HMI DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A TECHNICAL FACILITY, AUTOMATION SYSTEM HAVING HMI DEVICE, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT HAVING PROGRAM FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD IN AN HMI DEVICE OR AUTOMATION SYSTEM

• US 6,904,387 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Melzer, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman, Hal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US10/253,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 702/59, 702/62, 702/68, 702/71, 702/80, 702/82, 702/90, 702/120, 702183-185, 702/188, 714/26, 714/33, 714/55, 714/712, 714/715, 714/25, 709/202
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23067 Control, human or man machine interface, interactive, HMI, MMI
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23389 Modular program, each process has corresponding program module
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23425 Selection of program, adaptive to process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25145 I-O communicates with local bus at one end and with fieldbus at other end
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25419 Scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device

Abstract

A human machine interface (HMI) device (10) that detects (101) fault events (y, z) of the technical facility (2), that generates (107) technical operating actions (A . . . D), that automatically attributes (111) generated technical operating actions (B . . . B+m, C . . . C+n) to the fault events (y, z) associated therewith, and that automatically stores the operating actions with the attributions. In a further embodiment, the HMI device also compares current generated operating actions to stored operating actions and generates a query (116, 1116) for enabling the automatic execution of stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event, if the generated operating actions and the current fault event correspond thereto.

Claims

1. A human machine interface device for operating at least one technical facility, comprising:

first means for detecting fault events of the technical facility,

second means for generating technical operating actions, and

third means for automatically attributing generated technical operating actions to the associated fault events and automatically storing the operating actions with the attributions,

wherein the generated technical operating actions are for correcting the fault events; and

means for comparing generated technical operating actions to stored operating actions, and for generating a query for enabling the automatic execution of stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event, if the generated operating actions and the current fault event correspond to the stored operating actions and the attributed fault event.

2. The human machine interface device according to claim 1, further comprising fourth means for automatically executing stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event associated therewith.

3. The human machine interface device according to claim 1, wherein the third means attributes technical operating actions to the current fault event until a further fault event is detected.

4. The human machine interface device according to claim 1, wherein the third means attributes technical operating actions that are generated as being temporally linked to a single fault event.

5. A method for operating a technical facility comprising:

continuously detecting fault events of the technical facility,

automatically attributing generated technical operating actions to the detected fault events, and

automatically storing the operating actions with their attributions,

wherein the generated technical operating actions are for correcting the fault events;

comparing the generated technical operating actions to the stored operating actions, and

generating a query for enabling an automatic execution of the stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event, if the generated operating actions and the current fault event correspond to the stored technical operating actions and the attributed fault event.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

automatically executing the stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event associated therewith.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the technical operating actions are attributed to a current fault event until a further fault event is detected.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein technical operating actions that are generated such that they are temporally linked are attributed to a single fault event.

9. A human machine interface device, comprising:

a first component inputting fault event data indicative of at least one fault event of a technical facility;

a second component processing at least one fault response action input to the human machine interface device;

a third component processing the fault event data from said first component and the fault response action from said second component into association data that links the fault response action as an available response to the fault event;

a fourth component storing the association data for retrieval; and

a fifth component retrieving and processing the association data from said fourth component in response to at least one of a further fault event or a further fault response action,

wherein;

said first component inputs additional fault event data indicative of at least one additional fault event of the technical facility;

said second component processes at least one additional fault response action input to the human machine interface device;

said third component processes the additional fault event data from said first component and the additional fault response action from said second component into additional association data that links the additional fault response action as an additional available response to the additional fault event;

said fourth component stores the additional association data for retrieval;

said fifth component retrieves and processes the additional association data from said fourth component in response to at least one of the further fault event or the further fault response action; and

said fifth component selects between the association data and the additional association data to generate a prompt for either the available response or the additional available response as a preferred response to the further fault event.

10. The human machine interface device according to claim 9, further comprising a user display displaying the prompt.

11. The human machine interface device according to claim 9, further comprising a communication link outputting the prompt to the technical facility.

12. An automation system comprising:

at least one control unit which acts on a technical facility; and

at least one HMI device connected to or integrated in the control unit, comprising;

first means for detecting fault events of the technical facility,

second means for generating technical operating actions, and

third means for automatically attributing generated technical operating actions to the associated fault events and automatically storing the operating actions with the attributions,

wherein the generated technical operating actions are for correcting the fault events; and

fourth means for comparing generated technical operating actions to stored operating actions, and for generating a query for enabling the automatic execution of stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event, if the generated operating actions and the current fault event correspond to the stored operating actions and the attributed fault event.

13. A computer program product having a computer program, which is executed in a human machine interface or an automation system, and which has software for performing a method comprising:

continuously detecting fault events of the technical facility,

automatically attributing generated technical operating actions to the respective fault events, and

automatically storing the operating actions with their attributions,

wherein the generated technical operating actions are for correcting the fault events;

comparing the generated technical operating actions to the stored operating actions, and

generating a query for enabling an automatic execution of the stored technical operating actions in the event of detection of the attributed fault event, if the generated operating actions and the current fault event correspond to the stored technical operating actions and the attributed fault event.