System for automation of technical processes

• US 7,474,925 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Renner
• Original Assignee: Peter Renner
• Inventors: Renner, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US10/411,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 717107-108, 700 17- 18, 700/83, 700/86
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23084 Synoptic display of available, selectable control modules with their functions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23258 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23389 Modular program, each process has corresponding program module
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2612 Data acquisition interface

Abstract

A system for automation of technical processes and/or experiments having a measurement unit and a control unit which are connected to sensors and actuators of the process or of the experimental unit via measurements and control channels, having at least one library that contains visualization objects and control modules, and having software that manages the system. The system enables the user to develop applications without knowledge of programming techniques. Technologists, chemists, scientists using the system no longer need to rely on the aid of programming specialist.

Claims

1. A system for automation of a technical process or experimental procedure having sensors and actuators,

a measurement and control unit connected to said sensors and actuators by measurement and control lines wherein said unit reports system conditions,

at least one library containing visualization objects and control modules, said control modules including sequence modules capable of temporal ordering of said technical process in response to said system conditions, event modules capable of being invoked by interrupts and function modules operating concurrently with said sequence modules and capable of being invoked and terminated by said sequence modules and said event modules and

software operatively associated with said measurement and control unit and said library, said software managing said system.

2. The system for automation of claim 1 and further comprising control modules predefined as to their function and having module windows, at least one control module of said control modules being linked with visualization objects facilitating the performance of predetermined sub-tasks, and wherein, upon the choice of one of said visualization objects, the linked control module is shown in one of said module windows.

3. The system for automation of claim 2 wherein the properties of said visualization objects can be changed by said control modules and wherein said control modules include operator transactions affecting the automated procedure.

4. The system for automation of claim 3 wherein said sequence modules monitor process guidance, wherein event modules break into other control modules at arbitrary points in time and take over process guidance during the interruption.

5. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein the properties of said visualization objects can be changed by said control modules and wherein said control modules include operator transactions.

6. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein said library includes at least one control module of said control modules not linked with visualization objects.

7. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein said sequence modules and said event modules are chained vertically and are responsible for process guidance and wherein said function modules are chained horizontally and work in parallel with said vertically chained modules without taking over process guidance.

8. The system for automation of claim 7 wherein one module selected from said sequence modules and said function modules is invokable during runtime by any other module according to the chaining.

9. The system for automation of claim 7 wherein when at least two modules selected from said sequence modules and said event modules are vertically chained while said function modules are horizontally chained with said sequence modules and said technical procedure or experimental procedure takes a vertical course from top to bottom.

10. The system for automation of claim 7 wherein a direction of chaining is interchanged without change of the function.

11. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein an event module of said event modules is invoked by a cyclical interrupt at an event and break into any one of said sequence modules thereby creating interrupt workings, function modules and other of said event modules, the interrupted workings of said modules being continued after the event has been worked through.

12. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein said control modules contain parts symbolic representations being provided for said control modules and containing assigned scripts.

13. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein distinct symbolic figures are allocated to said control modules as recognition features.

14. The system for automation of claim 13 wherein said symbolic figures can be displayed in a module window and can be chained vertically and horizontally according to fixed rules.

15. The system for automation of claim 1 wherein said control modules contain program instructions and keywords.

16. The system for automation of claim 15 wherein program instructions, variables and keywords which are selected automatically replace an original keyword.

17. The system for automation of claim 16 wherein replacement of keywords is continued until all keywords have been replaced by program instructions, variables or constants.

18. The system for automation of claim 16 wherein the program instructions of said control modules are queries and actions.

19. The system for automation of claim 18 wherein the queries contain an instruction with an appropriate formulation “

If (logical operation) then” and

with the options “

If now but not previously then” and

“

If not then,”

by which the exact point in time at which an event arose is reported.

20. A system for automation of a technical process or an experimental procedure having sensors and actuators,

measurement and control unit connected to said sensors and actuators by measurement and control lines,

at least one library containing visualization objects and control modules, said control modules including sequence modules, event modules and function modules, and software operatively associated with said measurement and control unit and said library, said software managing said system, said control modules containing program instructions and keywords, variables and further keywords, wherein individual concepts of the script language, selected from keywords instructions, variables and constants, are visibly displayed as graphical objects, wherein script objects are arranged in line-oriented fashion and wherein access to knowledge lists, containing program instructions, variables and further keywords is opened by an operator interacting with emphasized keywords.