DE102020203061A1 - Control panel, computer program product and method for recording and / or controlling and / or regulating a technical process - Google Patents

Abstract

A control panel (8) for a device (23) which detects and / or controls and / or regulates a technical process, with at least one determined property being assigned to the technical process. wherein the control panel (8) has several sub-areas (1a-6e) is designed and developed with regard to flexible access to the control panel in such a way that the control panel (8) is assigned a computer-based processing mode, with at least one sub-area being occupied in the processing mode (1a-6e) is editable and the at least one sub-area (1a-6e) can be assigned the at least one and / or a further determined property.

Description

The invention relates to a control panel for a device that detects and / or controls and / or regulates a technical process, with at least one determined property being assigned to the technical process and with the control panel having several sub-areas.

Control panels of the type in question have been known from practice for years. According to the state of the art, technical processes are displayed in the form of mosaic circuit diagrams on physical boards. These physical boards were equipped with different display elements, switches and indicator lights in individual sections. The technical process - in particular the course of the technical process - was printed on the individual sub-areas of the mosaic diagram and mapped in this way. Access to the control panel is therefore only possible for a specific location.

Control panels are also known in which the technical process is represented in complex, graphic animations with the aid of modern data processing devices. The creation of unknown computer-based control panels is time-consuming and requires specialist knowledge. A user of the device with whom he or she would like to record and / or control and / or regulate the technical process is generally not able to generate such control panels.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of designing and developing a control panel of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that more flexible access to the control panel is made possible.

According to the invention, the above object is achieved by the features of claim 1. A computer-based processing mode is then assigned to the control panel in question, wherein in the processing mode an occupancy of at least one sub-area can be edited and the at least one and / or one further determined property can be assigned to the at least one sub-area.

According to the invention, it was first recognized that a computer-based editing mode enables the user to access the control panel and that no in-depth specialist knowledge is required to create or edit the control panel, in particular to edit the assignment of the sub-areas and the Assign certain properties to sub-areas. Another advantage is the improved operability of the control panel and the device in that the assignment of the at least one and / or at least one further determined properties to each sub-area can preferably also be set up and / or adapted by the user. The technical process can thus be mapped using the control panel. Structural changes to the technical process can be entered accordingly and entered into the control panel

With a view to a more flexible assignment of the determined properties to the partial areas, the assignment can be carried out by an assignment unit according to an advantageous embodiment. This assignment of determined properties to the subareas of the control panel can optionally only take place in a front end and / or both in the front end and in a back end with regard to the detection and / or control and / or regulation of the technical process.

With regard to a more flexible recording and / or control and / or regulation of technical processes, the technical process can be any technical process that is to be recorded and / or controlled and / or regulated. For example, the technical process can be in the area of general measurement, control and regulation technology, hydrometry, telecontrol systems and / or industrial plant and automation technology as well as the higher-level control systems and infrastructures.

Detecting and / or controlling and / or regulating any action on the technical process is meant. Variables assigned to the process, which relate, for example, to a material, energy or information turnover within the process or parts thereof, can be measured and thus recorded using sensors. The variables assigned to the process can also be set or influenced and thus controlled with an actuator or actuator. If a detected variable of the process is fed back to the device, the process can be controlled as a function of the detected variable, so that regulation is present.

Determined properties are to be understood in the sense that they can be determined for a limited number of technical processes and can be selected from a predetermined, finite group of properties. The determined properties can be communicated via predefined protocols between the control panel in the front end and the device in the back end. These protocols can be, for example, TCP / IP or known or standardized telecontrol protocols.

With regard to a more flexible detection and / or control and / or regulation, a manipulation of the technical process can be brought about according to an advantageous embodiment by editing the occupancy of the at least one sub-area of the control panel. In other words, both the control panel in the front end and the device and thus the technical process in the back end can be edited and / or changed in order to make changes flexibly at the operator level and / or also at the process level.

With regard to a more flexible detection and / or control and / or regulation of the process in response to changes in the technical process, the control panel can be provided with a reporting and / or alarm function according to a further advantageous embodiment, which can be triggered, for example, if a Size of the process has reached a certain threshold. The reporting and / or alarm function can be assigned to the entire control panel or to individual sub-areas.

With regard to improved detection and monitoring of the technical process as well as more flexible access to the control panel and thus to the device, at least one display element can optionally be assigned to the sub-areas according to another advantageous embodiment, which displays determined properties assigned to the respective sub-area. The one or more display elements can display one or more of the determined properties, preferably at least one state and / or at least one measured value of the process. It is possible to assign one or more determined properties to each sub-area. One or more display elements can be assigned to each determined property. Conversely, one or more determined properties can be assigned to the display element. It is thus also possible to assign one or more display elements to each sub-area.

With regard to more flexible access to the technical process by means of the control panel, according to a further advantageous embodiment, at least one linking element can be assigned to the partial areas - together with or in particular as an alternative to the display elements and determined properties. The one or more linking elements can in particular serve to link determined properties and, for example, map the calculation and / or processing of set or recorded variables of the process. The linking elements are preferably selected from graphic elements of the group consisting of lines, angles, intersections and text fields. This link can be present graphically in the front-end and / or at the process level. The linking elements advantageously enable visual programming of the control panel as well as the device and the process, which a user can carry out without special knowledge and without the help of a programmer. Each sub-area can preferably be provided with a corresponding graphic that corresponds to the display element or the link element.

With regard to more flexible access to individual sub-areas and their occupancy, according to another advantageous embodiment, the sub-areas can be designed like a mosaic in the form of adjoining polygons, in particular in the form of triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons or combinations thereof. In particular, with isosceles triangles, squares or hexagons, a two-dimensional control panel can be seamlessly subdivided into sub-areas that have up to three, four or six adjacent sub-areas.

For example, a first sub-area can be assigned to a determined property, the determined property being displayed on the user interface in the first sub-area by means of a display element. This determined property can be, for example, a binary state of a valve - for example "open / closed" - and can be used directly or via one or more linking elements on a second sub-area adjoining the first sub-area or several further sub-areas in turn on the second sub-area or adjoining further sub-areas be linked to a third sub-area. The determined property can be displayed there, for example by means of a display element, or can be further processed to determine or calculate a process variable. Depending on the technical process, the control panel can thus be individually adapted to the requirements that exist in the individual case and, if the boundary conditions change, it can be edited accordingly.

With regard to a more flexible occupancy of the control panel, the number of partial areas can be freely selected according to an advantageous embodiment. For example, the number of rows and / or columns and / or rows per control panel can be defined. The entire control panel can be seen on one screen. Alternatively, only a section of the control panel, which comprises one or more partial areas, can be seen, so that the control panel can be distributed over several screen pages. A then required switching between different screen pages or sections of the control panel can also take place via a sub-area, the one corresponding determined property - namely rules for switching between a current and a subsequent section of the control panel - can be assigned.

With regard to a more flexible occupancy of the control panel, the occupancy of one of the partial areas can be copied and / or moved according to an advantageous embodiment. In this way, the occupancy of a sub-area can be transferred to one or more further sub-areas. Thus, in particular, identical, comparable or similar determined properties can be reproduced and the entire process of assignment is significantly accelerated.

With regard to a more flexible detection and / or control and / or regulation of technical processes, the device can, according to a further advantageous embodiment, comprise a programmable logic controller (PLC). Here, a determined property can include a preferably protocol-based information object which is made available by the PLC for the purpose of data exchange. The information objects can have a fixed structure and contain all process-essential information about the technical objects assigned to the process.

With regard to more flexible access to the technical process by means of the control panel, according to a further advantageous embodiment, each information object can be assigned a technical object that records and / or controls and / or regulates a variable in the technical process. The one or more technical devices can also be, for example, a pump, an immersion probe, a radar device, a telemetry device, a data logger, a level cabinet or a device for transmitting and / or receiving electromagnetic waves, in particular a preferably cable-guided microwave unit . These technical objects enable quantities of the technical process to be measured or set and can be linked to the control panel via the device.

With regard to particularly comfortable and safe operation, the control panel can be designed as a touch screen on which a graphical user interface is set up, wherein the graphical user interface can be set up not only on a control panel designed as a touch screen, but also on other control panels . The graphical user interface can depict the multiple sub-areas. In the edit mode, the user can preferably assign a specific property to this sub-area by tapping on a sub-area. The control panel can also be displayed on a computer screen and operated by means of a mouse and keyboard or reproduced in another known manner and designed to be operable in a conventional manner.

With regard to simplified communication and management of the occupancy of the sub-areas, the assignment of determined properties and / or display elements and / or link elements to the sub-areas can be stored in configuration data according to an advantageous embodiment. The configuration data can include one or more configuration files and can be stored on a local data carrier and / or on a server.

The local data carrier can preferably be assigned to the control panel or generally to the device. Configuration data stored on the server can be accessible from there for the assignment unit. The assignment unit can then use the configuration data to edit the occupancy of the at least one sub-area and / or optionally assign at least one of the determined properties to the at least one sub-area.

With regard to a particularly flexible editing of the occupancy of the partial areas, according to a further advantageous embodiment, the configuration data can be accessible on the server by means of a mobile terminal device and / or by means of a data processing device. The configuration data can be generated and / or changed and / or deleted there on the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal device can in particular be a laptop, tablet or smartphone, etc. This means that the user can occupy the sub-areas of the control panel regardless of location.

With a view to preventing unauthorized access to the configuration data, direct communication between the control panel and the mobile terminal or data processing device can be implemented, for example, via a VPN network. Editing of the occupancy of the at least one sub-area of the control panel preferably effects a manipulation of the technical process in that configuration data is generated and / or changed. The allocation of the sub-areas as well as the determined properties can thus be transferred or inherited upwards and downwards between the front-end and the back-end. Software assigned to the control panel can initially access the configuration data. The configuration data are, on the one hand, self-determined properties and, on the other hand, include rules for handling other determined properties - for example the information objects.

These rules can be, for example, the graphic characteristics of an associated technical object or rules for the storage, further processing, use or evaluation of the determined properties. According to the rules, the configuration data can initially be stored on the local data carrier of the control panel. The configuration data can be moved to the server for further processing. The server can be assigned to an internal network or to a network cloud. The information objects read from the PLC can then be linked to the permanently stored rules according to the assignment of the sub-areas of the control panel. The configuration data additionally obtained can in turn be copied and / or moved to the server. In other words, the configuration file is the link between the front-end and the back-end, i.e. between the control panel and the device / PLC / process.

With regard to a particularly flexible use of the configuration data, according to an advantageous embodiment, the configuration data can also have information relating to an occupation of the subareas of the control panel. This information can also include a graphic arrangement of the sub-areas of the control panel and can also be copied and / or moved to the server. A particular technical advantage is that the file size of the configuration data is much smaller than if all information relating to the entire process had to be mapped according to the specified protocols. In other words, due to the - predefined and finite - determined properties, the configuration data can be stored in smaller data packets or configuration files than the entire process would be. This enables the configuration data to be inherited even with a low bandwidth.

The above object is further achieved by a computer program product which comprises a program code which, when executed by means of a data processing device, generates a control panel of the type described. The data processing device can be the device - for example the PLC or a computer system assigned to the PLC - or the mobile terminal device or a computer or another conventional data processing device.

With a view to permanent storage and simple transport, the computer program product can, according to an advantageous embodiment, be stored on a non-volatile computer-readable memory. Especially in the area of industrial controls and PLCs, this can be helpful for security reasons, for example to prevent unauthorized access from outside, or to establish intercompatibility between hardware components of different generations.

The above object is also achieved in accordance with the invention by a method for detecting and / or controlling and / or regulating a technical process by means of a device using a control panel of the type described.

• 1 in einem Schaubild eine grafische Darstellung einer Ausführungsform eines Ausschnitts eines erfindungsgemäßen Bedienfelds,
• 2 in einem Schaubild eine beispielhafte grafische Darstellung eines Fensters zum Editieren der Belegung eines Teilbereichs des Bedienfelds mit einem Verknüpfungselement,
• 3 in einem Schaubild eine beispielhafte grafische Darstellung eines Fensters zum Editieren der Belegung eines Teilbereichs des Bedienfelds mit einem Anzeigeelement
• 4 in einem Schaubild eine beispielhafte grafische Darstellung eines Fensters zum Editieren der Belegung eines Teilbereichs des Bedienfelds mit einem anderen Anzeigeelement und
• 5 in einem Schaubild eine schematische Darstellung von Informationsflüssen bei der Verwendung eines erfindungsgemäßen Bedienfelds.

There are now various possibilities for designing and developing the teaching of the present invention in an advantageous manner. For this purpose, reference is made, on the one hand, to the claims subordinate to claim 1 and, on the other hand, to the following explanation of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawing. In connection with the explanation of the preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawing, generally preferred configurations and developments of the teaching are also explained. Show in the drawing

• 1 in a diagram, a graphic representation of an embodiment of a section of a control panel according to the invention,
• 2 in a diagram, an exemplary graphic representation of a window for editing the assignment of a sub-area of the control panel with a link element,
• 3 in a diagram, an exemplary graphic representation of a window for editing the occupancy of a sub-area of the control panel with a display element
• 4th in a diagram an exemplary graphic representation of a window for editing the occupancy of a sub-area of the control panel with another display element and
• 5 in a diagram a schematic representation of information flows when using a control panel according to the invention.

1 shows six columns 1 , 2 , 3 , 4th , 5 , 6th and five lines a , b , c , d , e of sub-areas 1a-6e who have made a cutout 7th an embodiment of a control panel 8th form which in 1 accordingly can only be seen in part. The sub-areas 1a-6e are designed like a mosaic in the form of adjoining squares. Every sub-area 1a-6e is for the description of the 1 by specifying its position on the control panel 7th after columns 1 , 2 , 3 , 4th , 5 , 6th and lines a , b , c , d , e clearly determined.

The control panel 8th is one in 1 assigned device, not shown, which detects and / or controls and / or regulates a technical process. The device can in particular be a programmable logic controller PLC. The technical process can be a hydrometry and / or pumping process. Determined properties are assigned to this technical process. The determined properties preferably include protocol-based information objects, with each information object on a control level having an in 1 Technical object, also not shown, is assigned at the process level. The technical object detects and / or controls and / or regulates a variable in the technical process. In 1 are the sub-areas 3c and 5c respectively pumps 9 , 10 assigned, which can be recognized by a user at any time by means of pump symbols in the upper right corners of the sub-areas 3c and 5c.

Display elements are also assigned to the sub-areas 2a, 3c and 5c. The display elements represent the pumps 9 , 10 , 11 assigned determined properties. In the case of sub-areas 2a and 3c, these are the operating hours of the pumps 9 and 10 and in the case of sub-area 5c around one of the pumps 11 assigned frequency.

Further display elements are assigned to the sub-areas 1d, 2d, 5b and 6b. These display elements represent determined properties in the form of measured values 12-15 of sizes of the process in respective units.

Linking elements are assigned to the sub-areas 1c, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3d, 4d, 5a, 4d and 6a. The linking elements in the sub-areas 1c, 3a, 5a and 5d are angles. The linking element in sub-area 3d is a T-junction. The linking elements in the sub-areas 2b, 2c, 3b, 4d and 6a are lines that are partially provided with arrows.

Linking elements in the form of text fields are assigned to the sub-areas 1e and 6e. Rules are assigned to these link elements.

Between individual sections 7th of the control panel 8th can by means of the arrows 16 , 17th be switched.

The control panel 8th a computer-based editing mode is assigned. The at least one of the sub-areas is occupied in the edit mode 1a-6e editable.

In 2 is a window 18a to see with which the control panel 8th can be edited as such. In a left area of 2 is a drop-down menu 19th shown. The drop-down menu 19th has various submenus. The submenus include, inter alia, a button 20a for language selection, a button 20b to log the user in and out, a button 20c to lock and unlock the control panel, a button 20d to switch from an edit mode to a regular operating mode and back, a button 20e to get the number of columns 1 , 2 , 3 , 4th , 5 , 6th and lines a , b , c , d , e define one button per control panel 20f , for copying and / or moving the assignment of the sub-areas 1a-6e , a button 20g for marking individual screen pages or sections of the control panel 8th with a heading and a button 20h for closing or exiting the drop-down menu 19th .

In 2 is the button 20e activated, and a window 18b to define the number of columns 1 , 2 , 3 , 4th , 5 , 6th and lines a , b , c , d , e is opened. In the exemplary in 2 the state shown shows the control panel 8th - as in 1 to see - seven screen pages or excerpts, each with five lines of lines a , b , c , d , e and six columns 1 , 2 , 3 , 4th , 5 , 6th on. These numbers can be in window 18b be increased or decreased. An overview 21 of the seven screen pages or sections based on dots is located at the bottom of the control panel 8th .

3 shows a window 18c for editing the assignment of a section of the control panel 8th with a link element. In addition to the linking element, the sub-area also has a determined property in the form of a color 22a or text can be assigned.

4th shows a window 18d for editing the assignment of a section of the control panel 8th with a display element, here as an example in the form of a frequency 22b of a technical object.

5 shows a window 18e for editing the assignment of a section of the control panel 8th with another display element, here as an example in the form of the data 22c that can be assigned to a pump involved in the technical process and from a protocol-based information object of the device 23 can be read out.

6th shows information flows when using the control panel 8th the device 23 For detecting and / or controlling and / or regulating the technical process, a programmable logic controller - PLC - comprises. The control panel can contain information objects 24 read out from the PLC. the Information objects 24 are with in a local disk 25th firmly established rules 26th connected.

The additional configuration data obtained in the process 27 are on a cloud server 28 and can be moved according to the arrow 29 between the control panel 8th and the one cloud server 28 exchanged and inherited.

The assignment of determined properties and / or display elements and / or link elements to the sub-areas 1a-6e is also in the configuration data 27 deposited, with the configuration data 27 on the local disk 25th and / or on the cloud server 28 can be saved. In other words, the configuration data 27 Information relating to the occupancy of the sub-areas 1a-6e of the control panel 8th on.

The configuration data 27 on the cloud server 28 are by means of a mobile device 30th accessible and can by means of the terminal 30th generated and / or changed and / or deleted. The configuration data 27 can according to arrow 31 between the mobile device 30th and the cloud server 28 exchanged and inherited. The mobile terminal has a touchscreen, whereby by tapping or selecting a sub-area 1a-6e the respective window for editing the assignment is then displayed to the user, see 3 , 4th and 5 .

The configuration data 27 on the cloud server 28 are according to 6th also by means of a data processing device 32 - For example, a central control room of a control or management system, a PC or another known data processing device 32 - Accessible and can by means of the data processing device 32 generated and / or changed and / or deleted. The configuration data 27 can according to arrow 33 between the data processing device 32 and the cloud server 28 exchanged and inherited.

The embodiments of the control panel shown in the drawing 8th can be embodied in a computer program product which comprises program code which, when executed by means of a mobile terminal 30th or any data processing device 32 the control panel 8th generated. The computer program product can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable memory.

With regard to further advantageous embodiments of the device according to the invention, reference is made to the general part of the description and to the appended claims in order to avoid repetition.

Finally, it should be expressly pointed out that the above-described exemplary embodiments of the device according to the invention only serve to explain the teaching claimed, but do not restrict them to the exemplary embodiments.

List of reference symbols

1

First column (from left)

2

Second column (from left)

3rd

Third column (from left)

4th

Fourth column (from left)

5

Fifth column (from the left)

6th

Sixth column (from left)

a

First line (from the top)

b

Second line (from the top)

c

Third line (from the top)

d

Fourth line (from the top)

e

Fifth row (from the top)

1a-6e

Sub-areas

7th

Cutout

8th

Control panel

9

pump

10

pump

11

pump

12th

Measured value (g / l)

13th

Measured value (m)

14th

Measured value (m ³ / h)

15th

Measured value (pH value)

16

arrow

17th

arrow

18a-18e

window

19th

Drop-down menu

20a-20h

buttons

21

Overview of sections

22a

colour

22b

frequency

22c

Data from information object

23

Device / PLC

24

Information objects

25th

Local drive

26th

rules

27

Configuration data

28

Cloud server

29

arrow

30th

Mobile device

31

arrow

32

Data processing device

33

arrow

Claims (11)

Control panel (8) for a device (23) that detects and / or controls and / or regulates a technical process, the technical process being assigned at least one determined property and the control panel (8) having several sub-areas (1a-6e) , characterized in that a computer-based editing mode is assigned to the control panel (8), with an assignment of at least one sub-area (1a-6e) being editable in the editing mode and the at least one sub-area (1a-6e) being able to edit at least one and / or another determined property can be assigned. Control panel (8) Claim 1 wherein the sub-areas (1a-6e) can also be assigned: at least one display element (22a, 22b, 22c) which represents a determined property assigned to the respective sub-area (1a-6e); and / or at least one linking element which is used in particular to link determined properties. Control panel after Claim 1 or 2 , the partial areas (1a-6e) being designed like a mosaic in the form of mutually adjacent polygons, in particular in the form of triangles, squares (1a-6e), pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons or combinations thereof. Control panel after one of the Claims 1 until 3 , the device (23) comprising a programmable logic controller (PLC), the determined property being a preferably protocol-based information object (24). Control panel after Claim 4 , with each information object (24) being assigned a technical object (9, 10, 11) which records and / or controls and / or regulates a variable in the technical process. Control panel after one of the Claims 1 until 5 , wherein the assignment of determined properties and / or display elements and / or link elements to the sub-areas (1a-6e) can be stored in configuration data (27), the configuration data (27) preferably on a local data carrier (25) and / or on a Server (28) can be stored. Control panel after Claim 6 wherein the configuration data (27) are accessible on the server (28) by means of a mobile terminal device (30) and / or by means of a data processing device (32) and can be generated and / or changed and / or deleted. Control panel after Claim 6 or 7th , the configuration data (27) having information relating to an occupancy of the sub-areas (1a-6e) of the control panel (8). Computer program product, comprising a program code which, when executed by means of a data processing device (32), has a control panel (8) according to one of the Claims 1 until 8th generated. Non-volatile computer readable memory comprising the computer program product according to Claim 9 . Method for detecting and / or controlling and / or regulating a technical process by means of a device (23) using a control panel (8) according to one of the Claims 1 until 8th .

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