existing network structures and philosophy for lowering installation and system maintenance costs.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which includes remote access to obtain remote services for troubleshooting both instrument and machinery problems for providing expedited problem resolution and lowered cost of services.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide the unified display environment as characterized above which includes a machinery management display that provides a unified interface to machine asset and condition information as well as the system's instrument assets and transducer or sensor assets thereby enabling the user to view the enterprise as a whole and navigate to a specific point or parameter quickly and easily.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide the unified display environment as characterized above which provides access to machinery and instrument asset information, such as drawings and maintenance records or reports.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide the unified display environment as characterized above which reduces user-training time and increases effectiveness as its use becomes more intuitive.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide the unified display environment as characterized above which allows the user to correlate information from multiple applications and sources into a single unified view thereby expediting problem resolution during the diagnostics process.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which incorporates multiple condition monitoring technologies as well as on-line and off-line data collection.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which includes an open architecture for taking advantage of the many utilities and tools available for today's operating systems, importing and exporting information using industry standard methods, using application components in third-party systems, and customizing the system to specific needs without the need for complex configuration and integration.

Another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which includes parametric alarming in addition to the traditional software alarms of prior art systems thereby allowing the user to set alarms based on different modes of operation, including process conditions.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide parametric alarming as characterized above, for providing the user with the ability to customize system alarms and create simple or very complex alarming schemes.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide parametric alarming as characterized above, which includes generating internal software alarms for an alarm list, for creating exportable alarms for third-party interfaces, and for initiating data collection for machinery monitored on-line.

Yet another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which basis maintenance activities on specific alarms, machinery fault identification and information that is ready for use without further interpretation or analysis rather than simply displaying data that requires further interpretation and analysis.

Still yet another further object of the instant invention is to provide an industrial plant asset management system as characterized above which can communicate with portable data collectors for receiving an upload of data therefrom and generating a new route comprised of points from a first route (the uploaded route) which were in alarm.

Viewed from a first vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plant asset management system, comprising in combination: data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data; a database operatively coupled to the data acquisition means for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer; a selection device coupled to the computer for navigating about the graphical user interface and making selections; the graphical user interface including a first view in a first window and a second view in a second window both displayed on the display device; means for linking the first view in the first window with the second view in the second window for synchronizing the two views together to simultaneously display a hierarchical view of plant assets in the first view and a corresponding two or three dimensional view modeling at last one of the plant assets in the second view; means for graphically navigating through the plant assets in either one of the two views by making a selection with the selection device of at least one of the plant assets in either one of the two views for simultaneously displaying both a hierarchical view of plant assets including at least one selected plant asset in the first view and a corresponding two or three dimensional view modeling the at least one selected plant asset in the second view such that the two views synchronously navigate together in response to making the selection in either one of the two views for managing plant assets.

Viewed from a second vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plant asset management system, comprising in combination: data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data, a database operatively coupled to the data acquisition means for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer; a plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in a first view of the graphical user interface for representing the plant assets; means for correlating the processed data to the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view; first filtering means for filtering the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view for hierarchically displaying a set of the plurality of plant asset objects while omitting other of the plurality of plant asset objects from being displayed. Additionally, the plant asset management system further comprises a second filtering means for filtering the set of the plurality of plant asset objects for hierarchically displaying only those in the set of the plurality of plant asset objects having a predefined attribute determined from the processed data correlated to the set of the asset objects wherein the predefined attribute can be an alarm status determined from the processed data correlated to the set of the asset objects and wherein the first filtering means and said second filtering means can be used in combination to show any combination of assets in a form of plants, groups, trains or measurement points with any combination of alarm status in a form of any alarms present, with danger alarms present or with alert alarms present.

Viewed from a third vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a processing device, a display device coupled to said processing device for providing a graphical user interface to a user in response to receipt of signals from the processing device, a selection device coupled to the processing device for navigating about the graphical user interface and making selections, the graphical user interface including a hierarchical first view hierarchically displaying plant assets in a first window on the display device; means, operatively coupled to the processing device, for storing a configuration associated with each of the plant assets; means for creating a template comprised of at least one of the hierarchically displayed plant assets by saving in a memory at least one of the configurations associated with the at least one of the hierarchically displayed plant assets such that the template can be subsequently used for configuring a plant asset management system. The plant asset management system further comprising means for exporting the template to another plant asset management system such that the template can be subsequently used for configuring the another plant asset management system. The plant asset management system further comprising means for importing a template from another plant asset management system such that the template can be subsequently used for configuring the plant asset management system.

Viewed from a fourth vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plant asset management system, comprising in combination: data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data, a database operatively coupled to the data acquisition means for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer; a plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in a first view of the graphical user interface for representing the plant assets; means for correlating the processed data to the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view; a selection device operatively coupled to the computer for navigating about the graphical user interface including the hierarchically displayed plurality of plant asset objects and for selecting a plant asset from the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view; the graphical user interface further including a trend plot view for displaying, in a second window on the display of the computer, a trend plot of at least one variable of the selected plant asset object versus time, means for displaying a marking in time on the trend plot; means for linking the displayed marking in time to an event list stored in the database for displaying a list of events associated with the selected plant asset object and with the marking in time in response to making a selection with the selection device of the marking in time such that the displayed event list provides information for managing plant assets.

Viewed from a fifth vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plant asset management system, comprising in combination: a data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data, a database operatively coupled to the data acquisition means for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer; a plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in a first view of the graphical user interface for representing the plant assets; means for correlating the processed data to the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view; a selection device operatively coupled to the computer for navigating about the graphical user interface including the hierarchically displayed plurality of plant asset objects and for selecting a plant asset object from the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view; the graphical user interface further including a trend plot view for displaying, in a second window on the display of the computer, a trend plot of at least one variable of the selected plant asset object versus time, means for displaying a marking in time on the trend plot; means for linking the displayed marking in time to a journal for displaying journal entries associated with the selected plant asset object and with the marking in time in response to making a selection with the selection device of the marking in time such that the displayed journal entries provide information for managing plant assets, and wherein the journal includes a journal editor for adding, viewing and editing the journal entries.

These and other objects and advantages will be made manifest when considering the following detailed specification when taken in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the industrial plant asset management system according to the instant invention and including a unified graphical user interface and a common database structure for protecting and managing industrial plant assets.

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic of one example of client/server network architecture according to the instant invention.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed schematic view of that which is shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of, inter alia, a data acquisition core according to the instant invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart view of an alarming process having severity levels according to the instant invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart view of object architecture of the display and configuration modules according to the instant invention.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot view illustrating different views of the unified graphical user interface including a hierarchical enterprise explorer view, an enterprise graphical view and a bargraph view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 8 is a screenshot view further illustrating the bargraph view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 9 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including a hierarchical instrument explorer view and an instrument graphical view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 10 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including a plot view and a plot selection menu according to the instant invention.

FIG. 11 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including a plot session graphical view and a plot session hierarchical view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 12 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including trend and polar plot views having synchronized cursors.

FIG. 13 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including an event manager view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 14 is a screenshot view illustrating different views of the unified graphical user interface including a hierarchical enterprise explorer view, an enterprise graphical view and a history plot view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart view of the object navigation process according to the instant invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of, inter alia, a configuration module according to the instant invention.

FIG. 17 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including a configuration hierarchical enterprise explorer view, a configuration enterprise graphical view and a configuration instrument graphical view employed when configuring an enterprise.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart view of object architecture of the display and configuration modules shown in FIG. 6 and further detailing various plot objects according to the instant invention.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram of the synchronize cursor method according to the instant invention.

FIG. 20 is a screenshot view illustrating views of the unified graphical user interface including a real time plot view, a real time plot configuration view and a plot session hierarchical view according to the instant invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart view of object architecture of the custom bargraph module according to the instant invention.

FIG. 22 is a screenshot view illustrating hierarchy filtering with a tabbed View according to the instant invention.

FIG. 23 is a screenshot view illustrating templating according to the instant invention.

FIG. 24 is a screenshot view illustrating a filter list of filters according to the instant invention.

FIG. 25 is a screenshot view illustrating exclusive filter choices according to the instant invention.

FIG. 26 is a screenshot view illustrating unanchored plot notes according to the instant invention.

FIG. 27 is a screenshot view illustrating anchored plot notes according to the instant invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Considering the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the various drawing figures, reference numeral 10 is directed to the industrial plant asset management system according to the instant invention.

In its essence, and referring to the FIG. 1, the system 10 is modular and scalable in design and can be apportioned to include four primary module groups. These module groups can reside on a single computer (process device) or on a plurality of independent computers that interact via a network. The groupings can include a data acquisition module 20, a database module 80, a display module 100 including a unified graphical user interface 102 or a unified GUI 102, and a utilities module 200.

The data acquisition module 20 includes a software module that can reside on one more data acquisition computers or clients and acts as, inter alia, a data buffer that serves data to both the database module 80 and to the display module 100 for data storage and for real-time data display, respectively. The data acquisition module 20 includes a plurality of different data collector modules 50 that act as an interface to data acquisition devices or systems 60, which include both hardware acquisition devices and software applications. The data acquisition devices 60 are operatively coupled to transducers/sensors 70 for collecting signals from asset locations including measurement points.

The database module 80 includes a relational database 82 that is a repository for all configuration information as well as data collected by data acquisition devices 60. The database module 80 can reside on a server, for example, a Microsoft.RTM. SQL Server. Furthermore, the database 82 can include a knowledge manager such as the one disclosed in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,989, filed Nov. 27, 1996, of Biggs, entitled "Knowledge Manager Relying on a Hierarchical Default Expert System: Apparatus and Method," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The display module 100 includes a software module that displays data in the database module 80 or in the data acquisition module 20 on, for example, one or more computers or display clients via the unified graphical user interface 102. Communication with the data acquisition module 20 is what permits the real-time display of data such as orbits during a machinery start-up. The display module 100 can be viewed as having two levels of display: basic navigation/operator display and full machinery management display.

The navigation/operator level provides a navigational environment to view an enterprise (a logical arrangement of machinery assets within a plant), a unit, a machine, a point, et cetera, as well as plot types associated with data sets as supplied by one or more data acquisition devices 60 such as a machinery protection system. This can be viewed as a lower level user interface to the external data acquisition devices 60 that serves those who want to know the status of the machinery and system instruments and who want to use alarms and monitored values as part of a machinery protection philosophy requiring operator intervention.

The full machinery management display provides the navigation and static data set of basic navigation with the addition of all diagnostic data and plot formats required for machinery diagnostics including dynamic and startup/shutdown data.

The utilities module 200 includes software modules that increase the communications abilities and functionality of the system 10. These utilities preferably include a configuration module 202 including configuration tools, data exporter modules
300 including custom interface modules, and system extender (SE) modules 302 (please see FIG. 3).

Configuration tools are used to configure all data acquisition devices including instrumentation, construct machine train diagrams, and define the enterprise (i.e., the logical arrangement of machinery assets within the plant). Configuration tools and configuration information existing in the system 10 is preferably available for system extenders as well.

Data exporter modules 300 are interfaces that allow the system 10 to communicate with control and automation systems including third party control and automation systems. These exporter modules 300 can include the following interfaces: an object linking embedding (OLE) interface for process control, for example OLE for process control (OPC), a Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) interface, and a Standard Query Language (SQL) interface. Custom Interfaces are interfaces to select third-party applications (i.e., Human Machine Interface (HMI), Historians, Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), etc.)

For example, an exporter module can interface between the data acquisition module 20 and a client user. Similar to the display client, each exporter can request real time data from the data acquisition module 20 or stored data form the database
82. The exporter has two main layers. One layer communicates with the modules of the system 10 to retrieve data. The other layer converts that information into the protocol requested by the user. Network Dynamic Data Exchange (NetDDE) and OPC are examples of protocols that the exporter preferably supports.

The system extender (SE) modules extend the functionality of the system 10 and can include data importers such as OLE for Process Control (OPC), Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), Standard Query Language (SQL), and machinery information management open system alliance (MIMOSA). Additionally, the system extenders can include decision support modules, performance monitoring modules, balancing modules, alignment modules, oil analysis modules, rotor modeling modules, rolling element bearing database modules, and document management modules.

More specifically, and referring FIG. 2, a simplified schematic of one example of the client/server network architecture according to the instant invention is shown wherein the database module 80 resides on one or more servers S.sub.1, S.sub.2, . . . S.sub.N, the data acquisition module 20 resides on one or more data acquisition nodes or computers DAC.sub.1, DAC.sub.2, . . . DAC.sub.N, and the display modules 100 resides on one or more display clients or computers DC.sub.1, DC.sub.2, . . . DC.sub.N. Thus, the system 10 can be based on a client/server network architecture employing at least one server, one or more computers, network controller cards, hub(s) and, for example, an Ethernet protocol communications link for configuring the system 10 as a centralized network, a distributed network, or any combination of the two as known to those having ordinary skill in the art, and informed by the instant disclosure. Additionally, the system 10 can be constructed as a wide area network (WAN) for managing a plurality of enterprises.

Display Module and Associated Display Devices

The display module 100 is in operative communications with both the data acquisition module 20 and the database module 80 via one or more data acquisition nodes DAC.sub.N and one or more servers S.sub.N, respectively. Display module 100 employs the unified graphical user interface 102 for displaying data from both these modules on one or more display devices D.sub.1, D.sub.2, . . . D.sub.N respectively associated with the one or more display clients DC.sub.1, DC.sub.2, . . . DC.sub.N. Each display client includes an input or pointing device (e.g., a touch screen, a mouse, a touch pad, a keypad, a light pen, voice actuation, etc.) so that the user can navigate a "pointer" about the graphical user interface 102 and interact with information being viewed. Note that the instant invention is not limited by the use of any one particular input device used for interacting with the graphical user interface 102. Furthermore, the functionality of any one particular pointing device is typically configurable by the user and may vary from one pointing device to another.

Notwithstanding, the mouse device is one exemplary input device with wide user familiarity. Thus, the mouse device 104 will be employed in the description infra as the input device for navigating a display pointer about the graphical user interface 102. The mouse 104 includes a "right" actuation device or button 106 and a "left" actuation device or button 108. The left mouse button 108 is generally used for, inter alia, selecting, dragging and opening an object when actuated or clicked on that object. Similarly, the right mouse button 106 is generally used for, inter alia, opening one or more menus and dialog boxes associated with an object when actuated or clicked on that object. Thus, clicking or actuating the right mouse button will hereinafter be referred to as a right click and clicking or actuating the left mouse button will hereinafter be referred to as left click.

Data Acquisition Module

Referring now to FIG. 3, the data acquisition module 20 can be apportioned into a plurality of data collector modules 50, a data acquisition core 22 and into one or more exporter modules 300.

Data Collector Modules

The data collector modules 50 are the interfaces between the data acquisition devices 60 and the data acquisition core 22. These modules 50 convert various known digital protocols and data streams received from the data acquisition devices 60
into a standard input for the data acquisition core 22 via associated signal conditioning and processing means. Each of the data collector modules 50 employs a specific protocol for collecting data from each of the specific data acquisition devices 60
(e.g., asset management instruments) that are then connected to a variety of asset management transducers/sensors 70 including vibration, temperature, pressure, flow, optical, torque, position, and others for providing bi-directional communication. Thus, data can be received from and transmitted to each of the data acquisition devices 60 in the form of sensed data (data received), and configuration information and commands (data transmitted). The data collector modules 50 can also connect third party instrumentation systems, monitoring systems, machine controllers, process controllers, and field devices to the data acquisition module 20.

The data collector modules 50 preferably include modules for collecting data from fixed parallel devices including online continuous devices, from wired and wireless scanning/sequential devices including online scanning or multiplexing devices, from off-line diagnostic and surveillance devices including portable data collectors, from condition monitoring devices such as oil analysis, from processes devices, and from third party devices which can include machinery protection devices, machine and process controllers, applicable data sources, et cetera. A portable data collector module, a TDXnet.RTM. data collector module (communications processor) manufactured by Bently Nevada Corporation located in Minden, Nev., and an OPC data collector module are specific examples of data collector modules 50 for specific data acquisition devices 60. These modules collect the data via each of the devices known supported protocol and convert it to a standard input that is received by the core data acquisition module 22 for further processing.

Typically, online continuous devices or machinery protection systems are employed for critical machinery (i.e., machinery that represents such large business risks including economic, safety, government compliance, or production interruption that mechanical failures cannot be tolerated). Wired and/or wireless online scanning or multiplexing devices are typically employed for essential machinery (i.e., machinery that can cause partial production interruption or some other form of business loss if it fails, does not run, or runs at a reduced capacity) and for balance of plant machinery (other less critical plant machinery). Off-line diagnostic devices and portable surveillance/diagnostics devices are characteristically employed for essential machinery or balance of plant machinery, or when supplemental measurements are necessary on machines addressed by continuous or scanning data acquisition devices or systems. Thus, different data collector modules 50 simultaneously interface with continuous on-line monitoring devices, periodic on-line scanning or multiplexing monitoring devices, off-line diagnostic devices, portable surveillance/diagnostics devices, process devices and other conditioning monitoring devices for acquiring data from a multiplicity of measurement points throughout an enterprise.

Data Acquisition Core

Referring now to FIG. 4, the data acquisition core module 22 provides a data-conditioning layer between the physical world and both the database module 80 and the display module 100. Uniquely, the data acquisition core 22 includes means for real time interfacing with both the database module 80 and the display module 100 for providing real time export and real time display of data. The data acquisition core 22 is configuration sensitive thereby providing proper scaling for the connected information flows. It also provides alarming functions for simple and parametric alarms.

Data acquisition core module 22 is comprised of a data collector module interface 24, a data acquisition main module 26 (DAQ Main 26), a database interface/queue module 28, a point repository module 30, a request processor/session manager module
32 (real time interface), a hierarchy manager module 34, an event processor module 36, and a Boolean function manger module 38.

The data collector interface module 24 provides the interface between the core data acquisition module 22 and the plurality of data collector modules 50. For the most part, the other core modules do not know where the data is coming from. This is because the data collector interface module 24 substantially standardizes the interface to the data collector modules 50.

The data acquisition main module 26 controls the starting and stopping of the other modules of the core 22 and may run as a service (the module is started when the system boots). Additionally, the data acquisition main module 26 is the module that is signaled by a configuration module (please see FIG. 9) of the system 10 when configuration changes are made to the system 10. The data acquisition main module 26 passes this information to the other core modules so that they can adjust to the new configuration. For example, a point repository module 30, to be discussed hereinbelow, is updated when the user changes alarm configurations. Furthermore, the data acquisition main module 26 handles the communication with a data acquisition connection manager 42.

The database interface/queue module 28 is the interface to the relational database 82 including the configuration database 86 and to the historical/machine database 84. Each of the data acquisition modules 20 that needs information from either database or needs to write information to either database uses this module to complete this operation.

The point repository module 30 is a repository of point data (data collected from individual transducers including sensors) and status. This module receives data collected by the hardware on a point basis and initiates alarming on the collected data. The point repository module then adjust the status on the points if an alarm is detected or if a point is no longer in alarm and then reports this status change to the historical/machine database 86 and to any clients requesting it.

The system 10 includes both hardware-generated alarms and software-generated alarms. Hardware-generated alarms are specific to and evaluated by each individual hardware device. The results of these evaluations are returned to the system 10 for processing and display. Generally, hardware-generated alarms include over and under alarms that the user sets for a specific instrumentation such as monitoring system via the configuration utility module 202 and/or configuration object 150 to be explained infra. In one form, the hardware-generated alarms include two levels of alarms: alert and danger.

The software-generated alarms of the system 10 are comprised of level alarms, in-band and out-of-band alarms, acceptance region alarms, spectral band alarms, and parametric alarms that can be set on one or more variables. The user via the configuration utility module 202 including the configuration object 150 determines how these are set. For example, the parametric alarms can be configured to accept data from multiple variables from multiple points. This way the alarm may be determined by the running condition of the machine not just by one variable exceeding a set point.

Specifically, level alarms are comprised of basic over and under level alarms. For example, a variable is in an over alarm condition if its value matches or exceeds an over setpoint and conversely, a variable is in an under alarm condition if its value matches or is below the under setpoint. In-band alarms are alarms that fall between two boundaries or setpoints. Thus, a variable is in an in-band alarm condition if its value is within two boundaries or setpoints thereby defining an in-band setpoint region. Out-of-band alarms are alarms that fall outside two boundaries or setpoints. Thus, a variable is in an out-of-band alarm condition if its value is outside the two boundaries or setpoints thereby defining an out-of-band setpoint region. Amplitude and phase regions that are in an "acceptable" region define the acceptance region alarms. Thus, if a vector value goes outside of this region, it will be in alarm. The "acceptable" region can be defined by the user or configured to predetermined default values. Spectral band alarms include full and single spectrum alarms. Parametric alarms are alarms that are defined by using Boolean logic to combine a variety of conditions into one event which is preferably assigned a severity. The types of conditions that can be used in a parametric event include measurement location statuses (e.g., Not Ok), measurement values (e.g., Direct Amplitude=5), date/time and schedules. As an example, IF (Direct Measurement is in a Level 1 Alarm) AND (Temperature>=500) AND (Time=2:00 a.m.) Then "Possible Problem" Event occurred and will be logged to a system event List 85.

More specifically, and in one preferred form, each amplitude variable (e.g., Direct, 1X Amp, Gap) can be configured to have either four level alarms, or two in-band alarms, or two out-of band alarms. Each phase variable (e.g., 1X Phase, 2X Phase) can be configured to have two out-of-band alarms. Each spectral band variable can be configured to have one level alarm. Each vector variable (e.g., 1X Amplitude/Phase) can have up to four acceptance region alarms. In addition, and as noted hereinabove, a variety of conditions on a variety of variables can be combined to provide parametric alarming.

In addition, the system 10 allows the user to define or configure a plurality of severity levels to each alarm. In one preferred form, there can be four configurable severity levels (1 through 4) and a severity level of zero (0). The zero severity level can mean that a variable, event or parametric value is acceptable while increasing levels mean that the variable, event or parametric value has an increasing severity. Typically, hardware generated alarms would normally have a higher severity level such as a severity level of three (3) or four (4), but this is totally configurable by the user. The user can also configure a color for each severity level. For example, the severity level zero (0) could be green, severity level two (1) blue, severity level two (2) yellow, severity level three (3) orange, and severity level four (4) red. The benefits of this concept is that assets can be quickly managed by providing visual feedback to the user, via the graphical user interface 102, of an alarm and the severity associated with that alarm so that appropriate action can be immediately initiated.

Preferably, alarm events are logged into the event list 85 and can be configured to drive other user-defined actions. Therefore, each of the alarm events (in addition to other events) can be used to drive different actions. E.g., if "Possible Problem" event occurs, then send email to operator.

Additionally, the alarm event is reported to any client viewing the data acquisition module who reported the alarm. The alarms are not the only thing reported. The severity level is also reported because that is what determines the color displayed on the unified graphical interface 102. Thus, this unique alarming that the system 10 performs is very flexible and can be configured to meet the user's needs.

More specifically, and referring to FIG. 5, raw asset data is sensed by the transducers/sensors 70 and sent to respective data acquisition devices 60 for processing. The processed data is then collected by the data collector modules 50 and sent to the data acquisition core 22 for further processing including performing alarming on the collected data and determining severity levels of any alarms via point repository 30. The point repository 30 preferable reports, via a hierarchy manager 34 and request processor 32, the determination of an alarm to display clients that are monitoring the assets associated with the alarm and to any other display clients upon request. Each display clients DC.sub.N in turn determines the configurable color associated with each alarm and displays asset objects associated with each alarm in the respective determined severity level color.

Additionally, the point repository 30 preferable reports, via event processor 36 and database interface/queue module 28, any alarms to the historical/machine database 84 including reporting the respective severity levels.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the request processor/session manger module 32 is the interface to the display clients DC.sub.1, DC.sub.2, . . . DC.sub.N for real time data display. This module allows display clients DC.sub.1, DC.sub.2, . . . DC.sub.N to request that a session be set up and the module 32 then updates the display clients on a given interval. These sessions can return static data, dynamic data or asset status. This module is also the interface for one-time data collection requests such as reference (baseline) data collection.

Additionally, the request processor/session manger module 32 is the interface to the data exporter modules 300. In one form, the data exporter modules 300 can include an exporter module which includes two layers: a lower layer that requests data from the data acquisition core 22 or the database 82, depending on the request for real time or stored data, and a upper layer that takes the data and transforms it into a protocol requested by the customer application (please see FIG. 3).

The hierarchy manager 34 is the repository for all the hierarchies that have been configured in the system (hierarchy configuration is delineated in detail infra). They include enterprise, instrument and route hierarchies. Route hierarchies are associated with portable data collectors. The other modules of the data acquisition core 22 use this module 34 to retrieve hierarchy (parents and children) information for a given position in the hierarchy. This module also retains the status information for each level of the hierarchy. Thus, if any display client DC.sub.N needs to know the status for a given level, this module will fill the request. Thus, if the point repository 30 detects an alarm on an asset it can report this status to any display client DC.sub.N via the hierarchy manager 34 The display module 100 of the display client in turn tags or assigns the alarming asset object with a user configurable severity level color such that the alarming asset object is display on the unified GUI 102 with the severity level color tag. Additionally, the display module 100 looks at the severity of each level independently and assigns or tags each object that is branched to the alarming asset with the severity level color tag. Thus, a user can start from a level higher than the alarming asset object and follow a visual colored course or path from the higher level to the alarming asset object by drilling down the hierarchical tree structure to the alarming asset object.

The event processor module 36 controls the writing of events to the event list 85 of the system 10. Thus, if an alarm is detected (hardware or software) it is reported to this module and then put in the event list 85. This module also controls any actions that a user may want to put into action as a result of a given event. For example, if a software alarm is detected, a user may want more data to be collected on a specific machine train. That action will be configured and event processor module 36 will signal that collection to be carried out. Note that events are not restricted to alarms. Events may be, inter alia, changes in the running of a machine and actions can be configured that will accomplish something when these events occur.

Event List Filtering

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, the system includes filtering for the event list which allows the user to quickly get to specific events. The system provides the user a tool to filter the overall list based on Event Types, but this extends the filtering to provide a user a quick way to get to Transient Events (Startup and Shut down), Software Alarms, and Hardware Alarms. Referring to FIG. 25, when the user selects the check boxes 440, 442, 444, and 446 the system filter the list to only show what is selected in these check boxes regardless of what is chosen in an overall filter list selects which is a filter list of filters 438 (FIG. 24) that is basically one level above these "exclusive Filter" choices. So if the user chooses Transient Start-UP 440 and Software Alarms 442, the user is presented with a list of only Transient Start-up and Software Alarms, regardless of the higher level filters 438. The purpose of this feature is to allow the user to quickly get to their critical events quickly to do plotting or reporting.

The Boolean Function Manager module 38 controls any configured Boolean functions. Boolean functions include parametric alarms. If a Boolean function is triggered, the Boolean function manager module 38 signals the event processor module 36 that then carries out the configured actions.

The data acquisition module 20 further includes a data acquisition connection manager module 42 that is operatively coupled to the data acquisition core module 22 for providing an interface 102 for system data acquisition. With this module, the user can initiate and close the data acquisition program, stop and start the collecting of data, as well as view the running state of all the data acquisition stations in a plant. Thus, the user can control the data acquisition around the plant form a single computer with the data acquisition connection manager module 42.

Database

As mentioned above, the database interface/queue module 28 is the interface to the relational database 82 including databases 84 and 86. Thus, each of the data acquisition modules 20 that needs information from either database or needs to write information to either database uses this module to complete this operation.

Collected asset data can be compressed prior to transmitting it to databases 84 and 86 for storage by using a data compression method such as the one disclosed in the, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,348, filed Oct. 14, 1997, of Hala, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Compressing Measurement Data Correlative to Machine Status," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This compression can take place in the data acquisition devices 60, the data acquisition module 20
and/or the database module 80 prior to transmitting data to databases 84 and 86 for storage.

The database 82 is preferably a high performance relational database that includes asset configuration, instrument configuration, compressed data, and non-compressed data. The database 82 is able to store streaming real time data from online data acquisition devices. It also stores periodic data from external data sources and portable data collectors. A key to the design of the system 10 is its ability to normalize these inputs into a predefined standard so it is easy for the database 82
to store data and for the display application to present data in a consistent manner regardless of its source.

The main data source for the database 82 is normalized transducer/sensor data acquired from the data acquisition core 22. The database 82 also outputs data to the data exporter modules 300 for use by external applications including external database 304 and customer applications 306 (please see FIG. 3). The database 82 also outputs preprogrammed events to external applications and to a variety of media. For example, the database can output data to event notification devices 308 such as email, pagers, telephones, cellular phones or other human machine interfaces.

Display Module Architecture and Views

Referring now to FIG. 6, a schematic depiction is shown of the object architecture of the display module 100 according to the instant invention. The display module 100 uses a connection interface and scripting based logic to link a collection of independent objects and views together into object groups that function together to provide asset management and machinery diagnostic services.

The two main links are navigational and time. Thus, objects are linked through time and/or location. A time link specifies a historical span in time, such as from one particular date to another particular date or as a current or real-time link. Location refers to a location within a plant including object assets (e.g., plant, unit, machines, couplings, bearings, seal, et cetera), instrument assets such as monitoring systems and transducers/sensors, and knowledge assets such as predetermined data presentations useful to view assets. Additionally, location refers to physical or abstract structures.

The object architecture of the display module 100 allows objects to choose to participate in links or act independently. If an object chooses to participate in a link, it can register this request through a main application class 110, and subsequently receives link commands.

Particularly, the main application class 110 functions as both a central manager for broadcasting link commands and as an application manager that acts as a central command center for objects to communicate with each other. Objects can send and receive link (navigation or location) commands through main 110. The main application class 110 manages each view displayed of asset objects or asset representations on the graphical user interface 102 of the system 10, and directs what actions can be performed on various objects. Objects will expose what type of data they contain to main 110, and main 110 will script the actions on components together. The specific object architecture and associated graphical user interface views will now be delineated in detail.

Enterprise Tree Object and Enterprise Tree View

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an enterprise tree object 112 presents, via the unified graphical user interface 102, a hierarchical enterprise tree view 152 in a widow 154 of asset objects or asset representations. The enterprise tree object 112
participates in a navigation link as the user navigates through the enterprise tree 152, other objects participating in the navigation link update to the current location in the enterprise.

The hierarchical enterprise tree view 152 behaves similarly to the familiar "Windows.RTM. explorer view" showing a hierarchical explorer view 152 of the enterprise. Thus, the hierarchical enterprise tree or enterprise explorer view 152 is analogous to the familiar file and folder view that allows users to navigate in a hierarchical manner. Uniquely, this view allows navigation effortlessly from typical object assets such as plant, unit, machine, bearing, seal, to instrument assets such as monitoring systems, to transducers/sensors, and to knowledge assets such as predetermined data presentations (e.g., plots) useful to view assets. The enterprise tree object 112 clearly represents each asset with a correlative descriptive icon on the unified graphical user interface 102 as exemplified in FIG. 7.

The enterprise tree object 112 can also include filters that allow the user to view only certain asset objects and/or only certain assets and their associated attributes. Placing filter menus on the explorer window 154 can access these filters. For example, the explorer window 154 can include a first filter menu 156 that allows the user to view all plants (e.g. petrochemical plants, power generation plants, et cetera), all groups (e.g. crude unit A, crude unit B, Unit 1, et cetera), all trains (e.g. turbine trains, pump trains, et cetera), or all measurement points on the assets. Additionally, the explorer window 154 can include a second filter menu 158 that allows the user to sort assets based on their attributes such as alarm status. For example, second filter menu 158 can allow the user to view asset with any alarms present, assets with danger alarms present or assets with alert alarms present. The filters 156, 158 can be used in combination to show plants, groups, trains or measurement points with any alarms present, with danger alarms present or with alert alarms present.

The enterprise tree object 112 can also visually show current alarm status on the hierarchical enterprise tree view 152 and propagate those statuses through the hierarchy, providing detailed alarm and summary alarm views simultaneously. For example, and referring to FIG. 7, the enterprise tree view 152 reveals that an alarm is present by displaying the "Power Gen Plant" object in a configurable severity level color highlight as discussed supra. The user can then follow the color highlighting course by clicking on the severity level color highlighted objects which in this example include the "unit 1" object, the "300MW TG" object and the "BRG 2 Vert" object. Clicking on the "BRG 2 Vert" object reveals that the cause of the alarm is a direct reading on the vertical two bearing. Thus, by drilling down the hierarchical enterprise tree of the "Power Gen Plant" by following the course laid out by the severity level color highlighting quickly reveals that the cause of the alarm is the direct reading on the vertical two bearing of the 300MW turbine associated with the "unit 1" machine train of the "Power Gen Plant" enterprise. Thus, the alarming and severity level color highlighting features of the instant invention provide the user with continuous visual feedback that rapidly guides the user to the alarming event by following a severity level color highlighted course or path.

Hierarchy Filtering With A Tabbed View

In view of the above, and referring to FIGS. 1 through 7 and FIG. 22, the plant asset management system comprises in combination: data acquisition means 60 operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets PA for receiving and processing asset data, a database or memory 82 operatively coupled to the data acquisition means for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface 102 operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer such as the data acquisition computer DAC.sub.N or computer DC.sub.N ; a plurality of plant asset objects 410 hierarchically displayed in a first view 154 of the graphical user interface 102 for representing the plant assets PA and for defining an original hierarchy 412 of plant asset objects (FIG. 22); means for correlating the processed data to the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view and means for filtering the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view (FIG. 7) for defining a generated hierarchy 414 of plant asset objects comprised of a set of the original hierarchy of plant asset objects with at least one of the plant asset objects 410 in the original hierarchy 412 of plant asset objects being omitted such that a user can designate only certain of the plurality of plant asset objects for display in the generated or filtered hierarchy 414 displayed in the first view for managing plant assets.

The plant asset management system of claim 10 further including means for displaying a tabbed view 416 comprised of a tab 418 for displaying the original hierarchy 412 of plant asset objects and a tab 420 for displaying the generated hierarchy
414 of plant asset objects 410 such that the original hierarchy and the generated hierarchy of plant asset objects can be toggled between for displaying either hierarchy in the first view for managing plant assets.

The plant asset management system further includes means for filtering the set of the plurality of plant asset objects based on a predefined attribute determined from the processed data correlated to the set of the asset objects wherein the predefined attribute can be an alarm status of an asset determined from the processed data correlated to the set of the asset objects.

Thus, the above feature allows the user to designate what to see and what severity to view. For example, if the user is only interested in all Gas Turbines in Alert (Severity 3) or above. After the user makes the selections, a tree is generated with only the requested items originally shown. Then the user can expand and move around in the generated hierarchy and do anything that they could form the original hierarchy. An important item is that the original hierarchy is not modified, but a tabbed view is presented with the original hierarchy and the filtered hierarchy. The filtered hierarchy may be linked to cause the virtual view to navigate like the original hierarchy.

Enterprise View Object and Enterprise View

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an enterprise view object 114 presents a graphical (two and three dimensional objects) enterprise or asset view 160 in an enterprise or diagram window 162, via the unified graphical user interface 102. The enterprise view 160 is configured to model the actual plant layout or the physical appearance of the asset or machine and shows plants, structures, machines, couplings, bearings, measurement locations, transducer orientations et cetera. The enterprise view 160
behaves as a graphical view of the enterprise tree 152 and the user can navigate through locations via the enterprise view 160 by graphically selecting and "drilling" into two and three-dimensional objects. The enterprise view 160 also shows individual measurement location views 164 providing status and current value presentations.

The enterprise view object 118 and thus, the enterprise view 160 participate in the navigation link. Thus, if the user clicks through the enterprise tree 152, the graphical enterprise or asset view 160 follows the navigation although the user is not directly interfacing with the asset view window. These linked views may be driven by the user or by alarms. Because all views are linked exploring root cause of alarm is rapid, one click and the user sees the asset where the alarm is and instrumentation that generated it. For example, and referring to FIG. 7, one click on the "300 MW TG" object in the explorer view 152 results in the user being presented with the asset view 160 shown in window 162 that visually presents a severity level color highlighted measurement location 165 that has the same configurable severity level alert color as that presented in the explorer tree 152. Thus, the instant invention speedily presents the user with visual feedback in both windows 154 and 162 of the cause of the alert and these window views are linked to follow each other's navigation. Additionally, the user can drill down the objects in the graphical enterprise or asset view 160 by subsequently clicking on severity level color highlighted objects for following a severity level color highlighted course or path to an alarming event.

Bargraph Object and Bargraph Views

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a bargraph object 116 presents graphical bargraph views 166 in a bargraph window 168, via the unified graphical user interface 102. Bargraph objects 116 can participate in navigation links and can be customized and configured on a per user basis. In addition, users can create customized bargraphs containing only particular points of interest and these customized bargraphs can be stored as files and shared between users.

The bargraph views 166 graphically show current values via dynamically changing graphical bars 171. The bargraph views 166 can also show one are more alarm level or setpoints. For example the alarm levels 173, 175 show setpoints configured for measurement location 177. Furthermore, the bargraph views 166 can show current values via nomenclature 179 and graphically show current status nomenclature (e.g. ok, not ok, alert, danger, alarm and no data). Additionally, an indicator 181 may be provided which may flash when the asset is in an alert, danger or alarm status. The indicators 181 are preferably highlighted with the same configurable colors for alert, danger and alarm statuses as used for objects that are in these statuses in the explorer and asset views.

As mentioned, bargraph objects can participate in links. Thus, if the user right clicks on any hierarchical level or on a component in the view 162, the user can selectively display the bargraph. Alternatively, when the enterprise tree view 154
revealed that "Power Gen Plant" had an alert and the user drilled down the hierarchical enterprise tree to the vibration transducer, the bargraph view 166 may simultaneously follow thereby allowing the user to have visual feedback in the form of bargraphs including the bargraph 169 of the vertical bearing two showing the graphical bar 171 in the same configurable severity level color highlight as the associated alarming objects are shown in both the tree view 152 and the graphical view 160. In addition, the bargraph 169 shows the graphical bar acceding the setpoint 173 and displays nomenclature 179 that numerically details the bargraph value and shows that this asset is in an "alert" condition. Furthermore, indicator 181 can flash the highlighted alert color.

The above delineation discloses that the bargraph object may or may not automatically participate in links. Generally, all of the objects that support navigation can do so in two forms: a real time form (automatic links like the Explorer Tree and the Graphical View)--or just as a "one time shot"--or BOTH. Take the Bargraph or Event Manger for example, --the user has navigated somewhere in the Enterprise Tree or Graphical View. They then, off the selected item, can bring up a Bargraph, Event Manager (or any other object that support Navigation). These objects bring up their data from the currently navigated location. Now, if the object wants, it can then participate in "Real Time" or automatic navigation--where it then automatically navigates with the user as they navigate through the system.

However, the key here is that an object may or may not wish to participate in "automatic" links. This can be an option for components, such as the Bargraph, or Event Manager--wherein the user will be able to configure components to participate in automatic links or not.

So, if we look again at the Bargraph example--the Bargraph can be spawned from the currently navigated asset--but does not automatically update as the user navigates through the system. But, in the alternative, an option can be provided to "participate this bargraph in navigation."

FIG. 8 exemplifies further graphical bargraphs that can be displayed in the bargraph window 168 via the bargraph object 116. In particular, FIG. 8 shows, a 1X amplitude bargraph hand a corresponding 1X phase bargraph thereby defining a vector value. Amplitude and a phase bargraphs can also display regions for defining an acceptance region such that an alarm event will occur if the associated vector value falls outside of the defined acceptance region.

Custom Bargraphs

As delineated hereinabove, and referring to FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 11, and 21 Bargraph objects 116 can participate in navigation links, can be customized, can be configured, and can be stored as files which can be shared between users for presenting graphical bargraph views 166 in bargraph window 168.

The customizable bargraph objects of the system 10 allows bargraph views or bargraph windows 168 to be generated from an existing bargraph view or window generated from the hierarchy during configuration (FIG. 16) by adding or deleting bargraphs
166 thereto with cut, copy, send, drag and drop, and delete actions for defining a custom bargraph view.

The customizable bargraph objects of the system 10 also allows a bargraph view to be generated by employing an empty bargraph window or a bargraph shell wherein the user can cut, copy, send, or drag and drop locations, either points or higher levels of the hierarchy, into the bargraph shell wherein bargraphs for either points or all points under the higher level are added to the bargraph shell. After the user configures the bargraphs in the bargraph shell and the look and location of the bargraphs the user can then save that bargraph view and the included bargraph configurations to the database 82 as a customized bargraph session for future retrieval. This operation is analogous to Plots and Plot Sessions delineated hereinbelow, but only applied to bargraphs 166 and bargraph objects 116.

More particularly, and referring again to FIGS. 6 and 7, the bargraph object 116 presents bargraphs 166 in the bargraph window 168, via the unified graphical user interface 102. Bargraph objects 116 can participate in navigation links. and can be customized and configured on a per user basis. Thus, if the user, for example, right clicks on any hierarchical level or point in the enterprise explorer tree view 154, the graphical window view 162, the instrument explorer window view 172, and the configuration explorer window view 310, the graphical window view 314, and the instrument view 318, the Bargraph objects 116, if linked, can selectively display the respective bargraph. Additionally, the system 10 can allow this respective bargraph to be cut, copied, sent, or drag and dropped in a bargraph shell or session tree and deleted therefrom. Additionally, the system 10 can allow the user to copy, cut, or drag and drop any hierarchical location/asset levels or points from the views 154, 162,
172, 310, 314, and 318 into a bargraph shell which basically stores all particular bargraphs and associated configurations for the selected location/asset levels or points into the database 82. The hierarchy manager 34 and the common tree manager module
204 control the viewing and editing of trees. This includes: cut, copy, send, and paste functions of components in views and trees, drag and drop functions of components in views and trees, and adding/deleting components in views and trees.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 21, the basic model of custom bargraphs includes a bargraph shell 400 having an initially bargraph window view 398 and comprised of a bargraph sessions 402 in an bargraph session view or tree 401. The bargraph session tree 401 is comprised one or more bargraph sessions 404 which are each comprised of one or more bargraph groups 404 which, in turn, is comprised of one or more bargraph objects 116 comprised of one or more bargraphs 166. Each bargraph 166 is comprised of one or more variables and any configured set points. Thus, a simple illustrative hierarchy is as follows. Thus, bargraph shell 400 includes bargraph sessions 402 which in turn include bargraph groups 404 which can be viewed in a bargraph group view
403. Bargraph groups include bargraphs 166 and bargraphs contain information which can include a value of a variable and a value of any set points for that particular variable associated with an asset. A single bargraph can show one or more variables and set points.

Each bargraph session is a structure that contains and stores an arbitrary number of bargraph groups that can share a common date range. In fact, the user can store any number of arbitrary bargraph groups in a single bargraph session. A bargraph group allows the user to customize a bargraph view and create an arbitrary number of bargraphs in one view. Bargraphs can generally be added to or subtracted from a bargraph group. Particularly, bargraphs in a bargraph group can be deleted, cut, copied, pasted, and rearranged for displaying a customized bargraph view or window. Bargraphs in one bargraph group can also be dragged and dropped to another bargraph group for displaying a customized bargraph view or window. Bargraphs in one bargraph group can also be sent to or from another bargraph group or file for displaying a customized bargraph view or window.

For example, and referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a bargraph group is shown in bargraph window 168 and is comprised of the plurality of bargraphs 166 simultaneously displayed at the same time for conveying information correlative to the status of the associated locations or assets.

In each bargraph group, the user can create an arbitrary large number of bargraphs, and choose how many bargraphs per page the user wishes to view and which ones will be viewed on any particular page. Thus, if the user creates a bargraph group that consists of ten bargraphs and then chooses to show two bargraphs per page, the user would have a total of five pages of bargraphs to flip or page through. This operation is analogous to plot groups delineated hereinbelow.

The system 10 includes a number of choices and options for bargraph configuration and it is not necessary that the user knows or configures each of these options. Each time the user brings up a bargraph configuration screen, non-configured options are preferably filled in by the system 10 with simple defaults which the user can either override or leave alone. The system 10 saves the configuration of the bargraph groups including the each configuration and any set points for each of the bargraphs in the groups for later viewing. The system 10 allows the user to save multiple bargraph configurations into bargraph sessions in the bargraph shell for later viewing.

Thus, the plant asset management system 10 includes a data acquisition computer DAC.sub.N operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets PA for receiving and processing asset data, a database or memory means 82 operatively coupled to the data acquisition computer for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface 102 operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer such as the data acquisition computer wherein the graphical user interface displays a plurality of plant asset objects in the first widow view such as window view 154 representative of the plurality of plant assets. The plant asset management system 10 further includes a bargraph object 116 providing means for displaying a bargraph view in a bargraph window comprised of a plurality of bargraphs 166 each conveying information correlative to a status of at least one of the plurality of plant assets and a means for modifying the bargraph view by adding or deleting at least one bargraph from the bargraph view and storing the modified bargraph view in the database for defining a custom bargraph view viewable at a later time for conveying current status information at the later time of at least one of the plurality of plant assets by displaying at least one dynamically changing graphical bar 171 on the graphical user interface 102.

The bargraph view can be modified by using the navigation links such that the bargraphs 166 participate in editing functions such as delete, cut, copy, paste, move, drag and drop, and send functions. For example, bargraphs can be dragged and dropped to another bargraph view or window for displaying a customized bargraph view or window. Additionally, bargraphs in one bargraph view can also be sent to or from another bargraph view or to or from a file for displaying a customized bargraph view or window.

The plant asset management system 10 also includes means for dragging and dropping plant asset objects from a first window or view such as window 154 to a second window or view and means for storing in, for example, memory 82, a bargraph 166 for each of the plant asset objects dragged and dropped from the first view to the second view for defining the custom bargraph view or window viewable at a later time for conveying current status information at the later time of at least one of the plurality of plant assets. The plant asset management system further includes means for displaying at least one dynamically changing graphical bar 171 on the graphical user 102 interface for conveying the current status information at the later time of at least one of the plurality of plant assets PA.

Instrument Tree Object and Instrument Tree View

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9, an instrument tree object 118 presents, via the unified graphical user interface 102, a hierarchical instrument tree view 170 in an instrument tree view window 172. The hierarchical instrument tree view 170 behaves similar to the hierarchical enterprise tree view 152 and thus, it behaves similar to the familiar "Windows.RTM. explorer view" for showing enterprise installed instrumentation including data acquisition devices 60. The unified graphical user interface
102 preferably represents each instrument object with a correlative descriptive icon.

The instrument tree 118 participates in the navigational link. Thus, as the user selects instruments in the instrument tree, other objects participating in the navigation link will show what data that instrument collects.

Instrument View Object and Instrument View

The display module 100 also includes an instrument view object 120, which presents a graphical (two and three dimensional objects) instrument view 174 in an instrument window 176 via the unified graphical user interface 102. The instrument view
174 is analogous to the enterprise view 160, but is configured to model the actual instruments installed in an enterprise and behaves as a graphical view of the instrument tree view 170. Thus, the user can navigate through the system through the instrument view 174 by graphically selecting and "drilling" into two and three-dimensional objects. In addition, the instrument view 174 shows individual measurement locations providing status and current value presentations. Furthermore, the objects in the instrument view 174 are preferably capable of being rotated such that, for example, the back of an instrument including its associated wiring may be viewed by the user thereby providing value to the user view the actual wiring of that instrument for setup and diagnostic purposes.

The Instrument view 174 allows the user to see status, alarms, and configuration referenced from the instrumentation system including data acquisition devices 60. Instrument assets may be controlled (for instance resetting machine protection alarms) and configurations may be changed in this view. The instrument view 174 can participate in links and is always synchronized with the other views of the system 10.

Plots Object and Views

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 10, a plot object 122 presents, via the graphical user interface 102, formatted data presentation plot views 178 in a plot view window 180. Plots can be graphical or textual. A plot is an object that provides a single, concise view of data acquired through the relational database module 82 (including the historical/machine database 84 and the configuration database 86), the data acquisition module 20 (including real-time data), external database 210 including third party databases and data servers. Thus, plots can be both static presentation of data, or "active" presentations of real-time data (Please see FIGS. 11 and 20, respectively). The display module 100 also employs the plot object to display both static and real time data on the same plot providing a unique comparison of real time vs. historical data. Additionally, the display module 100 can show plots with overlaid data, such as event markers, that indicate when a particular alarm or system event occurs in time. Plots can participate in links.

Additionally, the plot object can present, via the graphical user interface 102, asset data plots on multiple points simultaneously. It is unique in its ability to present real time data and historical data simultaneously. Real time data comes directly from transducers/sensors 70 via the data acquisition core 22 and provides results similar to connecting an oscilloscope, chart recorder, meter or spectrum analyzer directly to a measurement point. Historical data is retrieved directly from the relational database 82 and might be from non-real time devices such as a portable data collector or it might be stored real time data. The system has a wide variety of plot choices which include, but are not limited to, orbit (x vs. y, no time sweep oscilloscope view), orbit/timebase, timebase (similar to oscilloscope), high resolution trending, multi-variable trend, X vs. Y, acceptance region, bode, polar, shaft centerline, cascade, waterfall, full and half spectrum vs. time, and full and half spectrum vs. speed. The plot choices can be accessed via a plot menu 183.

Reference Data Manager and View

Referring again to FIG. 6, a reference data manager object 124 stores a collection of baseline and slow roll compensation samples for measurement locations defined in the system 10. The reference data manager allows the user to create, delete and edit reference data that can be applied to historical or real time data plots. Reference Data Manager 124 can participate in links.

Plot Groups Object and View

A plot groups object 126, provides a collection of similar plots (such as Orbit or Trend plots). Plot groups allow the user to page through large sets of plots included in the system 10 and view these sets in the plot view window 180 via the unified graphical user interface 102.

Plot Session Object and View

A plot session object 128 provides plot sessions comprised of a collection of logically related plot group objects. Hence, plot sessions are comprised of one or more plot groups, plot groups are comprised of one or more plots, and plots are comprised of one or more data sets.

Plot sessions can participate in links. Sessions can be saved, and retrieved. Plot Sessions can be saved locally (on the display client) for private viewing, or shared in the database 82, for example the configuration database 86, for multiple users viewing and editing.

Plots sessions contain a single configuration that can be applied to all plots in the session (such as time range). Plots in the session can operate independently, or use the single session configuration.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 11, a plot session has the interface in the plot session tree 260--the top-level folders that the user can expand to view the plot groups in a given session. The user can page through plots in a plot group. Plot groups show multiple plots, and the user can "page" through these plots with the horizontal scrollbar at the bottom of the plot group window 180.

A plot session can be configured to show orbit plots in the plot view window of data collected from a pair of displacement points (displacement point A and displacement point B) at defined time intervals (5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00). Furthermore, the plot session object 128 allows the user to page through large sets of plot groups included in the system 10 and view these groups in the plot view window 180 via the unified graphical user interface 102.

Furthermore, and referring to FIGS. 6 and 12, the plot session object 128 uniquely provides a synchronized cursor link through plot groups object of multiple plot windows brought up or opened simultaneously via a menu 250. For example, and referring to FIG. 12, a polar plot 252 having a first cursor 254 and a trend plot 256 having a second cursor 258 are shown in plot windows 180. The plot groups object links these two cursors together via the synchronized cursor link 127. Thus, as the user "scrolls" through data in the polar plot 252 with the first cursor 254, the second cursor 258 in the trend plot 256 automatically "scrolls" to the same sample as the driving plot or as scrolled to with the first cursor. Conversely, as the user "scrolls" through data in the trend plot 256 with the second cursor 258, the first cursor 254 in the polar plot 252 automatically "scrolls" to the same sample as the driving plot or as scrolled to with the second cursor 258. This allows the user to quickly and simply compare and correlate data from different and same plots.

Thus, in general, as the user "scrolls" through data in a given plot, all other plots participating in the synchronized cursor link are automatically scrolled to the same parameter such as a sample parameter, time parameter, RPM parameter, et cetera as in the driving plot by receiving the value of the parameter scrolled to in the driving plot and scrolling the cursor to a matching parameter in the driven plot. Again, this allows the user to quickly and simply compare and correlate data from different and same plots. Furthermore, the synchronized cursor link allows view a plurality of plots at the same point without scaling efforts.

Plot Session Tree Object and View

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 11, a plot session tree object 130 (similar to the enterprise and instrument tree objects) shows a graphical plot session tree view 260, via the graphical user interface 102, of all available plot sessions. The plot session tree 260 is unique in its ability to show all configured plot groups as the plot session is being constructed. The user can then quickly see what plots have been added to the plot sessions and choose to open, close and edit individual plot groups, and entire sessions from the plot session tree view 260.

Plot Objects and Views in Use and Operation

Referring again to FIGS. 6, 8 and 11, the instant invention includes a variety of plot objects and views that will now be further explored from a user standpoint. The user can simply select a point or variable, and choose the plot of interest, and a default plot will be presented. On the other end of the spectrum, the system 10 allows plotting for the high-end diagnostics engineer who demands maximum flexibility and customization.

Simple Plotting is where a user selects a point or variable anywhere in the system and chooses a plot. Most commonly, the user will select a point or variable in the enterprise tree and choose a plot. If the user chooses a point then a default set of variables will be used to produce a plot, and if the user chooses a variable, the user can be specific about exactly what variable the user would like to see. For example, if the user selects a point on the tree, and chooses the trend plot--the user will be presented with a single trend plot showing the 1x and direct variables. On the other hand, if the user wants to see a trend plot for just, say, GAP, then the user can select the GAP variable, and then select a trend plot.

There are two main ways to select what point or variable the user wishes to plot. The first way is by using the plot toolbar that can be located right under the main menu. The plot toolbar always operates on the current navigated location. If the user is currently navigated on a point, then the plot toolbar operates on that point. If the user is currently navigated on a variable, then the plot toolbar operates on that variable. If the user is currently navigated on something other than a point or variable, then the user will be presented with the plot configuration screens, as the system 10 does not know what point or variable the user wants to view. The second way to bring up a plot is to select any point or variable the user can see in the system by, for example, right clicking that point or variable, and choosing a plot. For example, to bring up a bargraph, right click on any variable, and choose a plot from that variable. Or, right click on a variable and the machine train, and choose a plot.

The basic model of plotting is as follows. The main unit of plotting is what is referred to as the plot group. The plot group includes of one or more plots. Each plot, in turn, is composed of one or more variables. At the top of the model, is something like the plot session, which is composed of plot groups. Thus, a simple illustrative hierarchy is as follows: plot sessions contain plot groups, plot groups contain plots, and plots contain curves.

Starting at the bottom and going up, a single plot can show one or more variables. For example, in a trend plot, the user can view a plurality of variables at the same time for performance comparative analysis across multiple variables on a single plot. Preferable, all plots in the system 10 plot multiple variables on a single plot. In fact, the system 10 can overlay either different variables, or the same variable, but at different times in the same plot. For example, the user could create a polar plot and show the 1x and 2x variables in the same plot or, the user could produce a polar plot that shows two sets of 1x data, one set being from, say, last month, and the other set being from last year.

A plot group is just a collection of plots that appear in the same window. For example, the user can create a plot group that consists of ten trend plots. Each of those trend plots can contain ten variables. If the user chooses to show two plots per page, then the user would have a total of five pages of trend plots to flip or page through. In each plot group, the user can create an arbitrary large number of plots, and choose how many plots per page the user wishes to view.

A plot session is a structure that contains and stores an arbitrary number of plot groups that can share a common date range for plotting. For example, the user can create a plot session for the month of March. In that plot session, the user can store five trend plot groups, three spectrum groups, and one XY plot group if the user chooses. In fact, the user can store any number of arbitrary plot groups in a single plot session. A plot group allows the user to create an arbitrary number of plots.

Plot configurations of the system 10 include a number of choices and options. It is not necessary that the user knows or configures each of these options. Each time the user brings up a plot configuration screen, non-configured options are preferably filled in with simple defaults the user can either override or leave alone. The system 10 saves the plot group's configuration including the configuration for everything in a plot group (plots, data sets in plots) for later viewing. The system 10 also allows the user to save multiple plotting configurations into a single plot session for later viewing.

Plot Notes

Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, the system 10 can support plot notes for providing a user with the ability to annotate their plots. This feature allows a user to drop a "sticky note" on the plot (similar to a yellow sticky). From here the user can type any free text to help describe a problem that the plot is showing or just provide a textual description of the item on the plot. This information is stored with the plot in the Plot Session and can be retrieved. The user has the ability to either not anchor the note 450 on the plot as shown in FIG. 26 and thus, the note will apply to this plot regardless of the data or time frame. Alternatively, the user can anchor the note 452 making it relative to the data being shown and this note 452
will only show up when that data is being Displayed as shown in FIG. 27.

Event Manager Object and View

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 13, an event manager object 132 is a special plot presentation that displays an event manager view 262 of both system and alarm events. System events are specific events in time that refer to the health and operation of the system 10. Alarm events are exception conditions that occurred on assets coupled to the system 10. The event manager object 132 supports both navigational and time links. Additionally, the event manager object allows the user to filter alarms via a filtered selection display 264 thereby allowing the system 10 to provide filtered status on any location in the Enterprise as the user navigates through the system 10. The Event Manager 132 further allows the user to launch plots via menu 266 from the event manager view 262 to present supporting evidence for any given event.

History Plot Object and History Plot View

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 14, a history plot object 134 presents, via the graphical user interface 102, a history or trend plot view 182 in a history plot view window 184. The history plot view 182 is a special time based plot that shows trended information for one or more measurement locations. The history plot participates in time links and is used to configure time or run definition spans. The history plot also participates in navigational links and shows recent historical trend data for measurement locations in the system 10 as the user navigates through instrument or enterprise tree hierarchies and graphical views.

Thus, if a hierarchical icon or a graphical object is selected a time-based plot will display a plot showing instrument point vs. time in the history plot window 184. This is the typical trend plot. The trend plot is unique in that it allows navigation from the trend plot to different points in time to explore the history of the asset. This history could include at least configuration changes, status changes, and availability of detailed data sets or user notes.

Additionally, the history plot object can include event markings 186. The event markings 186 can be used to link to the event manager 132 and thus the event manager view 262 (FIG. 13) such that a listing of all events associated with the system
10 for the specified time frame can be quickly accessed. Events include alarms, diagnostic statuses, asset events (such as start up shutdown), and configuration events. As with all other system 10 displays, the views are linked. Clicking on an event associated with an asset will cause other active displays to display information associated with the event. This information might be the trend plot for the variable that caused the event (time view), the physical location of the asset (enterprise view), all associated plots and hierarchical navigation options (explorer view), and a time base plot of the variable (plot view). Furthermore, the history plot object can include one or more journal markings 188 that provide a link that to a journal editor object 140 such that a listing of journal entries can be viewed and edited for any enterprise or instrument location.

In view of the above, and referring to FIGS. 1 through 14, the plant asset management system 10 comprises in combination: a data acquisition means or device 60 operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets PA for receiving and processing asset data, a database 82 operatively coupled to the data acquisition means for storing the processed asset data; a graphical user interface 102 operatively coupled to the database and displayed on a display of a computer DC.sub.N or DAC.sub.N, or a server S.sub.1, a plurality of plant asset objects 430 hierarchically displayed in a first view 154 of the graphical user interface for representing the plant assets (FIG. 14); means for correlating the processed data to the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view; a selection device 104 operatively coupled to the computer for navigating about the graphical user interface including the hierarchically displayed plurality of plant asset objects and for selecting a plant asset 432 from the plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in the first view (FIG. 14); the graphical user interface further including a trend plot view 182 for displaying, in a second window 184 on the display of the computer, a trend plot of at least one variable of the selected plant asset object versus time, the computer and graphical user interface including means for displaying a marking in time 186 on the trend plot, and means for linking (object navigation links) the displayed marking in time to an event list stored in the database for displaying a list of events associated with the selected plant asset object and with the marking in time in response to making a selection with the selection device of the marking in time such that the displayed event list provides information for managing plant assets.

Further, the plant asset management system 10 further comprises means for displaying a marking in time 188 on the trend plot; means for linking the displayed marking in time (object navigation links) to the journal 140 for displaying journal entries associated with the selected plant asset object an