Hi,
Do you guys provide flow diagrams for HMI screens with new systems?
By this I mean a document outlining how the HMI moves from one screen to the next and what button does what?
Does anybody have an example of this they would be prepared to share?
Thanks,
For our systems the flow of the screens follows the flow of the process. That means that it is very self-explanatory and really doesn't need a flow diagram. One example would be a Chiller Plant. There is Chilled Water and Condenser Water. From the main page showing the Chillers, there is a button that returns to the Cooling Towers at the end of the Condenser Water Pipe and one that goes to the Distribution Loop at the end of the Chilled Water Pipe. The same is true of any other type of (process) system.
For subsystems that are not directly related, I use menu buttons (Redlion is our go to HMI) to reach the subsystem and the format above applies to any related pages.
For Trends, I use groups of trends with Radio Button type navigation and next and previous buttons to move between groups.
Other screens follow the same logic as applicable.
I have systems with very many screens and by using menus and buttons on pages you are never more than 2-3 presses from any part of the system.
Of course there needs to be instructions for how to use the display buttons and other functions, but a flow diagram would probably not be helpful.
Also, our philosophy of screen design is that a small screen ultimately costs more than a larger one (except in extremely small applications) so we use the larger display and this gives us room for the navigation I described above without making the pages cluttered. A satisfied operator (as well as engineer) is some of our best advertising so we don't scrimp in that area.
I hope this helps.
