Patent Application
20250181043
The invention relates to a control system for a technical installation, in particular a production or process installation and relates to a method for operating the control system of the technical installation.
For operator control and monitoring of technical installations, operators can optimize their activity and configure their workflows more efficiently via personalization. One possibility of personalization involves what are known as user selections, via which at runtime faceplate groups, trend displays and/or filtered subsequent message displays can be assembled, persisted and if necessary also retrieved again. User selections represent a runtime functionality but do not require previous engineering or project planning and can be configured and maintained flexibly at runtime by the operators.
If a situation occurs for which an operator has created a user selection, according to the prior art he must first identify the situation, (for example, perceive a specific alarm), recall that a user selection exists for the situation, and identify, find and open the one user selection from many. This inefficient procedure is also the reason why the potential of user selections at runtime could previously not be fully utilized by operators.
EP 3 876 046 A1 discloses a control system of a technical installation, which enables an adjustment of a display of visualization information performed by an operator station client via an operator at a runtime of the technical installation.
It is an object of the invention is to provide a control system for a technical installation, which increases the efficiency of operator control and monitoring of the technical installation.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved in accordance with the invention by a control system for a technical installation and by a method for operating the control system of the technical installation, where the control system comprises at least one operator station server and at least one operator station client connected to the operator station server. Here, the operator station server is configured to transmit visualization information to the operator station client. The operator station client is configured to generate a graphical display for the operator of the technical installation via the visualization information, and the operator station client is configured to accept a request for a modification of the graphical display from the operator and to transmit the request to the operator station server. The operator station server is further configured to store the request received by the operator station client in a memory of the operator station server.
The operator station client of the inventive control system is additionally configured to accept a condition that can be specified by the operator for the application of the modification of the graphical display and to transmit the condition to the operator station server. The operator station server is configured to store the condition in the memory of the operator station server.
The technical installation can be an installation from the process industry, such as a chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical or an installation from the food and beverage industry. Any installations from the production industry, factories, in which, for example cars, or products of all types are produced, are also included here. Technical installations that are suited to implementing the inventive method can also come from the field of power generation. Windmills, solar plants or power stations for power generation are likewise included in the term technical installation.
In the present context, a control system is understood to mean a computer-assisted, technical system, which comprise functionalities for displaying, operating and controlling the process installation. The control system can also comprise sensors for determining measured values and different actuators. Moreover, the control system can comprise what are known as process and manufacturing components that are used to actuate the actuators or sensors. Furthermore, the control system can have inter alia means for visualizing the process installation and for engineering purposes. The control system can optionally also comprise further computing units for more complex controllers and systems for data storage and processing.
An “operator station server” is currently understood to mean a server that detects data of an operator control and monitoring system and generally alarm and measured value archives of a control system of a technical installation centrally and makes it available to users, where the operator station server should be understood to include processor and memory. The operator station server generally establishes a communication link to automation systems of the technical installation and forwards data from the technical installation to what are known as operator station clients, which are used for operator control and monitoring of operation of the individual functional elements of the technical installation.
The operator station server can have client functions in order to access the data (archives, messages, tags, variables) of other operator station servers.
As a result, images of an operation of the technical installation on the operator station server can be combined with variables of other operator station servers (server-server communication. The operator station server can be, but is not limited to, a SIMATIC PCS 7 industrial workstation server by the company Siemens.
An operator of the technical installation can access the operator station server via the operator station client, which can be a tablet, a smartphone, a personal computer or suchlike, for instance, for the purpose of operator control and monitoring of the technical installation.
By way of example, a modification of the graphical display can be the superimposition of a graphical window with a course of measured data from the technical installation, with an image of a monitoring camera, with a visualization of technical objects of the technical installation or suchlike. Likewise, the modification can lie in the targeted fading-out of specific areas of the graphical display to render concealed graphical objects immediately visible to the operator.
The operator station client of the inventive control system not only accepts the requirement of the operator to undertake a modification but it also accepts a condition for the application of this modification and stores it in the memory of the operator station server. This information specified by the operator can be used by the control system or by additional, external computing units in order to perform the modification in a targeted manner when the specified condition exists.
The operator station client is preferably configured, in the event that the condition is fulfilled, to automatically perform the modification of the graphical display. The control system overcomes the disadvantages of conventional control systems cited in the introductory part of the instant disclosure and can contribute to the potential of individual modifications of the graphical display possibly being fully utilized for operators.
The operator station server is particularly preferably configured to automatically check whether the condition is fulfilled and, in the event that the condition is fulfilled, to notify the operator station client to that effect. This can then, as previously mentioned, automatically perform the modification of the graphical display. In order to check whether the condition is fulfilled, the operator station server can access data from the technical installation, which is explained in more detail using the exemplary embodiment.
The graphical display can represent an installation image of the technical installation. In the event of a process installation, such an installation image can comprise for instance graphical representations of pumps, valves, tanks, pipelines, combustion chambers or suchlike. Here, the graphical representations can comprise current process measured values, status values, and/or (alarm) messages.
Within the scope of an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the condition represents an event, where the operator station client is configured to perform the modification of the graphical display when the event occurs. The condition can also result from a logical linking of a plurality of events. This means that the condition is fulfilled if an event A, an event B and an event C occur, for instance.
In this regard, an event can represent an opening of an installation image, an opening of a faceplate of a technical object of the technical installation, an occurrence of an alarm, a parameter change to a technical object of the technical installation, an operating state of a technical object of the technical installation, achieving a specific state of a sequence of steps to be worked through by the technical installation or achieving a specific quality criterion during operation of the technical installation.
The condition can alternatively or in addition also represent an identity, a role or a location of an operator operating the operator station client. When an operator registers with the operator station client within a specific region of the technical installation, for instance, a specific modification of the standard graphical display can automatically be displayed to him/her, in order to satisfy special requirements of the specific region (such as special environmental conditions). An identity or a role of an operator can also represent a condition (possibly in addition to the conditions/events already mentioned), which must be fulfilled for the modification of the graphical display. A “role” here can mean that in exerting his/her role the operator in question is entitled to specific functional rights which, if applicable, do not permit a specific modification of the graphical display. These functional rights generally relate to operator control and monitoring of specific components of the technical installation. By way of example, monitoring rights for some components and operating rights for other components can be assigned to a first operator, whereas monitoring and operator control rights are assigned to a second operator for all components.
The objects and advantages are moreover achieved in accordance with the invention by a method for operating a control system of a technical installation, in particular production and process installation, which comprises at least one operator station server and at least one operator station client, where the operator station server is configured to transmit visualization information to the operator station client, and where the operator station client is configured to generate a graphical display for an operator of the technical installation via the visualization information. The method comprises:
The operator station client can perform the modification of the graphical display automatically in the event that the condition is fulfilled.
Furthermore, the operator station server can automatically check whether the condition is fulfilled, and in the event that the condition is fulfilled, notify the operator station client to that effect.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
The afore-described properties, features and advantages of this invention as well as the manner in which these are achieved will become clearer and more intelligible in conjunction with the following description of exemplary embodiments, which are explained in more detail in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
A graphical user interface is shown as a graphical display 1 in
An installation image 4 is shown in the user interface 1, which in turn comprises a plurality of graphical representations of individual process objects of the process installation (inter alia, e.g., boiler, pump, and/or valve). The operator can select elements of the user interface 1, which are to be used within the scope of a subsequent modification of the graphical user interface 1. A first element 5 represents a temporal course of process measured values. A second element 6 represents “faceplates” of process objects, via which the operator can perform operator control and monitoring of the process objects.
The operator deposits the two elements 5, 6 (graphically) in a selection service 7 (more precisely: in its graphical interface). This means that the respective element 5, 6 is opened and shown again in the graphical user interface 1, if a specific condition is present at a subsequent point in time. In the selection window 8, the operator can determine the condition under which this opening is to occur. Therefore, he/she can define, for instance, that the first element 5 is then always opened if a standard installation image 8 (a “start screen”) is opened. The second element 6 can then be opened and shown for instance if a specifiable alarm sounds.
For purposes of operator control and monitoring via the operator station client 2, a user or operator can access the operator station server 3 via the terminal bus 10. The terminal bus 10 can be formed as an Industrial Ethernet, for instance, without being restricted thereto.
The operator station server 3 has a device interface 11, which is connected to an installation bus 12. By way of this device interface 11, the operator station server 3 can communicate with an automatic device 13 (not shown) and with optionally available further components of the process installation such as peripheral devices (not shown). The installation bus 12 can be formed as an Industrial Ethernet, for instance, but is not limited thereto.
A visualization service 14, a process image 15 and a memory 16 are (inter alia) implemented on the operator station server 3. The visualization service 14 integrated in the operator station server 3 initiates a transmission of visualization information to the operator station client 2. The operator station client 2 is configured to represent a graphical display, in particular installation images, for operator control and monitoring of the process installation.
A snapshot of the (signal) states of devices and/or applications (not shown in the figure) connected to the operator station server 3 are stored in the process image 15 of the operator station server 3. An alarm service 17 can read out alarm messages from the process image 15 and generate a graphical aggregation of the alarm messages, for instance, which the operator station client 2 can represent.
A user selection service 18 has access to the memory 16 of the operator station server 3. User profiles and personal settings of operators of the process installation can be stored there. These can also be accessible for further operators. The user selection service 18 has access to the selection service 7, in which the operator, as explained on the basis of
A user interface service 19a, 19b monitors the graphical user interface 1 displayed by the operator station client 2 and conveys any modifications to the graphical user interface 1 performed by an operator to the user selection service 18.
Such a modification can be, for instance, an opening or closing of an installation image or any other element. The alarm service 17 conveys the occurrence of any alarm messages to the user selection service 18.
The user selection service 18 automatically checks whether the conditions stored in the memory 16 for a modification of the graphical display are fulfilled and, in the event that the condition is fulfilled, initiates the modification by triggering the operator station client 2 accordingly.
The method comprises a) accepting a request for a modification of the graphical display 1 and a condition for an application of the modification from an operator of the technical installation via the at least one operator station client 2, as indicated in step 510.
Next, b) the request and the condition from the operator station client 2 are transmitted to the at least one operator station server 3, as indicated in step 520.
Next, c) the request and the condition are stored in a memory 16 of the at least one operator station server 3, as indicated in step 530.
Next, d) a checked is automatically performed, via the operator station server 3, to determine whether the condition is fulfilled, and in an event the condition is fulfilled, the operator station client 2 is notified via the operator station server 3 that the condition is fulfilled, as indicated in step 540.
Next, e) in the event the condition is fulfilled, automatically performing the modification of the graphical display 1 is automatically performed via the at least one operator station client 2, as indicated in step 550.
Although the invention has been illustrated and described in more detail by the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived herefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.
Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22161338.3 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
This is a U.S. national stage of application No. PCT/EP2023/056013 filed 9 Mar. 2023. Priority is claimed on European Application No. 22161338.3 filed 10 Mar. 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2023/056013 | 3/9/2023 | WO |
