Driver for a function unit parametrized by a number of input variables

• US 7,925,685 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Rose, Marc, Boehler, Bert, Clement, Jean-Marie, Hildebrand, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Chuong D
• Application Number:
  US11/376,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 708/290, 708/313
• US Class Current: 708/290
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23174 Display of parameter and several suggested values for that parameter

Abstract

A control system, a method of operating the same, and a method for setting up the same are disclosed for simplified driving of a function unit parametrized by a plurality of input variables. The control system includes a setting unit and a control unit, the setting unit being used to set a number of prescribed control parameters and to feed them to the control unit. A value tuple that is fed to the function unit for the parametrization thereof is determined by the control unit as a function of the controlled variables in accordance with a stored interpolation function based on interpolation points. To set up the control system, it is provided to select a number of value tuples of the input variables as interpolation points from a parameter space defined by the input variables, and to determine the interpolation function in such a way that it defines a continuous subspace of the parameter space which has a dimensionality corresponding to the number of controlled variables and contains every interpolation point.

Claims

1. A method for setting up a hardware based control system for a hardware based function unit, said function unit being parametrized by a plurality of input variables, said control system including a setting unit and a control unit, said setting unit including at least one regulator, the method comprising:

selecting a plurality of value tuples of the plurality of input variables as interpolation points from a parameter space defined by the plurality of input variables;

determining an interpolation function that is dependent on at least one control variable and defines a continuous subspace of the parameter space, the subspace having a dimensionality corresponding to a number of the at least one control variables and contains every interpolation point;

assigning the at least one control variable to the at least one regulator of the setting unit such that a value of the at least one control variable is stipulated by means of the respective regulator; and

storing the interpolation function in the control unit, wherein the interpolation function is determined by,

stipulating the subspace inside the parameter space,

stipulating, for each dimension of the subspace, a coordinate corresponding to the at least one control variable, and

stipulating for each coordinate, a progress function by which each value of the associated at least one control variable is allocated a value of the coordinate.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subspace is stipulated by applying a spline interpolation to the interpolation points.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least two control variables are included, to which orthogonal coordinates are allocated.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one progress function is nonlinear.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subspace is stipulated by applying a volume minimization algorithm.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two control variables are included, to which orthogonal coordinates are allocated.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one progress function is nonlinear.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable recording medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the medium that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method as claimed in claim 1.

9. A method for driving a hardware based function unit that is parametrized by a plurality of input variables, the method comprising:

setting, using a setting unit, a value for at least one prescribed control variable, said setting unit including a plurality of regulators, each regulator being assigned a respective prescribed control variable of a plurality of control variables;

feeding the set value of each control variable to a control unit; and

determining, using the control unit and as a function of the set value of each control variable, a value for each input variable in accordance with a stored interpolation function and feeding the value to the function unit, the interpolation function defining a continuous subspace of a parameter space defined by the input variables, the continuous subspace including a plurality of prescribed interpolation points, wherein the interpolation function is determined by,

stipulating the subspace inside the parameter space,

stipulating, for each dimension of the subspace, a coordinate corresponding to said each control variable, and

stipulating for each coordinate, a progress function by which each value of the associated control variable is allocated a value of the coordinate.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable recording medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the medium that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method as claimed in claim 9.

11. A hardware based control system for driving a hardware based function unit parametrized by a plurality of input variables, comprising:

a setting unit including a plurality of regulators each of which is assigned a respective one of a plurality of prescribed control variables, each regulator setting a value of the assigned control variable; and

a control unit configured to store an interpolation function and designed to determine a value for each input variable as a function of each control variable in accordance with the stored interpolation function, and to feed the determined value to the function unit, the interpolation function defming a continuous subspace of a parameter space defined by the plurality of input variables, the continuous subspace including a plurality of prescribed interpolation points, wherein the interpolation function is determined by,

stipulating the subspace inside the parameter space,

stipulating, for each dimension of the subspace, a coordinate corresponding to said each control variable, and

stipulating for each coordinate, a progress function by which each value of the associated control variable is allocated a value of the coordinate.

12. A hardware based control system for driving a function unit parametrized by a plurality of input variables, comprising:

means for setting a value for a plurality of prescribed control variables;

means for storing an interpolation function; and

means for determining a value for each input variable as a function of each control variable in accordance with the stored interpolation function, and for feeding the value to the function unit, the interpolation function defining a continuous subspace of a parameter space defined by the plurality of input variables, the continuous space including a plurality of prescribed interpolation points, wherein the interpolation function is determined by,

means for stipulating the subspace inside the parameter space,

means for stipulating, for each dimension of the subspace, a coordinate corresponding to said each control variable, and

means for stipulating for each coordinate, a progress function by which each value of the associated said control variable is allocated a value of the coordinate.