WO2003094057A2

WO2003094057A2 - Automation tool

Info

Publication number: WO2003094057A2
Application number: PCT/DE2003/001405
Authority: WO
Inventors: Werner HÖFLER; Rafael Nunez-Furtado
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2002-05-03
Filing date: 2003-05-02
Publication date: 2003-11-13
Also published as: WO2003094057A3; EP1506502A2; DE10219913A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an automation tool (12) for supporting the planning and implementation of an automated technical process (27). Said tool comprises access to a database (15) containing data (14) relating to a technical process (27) and depicts a user interface (11) with a data window (13) for displaying the data (14) and at least one working window (16, 17, 18) on a display device (10). The automation tool is characterised in that individual data (14) can be depicted in the working window (16, 17, 18) and can be linked to data (14) in the data window (13).

Description

description

automation tool

The invention relates to an automation tool to support the planning and implementation of any automated technical processes.

Automation tools to support the planning and implementation of automated technical processes are generally known. Such an automation tool is e.g. B. a CAD or CAE system (CAD = Computer Aided Design; CAE = Computer Aided Engineering). Further examples of such automation tools are so-called development applications, such as B. to create control programs to control and / or monitor such technical processes.

A disadvantage of these known automation tools, however, is that each automation tool accesses its own database and thus, especially when different automation tools are used in succession during the planning and implementation of automated technical processes, a complex transfer and transfer of the data of the individual automation tools is required. Even after such a transfer or transfer of the data from a first to a second automation tool, there is no contextual or functional connection between the data. Every operator of an automation tool has to deal with the complete amount of data and is responsible for the correct use and processing of the data in his area of responsibility, without always knowing the origin, context or functionality of the individual data.

The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying an automation tool with which a content or Functional connection between data relating to the respective technical process can be established and remains connected to the data, so that a link established by a first specialist entrusted with the planning and implementation of the technical process remains recognizable for other specialists.

This object is achieved with the features of claim 1. For this purpose, an automation tool to support the planning and implementation of an automated technical process with, on the one hand, access to a database comprising a number of data on the technical process and, on the other hand, a user interface on a display device with a data window for displaying the data and at least one Represents work window, provided that individual data can be displayed in the work window and linked to data in the data window.

The invention is based on the knowledge that prior to the automated manufacture of a product or a workpiece, considerable effort must be expended to set up the corresponding automated manufacturing process. Manufacturing and automation specialists - hereinafter referred to as designers and automation engineers - are required. These receive specifications from other specialists - hereinafter referred to as technologists - who determine the characteristics of the product.

The technologist is the planner of a product. B. the model of a motor vehicle in the form of individual body parts with welding or other connection points or the prescription for a drug. He has a way of thinking that is essentially based on product properties, market conditions, competition, profitability, etc. In addition, criteria such as production times, production costs and product innovations are important influencing factors for the technologist. The designer is the planner of the manufacturing facility. It provides machines and devices that transport or handle the body parts and connect them to one another or provide, mix, and chemically or thermally influence the raw materials of the drug. It has a way of thinking that is essentially based on physical processes or physical quantities. In his considerations, the designer includes objects such as system parts, (pipe) lines and materials or their movements or mobility.

The automation engineer plans to automate the resulting technical process. He creates a control program, under the influence of which the machines or devices influence the transport and treatment of the raw materials or products in such a way that the end product is ultimately manufactured. It has a way of thinking that is essentially based on digital quantities and closed states or smaller, independent units. In his considerations, he includes control functions, timings, drives and drive options, positions of moving or moving components in the process and states of the process. The automation engineer is familiar with the use of so-called state graphs, so that he is used to dividing the technical process into separable sub-processes, to which he successively devotes himself. His way of thinking is therefore less focused on the overall context of the technical process.

Extensive coordination is required between the individual specialists. This takes place at least between the technologist and the designer on the one hand and between the designer and the automation engineer on the other. The distribution of tasks among several specialists with different mindsets, who have so far used different automation tools for themselves and their area of responsibility, poses extensive problems, of which The following are only a few examples and are avoided with the invention.

First of all there are communication problems between the specialists involved, mainly due to their different language world. Communication therefore takes place primarily on the basis of transformed information, i. That is, if the designer wants to draw the mechanic's attention to the peculiarities of mechanics, he tries to understand his way of thinking and to make the problem understandable in his language. If the designer does not in turn undertake this transformation, but describes the problem to the automation engineer in his language, the automation engineer carries out the transformation by transforming what he has heard or read in relation to his own way of thinking. The example can of course be extended to any possible and meaningful communication between the specialists involved.

The consequence of such permanently required transformations of information is a loss of information, because e.g. B. Information that the technologist passes on to the designer and that is of no further importance to him may not be passed on to the automation engineer by the designer, if at all only in a reduced or even falsified manner. Such loss of information almost inevitably leads to inconsistencies in the data used.

The advantage of the invention is that such information losses are largely avoided. All specialists use the same database for the respective description of the technical process or the description of their amount to solve the corresponding automation problem. This database comprises a number of data, each date relating to a component or an aspect of the technical process. Components of the technical process are e.g. B. containers, pipes, etc., motors, valves, etc., control element, limit switches, etc. as well as automation devices, such as. B. programmable logic controllers and / or decentralized peripheral devices. Aspects of the technical process relate e.g. B. on an influenceability or controllability of individual components of the technical process.

For the individual specialist, however, only a subset of this data is usually relevant from this multitude of data. Each specialist is presented with precisely the data that are relevant to him in a work window provided for him. Each specialist then makes links to data in the data window based on the data displayed in the work window intended for them. This results in a content-related and functional connection between individual data of the technical process. If a certain polish of its surface is intended for a workpiece, the fact that such a polish is required is coded in a corresponding datum of the database. The type of polish is coded on the same date or, if necessary, on a further date. This data of the technical process is usually provided by the technologist, who largely decides on the type and appearance or functionality of the workpiece. Based on the data displayed in the data window, the designer recognizes the need for a device for polishing the workpiece in the technical process. So he creates a date in the work window provided for him to represent such a device for polishing. When it is created in the working window, the date is also part of the database and can be displayed accordingly in the data window. If the designer or the technologist now links the date for representing the device for polishing with the or each date encoding the polishing, a configuration of the device for polishing is achieved, as it were. The data are no longer independent of each other, but are brought into a context based on the specific technical process.

A date can also be of a simple data type, such as B. byte, word, integer, etc., as of a composite and / or user-defined data type. Compound data types are possible in almost any combination. Such data types are composed of simple and / or already defined composite data types.

The above-described creation of a date for representing a device for polishing can also take place automatically, namely because the polishing data can also be used to automatically conclude that the polishing is necessary. That is e.g. B. is the case when the data encoding the polishing are instances of a special data type, such as in particular a special object type.

The recognition of structures based on such data and the automatic derivation of information such as further data from such recognized structures is advantageously carried out e.g. B. in a manner as described in the German patent application entitled: Automation Tool to Support Planning and Realization of an Automated Technical Process and Corresponding Procedure, registered on May 3, 2002 for Siemens AG (official file number: 102 19 912.4) is described.

The dependent claims are directed to preferred embodiments of the present invention.

The at least one working window is advantageously provided either for displaying data relevant for a technologist or for a designer or for an automation engineer. Then each specialist can use the work window provided for him to link the Make data displayed in the data window with data displayed in the data window that he can judge based on his knowledge.

Linking data in the graphics window with data in the

Data window takes place by selecting the date in the working window with a pointing device, such as a mouse or the like, and moving it to the date to be linked in the data window, or by selecting the date in the data window with the pointing device and moving to the date to be linked in the working window. Such a measure of selecting an object, moving the object and releasing the selection of the object is usually referred to as "drag & drop" and is part of the range of functions when operating known user interfaces of widely used operating systems. If the automation tool can be used to link data by means of "drag & drop", this results in intuitive use for the operator, so that the automation tool can be used quickly and without major training.

If the display of data that is not relevant for a technologist or a designer or an automation engineer can be suppressed with regard to the data in the data window, a sensible reduction in the amount of data displayed in the data window is possible at any time. This facilitates the overview and thus prevents z. B. incorrect or unintentional links.

A display of selected data in the data or work window is also referred to as a view. A plurality of views are conceivable and useful for the data window and the or each work window, with each specialist defining his own views in addition to predefined views according to his particular needs. A plurality of views can be defined for each specialist in order to control the technical process e.g. B. to divide spatially or functionally. The specification and selection of views, in order to present the respective specialist only with the data relevant to him, is advantageously carried out e.g. B. in a manner as described in the German patent application entitled: Automation Tool, registered on May 3, 2002 for Siemens AG (official file number: 102 19 911.6).

Useful and advantageous configurations of the present invention can thus also result in combination with features of the two applications mentioned above.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. Corresponding objects or elements are provided with the same reference symbols in all figures.

In it show:

1 shows a screen representation of an automation tool, FIG. 2 shows an example of an object to be manufactured with an automated technical process,

3 shows a schematic representation of a technical process and

4 shows a schematic representation of an automation system for controlling and / or monitoring the technical process.

1 shows as a display device a schematically represented screen 10 with an operating or user interface 11 of an automation tool 12. The automation tool 12 is likewise only shown schematically. It is implemented as a software application in a manner known per se. As a software application, the automation tool 12 is used in a manner known per se for use and support in the planning and implementation of any automated technical processes a memory, not shown, of a computer, also not shown.

The user interface 11 comprises a data window 13 for displaying data 14 on the respective technical process. Any technical process that can be automated or automated can be used as a technical process. For an exemplary technical process, the use of the automation tool 12 is described on the basis of further figures below. The data 14 are stored centrally in a database 15, to which the automation tool 12 has access (indicated by a block arrow). The automation tool 12 causes all or selected data 14 to be displayed in the data window 13 (likewise indicated by a block arrow). Together with the data 14 can (indicated in the figure only by a table structure next to the data) z. B. individual attributes 14 assigned to the respective date are displayed, as described in German patent application 102 19 911.6 of Siemens AG.

The user interface 11 further comprises at least one working window 16, 17, 18. Three working windows 16, 17, 18 are shown. Each working window 16, 17, 18 is assigned to a specialist who contributes to the automation of the technical process. A first working window 16 is e.g. B. provided for a technologist. A second and third work window 17, 18 is, for. B. for a designer or an automation engineer. Since for each specialist the total of data 14 is the

Database 15 usually only a subset of this data 14 is relevant, each specialist is presented with precisely the data that are relevant to him in the work window 16, 17, 18 provided for him.

The respective specialist now takes into account his expertise, his contribution to the automation of the technical see processes and of course with regard to the technical process itself links between data 14 in the work window 16, 17, 18 provided for it and the data 14 in the data window 13. The data 14 in the data window 13 can be organized in groups to improve the overview. In a first group 19 data 14 are summarized, which are more technology-related with regard to the technical process. In a second and third group 20, 21, data 14 are summarized, which are more related to construction or automation with regard to the technical process. The grouping of the data 14 enables the display of data 14 which is not relevant for a technologist, a designer or an automation engineer to be suppressed in a simple manner. However, the display of data 14 can also be suppressed on the basis of attributes assigned to the data 14.

The linking of data 14 is done by a date 14 z. B. is selected in a working window 16, 17, 18 and by means of a pointing device such. B. a mouse, is dragged onto a date 14 in the data window 13 and there the selection is abandoned again. This procedure is referred to as "drag & drop" and is widespread when using graphical user interfaces. The linking of data 14 can also take place starting from the data window 13 by dragging the selected date 14 onto a date 14 in a working window 16, 17, 18. In addition, the linking of data 14 can also be done by manual assignment, e.g. B. by selecting the date 14 such that a context menu opens with an input field in which the date 14 to be linked or a reference to this date 14 is entered.

2 shows, as an example of an object to be manufactured with an automated technical process, a fitting slide 22 with a first and second lateral profile views 23, 24. The pass carriage 22 is z. B. with a CAD system (CAD = Computer Aided Design) designed in a conventional manner. All dimensions of the fitting slide 22 are thus available in the form of data from the CAD system. For the entirety of the data, which completely describe the shape of the fitting slide 22, some data will be selected below as an example. As can be seen, the fitting slide 22 has a central bore 25 and four outer bores 26. Already with the positioning of these bores 25, 26 in the CAD view of the fitting slide 22, their dimension (radius, possibly depth) and position and thus individual dimensions of the fitting slide 22 are fixed. With regard to the central bore 25, these dimensions result in which drilling tool (radius) is to be used at which position of the fitting slide 22. The same applies to all outer bores 26 and correspondingly to contours, cutouts or recesses and surfaces.

The description of the fitting slide 22 by means of the CAD system is carried out in a manner known per se using different functionalities. The CAD system has a suitable first functionality for making a bore 25, 26 in a workpiece, such as the fitting slide 22. A suitable second functionality is accordingly provided for making cutouts or recesses in the workpiece.

The description of the fitting slide 22 therefore includes one

Sequence of data 14 (FIG 1), which - z. B. by means of suitable interfaces or export or import functions - in the

Database 15 (FIG 1). These data describe i.a. z. B. the position and radius of the central bore 25 z. B. in a form such as:

"Bore: PosX = 12, PosY = 20, Rad = 5", the information "Bore" based on the functionality of the

CAD system is determined with which the central bore 25 was created in the CAD view. 3 shows a schematic overview of a technical process 27 by means of which workpieces, such as the fitting slide 22 described, can be produced. The technical process 27 comprises different processing stations 28, 29, 30, 31, between each of which a material transport (indicated by the block arrows) takes place. A first processing station 28 is e.g. B. provided for sawing. A subsequent, second processing station 29 is e.g. B. provided for drilling and another subsequent, third processing station 30 is z. B. provided for milling. A last, fourth processing station 31 is e.g. B. provided for treating the surface of the respective workpiece. With the fourth processing station 31, the surface of the fitting slide 22 z. B. be matt polished.

The presence of each processing station 28-31 is known from previous planning of the technical process 27. In the same way, the need for the presence of each processing station 28 - 31 can result from corresponding technological data 14 (FIG. 1) in the database 15 (FIG. 1). Based on the presence of data 14 in the database 15, which - as described above - encode a drilling process, it can be concluded that there is a processing station 29 for drilling. This conclusion can also be made automatically by the automation tool 12 itself. A date 14 to represent such a processing station 29 can thus also be generated automatically by the automation tool 12. Finally, with such clearly recognizable structures, the automation tool 12 can even automatically establish the link between the data 14 encoding the drilling and the data 14 representing the processing station 29 for drilling.

Structures that the automation tool 12 cannot automatically recognize are recognized by the respective specialist on the basis of his experience and expertise. He is laying such things Data 14 that the automation tool 12 cannot generate automatically. The specialist also accepts those links between the individual, manually created or automatically generated data 14 that the automation tool 12 cannot generate automatically. The above applies accordingly to data 14 which encode the sawing, milling or polishing of the fitting slide 22, and correspondingly automatically generated or generateable data to represent the respective processing stations 29, 30, 31.

4 shows a schematic representation of an automation system 32 for controlling and / or monitoring the technical process 27 with the individual processing stations 28, 29, 30, 31. The automation system 32 comprises one

Number of automation devices 33, 34, 35, 36, the one another in a conventional manner via a bus 37, z. B. a fieldbus, such as the Profibus, are communicatively connected. As shown, each processing station 28-31 is exactly one automation device 33-36, such as. B. a programmable logic controller or a decentralized peripheral device for its control and / or monitoring (indicated by the respective block arrow). In practice, several processing stations 28-31 can also be controlled and / or monitored by a single automation device 33-36 or individual processing stations 28-31 by several automation devices 33-36.

In the database 15 (FIG. 1), each automation device 33-36 is represented by a corresponding data item 14 (FIG. 1). As the responsible specialist z. B. the automation engineer the or each date 14 to represent the respective automation devices 33 - 36 with corresponding technology or construction-related data 14. As an example of such a link, an example is a link between the date 14 and representing the second processing station 29 for drilling which this processing tion station 29 assigned automation device 34. The more detailed and comprehensive the data 14 z. B. the representation of the respective automation device 33 - 36, the more concrete a link between the respective data 14 can be made. If the date 14 for representing an automation device 33-36 includes data structures for mapping the so-called process image (process image of the inputs and / or process image of the outputs), the date 14 which contains the drilling tool for making the central bore 25 (FIG. 2) in the fitting slide 22 are coded and assigned to an output, this output causing the selection of the drilling tool with a suitable diameter for the introduction of the central bore 25 during the later automatic operation of the technical process 27. Corresponding assignments or links can be provided between further data 14 and the respective process inputs or outputs. The creation of such assignments or links will usually be the responsibility of the automation engineer. With such links, structures or fragments of a later control program for controlling and / or monitoring the technical process 27 can finally be derived from the totality of the data 14 in the database 15.

The invention can thus be briefly represented as follows: An automation tool 12 is provided to support planning and implementation of an automated technical process 27 with access to a database 15 comprising a number of data 14 relating to the technical process 27, which is displayed on a display device, such as a screen 10, represents a user interface 11 with a data window 13 for displaying the data 14 and at least one working window 16, 17, 18, wherein individual data 14 can be represented in the working window 16, 17, 18 and linked to data 14 in the data window 13. This creates a link in terms of content of data isolated when using previous automation tools, which is related to planning and Realization of the technical process 27 entrusted specialists B. give functional relationships in the process. The automation tool 12 builds a bridge between the conceptual worlds of the specialists involved. Communication problems and inconsistencies are eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

Claims

claims

1. automation tool to support planning and implementation of an automated technical process (27),

with access to a database (15) comprising a number of data (14) relating to the technical process (27),

- which on a display device (10) represents a user interface (11) with a data window (13) for displaying the data (14) and at least one work window (16, 17, 18),

- Individual data (14) can be displayed in the working window (16, 17, 18) and linked to data (14) in the data window (13).

2. Automation tool according to claim 1, wherein a first work window (16, 17, 18) is provided for displaying data relevant to a technologist (14).

3. Automation tool according to claim 1, wherein a second work window (16, 17, 18) is provided for displaying data relevant to a designer (14).

4. Automation tool according to claim 1, wherein a third work window (16, 17, 18) is provided for displaying data relevant for an automation engineer (14).

5. Automation tool according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the linking of data (14) in the work window (16, 17, 18) with data (14) in the data window (13) takes place by the date (14) in the work window (16 , 17, 18) is selected with a pointing device and moved to the date (14) to be linked in the data window (13).

6. Automation tool according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the linking of data (14) in the working Window (16, 17, 18) with data (14) in the data window (13) takes place by selecting the date (14) in the data window (13) with a pointing device and the date (14) to be linked in the work window (16, 17 , 18) is moved.

7. Automation tool according to one of the preceding claims, wherein with regard to the data (14) in the data window

(13) Suppression of the display of data (14) that are not relevant for a technologist can be set.

8. Automation tool according to one of the preceding claims, wherein with regard to the data (14) in the data window

(13) Suppression of the display of data (14) that are not relevant for a designer can be set.

9. Automation tool according to one of the preceding claims, wherein with regard to the data (14) in the data window

(13) Suppression of the display of data (14) that are not relevant for an automation engineer can be set.