Selective detailed display of devices in a network

• US 7,962,860 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Eichner, Ingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Ruay L
• Application Number:
  US11/900,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715/723, 700701-799, 700800-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 726/2, 345 30- 79, 719/313
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31098 Configuration editor for networking interconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

There is described a method, to a program and to a system for graphically displaying and projecting at least one network of devices of an automation system, a high density of information usually occurring at the user interface. To allow a user to selectively display devices in a network, in addition to a large quantity of overview information, a solution is proposed in which a user can display individual devices in more detail in an overview. The user can therefore select a device, the instantaneously non-visible details of which he wishes to access, and change the appearance of the device from a not very detailed display to a very detailed display by way of further interaction. This applies to any desired number of devices which can be simultaneously displayed in detail. One advantage is that the network interfaces of devices may also be displayed which cannot be displayed with all network interfaces in the overview without the user being forced to have to change to a different, detail-oriented view.

Claims

1. A method for graphically displaying and graphically engineering at least one network of devices of an automation system, comprising:

displaying the at least one network in a general view;

displaying schematically devices and network lines within the general view, wherein the devices have at least one network interface;

displaying connections between the devices and to the network lines with connecting lines, wherein the connecting lines have a marking at an end connected to the network lines;

selecting, within the general view, at least one device by a user for display in a detailed view; and

activating, within the general view, the detailed view for the selected device by the user, wherein all network interfaces of the selected device respectively are displayed in the detailed view,

wherein at least one temporary view of the selected device is displayed in a transition phase when the detailed view is activated.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one device displayed in the detailed view is selected by the user, and wherein display of the detailed view is deactivated by the user for the devices displayed and selected in the detailed view.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein devices are added to the network by the user.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein devices are removed from the network by the user.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein connections between devices and to network lines are added to the network by the user or are removed from the network by the user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one temporary view is displayed in a transition phase when the detailed view is deactivated for the selected device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein inputs by the user are ignored during the transition phase.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display of the devices corresponds to the real devices in at least one respect selected from the group consisting of colouring, shape, size and a combination thereof.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein numerical values are allocated to the devices, and wherein the devices are displayed in the general view with different emphasis based on the given numerical value.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the devices are displayed in the detailed view with different emphasis based on the numerical value.

11. A software program to display graphically and to engineer graphically at least one network of devices of an automation system, wherein each of the devices has at least one network interface, wherein the software program is to be executed on a system comprising keys and a mouse to be used by a user, when executed comprising:

displaying the at least one network in a general view;

displaying schematically the devices and network lines within the general view, wherein the devices have at least one network interface;

displaying connections between the devices and to the network lines by way of connecting lines, wherein the connecting lines have a marking at an end connected to the network lines;

providing, within the general view, a selection of at least one device by a user for display in a detailed view; and

providing, within the general view, an activation of the detailed view for the selected device by the user, wherein all network interfaces of the selected device respectively are displayed in the detailed view,

wherein at least one temporary view of the selected device is displayed in a transition phase when the detailed view is activated.

12. The software program as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one device displayed in the detailed view is selected by the user, wherein display of the detailed view is deactivated by the user for the devices displayed and selected in the detailed view, and wherein devices are addable to or removable from the network by the user.

13. The software program as claimed in claim 12, wherein connections between devices and to network lines are added to the network by the user or a removed from the network by the user.

14. The software program as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one temporary view of the selected device is displayed in a transition phase when the detailed view is deactivated for the selected device.

15. The software program as claimed in claim 14, wherein inputs by the user are ignored during the transition phase.

16. The software program as claimed in claim 15, wherein the display of the devices corresponds to the real devices in at least one respect selected from the group consisting of colouring, shape, size and a combination thereof.

17. The software program as claimed in claim 16, wherein a numerical value is allocated to the devices, wherein the devices are displayed in the general view with different emphasis based on the given numerical value, and wherein the devices are displayed in the detailed view with different emphasis based on the numerical value.

18. A system to graphically display and to graphically engineer at least one network of devices of an automation system, comprising:

at least one input unit for;

selecting, within a general view, at least one device by a user for display in a detailed view, and

activating, within the general view, the detailed view for the selected device by the user, wherein all network interfaces of the selected device respectively are displayed in the detailed view,

wherein at least one temporary view of the selected device is displayed in a transition phase when the detailed view is activated;

at least one output unit for;

displaying the at least one network in the general view,

displaying schematically the devices and network lines within the general view, wherein the devices have at least one network interface, and

displaying connections between the devices and to the network lines by way of connecting lines, wherein the connecting lines have a marking at an end connected to the network lines; and

a device to execute a software program.