Engineering and automation system

• US 7,181,301 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Becker, Norbert, Brinzer, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/851,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/108, 700/117, 700/159, 700/170, 707/10, 707/101, 707/8, 707/104.1, 707/103.R
• US Class Current: 700/95
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25274 Communication processor, link interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25451 Connect module to bus using interface with adaptive logic

Abstract

An engineering system (1) and an associated automation system (1), whose components cooperate in accordance with specifications from the engineering system. These systems include a database (3) and at least one first and one second production module (20), which have an input interface (21) and an output interface (22). Each input interface (21) has a predefined number of inputs (23, 24) and each output interface (22) has a predefined number of outputs (25, 26). The database (3) contains a number of data records (31, 32, 33), each including at least one data item. Each one of the data records (31, 32, 33) is associated with a respective input (23, 24) and a respective output (25, 26).

Claims

1. An engineering system, comprising:

a database, and

at least one first and one second production module, which each have an input interface and an output interface,

wherein each of the first and second production modules is assigned to a respective production process in an automation system,

wherein each input interface comprises a predefined number of inputs and each output interface comprises a predefined number of outputs, and

wherein the database comprises a number of data records, each of which comprises at least one respective data item, and wherein each of the data records is associated with a respective one of the inputs and a respective one of the outputs.

2. The engineering system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first production module is linked with the second production module.

3. The engineering system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each production module is associated with a respective production process, and wherein the data records associated with the respective outputs are accepted into the database after completion of the respective production process.

4. The engineering system as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the first production module is linked with the second production module, and

wherein, upon completion of the respective production process with which the first production module is associated, the data records associated with the respective inputs of the linked second production module are accepted.

5. The engineering system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the respective data records are accepted from the database.

6. The engineering system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each data record is associated with at least one of an identifier and type information.

7. The engineering system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each data record is associated with a format.

8. The engineering system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the production processes is a technical automated process.

9. The engineering system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the technical automated process relates to manufacturing or repairing physical objects.

10. An engineering system, comprising:

a database, and

at least one first and one second production module, which each have an input interface and an output interface,

wherein each input interface comprises a predefined number of inputs and each output interface comprises a predefined number of outputs,

wherein the database comprises a number of data records, each of which comprises at least one respective data item, and wherein each of the data records is associated with a respective one of the inputs and a respective one of the outputs, and

wherein each production module comprises a trigger input, upon whose activation the data records associated with the respective inputs are accepted.

11. The engineering system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the respective data records are accepted from the database and wherein the trigger input controls timing of the acceptance of the data records.

12. An automation system, comprising:

at least one automation device,

a database, and

at least one first and one second production station that is at least one of controlled and monitored by the automation device,

wherein the first production station is associated with at least one first production module and the second production station is associated with at least one second production module, each of which has an input interface and an output interface,

wherein each input interface has a predefined number of inputs, and each output interface has a predefined number of outputs,

wherein the database has a number of data records, each of which comprises at least one data item, and

wherein each of the data records is associated with a respective one of the inputs and a respective one of the outputs.

13. The automation system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each production module comprises a trigger input, upon whose activation the data records associated with the respective inputs are accepted.

14. The engineering system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the respective data records are accepted from the database.

15. The automation system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first production module is linked with the second production module.

16. The automation system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each production module is associated with a respective production process, and wherein the data records associated with the respective outputs are accepted into the database after completion of the respective production process.

17. The automation system as claimed in claim 16,

wherein the first production module is linked with the second production module, and

wherein, upon completion of the respective production process with which the first production module is associated, the data records associated with the respective inputs of the linked second production module are accepted from the database.

18. The automation system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each data record is associated with at least one of an identifier and type information.

19. The engineering system as claimed in claim 18, wherein each data record is associated with a format.

20. The automation system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a data server managing a data archive, and

a data server production module that is associated with the data server, that has a functionality of at least one of the first and the second production module, and that is linked with at least one of the first and the second production module.

21. The automation system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the automation device monitors the first and second production stations and wherein the automation device is separate from the first and second production stations.

22. An automation system having an engineering system comprising:

a database, and

at least one first and one second production module, which each have an input interface and an output interface,

wherein each of the first and second production modules is assigned to a respective production process in the automation system,

wherein each input interface comprises a predefined number of inputs and each output interface comprises a predefined number of outputs, and

wherein the database comprises a number of data records, each of which comprises at least one respective data item, and wherein each of the data records is associated with a respective one of the inputs and a respective one of the outputs.

23. The automation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein each of the production processes is a technical automated process.

24. The automation system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the technical automated process relates to physically transforming an object.

25. An engineering system, comprising:

a database, and

at least one first and one second production module, which each have an input interface and an output interface,

wherein each input interface comprises a predefined number of inputs and each output interface comprises a predefined number of outputs,

wherein the database comprises a number of data records, each of which comprises at least one respective data item, and wherein each of the data records is associated with a respective one of the inputs and a respective one of the outputs, and

wherein at least one of the data records indicate placement of components on a printed circuit board and wherein the at least one of the data records indicates type and position of one of the components.