OS process control with freely-positionable windows

Graphical user interface (GUI)

The predefined user interface of the operator system has all the features typical of a control system. It is multilingual, clearly structured, ergonomic and easy to understand. Operators can survey the process extremely easily, and rapidly navigate between different views of the plant. The system supports them in this process with hierarchical display structures that can be configured as required. These facilitate the direct selection of lower-level areas during process control. The current position within the hierarchy can always be recognized in a window of the Picture Tree Manager.

Process displays and process tags can also be called directly by their name, or by a "Loop-in-alarm" starting from a selected message An online language selector permits the user to change the display language during runtime.

The project editor in the operator system offers a wide range of different image formats and resolutions for displaying process graphics:

Their use depends on how the graphics controller of the operator station and the process monitors controlled by it are designed.

The representative functional display of the plant is supported by a high-quality, modern design. The global appearance can be set using predefined or user-specific designs: color palette, colors, styles (fill patterns), optical effects (2D/3D, shading, transparency, colored identification of an image object when selected, etc.). These can be changed locally for each image object.

The design is also defined using a wide range of attractive elements provided by the Graphics Designer during configuration in the engineering system.

Process tag browser

The SIMATIC PCS 7 process tag browser enables status information from APL-based process tags to be displayed, filtered and sorted. Process tags that have a certain status can then be quickly identified and selected. The faceplate of a process tag can be selected directly in the process image via the Loop In function. The query results of the process tag browser can be saved and printed out.

TrendControls function for table displays and curve displays

Trend window on the operator station

With TrendControls the operator can display archived values:

• Archive tags from the process value archive
• Online values of process tags from tag management

The display is in relation to time (table/trend window) or in relation to another value (function window).

The time can be defined statically (absolute, as configured) or dynamically (in relation to the actual system time) as:

• Start and end times
• Start time and period
• Start time and number of measuring points

All TrendControls have scrolling functions and a function for directly selecting the start or end.

During runtime, operators can individually adapt the TrendControls functions which have already been predefined during plant configuration, and save the settings globally or user-specific. They are able to change the data link during runtime, and to access other data. It is also possible to integrate exported archive databases online.

APL Operator Trend Control

The APL Operator Trend Control coordinated with the Advanced Process Library offers another option to the operator for flexible online compilation of trends. The values for the trend display are selected with a simple mouse click, in which case the value range and unit are adopted automatically by the process tag. The selection made can be subsequently adjusted by adding and removing values. In addition, messages corresponding to the trend selection can be called.

AlarmControl function for message display and processing

Up to 200 000 messages can be configured per OS single station/OS server:

• Predefined system messages, triggered by a system event
• Individual or group messages, initiated by a change in process states
• Operator input messages, resulting from the manual operation of objects

The message system integrated in the Operator System records these process messages and local events, saves them in message archives, and displays them using freely configurable message lists.

Flexible setting options for audio output support message signaling with a sound card or by controlling external horns via a signal module.

The "Loop-in-alarm" and "Select display using process tag" functions support the quick evaluation and resolution of faults. Using "Loop-in-alarm", the operator can jump directly from a message selected in the message window to the process display with the object which caused the fault, and can then call up the associated faceplate (loop display) through the process tag whose block icon is colored (cyan). The faceplate window (loop display) can be anchored so that it remains visible even when the display is changed.

Group displays visually signal the messages currently present in the process display. They also provide information on whether messages are disabled or not.

Operator station message list

Reporting and logging system

The project created during configuring is documented with the reporting system. The logging system allows an easy-to-read printout of data acquired during operation. Different types of predefined logs are available:

• Message sequence log
• Message and archive log
• Measured value log
• Operator activity log
• System message log
• User log

However, a page layout editor can be used to create completely new page layouts or to individually adapt predefined ones. Log objects to be printed are simply selected from the editor's object palette, positioned and configured.

Data archiving

The high-performance archiving system, configurable at runtime, in the OS standard software of OS Single Stations and OS Servers temporarily records process values and messages/events (alarms) in cyclic archives. Intervals of approximately 1 to 4 weeks for process values and approximately 2 months for alarms are typical for this short-term archiving. Data from the cyclic archives can be exported time-controlled or event-controlled to the Process Historian for permanent archiving. See the "Process data archiving and reporting" section for information on this.

Central user administration, access control and electronic signature

With SIMATIC Logon, the operator system has central user administration with access control that complies with the validation requirements of 21 CFR Part 11. The administrator can divide the users into groups and assign differently defined access rights (roles) to these groups. The operator obtains the specific rights when logging on within the scope of the access control. Apart from the keyboard, an optional smart card reader, for example, can be used as the logon device. In addition, SIMATIC Logon offers the "electronic signature" function.

SIMATIC Logon is fully integrated in SIMATIC PCS 7. In the context of SIMATIC PCS 7, no software licenses need be ordered for this. For more information on SIMATIC Logon and ordering data for an optional smart card reader, see "Expansion components, smart card reader" in "Industrial Workstation/IPC".

Time-of-day synchronization

TC400 central plant clock

Together with a SICLOCK time generator (see catalog "Add-ons for SIMATIC PCS 7"), the operator system of the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system can implement the system-wide synchronization on the basis of UTC (Universal Time Coordinated). This feature is especially beneficial for widely distributed plants present in different time zones, e.g. pipelines.