Method for operating and device for monitoring a technical installation

• US 20030014298A1
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Merklein, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0251 Abstraction hierarchy, e.g. "complex systems", i.e. system is divided in subsystems, subsystems are monitored and results are combined to decide on status of whole system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

The invention relates to a technical installation that contains several systems (1, 2, n) for resolving different system management tasks. Information variables are hierarchically arranged in the systems. A value of an information variable pertaining to the lowest hierarchical level triggers an event and pertains to a significant range of values. Said value and the appurtenant location (30) are found by specifically tracking all systems.

Claims

1. A method for operating a technical installation having a number of systems (1, 2, . . . , n) for performing different system management tasks, with the following steps:

a) the tasks relevant for the technical installation are predefined;

b) for processing different values of information to be registered by the systems to perform their tasks, information variables are predefined;

c) the information variables are assigned in advance a number of hierarchies (15, 17, 19, 21) of derived information variables, an information variable of a higher level being formed from at least one information variable of the next-lower level and the relationship between the information variables of the various hierarchical levels being documented;

d) the information variables and the derived information variables are assigned the locations (30) at which their values to be processed during later operation arose and the representations of said locations in the systems;

e) a significant range of values is fixed for each information variable and derived information variable;

f) during operation, the systems make available the current or archived values of the information variables and derived information variables used for performing their tasks;

g) if a value of the information variable or derived information variable made available falls within the significant range of values, the information variable or derived information variable is marked;

h) the tasks dependent on marked information variables (IV) or derived information variables (IV′

, I{overscore (V)}, I{tilde over (V)}) are marked; and

i) the at least one value of an information variable of the lowest hierarchical level that is causally responsible for the occurrence of a value of an information variable or derived information variable falling within a significant range of values, and the location or locations where said causal value arose, are specifically identified by tracing back in a hierarchically descending step-by-step progression from the at least one marked task via the marked derived information variables (IV′

, I{overscore (V)}, I{tilde over (V)}) to the at least one marked information variable (IV) of the lowest hierarchical level.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, the locations (30) being linked with additional information (35) which during the tracing-back from the at least one marked task via the marked derived information variables (IV′

, I{overscore (V)}, I{tilde over (V)}) to the at least one marked information variable (IV) of the lowest hierarchical level can be specifically called up.

3. A device for monitoring a technical installation having a number of systems for performing different system management tasks, in which

a) each system is assigned a computing stage (1, 2, . . . , n) for performing a defined task;

b) in each computing stage, information variables for processing the values to be registered for performing the task are defined;

c) in the computing stages, the information variables are assigned a number of hierarchies (15, 17, 19, 21) of derived information variables, an information variable of a higher level being formed from at least one information variable of the next-lower level and the relationship between the information variables of the various hierarchical levels is documented;

d) the information variables and derived information variables contained in the computing stages are assigned locations (30) at which the values to be processed arose during the operation of the technical installation, and the representation of said locations in the computing stages;

e) a significant range of values is fixed in the computing stage for each information variable and derived information variable;

f) in the computing stages it is possible to register during operation the current or archived values of the information variables or derived information variables used for performing their tasks;

g) the computing stages have been provided with the capability of marking those information variables or derived information variables whose registered current or archived value falls within the significant range of values;

h) in each computing stage a marking respectively associated with it can be activated if this computing stage contains marked information variables (IV) or derived information variables (IV′

, I{overscore (V)}, I{tilde over (V)}); and

i) in a monitoring stage (5), the at least one value of an information variable of the lowest hierarchical level that is causally responsible for the occurrence of a value of an information variable or derived information variable falling within a significant range of values, and the location or locations where said causal value arose, are specifically identifiable by the monitoring stage tracing back in a hierarchically descending step-by-step progression the at least one set marking via the derived information variables (IV′

, IV, IV) to the at least one marked information variable (IV) of the lowest hierarchical level.