Device for distributing a working gas and installation for supplying a working gas that is equipped with such a device

• US 6,273,129 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1998
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpes Systeme Automation, Etablissement Labielle, L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: Fanjat, Norbert, Chavand, André, Bourgeois, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVELL, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US09/217,573
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 137/551, 137/552, 137/560, 700/282, 700/283, 700/284, 700/285
• US Class Current: 137/552
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/02 Special adaptations of indicating, measuring, or monitoring equipment measuring in general G01
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0326 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/037 Containing pollutant, e.g. H2S, Cl
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/04 Methods for emptying or filling
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0636 Flow or movement of content
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/05 for industrial use
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 3/00 Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8175 Plural

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for distributing a working gas, comprising a series of pipes connected to at least one source of working gas and to at least one outlet pipe for conveying the working gas towards a consumer station, functional members (25, 25A); and a command-control unit (35, 35A) comprising means (37) for communicating with the said functional members (35, 35A), means (39) for controlling tasks relating to the said functional members (25, 25A) and means (45) for operating the control means (39), which can be actuated by an operator of the distribution device. The operating means (45) comprise a touch-sensitive screen (47) which has main control zones associated with the control of corresponding tasks, which main control zones are delimited by graphics associated with the said tasks and displayed permanently on the said touch-sensitive screen (47).

Claims

1. A device for distributing a working gas, comprising:

a series of pipes connected to at least one source of working gas and to at least one outlet pipe for conveying the working gas towards a consumer station;

functional members including valves arranged in the pipes and used to regulate the flow of the working gas through these pipes, and including gas-leak detectors; and

a command-control unit comprising means for communicating with said functional members, means for controlling tasks relating to said functional members and means for operating the control means, which can be actuated by an operator of the distribution device, wherein said means for controlling tasks including means for managing alarms or controlling valves; and

wherein said operating means comprise a touch-sensitive screen which has main control zones associated with the control of corresponding tasks, which main control zones are delimited by graphics associated with said tasks and displayed permanently on a first region of said touch-sensitive screen.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive screen comprises, for at least one main control zone at least a secondary control zone associated with said at least one main zone and relating to an instruction for controlling the task corresponding to said at least one main control zone, said at least one secondary control zone being delimited by a graphic associated with said instruction and displayed on a second region of said touch-sensitive screen only if said corresponding main control zone is activated by an operator.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the touch-sensitive screen comprises a first region reserved exclusively for said main control zones and a second region distinct from said first region and intended for said secondary control zones.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the touch-sensitive screen further comprises a third region distinct from said first and second regions and reserved for displaying information relating to a main control zone activated by an operator.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the operating means additionally comprise means for designating, on the touch-sensitive screen of a control zone that has been activated by an operator.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to managing and particularly to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen alarms detected by the functional members and in that one of the main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the displaying of the alarms picked up.

7. A device according to claim 1, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors and to displaying these values on the touch-sensitive screen, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the measurement values picked up.

8. A device according to claim 1, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein the operating means comprise means for storing in memory a block diagram representing, in particular, the series of pipes of the device for distributing the working gas and the valves arranged in these pipes, in that one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said sensors and to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen the block diagram of the distribution device, recorded in said memory-storage means, together with said values of the measurements picked up by the sensors, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the block diagram together with the values of measurements picked up.

9. An installation for distributing a working gas, comprising:

a first and a second device for distributing working gas according to claim 1, which devices are arranged in series and whose command-control units communicate with each other, in that the second device is a functional member as far as the first device is concerned, in that one task of the control means of the first device relates to monitoring the operating status of the second device, which it considers as a functional member, and in that one of said main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen of the first device is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the first device, of information regarding the operating status of the second device.

10. An installation according to claim 9, wherein the second distribution device further comprises measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in its pipes, wherein the operating means of the first distribution device comprise means for storing in memory a block diagram representing the series of pipes of the second device for distributing the working gas and the valves arranged in these pipes, in that one task controlled by the control means of the first distribution device relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by the sensors of the second distribution device and to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the first distribution device, the block diagram of the second distribution device together with said values of measurements picked up by the sensors of the second distribution device, and in that one of said main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen of the first device is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the first distribution device of the block diagram of the second distribution device with the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors of the second device.

11. An installation for supplying a working gas, comprising:

at least one source of a working gas under pressure, this source being placed in an isolation cabinet;

a distribution device according to claim 1, connected to said at least one source and arranged in said isolation cabinet and in that the touch-sensitive screen of the distribution device is built into the exterior wall of said cabinet.

12. An installation according to claim 11, wherein said source is a gas cylinder, and wherein one task controlled by said control means of the distribution device relates to the commands of the cycles for flushing out the pipes before and after each operation of replacing an empty cylinder with a full cylinder, and in that one of said main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the commands for the valves so as to activate the flushing cycles.

13. An installation according to claim 11, comprising a first and a second source of working gas which sources are connected to the distribution device and are intended to supply said distribution device alternately, wherein one task controlled by said control means of the distribution device relates to the commands to switch from the distribution device being supplied by the first source to its being supplied by the second source, and in that one of said main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the commands for the valves in order to perform said switching.

14. A device according to claim 2, wherein the operating means additionally comprise means for designating, on the touch-sensitive screen of a control zone that has been activated by an operator.

15. A device according to claim 3, wherein the operating means additionally comprise means for designating, on the touch-sensitive screen of a control zone that has been activated by an operator.

16. A device according to claim 4, wherein the operating means additionally comprise means for designating, on the touch-sensitive screen of a control zone that has been activated by an operator.

17. A device according to claim 2, wherein the operating one task controlled by the control means relates to managing and particularly to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen, alarms detected by the functional members, and in that one of the main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the displaying of the alarms picked up.

18. A device according to claim 3, wherein the operating one task controlled by the control means relates to managing and particularly to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen, alarms detected by the functional members, and in that one of the main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the displaying of the alarms picked up.

19. A device according to claim 4, wherein the operating one task controlled by the control means relates to managing and particularly to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen, alarms detected by the functional members, and in that one of the main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the displaying of the alarms picked up.

20. A device according to claim 5, wherein the operating one task controlled by the control means relates to managing and particularly to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen, alarms detected by the functional members, and in that one of the main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen is a zone for activating the displaying of the alarms picked up.

21. A device according to claim 2, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors and to displaying these values on the touch-sensitive screen, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the measurement values picked up.

22. A device according to claim 3, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors and to displaying these values on the touch-sensitive screen, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the measurement values picked up.

23. A device according to claim 4, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors and to displaying these values on the touch-sensitive screen, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the measurement values picked up.

24. A device according to claim 5, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors and to displaying these values on the touch-sensitive screen, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the measurement values picked up.

25. A device according to claim 6, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said measurement sensors and to displaying these values on the touch-sensitive screen, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the measurement values picked up.

26. A device according to claim 2, further comprising measurement sensors for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipes, wherein the operating means comprise means for storing in memory a block diagram representing the series of pipes of the device for distributing the working gas the valves arranged in these pipes in that one task controlled by the control means relates to evaluating the values of measurements picked up by said sensors and to displaying on the touch-sensitive screen the block diagram of the distribution device, recorded in said memory-storage means, together with said values of the measurements picked up by the sensors, and in that one of said main control zones is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch sensitive screen of the block diagram together with the values of measurements picked up.

27. An installation for distributing a working gas, comprising:

a first and a second device for distributing working gas according to claim 2, which devices are arranged in series and whose command-control units communicate with each other, in that the second device is a functional member as far as the first device is concerned, in that one task of the control means of the first device relates to monitoring the operating status of the second device, which it considers as a functional member, and in that one of said main control zones of the touch-sensitive screen of the first device is a zone for activating the displaying on the touch-sensitive screen of the first device, of information regarding the operating status of the second device.

28. An installation for supplying a working gas, comprising:

at least one source of a working gas under pressure, this source being placed in an isolation cabinet;

a distribution device according to claim 2, connected to said at least one source and arranged in said isolation cabinet and in that the touch-sensitive screen of the distribution device is built into the exterior wall of said cabinet.