Siemens Welding System ST PCS 7 User Manual

OS software

Siemens ST PCS 7 · November 2007

5

■

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 be-

tween different views of the plant. The system supports them in 

this process with hierarchical display structures that can be con-

figured as required. These facilitate the direct selection of lower-

level areas during process control. 
Process displays and process tags can also be called up by 

name. An online language selector permits the user to change 

the display language during runtime.
A standard view and a server view are available for the techno-

logical representation of a plant, each with variously designed 

area overviews. Features provided in both views include: 
• Message line for display of last message, can be configured 

such that either the message of the highest class or with the 

highest priority is shown

• Date, time and name of the operator
• Area overview with up to 36/49/64 areas (depending on reso-

lution of the process monitor)

• Working area for plant displays and movable windows for 

faceplates, trends, messages etc.

• System function keys
In a special message view it is possible to switch between con-

trol message pages such as new list, old list, cleared alarm list, 

operator action list, control element list and message history list.

Trend window on the operator station

Trends can be displayed as a full-size picture or as a window in 

the working area, and printed directly. Some trends/trend groups 

are predefined during plant configuration. In particular for com-

parisons, standardized curves with percentage scaling can be 

produced in addition to the absolute display. The standard set-

tings for dimensions and limits (e.g. minimum/maximum) de-

fined during configuration are automatically applied during run-

time. At runtime, operators can compose their own trends, select 

them by process tag name, and save them for reuse.

Up to 150,000 messages/alarms can be configured per OS sin-

gle station/OS server.
Message priorities are issued as an additional attribute to the 

known signal classes in order to make it easier to assess large 

quantities of signals and to be better able to distinguish impor-

tant messages from the less important.
By means of intelligent alarm management, alarms that are of 

lower importance for the safe and fault-free operation of the plant 

in certain plant states can be hidden and silenced. These alarms 

are still logged and archived as before. This saves a noticeable 

amount of work for the operators. Insignificant alarms can be 

hidden in two ways:
• Dynamically, i.e. depending on preconfigured definition for up 

to 32 operating states (Smart Alarm Hiding)

• Manually, with time limit
Operators can specifically disable messages (alarms) from indi-

vidual process tags or from all process tags of a display/area in 

the event of faults in a sensor/actuator or during startup. Dis-

abling and enabling are recorded in an input report.
Active messages are signaled by group displays representing 

preconfigured views based on message groups. The group dis-

plays also indicate whether messages are disabled or not.
The last message to have arrived – or the message with the high-

est priority when alarm priorities are utilized – is displayed at the 

top edge of the standard view. A predefined window with further 

messages can be called up with the "Extended message line".
The "Loop-in-alarm" and "Select display using process tag" func-

tions support the quick evaluation and resolution of faults. Using 

"Loop-in-alarm", the operator can jump directly 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 symbol is colored (cyan). The faceplate window 

(loop display) can be anchored so that it remains visible even 

when the display is changed.
Flexible setting options for audible output and priorities which 

can be defined using signal variables additionally support the 

signaling of messages/alarms through a sound card or by con-

trolling external horns via a signal module.

Message window on the operator station

© Siemens AG 2007