FIELD DEVICE OF AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

Field device of automation technology, comprising: a housing; arranged in or on the housing a first light emitting means, which serves as visual status display and which is arranged in such a manner that it is visible externally of the housing; arranged in the housing a second light emitting means, which is adapted to activate the first light emitting means such that the first light emitting means emits light; located in the housing a field device electronics, which is adapted to activate the second light emitting means via a signal with a predetermined frequency such that the second light emitting means emits light, such that the second light emitting means activates the first light emitting means such that the first light emitting means emits light.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A field device of automation technology, comprising: a housing; a first light emitting mechanism disposed in or on the housing to provide a visual status display visible externally of the housing; a second light emitting mechanism disposed in the housing and adapted to activate the first light emitting mechanism such that the first light emitting mechanism emits light; a field device electronics disposed in the housing and configured to activate the second light emitting mechanism via a signal with a predetermined frequency such that the second light emitting mechanism emits light and activates the first light emitting mechanism such that the first light emitting mechanism emits light.

14. The field device of claim 13, wherein the field device electronics is configured to apply a pulse width modulation to the signal, such that the pulse width modulated signal activates the second light emitting mechanism with the predetermined frequency such that the second light emitting mechanism emits light.

15. The field device of claim 13, wherein the first light emitting mechanism is disposed within a housing lid of the housing at a glass window of the housing lid.

16. The field device of claim 13, wherein the first light emitting mechanism is disposed outside of the housing at a glass window of a housing lid of the housing.

17. The field device of claim 13, wherein the housing includes a housing lid with a glass window, wherein the glass window includes the first light emitting mechanism.

18. The field device of claim 13, wherein the first light emitting mechanism includes at least one luminescent film or luminescent lacquer.

19. The field device of claim 13, wherein the second light emitting mechanism includes at least one light-emitting diode.

20. The field device of claim 13, wherein the first light emitting mechanism and the second light emitting mechanism form a light emitting mechanism pair configured to emit light with a certain wavelength, wherein the field device includes a plurality of light emitting pairs configured to emit light with different wavelengths.

21. The field device of claim 13, wherein the field device includes a plurality of first light emitting mechanisms arranged next to one another.

22. The field device of claim 21, wherein the plurality of first light emitting mechanisms are positioned vertically relative to one another.

23. A method for activating a first light emitting mechanism as a visual status display of a field device, comprising the step of: activating a second light emitting mechanism, which is in optical contact with the first light emitting mechanism, with a predetermined frequency such that the first light emitting mechanism is activated by the second light emitting mechanism and emits light.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the second light emitting mechanism is activated with the predetermined frequency via a pulse width modulated signal.

Description

[0027] The invention will now be explained in greater detail based on the appended drawing, the figures of which show as follows:

[0028] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a field device, which serves as a limit switch,

[0029] FIG. 2 an example of a housing lid, in the case of which three first light emitting means are arranged next to one another, and

[0030] FIG. 3 an example of a housing lid, in the case of which three first light emitting means are arranged on top of one another.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a field device 1, which serves as a limit switch. Field device 1 includes a housing 2, on which is mounted an oscillatable unit 8, for example, in the form an oscillatory fork, a single rod or a membrane, which extends partially into a medium.

[0032] Furthermore, the field device 1 includes a visual status display 3, which provides status information, for example, using different colors. Typically, the status information is encoded in such a manner that, in the case, in which the status display lights up green, such means that the oscillatable unit is not covered with medium, in the case, in which the status display lights up yellow, the oscillatable unit is covered with medium and in the case, in which the status display lights up red, the field device 1 has a technical disturbance.

[0033] Such status displays 3 should ideally also be reliably decipherable from a significant distance. At the same time, these should not have a too large energy requirement, since a field device 1 is subject to the above mentioned limitations as regards the available energy.

[0034] According to the invention, consequently, the field device 1 includes a first light emitting means 3, for example, in the form of a luminescent film or luminescent lacquer. Luminescent films and -lacquers are known from the state of the art and have the property that, when illuminated, they on their own part begin to emit light. Typically involved, in such case, are fluorescing or phosphorescing properties.

[0035] The first light emitting means 3 is, in such case, arranged on or in the housing of the field device 1 in such a manner that it is well visible outside of the housing. For example, the first light emitting means 3 can be placed behind a glass window 7, i.e. on the side of the glass window 7 of a housing lid 6 facing the housing interior, so that the first light emitting means 3 is well visible through the glass window 7 externally of the housing 2.

[0036] Alternatively, the first light emitting means 3 can also be placed on the side of a glass window of a housing lid facing away from the housing interior, i.e. on the outer surface of the housing lid 6.

[0037] Another alternative can provide that a glass window 7 of a housing lid 6 has itself luminescing properties, so that the glass window per se forms the first light emitting means.

[0038] The first light emitting means 3 is illuminated by means of a second light emitting means 4, for example, in the form of an LED, so that the first light emitting means 3 likewise begins to emit light. The second light emitting means 4 is, in such case, arranged in such a manner in the housing 2 of the field device 1 that it is in optical contact with the first light emitting means 3, i.e. a main beam of the second light emitting means 4 can propagate unimpeded from the second light emitting means 4 to the first light emitting means 3.

[0039] The first light emitting means 3 and the second light emitting means 4 thus form a light emitting means pair, which emits light with a specific wavelength. A variant of the invention can provide that a plurality of light emitting means pairs are provided, which emit light of different wavelengths. Thus, for example, to return to the above described example, three light emitting means pairs can be provided, which are embodied in such a manner that one light emitting means pair can emit green light, one yellow and one red, in order to signal corresponding status information using the status display.

[0040] In the case, in which a plurality of first light emitting means 3 is provided, these can either be arranged 2-dimensionally next to one another, such as shown, by way of example, in FIG. 2 or they can be arranged on top of one another, such as shown in FIG. 3. FIGS. 2 and 3 show such arrangements of the light emitting means in a housing lid having a glass window.

[0041] Of course, a combining of a status display of the invention with a classic display for measured value display and/or status display is possible.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0042] 1 field device of automation technology [0043] 2 housing of the field device [0044] 3 first light emitting means as visual status display of the field device [0045] 4 second light emitting means [0046] 5 field device electronics [0047] 6 housing lid [0048] 7 glass window of the housing lid [0049] 8 oscillatable unit