Plasma and induction heating power supply systems and related methods

• US 9,503,006 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRUMPF Hüttinger GmbH + Co. KG (Trumpf GmbH + Company KG)
• Original Assignee: TRUMPF Hüttinger GmbH + Co. KG (Trumpf GmbH + Company KG)
• Inventors: Pohl, Thomas, Heller, Ulrich, Raschke, Holger, Gottschalk, Richard, Schaefer, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/276,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83, 700/86, 700/275, 700/276, 700/286, 700/295, 700/297
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32908 Utilities
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/00 Arrangements for controlling electric generators for the purpose of obtaining a desired output Ward-Leonard arrangements H02P7/34; vector control H02P21/00; feeding a network by two or more generators H02J; for charging batteries H02J7/14
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 2242/26 Matching networks

Abstract

In some aspects, a power supply system for a plasma application and/or an induction heating system includes at least two controllable power generators of different types. Each controllable power generator includes an associated identifier, and at least one operating unit for controlling at least one of the power generators, the operating unit includes an operating application to import the respective identifiers from the power generators that are connected to the operating application, and based on generator-specific configuration data that are stored for each power generator and the identifiers, the operating application constructs a graphic user interface on a display device of the operating unit.

Claims

1. A power supply system for a plasma application and/or an induction heating system, the power supply system comprising:

at least two controllable power generators of different types, each controllable power generator comprising an associated identifier; and

at least one operating unit for controlling at least one of the power generators, the operating unit comprising;

a display device on which a graphic user interface can be displayed;

an input device for manipulating the graphic user interface; and

an operating application to import the respective identifiers from the power generators that are connected to the operating application, wherein the operating application constructs the graphic user interface on the display device based on generator-specific configuration data that are stored for each power generator and the identifiers, wherein the graphic user interface of the power generators of different types comprises a static region designed to illustrate superordinate information and superordinate control elements, wherein the superordinate control elements include one or more of an on/off switch and language selection, and the superordinate information includes one or more of type designation, identifier of the power generator, warnings, error statuses, and cooling water temperature, and wherein the generator-specific configuration data includes generator-specific visualization data that adapts how elements to be visualized are displayed on the graphic user interface.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration data of at least one power generator are stored in the power generator or the operating unit.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprise generator-specific parameter data and/or visualization data.

4. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein language data that can be processed by the operating application are stored in the operating unit.

5. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein templates generated in the operating application are stored in the operating unit.

6. The power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of operating units which substantially have the same graphic user interface.

7. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the static region comprises superordinate information and/or control elements.

8. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface for the power generators of different types comprises a dynamic region.

9. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface for the power generators of different types comprises the static region and a dynamic region, and the respective proportions of the surface-area on the graphic user interface that are associated with the dynamic region and the static region are substantially the same regardless of the number and type of connected power generators and system components.

10. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface for the power generators of different types comprises the static region and a dynamic region, the static region comprising control elements for changing between different views or different information contents in the dynamic region.

11. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface comprises a maximum of two regions.

12. The power supply system according to claim 11, wherein the two regions comprise the static region and a dynamic region, and the static region and the dynamic region are always visible for a user while the power supply system is on.

13. The power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising system components that can be controlled by the operating unit and each comprise an identifier.

14. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the generator-specific configuration data specifies a range of a maximum power displayed on the graphic user interface.

15. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the generator-specific configuration data includes generator-specific parameter data describing all known parameters for the corresponding generator or a sub-quantity thereof.

16. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the generator-specific configuration data specifies a range of at least one graph displayed on the graphic user interface.

17. A method for controlling at least one power generator using an operating unit, the method comprising:

importing an identifier of at least one power generator;

selecting and/or importing generator-specific configuration data based on the identifier imported; and

constructing a graphic user interface on a display device of the operating unit based on the configuration data using an operating application that is installed on the operating unit, wherein the graphic user interface comprises a static region designed to illustrate superordinate information and superordinate control elements, wherein the superordinate control elements include one or more of an on/off switch and language selection, and the superordinate information includes one or more of type designation, identifier of the power generator, warnings, error statuses, and cooling water temperature, and wherein the configuration data includes generator-specific visualization data that adapts how elements to be visualized are displayed on the graphic user interface.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein substantially the same graphic user interfaces are produced for configuration data of different types of power generators.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the configuration data comprise generator-specific parameter data and/or visualization data.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein language data are read and, based on the language data, information is displayed on the display device.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the graphic user interface is constructed in a dynamic manner.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein static and dynamic contents are displayed on the display device.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein templates that enable the graphic user interface to be adapted are defined in the operating application.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein visualization data are associated with the templates.

25. The method according to claim 17, wherein for identical configuration data substantially identical graphic user interfaces are produced and displayed in different operating units.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein the identifier and the configuration data of a controllable system component are imported and taken into consideration when constructing the graphic user interface.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein the configuration data of a power generator are stored in the power generator or the operating unit, have a time stamp or a priority identification number, and the operating application decides based on the time stamp or the priority identification number whether the configuration data stored in the power generator or the operating unit are used to construct the graphic user interface on the display device.

28. The method according to claim 17, wherein with each power generator, there is an associated integration level that is determined by the operating application, the integration level being taken into account when constructing the graphic user interface.

29. A plasma and/or induction heating system comprising:

a first group of different power generators, an identifier being associated with each power generator type; and

a second group of different operating units,

each operating unit of the second group being able to be coupled to each power generator of the first group in order to control the respective power generator and being able to import the identifier of the coupled power generator, and

each operating unit having an operating application by which there can be produced, regardless of the power generator coupled to the operating unit, a graphic user interface which has substantially the same appearance for all power generators but which is adapted to the coupled power generators, wherein the graphic user interface comprises a static region designed to illustrate superordinate information and superordinate control elements, wherein the superordinate control elements include one or more of an on/off switch and language selection, and the superordinate information includes one or more of type designation, identifier of the power generator, warnings, error statuses, and cooling water temperature, and wherein the adaptation includes use of generator-specific visualization data that adapts how elements to be visualized are displayed on the graphic user interface.