Method for automatic operation of industrial plants

• US 6,529,780 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Soergel, Guenter, Heimke, Thomas, Gramckow, Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): JARRETT, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/403,114
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 700/28-31, 700/47-49, 700/96-97, 700/104, 700/108, 700/109, 700/148-156, 700/9, 700/10, 700/19, 706/903-904, 706/906, 706/912, 706/914, 702/188, 709/100, 709/201, 709/217, 709/218
• US Class Current: 700/10
• CPC Class Codes: B21B 37/00 Control devices or methods specially adapted for metal-rolling mills or the work produced thereby methods or devices for measuring specially adapted for metal-rolling mills B21B38/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/027 using neural networks only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric

Abstract

The invention relates to an automation system for the erection and operation of industrial plants, in particular for the design, project engineering, implementation, commissioning, maintenance and optimization of individual plant components or complete plants in the basic materials industry, which plants have a computer-based control system which, for a description of the process in control engineering terms, has recourse to process models, for example in he form of mathematical/physical models, neural network models or knowledge-based system, in order to develop the system to the extent that straightforward and cost-effective decentral process management and optimization may be achieved remote from the plant, decentralized process management and optimization by means of one or more interlinked control points is proposed, process changes are continuously monitored online or offline or at least checked by modelling, using modern, public communication means, and the process models, parameters and software are adaptable specifically to the plant.

Claims

1. Method for the automatic operation of industrial plants including commissioning, maintenance and optimization of individual plant components or complete plants in the basic materials industry, which operation has a computer-based control system for a description of the process in control engineering terms, has recourse to process models in the form of mathematical/physical models, neural network models, knowledge-based systems and process changes are continuously monitored on-line or off-line or at least checked by modeling and the process models, parameters and software being adaptable specifically to the plant, the improvement comprising providing decentralized process management and optimization by means of one or more control points interlinked with one another via communication means in the form of telephone, ISDN, satellite or Internet/Intranet connections that are fashioned as plant-remote technology center and are in communication with the control system of an industrial plant by remote data transmission, implementing a technological remote commissioning and an on-line and/or off-line remote optimization, and optimizing the process models with an evolution strategy.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein provision is made for hardware and software components which are optimized by means of evolutionary, genetic, algorithms.

3. Method according to claim 1 including a predefined framework for modular software building blocks.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the control system is provided with computer equipment for the adaptation of plant-specific parameters, for the storage of process models of plant-specific design, for the storage of prediction algorithms, for the storage of trend sequences, for the storage of adaptation algorithms, for the training and/or the optimization of neural network models and with diagnostic memories, which are influenced via the communication means.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein an engineering centre has an internal network which, for the purpose of communication with the industrial plants is connected to a remote commissioning and/or operational optimization network via a security data transmission device.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein an engineering centre is allocated physically separated external sites which are connected to the said centre via data lines.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein an administrator unit which has evaluation software for collected data and is at the same time designed to be suitable for logbook maintenance.

8. Method according to one to claim 1, wherein an engineering centre has hardware devices, software tools, commissioning tools, software development tools, software evolution tools, training tools for artificial neural networks and statistical evaluation programs, which are used in a plant-neutral manner.

9. Method according to claim 1, which includes an engineering centre having the engineering knowledge present in database and in general and plant-specific engineering modules, and said database and modules are transmitted to engineering modules and data collection units of the control system.

10. Method according to claim 1, which includes an engineering centre being designed as a multi-station project engineering, design, commissioning and operational optimization office by using monitors, computer equipment and cameras, and including supplementing and replacing immediate dialogues, drawing changes and software inputs by remotely transmitted speech and video images.