1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control and monitoring system for a switchgear cabinet, having at least one switchgear cabinet, a control and monitoring arrangement and an operating and information system, which has user components for remote control, as well as data processing, data transfer and memory components, a user guide arrangement and a configuration arrangement.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A control and monitoring system for a switchgear cabinet is disclosed in European Patent Reference EP 1 260 001 B1, embodied within the framework of a switchgear cabinet air conditioning arrangement and that relates to monitoring and control of a cooling device for a switchgear cabinet, which has a server and can be operated from a remote location via a web. The operating unit which, for example, contains a personal computer, offers clear operating options by a customary web browser which is assigned to the personal computer. Various data can be stored in the remote server assigned to the cooling device, for example documents relating to the structure and the operation of the cooling device, so that the data can also be made visible on the control area of the personal computer and can be used, for example, for checking the settings of the cooling device and, if required, to reset the settings in the required manner. During this, the user has various setting options, wherein the user possibly must take all manner of system prerequisites into consideration.
A control and monitoring arrangement, which goes beyond the control and monitoring possibilities of the switchgear cabinet per se, for example is not merely restricted to a cooling device control, and also not to an air conditioning arrangement for a switchgear cabinet, is disclosed in PCT International Publication WO 97/34345, which provides a more extensive basis. In connection with this known control and monitoring arrangement, different monitoring and control components for states of built-in units and/or add-on units of the switchgear cabinet are connected, in part via intermediate units, to a central control device for controlling and monitoring a switchgear cabinet for data exchange. The air conditioning unit comprises various air conditioning components, inter alia heat exchangers, fans, cooling apparatus, one or several heaters and/or user ventilators, which the user can connect as desired. Also, a number of different sensors are provided, such as moisture and condensation sensors, door limit switches, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, smoke detectors, transducers for current and/or voltage, and supply devices for network-supplied or, for example, battery-buffered power supply. Furthermore, there are programming and connecting units for remote maintenance, as well as local indicator units. This control and monitoring arrangement in connection with a switchgear cabinet allows use of the switchgear cabinet under many different employment conditions of quite different types, for example in an atmosphere of high temperature, or in humid areas, or in surroundings endangered by vandalism wherein the respective settings presuppose an appropriate knowledge and can be best performed by a specialist.
Also, known patents and patent applications are directed to different combinations of control and monitoring arrangements in switchgear cabinets and, for example, relate to a master/slave arrangement, in which a control and monitoring unit is connected as the master with further control and monitoring units operating as slaves, possibly over large distances, for example via a local network.
Such control and monitoring arrangements for switchgear cabinets, or racks, which permit flexible utilization options for one or several connected switchgear cabinets, are also considered.
One object of this invention is to provide a control and monitoring system for a switchgear cabinet, which offers the user flexible, individual utilization options for a switchgear cabinet or a switchgear cabinet arrangement, which can be adapted in a simple manner.
This object is attained according to characteristics described in this specification and in the claims. In one vendor arrangement, the operating and information system contains a planning arrangement for the selective combination of at least one switchgear cabinet with switchgear cabinet components into an individual user unit, in which vendor data from different switchgear cabinets and switchgear cabinet components are contained, from which a selected arrangement of planning data from at least one switchgear cabinet and regarding switchgear cabinet components can be extracted.
The operating and information system thus designed permits a user to create a user installation which is exactly matched to individual requirements which then, after creating the installation, offers simple operating and monitoring options for it. Because the vendor or the factory compute the data as a function of components generated by the user inside a switchgear cabinet and/or several switchgear cabinets, into planning data, the latter are exactly tailored to the generated individual user installation. Without superfluous additional data, they offer the user the possibility to make desired settings in a simple manner by the user guide arrangement and the appropriately matched control area of the visual display device and the input devices in the generated installation.
Here, the operating possibilities for the user are further simplified because the data processing components are designed for linking the planning data and, on their basis, for generating configuration data by the configuration arrangement, wherein the configuration data include individual installation data. Here, the configuration data result in an automatically and exactly matched interface for the control and monitoring of the individual user installation.
A further simplification for the user results if the installation data are included during control and monitoring of the physical states of the at least one switchgear cabinet by the operating and monitoring components. Because of the automatic inclusion of the installation data, or possibly the configuration data including these, the user does not need to individually enter them, but instead can read them into the control and monitoring arrangement, for example by the available software.
One embodiment is advantageous because the configuration data include parameter data, which are tailored to the user installation and contain setting data and/or output data of the components.
Operation of the individual user installation is simplified because the data processing components are designed for generating control and monitoring data in a monitoring and control data generating device of the vendor device, which can be supplied to a control and monitoring arrangement of the user installation created in accordance with planning data for controlling and monitoring the latter. With the control and monitoring data automatically generated in this way, the user can easily operate the installation wherein, if desired, he can also easily perform changes in parameter settings, for example threshold values, alarm limits.
There are advantageous possibilities of making data available to the user because the control and monitoring data generated by the vendor are made available to a user on a portable data support or because they can be called up from a memory of the vendor device for reading them into the control and monitoring arrangement of the user installation.
An advantageous construction of the installation results from one control and monitoring arrangement per user installation provided.
In a further embodiment, several control and monitoring components exist per control and monitoring arrangement. In this case, the control and monitoring components can be, for example, cooling devices, different air conditioning units, sensor units, energy supply units or actuating members.
A further advantageous construction results when several switchgear cabinets are in a user installation, and several control and monitoring units are linked together in the monitoring and control arrangement. In this way, the control and monitoring of individual switchgear cabinets can be combined into a common control and monitoring unit, in particular via a local network, wherein for example one control and monitoring unit is designed as master, and the others as slaves.
This invention is explained in greater detail in view of exemplary embodiments, making reference to the drawings, wherein:
The switchgear control and monitoring system schematically represented in
The vendor arrangement RS has a planning arrangement PS for making the vendor data available, in which the various switchgear cabinets, racks, switchgear cabinet components and the like offered by it, are electronically stored, for example in the form of catalogs or other representations. In this case, information regarding their properties, dimensions and, if required, physical values, such as power requirements or output, which can be made available, is also assigned to the switchgear cabinets, or components, besides their pictures and ordering data. The customer can assemble an individual user installation by these vendor data in real time, on line. The planning arrangement PS is embodied, for example, so that the customer can also enter spatial conditions and can insert individual wishes, or requirements, interactively. For example, the geometric dimensions of premises, properties of the room air conditioning such as, for example, removal of the waste heat via the ceiling and supply of cold air via the floor, or usage of the room, can be entered. It is possible when planning to also consider such requirements on the part of the customer.
Furthermore, the vendor arrangement RS contains a configuration arrangement KS, by which the data obtained during planning are converted to configuration data. For example, the configuration arrangement KS is embodied so that it links properties of the components, on which the planning data are based, together in order to make available as effective as possible an assembly of the components in accordance with the requirements of the customer, possibly by data exchange with the planning arrangement PS, and to also suitably select physical parameters. For example, in a room where people are present it can be practical to operate fans as quietly as possible during working hours, while at other times of the day as low as possible an energy use is brought into the foreground. Appropriate programs, which react to customer requirements, are provided in the configuration arrangement KS for such a conversion of the planning data into configuration data.
Furthermore, an arrangement ÜSS for generating monitoring and control data is arranged in the vendor arrangement RS. Monitoring and control data are generated using the arrangement ÜSS for generating monitoring and control data which, at the termination of the generation of the planning data and configuration data, are made available to the user, for example stored on a portable data support such as a CD, a memory card, a memory stick or in a memory device of the vendor, for access via the network NW in accordance with the composition of the individual user installation NA, NA1.
The user installation NA, or NA1, is constructed by the user N in accordance with the composition of the individual user installation NA, NA1, and is connected, either via the network NW or via another data transmission path, depending on the wishes of the user N, to an operating arrangement of the user N. In this case, the user installation NA, for example, has several switchgear cabinets G1 . . . Gn, which can perform different functions, for example can receive servers, can be equipped with a supply device for an interruption-free electric current supply, and/or can include a cooling arrangement. The user installations NA, NA1 each have a control and monitoring arrangement ÜS, or ÜS1, which can also be in a data exchange connection, for example via the user N, such as a data processing installation. Here, the control and monitoring arrangement ÜS, ÜS1 is constructed, for example, of several control and monitoring units, which are in connection with each other, for example, via a local network. In this case, it is practical if each switchgear cabinet G1 . . . Gn, or G11, G21, is respectively assigned its control and monitoring unit. In the control and monitoring arrangement ÜS, or ÜS1, constructed in this way, the construction is provided so that one of the control and monitoring units is designed as master, and the remaining ones as slaves, which make their data available to the master, wherein the master takes over the main control function and, depending on the programming, can act on individual control and monitoring units. If one switchgear cabinet exists, it is useful to only use one central control and monitoring arrangement, which is supplied with the data from the various monitoring and control components present in the switchgear cabinet, or with which the data are exchanged in case of a bidirectional connection, such as represented in PCT International Publication WO 97/34345.
Because, as described above, the user N has the data of an individually compiled user installation NA, or NA1, following the construction of the user installation the user can send them to the appropriate control and monitoring arrangement ÜS, ÜS1, for example from an operating device or a work station in connection with its control area, wherein there is a user guide arrangement. Another option includes the data, control and monitoring data, directly provided at the location of the control and monitoring arrangement ÜS, ÜS1 by the customer. In any case, following the provision of the control and monitoring data, the respective control and monitoring arrangement is exactly matched by corresponding to the individual construction of the user installation NA, NA1 to the latter, so that the user N, by the control area, can perform specific remote maintenance or remote control without unnecessary additional information.
Control and monitoring of the individual components in a total system, in which they depend on each other, becomes possible with the recited construction, so that points of view regarding a high degree of dependability and efficiency are met. An optimization of the construction is already achieved at the start of planning and with the configuration with simple remote operation. Modular air conditioning concepts and, beyond that, other control and monitoring concepts, can be achieved by monitoring and controlling the individual components. For example, control measures regarding the following functions and their monitoring can be achieved.
Analysis of the temperature course within the switchgear cabinets, or racks, monitoring of the air conditioning components, or cooling devices, inclusive of re-cooling installations, inflow, return flow, pressure, admission control, monitoring of the operational state of the interruption-free electrical current supply, analysis of the hours of operation of fans and installations for interruption-free electrical current supply, including preventive maintenance, active guidance of the energy supply, or of energy consumption, wherein possibly existing wall plug locations can be individually monitored and controlled, video monitoring of a server room and documentation and analysis of occurring errors by date and time.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2005 002 314.2 | Jan 2005 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP05/14086 | 12/28/2005 | WO | 00 | 4/18/2008 |