Better Graphics For Safer Industrial Plant Operations

Some of the most exciting technology companies have shown me during the past three years or so has involved deep work into providing better operator displays for industrial plant operations. In this case, “better” means working with the people who actually use the displays–maybe the entire team from operators to maintenance to engineering–in order to develop displays that show the state of the plant at a glance.

Those of you who were around in the late 80s, do you remember the beginnings of PC-based document design applications? PageMaker and Ventura Publisher were new. They offered lots of fonts. People designed brochures with six different fonts on one page–in patterns. Then we had the ability to draw really cool graphics on the screen. I had a customer with a waste water facility. They coded in pages to reflect the seasons of the year (I remember the frog croaking representing summer in the river at the end of the process.)

What I’m saying is that we had the technology and we used it as much as possible. Then we discovered that we were giving too much information in too confusing a format.

New Product

This latest announcement is from PAS Corp. in Houston. It has released PowerGraphiX 2.0, a high performance human-machine interface (HMI) package for the power generation industry. The company promises PowerGraphiX, “will revolutionize the way operators view information at power plants.”

PowerGraphiX is comprised of predesigned graphic templates, object libraries and best-practice guidelines for the design and implementation of operator interfaces at power generation plants. Companies choosing to implement the application can expect vastly improved graphics at significantly reduced costs when compared with traditional methods. (I’ve seen samples.)

According to PAS, the software was initially developed because Southern Company Services Inc. had a vision of consistent HMIs and improved situational awareness in control rooms across the operating fleet. PAS is now making the product commercially available for all utilities.

“Southern Company is committed to proprietary research and development in order to deliver solutions to our company and the industry,” said Harvey Ivey, Southern Company Manager of Instrumentation and Controls Design and Support. “This particular software was originally created to streamline information displayed in control rooms across our generating fleet, significantly improving operator effectiveness.”

The methodology behind developing PowerGraphiX was based on the industry-recognized book “The High Performance HMI Handbook” by Founder and CEO of PAS Eddie Habibi and Principal Consultant for High Performance HMI of PAS Bill Hollifield. It addresses the use of color, pattern recognition, standardization and other principles to transform data into actionable information, providing operators with a more holistic view of plant operating conditions.

“PAS is committed to empowering operators by delivering the precise information they need to improve plant safety and performance,” said PAS Vice President of Technology Mark Carrigan. “PowerGraphiX makes interpreting a plant’s current condition simply intuitive.”

New Mobile Operator Interface Device blends HTML 5 and Internet of Things

Iconics' MobileHMI app

Iconics’ MobileHMI app

Another announcement at ARC in Orlando last week came from software developer Iconics blending mobile HMI and the Internet of Things. The company introduced its new MobileHMI solution delivered to “Any Glass, Anytime!”

Iconics, always on the cutting edge of commercial technology trends, sees the increasing use of mobile devices in industry along with improved cloud technologies as a chance to develop new solutions. MobileHMI, an “app”, is now available from the major app stores, including those from Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

MobileHMI is a full HMI/SCADA client on any platform or smart device and runs on hundreds of smartphones, tablets, browsers and Web-enabled HDTVs, enabling users to tap into the Internet of Things (IoT) and access critical data anytime, anywhere. With MobileHMI, industry leaders such as executives, engineers, maintenance technicians and operators can now utilize a fully featured mobile client designed for operations on the go. Configuration enhancements simplify development of screens for mobile users, making it easy to provide a clean experience on all devices without incurring the extra cost of development time. Additionally, preconfigured templates and the ability to target specific devices with displays make MobileHMI ready to handle any combination of devices.

Russ Agrusa, Iconics CEO and President, says about the new release, “The new MobileHMI product is a technology marvel. Creating rich, real-time universal visualization for smartphones, tablets, Web browsers or Web-enabled HDTVs is effortless. Simply download the MobileHMI App from the Windows Store, Apple or Google app stores and you’re ready to get going. What makes the MobileHMI technology unique is its simple patented configuration technology that delivers secure visualization natively to any device such as iPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxy S4, Windows Phone and Microsoft Surface, as well as HTML5-enabled devices.”

Web-based Mobile Operator Interface Adds Features, Improves OPC tag handling, and Reduces Data Payload

Industrial automation manufacturer Opto 22 has announced groov version 2.1, an update to its groov web-based mobile operator interface system for building and using effective, scalable operator interfaces on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. groov 2.1 improvements include faster tag handling with OPC-UA servers, and improved data exchange with mobile devices for faster response times and lower mobile network costs.

groov lets industrial automation end-users, system integrators, machine OEMs, technicians, or any authorized person quickly and securely monitor and control PLCs and PACs like Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix, Siemens SIMATIC S7, Schneider Electric Modicon, GE PACSystems, and other controllers, all from a mobile device. groov gets important data out of processes, OEM machines, and manufacturing systems and into operators’ hands.

A major improvement in groov 2.1 is faster operator interface development due to new real-time OPC tag browsing. An OPC-UA server can have potentially tens of thousands of tags to choose from for an operator interface, and real-time browsing makes it faster to select tags and link them to on-screen indicators and controls.

groov 2.1 exchanges up to 75% less data with smartphones, tablets, and other devices running an operator interface than earlier groov versions, thanks to improved data handling and compression. Mobile devices operating over a cellular or other network with slower connections benefit with faster updates, faster interface responses, and lower mobile network costs.

groov 2.1 includes other improvements and new features:

  • Webpage links can be added to interface screens, making it possible, for example, to incorporate an internal company webpage showing production targets and KPIs.
  • Update/refresh rates can be individually set for IP camera widgets, so an IP camera monitoring a production machine, for example, can update twice a second, while a camera watching a loading area might update once every ten seconds.
  • Slider controls and range/level indicators can be oriented horizontally or vertically. Orienting these items vertically saves screen space and is particularly useful for compact mobile devices.
  • Using IP camera widgets on an interface screen no longer requires router configuration changes or opening firewall ports for each camera’s IP address. Instead, IP camera widgets can optionally use a reverse proxy server to communicate through the groov’s IP address.

What’s groov?

groov is a zero-programming, web-based way to build, deploy, and view effective, scalable operator interfaces to monitor and control systems and equipment using mobile devices and other computer-based systems. These operator interfaces can be viewed on almost any mobile device or computer regardless of its manufacturer, operating system, or screen size, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, and even smart high-definition televisions.

groov can augment existing human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems by making important information available at any time and in any location. groov is available as either the standalone groov Box hardware appliance or the PC-based groov Server for Windows software.

groov uses a standard method of securely communicating with devices on the plant floor, including PLCs, DCSs, PACs, databases, and OPC-DA servers called OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA). A fully functional version of groov Server for Windows is available to download and try so you can see your own system’s data on a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. groov operates for two hours without a license and can be restarted if more time is required.

groov works with Kepware Technologies’ KEPServerEX communications platform. Kepware has developed hundreds of device drivers for communicating with diverse automation systems, databases, building automation systems, and more.

groov 2.1 will be available on Mar. 3, 2014. Choose either the groov Box hardware appliance (GROOV-AT1) at a list price of $2895.00 USD, or groov Server for Windows software (GROOV-SVR-WIN) at a list price of $2695.00 USD. groov.com

Opto 22 Expands Human-machine interface product

Opto 22 Expands Human-machine interface product

Human-machine Interface

Opto 22 groov HMI

Industrial automation manufacturer Opto 22 has announced groov Server for Microsoft Windows, a software-based version of its groov product for building, deploying, and viewing simple, effective, and scalable operator interfaces to monitor and control systems and equipment using computers and mobile devices. groov Server for Windows runs on enterprise PCs or servers, and is intended for settings where the IT Department won’t add hardware to the network, but will add software served from a Windows PC. Since groov Server for Windows runs on a PC, it also reduces costs for OEM machine builders who incorporate a PC in their product and need to add mobility options for their HMIs.

Browser-based Benefits

Using only a modern web browser, groov securely lets industrial automation end-users, system integrators, machine OEMs, building managers, technicians, or any authorized person quickly build and deploy browser-based interfaces for automation, monitoring, and control applications. Although groov is served from a Windows PC, any computer with a modern web browser can be used to build interfaces. These operator interfaces can then be viewed on almost any computer or mobile device regardless of its manufacturer or operating system, including PCs, tablets, smartphones, and even smart high-definition televisions. groov is intended to augment traditional human-machine interfaces (HMIs) by making important information available at any time and in any location.

groov offers a simple yet flexible environment for developing operator interfaces with zero programming, and requires no per-seat runtime or viewing licenses. Overcoming the biggest challenge in developing for multiple screen sizes and mobile HMIs, groov automatically and gracefully scales all screens, page objects, and gadgets, allowing groov HMIs to be viewed and manipulated from virtually any device of any screen size.

groov uses the latest web standards like HTML5, CSS3, and SVG. And while many competing technologies depend on additional software or browser plug-ins like Flash, Silverlight, or Java to work, groov simplifies deployment by requiring no additional software or plug-ins.

groov Server for Windows runs on a PC or server that you control. All network communication between a web browser and groov uses an encrypted secure sockets layer (SSL) over an HTTPS connection. groov does not respond to any other communication methods on any other ports.

groov connects to Opto 22 SNAP PAC automation systems and OptoEMU energy monitoring products over a wired Ethernet network or wireless LAN. Opto 22 recommends using a separate network interface card (NIC) to segment your control systems. Support for the OPC-UA protocol is planned in 2013 and will allow groov to communicate with systems from other manufacturers that offer an OPC-UA server.

Automation: New HMIs Are Rugged with Modular Expansion and Protocol Conversion

Automation: New HMIs Are Rugged with Modular Expansion and Protocol Conversion

Automation, HMI

Red Lion Graphite HMI Family

Red Lion Controls, the global suppliers of products in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking, has released its newest generation of Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) – the Graphite series of advanced operator interface panels. “With all cast-aluminum construction, the Graphite series provides the industry’s first rugged HMI solution to combine a wide range of versatile plug-in modules with protocol conversion, data logging and web-based monitoring and control.”

Red Lion’s Graphite series allows customers to easily connect, monitor and control their process in industries that include manufacturing, oil and gas, and water/wastewater. The series’ range of plug-in modules enables customers to easily create a solution for today, with an option to expand to meet changing business requirements. Further, organizations will realize a reduction in development and commissioning times over traditional systems that use an HMI paired with separate I/O, PLCs and other controllers.

“We have used just about everyone’s HMIs, and Graphite is by far the best in terms of appearance and functionality,” said Pierre de Giorgio, president at BlueBay Automation. “It is the most feature-rich HMI that we have ever used, the graphics and resolution are amazing, and with Red Lion’s Crimson 3.0 software, the move to Graphite is seamless.”

Graphite HMIs are available in eight different models, in sizes ranging from 7” to 15”, with sleek bezels that provide a relatively large display given their overall dimension. Both the 7” and 10” HMIs are available as sunlight visible models. Combined with Graphite’s rugged packaging, these models are ideal for harsh outdoor environments.

Offering a built-in web server, Graphite HMIs enable users to monitor and control their application via PCs, tablets or smartphones. SMS text-messaging and email alerts provide early warning of process issues, which helps to avoid costly downtime. In addition, its built-in protocol converter allows programmers to select 13 or more simultaneous protocols from a list of over 250 to seamlessly integrate disparate devices such as PLCs, drives, barcode readers and panel meters.

“The HMI has become the nexus of the machine, and Red Lion’s new Graphite series offers the highest level of protocol support to simplify even the most complex multi-vendor environments,” said Jeff Thornton, director of product management at Red Lion Controls. “By logging performance data and critical events, customers can implement process improvements or perform fault-finding activities.”

The new HMIs are supported by Red Lion’s Crimson 3.0 software, which is included at no extra cost. Crimson 3.0 makes it fast and easy to configure protocols, define data tags, set up sophisticated applications and create an attractive user interface. Designed for ease of use, Crimson allows customers to cost-effectively standardize on one HMI for all of their machines, regardless of the PLC or drive manufacturer used.

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