Computer network with diagnosis computer nodes

• US 20060143493A1
• Filed: 07/29/2003
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baumuller Anlagen-Systemtechnik Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Original Assignee: Baumuller Anlagen-Systemtechnik Gmbh & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Meis, Harold, Tschaftary, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors

Abstract

The invention relates to a computer network for configuration, installation, monitoring, error-diagnosis and/or analysis of several physical technical processes, in particular electrical drive processes, which occur under the control, regulation and/or monitoring of several process computer nodes, connected by means of at least one common communication system to at least one diagnosis computer node, in which one or several configuration, monitoring and diagnosis services and/or functions are implemented, provided for the processes and/or the process computer nodes and/or the data processing processes running therein, whereby the common communication system is achieved by means of the Ethernet, or a similar asynchronous and/or bus or communication system working with a stochastic access method.

Claims

1. A computer network for the configuration, installation, monitoring, error diagnosis and/or error analysis of plural technical-physical electric drive processes, which run under the control, regulation and/or monitoring by plural process computer nodes (4), which are connected via at least one shared communication system to at least one diagnosis computer node in which one or more configuration, monitoring, diagnosis service(s) and/or function(s) are implemented, which are allocated to the processes and/or the process computer nodes (4) and/or to the data processing operations running therein, characterised in that the shared communication system is realised by an Ethernet or another bus or communication system operating asynchronously and/or with a stochastic access method.

2. A network according to claim 1, characterised in that a communication unit or computer node is interconnected between the Ethernet or other bus or communication system and at least one of the process computer nodes (4) and connects the process computer node (4) to the Ethernet or other bus or communication system.

3. A network according to claim 2, characterised in that the communication unit or communication computer node (5) is formed for enquiry-based or event-based communication with the diagnosis computer node.

4. A network according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the communication unit or communication computer node (5) is formed for communication with the diagnosis computer node via XML protocols and/or as an XML-based interface.

5. A network according to claim 4, characterised in that the communication unit is capable of running entirely or in part on the hardware of the process computer node and/or diagnosis computer node.

6. A network according to claim 4, characterised in that the communication computer node (5) is formed as an additional component for the respective process computer node (4).

7. A network according to claim 2, characterised in that for each data exchange each communication unit is allocated a process computer node (4) and/or a technical-physical process or each communication computer node (5) is allocated at least one technical-physical process or a process computer node (4).

8. A network according to claim 7, characterised in that at least one of the communication computer nodes (5) is connected to plural process computer nodes via a serial communication system.

9. A network according to claim 8, characterised in that the communication unit or communication computer node (5) is provided with functionalities for an error search or diagnosis in a region of at least one of the process computer nodes and/or technical physical processes.

10. A network according to claim 8, characterised in that the diagnosis computer node is formed for delivering or supporting web-based user interfaces in particular via data remote transmission or a long-distance traffic network and is provided with the function components corresponding to the user interfaces.

11. A network according to claim 8, characterised by a structure corresponding to a client/server architecture with the diagnosis computer node as server.

12. A diagnosis computer node connected to a computer network, which utilizes a structure corresponding to a client/server architecture, for configuration, installation, monitoring, error diagnosis and/or analysis of plural technical-physical electric drive processes, which run under control regulation and/or monitoring by plural process computer nodes (4), said computer network comprising at least one communication computer node (5), wherein said diagnosis computer node is formed as a server with interfaces to at least one database, for communication with the communication and/or process computer nodes and other client computer nodes, wherein interfaces to the other client computer nodes are formed as Servlet containers, which provide transmission of diagnosis data obtainable from the interfaces for communication with the communication and/or process computer nodes to the client nodes, and the one or more interfaces to the communications and/or process computer nodes or communication units are realised on the basis of the Ethernet, characterised by a diagnosis channel, which is formed by:

one or more Ethernet interfaces allocated to the communication and/or process computer node (4);

an event management unit with database access, which is formed for processing the diagnosis data obtained at the Ethernet interfaces; and

an event monitoring unit applied on the basis of the Servlet container, which makes available output data from the event management unit to one or more Applets on external client computer nodes.

13. A computer node according to claim 12, characterised in that a web server for generating and forwarding data obtained from HTML pages by the Servlet container is connected downstream of the Servlet container.

14. A computer node according to claim 12, characterised in that the interfaces are installed for communication with the communication and/or process computer node via XML protocols and/or the interfaces for communication with the client computer nodes via SOAP (Simple Object Process Protocol).

15. A computer node according to claim 12, characterised by a communication unit installed by program or software technology in such a manner that thereby one or more of the process computer nodes (4) can be connected to the Ethernet or other bus communication system.

16. A computer node according to claim 12, characterised by an appliance management unit having information data via the configuration of the technical-physical processes together with associated process computer nodes (4) and one or more function components, which are formed to visualise the configuration in combination with the client computer node and/or for keeping ready the information data for further data processing operations.

17. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit as a software and/or firmware module, connected to a computer network for configuration, installation, monitoring, error diagnosis and/or analysis of plural technical-physical electric drive processes, which run under control, regulation and/or monitoring by plural process computer nodes (4), which are connected via at least one shared communication system to at least one diagnosis computer node in which one or more configuration, monitoring, diagnosis services and/or functions are implemented which are allocated to the processes and/or the process computer nodes (4) and/or to the data processing operations running therein, said shared communication system being realized by an Ethernet or other bus or communication system operating asynchronously and/or with a stochastic access method characterised by the communication computer node or communication unit comprising a first interface which is allocated to the at least one diagnosis computer node and which is programmed for communication via protocols of the TCP/IP family, including UDP/IP, and by one or more second interfaces allocated to one or more of the process computer nodes (4), wherein the first and the one or more second interfaces may be coupled together via one or more information brokers, which are each formed by program and/or circuit technology as sub-units for bidirectional enquiry-based and/or event-based data communication between the first and second interface.

18. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 17, characterised in that the first interface is formed for communication on the basis of XML protocols.

19. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 17 or 18, characterised in that the second interface is formed for connection to a serial communication system.

20. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 17, characterised in that the one or more information brokers comprise one or more function components, which are formed for error search or diagnosis in a region of the process computer nodes and/or technical-physical processes.

21. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 17, characterised in that plural information brokers are installed with different functionalities and are connected to a connection manager, which is formed by program or circuit technology as a sub-unit for carrying out pre-determinable priority stages, according to which a specified one of the plural information brokers may be connected to the second interface(s) and each have a communication requirement at the process computer node(s) (4).

22. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 17, characterised by a software information broker for bidirectional transmission of firmware or other data or complete data records from the first to the second interface(s).

23. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 22, characterised in that an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server is interconnected between the software information broker and the first interface.

24. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 22, characterised by the provision of a non-volatile write/read memory, in particular flashcard memory, with which one or more of the information brokers communicate.

25. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 22, characterised by a parameter information broker for realising an interface which is XML-based for the reading and/or writing of parameters in one or more allocated process computer nodes (4).

26. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 22, characterised by an error/event information broker, which is formed for communication with an XML-based protocol on the basis of TCP/IP via the first interface and is provided with a test and trigger member which can be so configured from outside that if a predetermined event occurs, in the region of the process computer node(s) (4) and/or of the technical-physical process, automatically a corresponding message transmission is released to the first interface.

27. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 22, characterised by the installation of an interpreter for the running of scripts which are formed for access to function elements and/or information data in the information broker(s) for the purpose of carrying out monitoring and diagnosis functions.

28. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 27, characterised in that the interpreter may be so coupled to an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server connected to the first interface that scripts received via the first interface may be executed.

29. A communication computer node (5) or communication unit according to claim 27, characterised by said communication computer node or communication unit being formed as an additional structural component for a respective process computer node (4) and/or structural incorporation with a process computer node.

30. A communication unit according to claim 27, characterised by implementation which is at least in part loadable on to the hardware of a process and/or diagnosis computer node.