OPERATING STATE INDICATION DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating state indication device for optically and/or acoustically indicating at least one operating state or a plurality of different operating states of a technical apparatus, such as a machine, an installation, a vehicle or the like, having at least one optical and/or acoustic indication and/or warning element, wherein setting and/or adjustment of at least one operating parameter of the indication and/or warning element, such as luminous color, color intensity, luminous image, volume, melody, tone sequence or the like, is provided, wherein at least one input line, which comes from the technical apparatus and is intended to transmit the information relating to at least one operating state, and at least one control line to the indication and/or warning element for controlling the indication of the operating state are provided. The invention is distinguished by the fact that an interface unit for forwarding the information relating to the operating state, which arrives from the technical apparatus, to an external logic unit and/or for receiving a control signal from the external logic unit for directly controlling one or more indication or warning elements is provided.

Claims

1. Operating state indication device (1) for optically and/or acoustically indicating at least one operating state or a plurality of different operating states of a technical apparatus, such as a machine, an installation, a vehicle or the like, having at least one optical and/or acoustic indication and/or warning element (2), wherein setting and/or adjustment of at least one operating parameter of the indication and/or warning element, such as luminous color, color intensity, luminous image, volume, melody, tone sequence or the like, is provided, wherein at least one input line (2), which comes from the technical apparatus and is intended to transmit the information relating to at least one operating state, and at least one control line (8) to the indication and/or warning element for controlling the indication of the operating state are provided, characterized in that an interface unit for forwarding the information relating to the operating state, which arrives from the technical apparatus, to an external logic unit (5) and/or for receiving a control signal from the external logic unit (5) for directly controlling one or more indication or warning elements is provided.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the interface unit for forwarding the information relating to the operating state, which arrives from the technical apparatus, to an external logic unit (5) and/or for receiving a control signal from the external logic unit (5) for directly controlling one or more indication or warning elements is provided without the interposition of an internal logic unit and/or without a direct logical connection of the input line (2) to the control line (8).

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that no internal logic unit for directly controlling the one or more indication or warning elements with the circumvention of the external logic unit (5) is provided.

4. The device according to claim 1 further comprising an additional, internal logic unit for directly controlling the one or more indication or warning elements with the circumvention of the external logic unit.

5. The device according to claim 2 wherein the device is a modular signal tower with exchangeable modules.

6. The device according to claim 2 further comprising a base module via which the device can be connected to the technical apparatus and which comprises the interface unit.

7. The device according to claim 2 further comprising an exchangeable module which comprises interface unit.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein the interface unit comprises an encryption unit for the encrypted interchange of data with the external logic unit (5).

9. The device according to claim 2 wherein the control line (8) for connecting the interface unit to the technical apparatus is provided and can be used to control the technical apparatus via the interface unit.

10. A data processing system having an operating state indication device (1) and a logic unit (5) which is external with respect to this operating state indication device (1), characterized in that at least one wireless connection is provided between the interface unit and the external logic unit (5).

11. The data processing system according to claim 10 wherein the at least one wireless connection has an electromagnetic information transmission.

12. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein the wireless connection comprises information transmission based on ultrasound.

13. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein a plurality of operating state indication devices (14) are connected to the same external logic unit (5).

14. The data processing system of claim 10 further comprising an evaluation unit (9) for storing and/or evaluating the incoming information relating to the operating state or the operating states and/or the transmitted control signals for indication.

15. The data processing system of claim 10 further comprising an installed AI (artificial intelligence, machine learning or data analytics).

16. The data processing system according to claim 10 having a prediction program for predicting imminent faults, imminent material shortages, planned or preventative maintenance, pending personnel changes, order changes, performance problems, deviations from actual values to desired values.

17. The data processing system according to claim 10 wherein the external logic unit (5) has a data acquisition unit for capturing or receiving parameter data for parameters, such as sensor information, environmental information, order information, stocks or the like, which can be used to control the interface unit.

18. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein a plurality of wireless connections are connected to a plurality of devices.

19. An apparatus for optically and/or acoustically indicating one operating state from a plurality of operating states of a first device comprising: (a) a modular signal tower with interchangeable modules having a variable indication of the variable function of a variable function of the first device; (b) an external logic unit to analyze and receive and transmit data to and from the first device as well as further external data that does not directly come from the first device; (c) an interface unit to interface with the first device; and (d) a data link from the external logic unit to the modular signal tower.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the interface unit is an exchangeable module.

Description

[0037] One exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in drawings and is explained in more detail below on the basis of the figures.

[0038] In Detail:

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram for illustrating the structure of a base and/or exchangeable module with an interface according to the invention,

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram for illustrating the function of an external control unit according to the invention,

[0041] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram for illustrating the external control of a signal tower, and

[0042] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram for illustrating a network comprising different signal towers with an external logic unit.

[0043] FIG. 1 illustrates an interface module 1 of an indication device according to the invention, in particular a signal tower. An input line 2 comes from a technical apparatus, the operating state of which is to be indicated, for example a machine or the like.

[0044] A forwarding unit, in particular in the form of a wireless transmission unit 3, is used to forward one or more signals, for example from a machine, to an external logic unit 5 via a connection channel 4 which is preferably wireless.

[0045] The external logic unit is connected, via a control channel 6 which is in turn preferably wireless, to a reception unit 7 of the interface unit 1, from which one or more control lines 8 lead to the individual indication or warning elements which are not illustrated, for example in the form of preferably differently colored lighting elements, or to acoustic elements.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the logic unit 5 is part of an evaluation unit 9 of a data processing system which, in addition to the data provided by the interface unit, can use further different input data for evaluation and control. For example, customer data 10, for example relating to delivery times, delivery scopes etc., predefined signal states 11, for example for indicating external states, events or the like, such as an expected delivery bottleneck, a last-minute order changeover etc., location data 12 relating to persons and/or machines and order data 13 are illustrated.

[0047] FIG. 3 illustrates a signal tower 14 as an example of an indication device according to the invention and a machine 15 as an example of a technical apparatus, the operating state(s) of which is/are to be indicated. There is also a cloud 16 which is connected to the evaluation unit 9 or to its logic unit 5, preferably via a wireless connection channel 17, for the purpose of transmitting data and/or programs. All connections are also illustrated as wireless connections. In addition to the interface connection beyond the interface module 1 illustrated as a base module, the machine 15 can also be directly connected to the cloud in order to transmit machine data which can be used when controlling the signal tower 14.

[0048] The illustration according to FIG. 4 illustrates a network comprising different signal towers 14 which are connected to an external logic unit 5 or evaluation unit 9. This embodiment has a star-shaped structure. However, other network configurations are conceivable, in particular also using a plurality of logic units 5 or evaluation units 9.

[0049] However, the illustrated embodiment having a logic unit 5 and an evaluation unit 9 provides the advantage that all data and control operations can be centrally captured and therefore can also be centrally processed, with the result that complete data capture, for example for creating a database, can be easily implemented.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0050] 1. Interface unit [0051] 2. Input line [0052] 3. Transmission unit [0053] 4. Connection channel [0054] 5. External logic unit [0055] 6. Control channel [0056] 7. Reception unit [0057] 8. Control line [0058] 9. Evaluation unit [0059] 10. Customer data [0060] 11. Signal states [0061] 12. Location data [0062] 13. Order data [0063] 14. Signal tower [0064] 15. Machine [0065] 16. Cloud [0066] 17. Connection channel