Method, Devices, Computer Program and Computer-Readable Medium for Using Configurable Logic for Modular Setup of a Technical Installation

Abstract

A functional module includes at least one technical object for performing a technical process, a control unit which control the technical object based on previously determined rules and interconnections that are being permanently stored in the control unit, a communication unit which interchanges data with external communication partners, wherein the functional module has a configurable logic unit which uses the communication unit to receive additional, variably predefinable rules and interconnections from an external communication partner and to take the additional, variably predefinable rules and interconnections as a basis for supplementing the rules and interconnections previously determined in the control unit with respect to an interaction of the functional module with at least one further functional module.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A functional module, comprising: at least one technical object which implements a technical process; a control unit which controls the at least one technical object based on predetermined rules and interconnections which are stored in the control unit and cannot be changed; a communication unit which exchanges data with external communication partners; a configurable logic unit which is configured to receive, via the communication unit additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections from an external communication partner and, based on the additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections, to supplement the rules and interconnections predetermined in the control unit with respect to an interaction of the functional module with at least one further functional module.

17. The functional module as claimed in claim 16, wherein the communication unit comprises a server, a client, and a subscriber.

18. The functional module as claimed in claim 16, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive information relating to a communication unit of the at least one further functional module and is configured to store said received information in the functional module.

19. The functional module as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control unit includes computer-implemented function blocks; and wherein the control unit is configured, for controlling the technical objects, to use the computer-implemented functional blocks based on the rules and interconnections permanently stored in the control unit.

20. The functional module as claimed in claim 16, wherein the configurable logic unit includes computer-implemented functional blocks and is configured to undertake, based on the received additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections, a supplementation of the rules and interconnections predetermined in the control unit with respect to an interaction of the functional module with at least one further functional module based on the computer-implemented functional blocks of the configurable logic unit.

21. The functional module as claimed in claim 17, wherein the server comprises an Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture server, the client comprises an OPC UA client or an OPC UA publisher, and an OPC UA subscriber.

22. The functional module as claimed in claim 18, wherein the received information relates to a network address of the communication units of the at least one further functional module.

23. A technical installation, comprising a plurality of functional modules as claimed in claim 17 which are connected to one another for an interaction.

24. The technical installation as claimed in claim 23, further comprising: a configuration system which is configured to communicate the additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections to the communication unit of one functional module of the plurality of functional modules or to a plurality of communication units of the plurality of functional modules.

25. The technical installation as claimed in claim 23, further comprising: a visualization system which is configured to visualize the rules and interconnections used to control the at least one technical object of the functional module.

26. The technical installation as claimed in claim 24, further comprising: a visualization system which is configured to visualize the rules and interconnections used to control the at least one technical object of the functional module.

27. A method for operating a functional module in a technical installation, the functional module comprising at least one technical object which implements a technical process, a control unit which controls the at least one technical object based on predetermined rules and interconnections, a communication unit which is configured to exchange data with external communication partners, and a configurable logic unit, the method comprising: a) permanently storing the predetermined rules and interconnections in the control unit in an unchangeable manner; b) transferring additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections to the configurable logic unit of the functional module via an external communication partner of the functional module; c) supplementing the predetermined rules and interconnections stored in the control unit based on previously received additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections with respect to an interaction of the functional module with at least one further functional module via f the logic unit; and d) operating the functional module based on adapted rules and interconnections in the technical installation.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein said transferring occurs based on a server-client architecture.

29. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the communication unit receives information relating to communication units of the at least one further functional module and stores said received information in the functional module.

30. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the communication unit receives information relating to communication units of the at least one further functional module and stores said received information in the functional module.

31. The method as claimed in one of claim 28, wherein the communication unit receives information relating to communication units of the at least one further functional module and stores said received information in the functional module.

32. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein a communication partner from which the communication unit of the functional module receives the additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections is a configuration system which is configured to communicate to the communication unit, of the functional module and to a communication unit of at least one further functional module at a runtime of the technical installation additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections; and wherein, based on previously permanently stored rules and interconnections and based on the additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections, the functional module and the at least one further functional module interact with one another and possibly with further functional modules at a runtime of the technical installation.

33. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the rules and interconnections used to control the at least one technical object the functional module are visualized via a visualization system.

34. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the server-client architecture comprises an Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture server-client architecture or an OPC UA publisher-subscriber architecture.

35. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the received information relates to a network address of the communication units of the at least one further functional module.

36. A computer program with program code instructions which are executable by a computer for implementing the method as claimed in claim 26.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising commands which, when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in claim 26.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention and the manner in which these are achieved will now be described more clearly and intelligibly in relation to exemplary embodiments, illustrated in detail by reference to the drawings, in which:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of technical installation in accordance with the invention;

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of two interacting functional modules of a technical installation in accordance with the invention;

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of three interacting functional modules of a technical installation in a schematic representation; and

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the method in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a modular structured technical installation 1. The technical installation 1 comprises a first functional module 1, a second functional module 3 and a third functional module 4. In addition, the technical installation comprises a configuration system 5.

[0045] Each functional module 2, 3, 4 comprises technical objects (not shown in FIG. 1), one or more control units and one or more communication units. Permanently stored in the control unit by the respective manufacturers of the functional modules 2, 3, 4 are rules and interconnections which the respective control units use for controlling (and possibly regulating) the technical objects in order to implement or perform a technical process (for example, a recipe for creating a particular substance combination).

[0046] The individual functional modules 2, 3, 4 are interconnected via connecting lines 6, 7, 8 to enable an interaction. Via these connecting lines 6, 7, 8, information can be exchanged between the individual functional modules 2, 3, 4. For this purpose, for example, an Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) server client or a publisher-subscriber architecture can be used. It should be noted that further connections between the functional modules 2, 3, 4 that relate to a transport of substances or goods between the individual functional modules 2, 3, 4 can be present. However, these are not shown in the drawings for reasons of clarity.

[0047] The communication units of the functional modules 2, 3, 4 are each configured to receive information items 9, 10, 11 relating to the communication units of the other functional modules 2, 3, 4 from the configuration system 5 and to store them in the respective functional modules 2, 3, 4. The information items 9, 10, 11 can be, for example, end point/node IDs in the case of a server-client architecture or a topic ID in the case of a publisher-subscriber architecture. The information items 9, 10, 11 can have been communicated previously to the configuration system 5 by the respective functional modules 2, 3, 4. It is also possible that the configuration system 5 has requested the information items 9, 10, 11 in advance based on an unambiguous identification of the respective functional module 2, 3, 4 from a respective manufacturer of the functional module 2, 3, 4. Particularly, but not exclusively, in the case of relatively simply structured functional modules 2, 3, 4 (which have, for example, only one operating mode), it is also possible that the individual functional modules 2, 3, 4 transfer the information items 9, 10, 11 also in the direct exchange with one another (without the assistance of the configuration system 5).

[0048] The configuration system 5 additionally transfers variably specifiable rules and interconnections to the respective functional modules 2, 3, 4, which regulate an interaction of the functional modules 2, 3, 4 with one another. For details of such rules and interconnections, reference should be made to the description relating to FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0049] A visualization system 12 is implemented in the configuration system 5. This establishes current states 13, 14, 15 of the respective functional modules 2, 3, 4 and represents them visually to an operator or an administrator of the technical installation 1. The expression state herein means that the currently applicable rules and interconnections applicable in the functional module 2, 3, 4 are established. The visualization of these states provides to the operator/administrator a quickly comprehensible and targeted overview in relation to all the internal and external interconnections/rules/locking within the technical installation.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a first functional module 16 and a second functional module 17. The first functional module 16 has a valve 18 and a first tank 20, the second functional module 17 has a pump 19 and a second tank 21. If, in the first functional module 16, due to a hardware fault, then the valve closes the flow out of the first tank 20 of the first functional module 16, the pump 19 of the second functional module 17 lying therebehind in the flow direction risks running dry.

[0051] The first functional module 16 has, as the communication unit, an OPC UA server 22 and an OPC UA client 23. Similarly, the second functional module 17 has, as the communication unit, an OPC UA server 24 and an OPC UA client 25 (shown in the lower region of FIG. 2). In order to bring about the quickest possible switching-off of the pump 19, the OPC UA client 25 of the second functional module 17 requests a status of the valve 18 of the first functional module 16 via a first OPC UA data line 26 and stores this status in a configurable logic unit 27 of the second functional module 17. In the configurable logic unit 27 of the second functional module 17, the interconnection has previously been stored (as represented, for example, by a higher-level configuration system as shown in FIG. 1), whereupon the status of the valve 18 has a direct influence on a locking of the pump 19.

[0052] In a configurable logic unit 28 of the first functional module 16, similarly thereto, it can have been stored that the valve 18 is locked if the pump 19 has been signaled as being defective. The OPC UA client 23 of the first functional module 16 can do this via a second OPC UA data line 29 from the OPC UA server 24 of the second functional module 17. It thus can be possible to effectively prevent unnecessary material flows in the direction toward the pump 19, although the material cannot be further processed due to the defective pump 19.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows an extension of the structure from FIG. 2. In addition to the first functional module 16 and the second functional module 17, a third functional module 30 is provided. This is configured similarly to the first functional module 16 and has (at least) one valve 31 and one tank 32. Both the first functional module 16 and also the third functional module 30 are connected (with regard to fluid or material) to the second functional module 17, or more exactly, to its pump 19. Therefore, requests for the status of the valve 18 and the valve 31 are stored in the configurable logic unit 27 of the second functional module 17. Similarly, requests for the status of the pump 19 are stored in the logic units 28 of the first and third functional modules 16, 30.

[0054] A functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 which is to perform, for example, a locking of a line dependent upon an external state, requires all the states necessary therefor at the runtime of the functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 or of the technical installation 1. The state information that is to be requested can comprise an information element that possesses a pointer construction to a storage location of the state information to be processed. The pointer construction can be realized, for example, as pointer arithmetic (absolute addressing) or via referencing/dereferencing (symbolic addressing). It is herein important only that no static interconnection is used.

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the method for operating a functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 in a technical installation 1, where the functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 comprises at least one technical object 18, 19, 20, 21, 31, 32 which implements a technical process, a control unit which controls the at least one technical object 18, 19, 20, 21, 31, 32 based on predetermined rules and interconnections, a communication unit 22, 23, 24, 25 which is configured to exchange data with external communication partners, and a configurable logic unit.

[0056] The method comprises a) permanently storing the predetermined rules and interconnections in the control unit in an unchangeable manner, as indicated in step 410.

[0057] Next, b) additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections are transferred to the configurable logic unit of the functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 via an external communication partner of the functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, as indicated in step 420.

[0058] Next, c) the predetermined rules and interconnections stored in the control unit are supplemented based on previously received additional, variably specifiable rules and interconnections with respect to an interaction of the functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 with at least one further functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 via f the logic unit, as indicated in step 430.

[0059] Next, d) the functional module 2, 3, 4, 16, 17 is operated based on adapted rules and interconnections in the technical installation, as indicated in step 440.

[0060] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail with the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not restricted by the examples given and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the protective scope of the invention.

[0061] Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.