Autoconfiguring graphic interface for controllers having dynamic database structures

• US 6,515,683 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation
• Inventors: Wright, William T.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/598,378
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 345/771, 345/772, 345/773, 345/826, 345/762-763, 345/744-747, 345/817, 345/859-862, 345/748, 345/717, 345/706, 345/741-743, 709/230, 707/10, 707/530, 707/532, 700/83
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23129 Animated display, changes as function of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23409 Portable, detachable programmer has emulation for fixed control panel

Abstract

A controller is provided which allows an interface device to autoconfigure a graphic interface to reflect the configuration of the controller. The controller has a static memory and a dynamic memory. The static memory contains predefined memory elements which contain information on the number of control loops being controlled, the type of each control loop, and the location within the dynamic memory of a data grouping associated with each control loop. An interface device accesses the static memory to obtain the information necessary to display a graphic interface representative of the controller configuration, and to access appropriate data groups within the dynamic memory to update the graphic interface to reflect the status of the process.

Claims

1. A control system comprising

A controller having a static memory and a dynamic memory, the controller being configurable to control a plurality of control loops of different types, the static memory having memory elements representative of the number of control loops configured, the type of each control loop, and the location within the dynamic memory where memory elements associated with each configured control loop are located;

an interface device programmed to automatically access the controller static memory to determine the number and type of control loops configured and the location in dynamic memory of the memory elements associated with each configured control loop, to access the controller dynamic memory elements associated with each configured control loop, and associate them with graphic interface objects representative of each configured control loop based on information retrieved from the controller static memory; and

a display associated with the interface device for displaying the graphic interface object representative of each configured control loop.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the interface device updates the graphic interface objects in response to the data contained in the controller dynamic memory elements associated with each control loop.

3. The control system of claim 2 wherein the interface device communicates with the controller over a network.

4. The control system of claim 3 wherein the network uses the TCP/IP protocol.

5. The control system of claim 3 wherein the network is the Internet.

6. The control system of claim 1 wherein the graphic interface objects are stored as HTML files and made accessible via a communication network.

7. The control system of claim 6 wherein the display device retrieves the graphic interface objects via the communication network.

8. A process for autoconfiguring a graphic interface to a controller comprising the steps of:

providing a controller with a static memory and a dynamic memory,

storing in the dynamic memory data groupings associated with a plurality of control loops currently configured in the controller,

storing in predefined locations in the static memory information sufficient to inform an interface device how to access the data groupings within the dynamic memory,

transmitting the information in the static memory to the interface device,

based on the information received from the static memory, causing the interface device to display a plurality of graphic interfaces, each graphic interface representative of at least one of the configured control loops,

updating the information in the plurality of data groupings in response to the status of the associated control loop,

periodically transmitting information from the data groupings to the interface device, and

updating the plurality of graphic interfaces based on the information received from the plurality of data groupings.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the information is transmitted over a network.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the network uses the TCP/IP protocol.

11. The process of claim 9 wherein the network is the Internet.

12. A process for autoconfiguring a graphic interface to a controller comprising the steps of:

providing a controller with a static memory and a dynamic memory,

storing in the dynamic memory data groupings associated with a plurality of control loops currently configured in the controller,

storing in predefined locations in the static memory information sufficient to inform an interface device how to access the data groupings within the dynamic memory,

transmitting the information in the static memory to the interface device,

based on the information received from the static memory, storing a plurality of interface objects representative of the configured control loops in an interface memory within the interface device,

causing a remote display device to retrieve the interface objects over a communication network, and based on the interface objects to display a plurality of graphic interfaces,

updating the information in the plurality of data groupings in response to the status of the associated control loop,

periodically transmitting information from the data groupings to the interface device, and

updating the plurality of graphic interfaces based on the information received from the plurality of data groupings.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the information is transmitted over a network.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein the network uses the TCP/IP protocol.

15. The process of claim 13 wherein the network is the Internet.

16. The process of claim 12 wherein the remote display device uses the TCP/IP protocol to retrieve the interface objects.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein the remote display device retrieves the interface objects over the Internet.