Method for operating a system of modular structure, in particular a process automation system

• US 7,848,855 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Metzler, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens; Thomas H
• Application Number:
  US12/152,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20080284247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 361/211, 361/656, 700/295, 711/5
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24025 Remove board with system on power, hot plug in, swap, docking, life insertion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25318 Power supply module in common for all modules
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25469 Inserting or taking out circuit boards during power on
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C

Abstract

There is described a method for operating a system of modular structure, which can be extended during operation by adding modules that consume electrical energy, in particular a process automation system, the system having a power supply, which supplies the other modules of the system with electrical energy, with at least one signal being generated and displayed before a further module that consumes electrical energy is added, from which signal it is possible to identify or derive the level of current electrical power, which the power supply can still supply to the further module to be added given the already added modules—residual power—and/or the level of power, which the power supply supplies currently to the already added modules and/or from which it can be identified or derived whether the module to be added can be added without overloading the power supply.

Claims

1. A method for operating a system of modular structure, which is extendable during operation by adding modules consuming electrical energy, comprising:

providing a power supply for the system, wherein the power supply supplies the modules of the system consuming electrical energy with electrical energy;

generating a signal for

a remaining residual power for a further module to be added, wherein the signal is generated before the further module consuming electrical energy is added to the system, or

a level of power, which the power supply supplies currently to already added modules, or

identifying or deriving whether the further module to be added can be added without overloading the power supply; and

displaying the signal;

wherein a computation and control facility assigned to the system determines or takes from a storage unit a maximum number of addable modules respectively for different classes of modules of different power consumption values, the maximum number of addable modules being the number of addable modules which can be added without a predefined overload power limit value being reached or exceeded, and

a class-dependent, maximum number is determined from upper power consumption limit values assigned to each class, which respectively form an upper limit for all addable modules of each corresponding class, and from a current value of a residual power of the power supply provided to the already added modules.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modules are plugged in.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is a process automation system.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predefined overload power limit value is a function of a rated power of the power supply, and wherein the predefined overload power limit value is greater than the rated power of the power supply.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first signal when the maximum number of addable modules is one; and

displaying a second signal, distinct from the first signal when the maximum number of addable modules is zero.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the signals are displayed via a multi-step optical display, wherein the multi-step optical display is arranged on the power supply of the system or on a CPU of the system.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the maximum number of addable modules via a numeric display or a text display, wherein the maximum number of addable modules is less than or equal to a predefined limit value.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a third signal, distinct from the first and the second signal, when an overall power consumption of the already added modules is equal to or greater than the overload power limit value.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the classes are determined based upon maximum power consumption values.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first signal for each power consumption class, when the maximum number of addable modules of this class determined for a respective power consumption class is one, and

displaying a second signal, distinct from the first signal, when the maximum number of addable modules of this class is zero.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a third signal, distinct from the first and second signals, when an overall power consumption of the already added modules of the system is equal to or greater than an overload power limit value.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum number of addable modules of one class is displayed with a numeric display or text display, when the maximum number of addable modules of the one class is less than or equal to a predefined limit value.

13. A method for operating a system of modular structure, which is extendable during operation by adding modules consuming electrical energy, comprising:

providing a power supply for the system, wherein the power supply supplies the modules of the system consuming electrical energy with electrical energy;

generating a signal for

a remaining residual power for a further module to be added, wherein the signal is generated before the further module consuming electrical energy is added to the system, or

a level of power, which the power supply supplies currently to already added modules, or

identifying or deriving whether the further module to be added can be added without overloading the power supply;

displaying the signal;

providing a detection facility; and

detecting, by the detection facility, wirelessly information assigned to the further module to be added, wherein said information is representative of a predefined power consumption value of the further module.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the detection facility comprises a keyboard for transmitting information to the system, the information being representative of a predefined maximum power consumption value of the further module.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

detecting and transmitting information assigned to the module to be added relating to a power consumption value of the module is detected and transmitted to a computation and control facility

selecting by the computation and control facility, based upon the power consumption value of the module to be added, a power consumption class to which the module to be added belongs;

providing a display unit to display a maximum number of modules of the power consumption class that can be added without the predefined overload power limit value being reached or exceeded, wherein a reaching or exceeding of which may result in an overload scenario for the power supply is displayed automatically by the display unit.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the modules are plugged in.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the system is a process automation system.