System and method for providing diagnosis information

• US 7,774,167 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schlereth, Michael, Dinges, Clemens, Feld, Joachim, Bregulla, Markus, Grossmann, Daniel, Buesgen, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Nghiem; Michael P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Toan M
• Application Number:
  US10/570,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 702182-185, 702/59, 702/81, 702/84, 702/188, 702/189, 714/30, 714/37, 714/25, 714/31, 714/47, 714/48, 715/517, 715/788, 700/3, 700/9, 700/26, 700108-110, 706/10, 706 20- 30, 706/903, 706/904
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0251 Abstraction hierarchy, e.g. "complex systems", i.e. system is divided in subsystems, subsystems are monitored and results are combined to decide on status of whole system
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for generating a system for providing diagnosis information, and to a corresponding system. The aim of the invention is to simplify the provision of information for diagnosing technical installations or technical processes. To this end, components pertaining to an automation system and having diagnosis interfaces for providing diagnosis information for diagnosing the respective components are collected in at least one group, and the diagnosis information of the respective group is provided by combining the diagnosis information of the components collected in the respective group.

Claims

1. A method of providing diagnosis information and carrying out a process diagnosis therewith in an automation system, comprising:

providing a plurality of components to the automation system, at least some of the components comprising a diagnosis interface for transmitting diagnosis information related to the respective component;

forming at least one component group including at least some of the components;

interrelating the diagnosis information of the at least some of the components to form group diagnosis information; and

providing the group diagnosis information,

wherein the components and the component groups are assigned to classes, each class defining functions and attributes of the assigned components or component groups,

wherein the diagnosis information includes rules for logically combining input variables and for providing at least one output variable based on the combined input variables, wherein a single-level logic maps logic of one component of the diagnosis hierarchy and a multi-level logic maps logic of the component group, the single-level logic logically combining internal information of the component, and

wherein the classes are a basis for creation of the single-level logic and multi-level logic.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

forming a higher-ranking group by assigning at least one of the component groups and/or individual components to the higher-ranking group; and

interrelating the group diagnosis information of the assigned component groups and/or the diagnosis information of the assigned individual components to form a higher-ranking group diagnosis information.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the components are part of an installation layout, and the group diagnosis information is formed based on the installation layout.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the installation layout includes tasks and a networking plan of the components.

5. The method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the installation layout includes a definition of which component groups and/or which individual components are part of a higher-ranking group.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the diagnosis information of each component included in the part of the components has the same semantic structure.

7. A system for providing diagnosis information of an automation system, wherein

the automation system has a plurality of components,

at least a part of the components each comprises a diagnosis interface for transmitting diagnosis information related to the respective component,

at least one component group including the part of the components is formed, the system comprising a computing unit configured to interrelate the diagnosis information of the part of the components to form a group diagnosis information,

the components and the component groups are assigned to classes, each class defining functions and attributes of the assigned components or component groups,

the diagnosis information includes rules for logically combining input variables and for providing at least one output variable based on the combined input variables, wherein a single-level logic maps logic of one component of the diagnosis hierarchy and a multi-level logic maps logic of the component group, the single-level logic logically combining internal information of the component, and

the classes are a basis for creation of the single-level logic and multi-level logic.

8. The system in accordance with claim 7, wherein a higher-ranking group is formed by assigning at least one of the component groups and/or individual components to the higher-ranking group, and the computing unit is further configured to interrelate the group diagnosis information of the assigned component groups and/or the diagnosis information of the assigned individual components to form a higher-ranking group diagnosis information.

9. The system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the components are part of an installation layout, and the group diagnosis information is formed based on the installation layout.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the installation layout includes tasks and a networking plan of the components.

11. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the installation layout includes a definition of which component groups and/or which individual components are part of a higher-ranking group.

12. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a display device for visualizing the diagnosis information based on the installation layout.

13. The system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the diagnosis information of each component included in the part of the components has the same semantic structure.