DEVICE FOR COORDINATED CONTROLLING OF AN OPERATING STATE OF A PRODUCTION PLANT AND PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A device for controlling an operating state of at least one component of a production plant, including an energy control unit for providing a state change signal for changing the operating state of the at least one component from a first operating state to a second operating state, wherein the device includes a monitoring unit which is designed to receive the state change signal of the energy control unit, and to provide the state change signal of the energy control unit for changing the first operating state to the second operating state, and to modify the state change signal of the energy control unit for providing the second operating state, and to block the state change signal of the energy control unit for preventing a change of state into the second operating state.

Claims

1. A device for controlling an operating state of at least one component of a production plant, comprising: an energy control device for providing a state change signal for changing the operating state of the at least one component from a first operating state into a second operating state, wherein the device has a monitoring device which is designed to receive the state change signal of the energy control device and to provide the state change signal of the energy control device for changing the first operating state into the second operating state, and to modify the state change signal of the energy control device for providing the second operating state and to block the state change signal of the energy control device for preventing a state change into the second operating state.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to provide a third operating state alternative to the second operating state if the monitoring device blocks the state change signal of the energy control device.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to provide the energy control device, for synchronizing the energy control device with the at least one component with a current operating state of the at least one component.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to block the state change signal of the energy control device the changing of the first operating state into the second operating state is predetermined as an unallowed and/or as an impossible state change.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device has a higher-level control device which is designed to provide a further state change signal and the monitoring device is designed to communicate with the higher-level control device.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the monitoring device is designed to provide the state change signal of the energy control device and to block the further state change signal of the higher-level control device if the state change signal of the energy control device has a predetermined, higher priority than the further state change signal of the higher-level control device, and to provide the further state change signal of the higher-level control device and to block the state change signal of the energy control device if the further state change signal of the higher-level control device has the predetermined higher priority.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to deactivate the energy control device for blocking the state change signal and/or to activate the energy control device for providing the state change signal.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the energy control device, after activating, is designed to read out the current operating state of the at least one component.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to monitor a state change time of the state change from the first operating state into the second operating state and, if the state change time exceeds a predetermined threshold value, to specify the associated state change signal as an impossible and/or unauthorized state change signal.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to provide at least one intermediate operating state for modifying the state change signal of the energy control device, if the second operating state can only be reached via the at least one intermediate operating state from the first operating state.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is designed to modify the state change signal for performing a test cycle.

12. A production system having a production plant having at least one component and having a device as claimed in claim 1.

13. A method for controlling an operating state of at least one component of a production plant in which a state change signal is provided by an energy control device for changing the operating state of the at least one component from a first operating state into a second operating state, characterized in that the state change signal of the energy control device is received by a monitoring device, and by the monitoring device either the state change signal of the energy control device is provided for changing the first operating state into the second operating state or the state change signal of the energy control device is modified for providing the second operating state or the state change signal of the energy control device is blocked for preventing the second operating state.

Description

[0030] In the text which follows, the invention will now be explained in greater detail by a preferred exemplary embodiment and also with reference to the attached drawing.

[0031] The single FIGURE shows a diagrammatic representation of an embodiment of a production system according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0032] The FIGURE shows a production system comprising a production plant and a device for controlling operating states of the production plant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The exemplary embodiment explained in the text which follows is a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the exemplary embodiment, however, the components of the embodiment described in each case represent individual features, to be considered independently of one another, of the invention which in each case also develop the invention independently of one another and thus should also be considered individually or in another combination as the one shown. Furthermore, the embodiment described can also be supplemented by other ones of the features of the invention already described.

[0034] The FIGURE shows a production system 1 comprising a production plant 2 and a device 3 for controlling operating states of the production plant 2. The production plant 2 here comprises three components 4, 5, 6 which, for example, can be designed as machines or production cells. In addition, the production plant 2 has here an interface 7, for example a control device, via which the components 4, 5, 6 can communicate with a device 3.

[0035] The device 4 here comprises an energy control device 8, a monitoring device 9 and a higher-level control device 10. In this context, the energy control device 8 can communicate bidirectionally with the monitoring device 9 and the higher-level control device 10 can communicate bidirectionally with the monitoring device. In this context, the energy control device 8, the monitoring device 9 and the higher-level control device 10 can have corresponding communication interfaces, not shown here.

[0036] The energy control device 8 is designed to provide respective state change signals S.sub.Z,E based on a structural model of the production plant 2, wherein an operating state corresponding to the respective component 4, 5, 6 can be changed from a first operating state into a second operating state by the respective state change signal S.sub.Z,E. Such an operating state can be, for example, an on state, an off state, a standby state, a part-load operating state or a full-load operating state, the components 4, 5, 6 exhibiting a different energy consumption in the different operating states.

[0037] In addition, the higher-level control device 10 which, for example, can comprise a management execution system (MES) and/or a production control system and/or a supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) and/or a load management system, designed to provide other state change signals S.sub.Z,K for changing the operating state of the respective components 4, 5, 6 and send them to the monitoring device 9.

[0038] The monitoring device 9 is designed to receive the respective state change signal S.sub.Z,E of the energy control device 8 and the further state change signal S.sub.Z,K of the higher-level control device. The monitoring device 9 can forward to the respective state change signal S.sub.Z,E, of the energy control device to the corresponding component 4, 5, 6 so that it changes the first operating state into the second operating state.

[0039] In addition, the monitoring device 9 can modify the state change signal S.sub.Z,E, so that the corresponding component 4, 5, 6 changes its operating state, for example via an intermediate operating state, into the second operating state. This modified state change signal can comprise, for example, a sequence of a number of state change signals. As well, the monitoring device can block the state change signal S.sub.Z,E, so that the corresponding component 4, 5, 6 does not change its operating state into the second operating state. Instead of the blocked state change signal S.sub.Z,E, the monitoring device 9 can provide for the respective component 4, 5, 6, for example an alternative state change signal S.sub.Z,A so that it alters its operating state into an alternative third operating state, or provide the further state change signal S.sub.Z,K of the higher-level monitoring device 10. The monitoring device 9 thus monitors and checks the commands or state changes, respectively, which are demanded by the energy control device 8 and either converts these, changes them or ignores them.

[0040] The monitoring device 9 can inform the energy control device 8, in particular, of the current operating states BZ.sub.A of the components 4, 5, 6 via the bidirectional communication interface. For this purpose, the monitoring device 9 can read out, for example, the current operating states BZ.sub.A of the components 4, 5, 6 via the interface 7 and forward these to the energy control device 8.

[0041] Reading out the current operating states BZ.sub.A is particularly advantageous since it can be provided that the components 4, 5, 6 and/or the higher-level control device 10 have their own energy saving functions by which an operating state of the components 4, 5, 6 can be changed. Such a state change provided by the energy saving functions can be communicated to the energy control device 8 via the monitoring device 9.

[0042] The monitoring device 9 can also provide the energy control device 8 with a signal by which the energy control device 8 is informed about a blocking and/or modifying and/or replacing of the state change signal S.sub.Z,E by the monitoring device 9.

[0043] Thus, the energy control device 8 is thus provided at any time with the current operating state BZ.sub.A of the respective component 4, 5, 6. The energy control device 8 is thus synchronized with the components 4, 5, 6 at any time.

[0044] The monitoring device 9 can be designed as a separate module having its own logic circuit for coordinating the state changes and the necessary communication interfaces for communicating with the energy control device 8 and/or the higher-level control device 10. But it can also be that the monitoring device 9 is designed as part of the energy control device 8 or of the higher-level control device 10.

[0045] The following examples are intended to illustrate the operation of the device 3:

[0046] For example, it can be that the energy control device 8 sends out the state change signal S.sub.Z,E in order to displace the component 4 from the standby state as the first operating state into an off state as the second operating state. This can be provided, for example, by the energy control device 8 for saving energy after the energy control device 8 has detected that the component 4 is in the stand-by state for a predetermined period of time. At the same time, however, the higher-level control device 10 sends out the state change signal S.sub.Z,E by virtue of which the component 4 is to be displaced from the standby state into an on state, since the component 4, for example, is to take over a production step.

[0047] The monitoring device 9 receives both state change signals S.sub.Z,E, S.sub.Z,K and decides by a predetermined list of priorities which one of the state change signals S.sub.Z,E, S.sub.Z,K is to be forwarded. If, for example, it is provided that the state change signal S.sub.Z,K of the higher-level control device 10 has a higher priority, the state change signal S.sub.Z,K of the higher-level control device 10 is forwarded and the state change signal S.sub.Z,K of the energy control device 8 is blocked. The operating state of the component 4 is thus changed into the on state.

[0048] The monitoring device 9 informs the energy control device 8 that the state change signal SZ,E of the energy control device 8 has been blocked and that the current operating state BZ.sub.A of component 4 is now the on state.

[0049] It can also be provided, for example, that the energy control device 8 provides a state change signal S.sub.Z,E in which the operating state of the component 4 is to be changed from an on state into an off state. The monitoring device 9 determines, for example, by a predetermined list, however, that the off state of the component 4 cannot be reached directly from the on state. Instead, the component 4 must first be placed into an intermediate operating state, for example the standby state and from this intermediate operating state into the off state. The monitoring device 9 is thus designed to modify the state change signal S.sub.Z,E of the energy control device 8 such that the component 4, for example, is placed by a first state change signal from the on state into the standby state and by a second state change signal from the standby state into the off state.

[0050] It can also be provided that the energy control device 8 provides a state change signal S.sub.Z,E in the case of which the operating state of component 4 is to be changed from an on state into an off state. The monitoring device 9 finds that this state change is possible directly, that is to say without an intermediate operating state. To check, however, whether it is better from the point of view of energy to place the component 4 firstly into the intermediate operating state, for example the standby state, the monitoring device 9 can provide a test cycle in which the component 4 is first placed into the intermediate operating state. When the monitoring device 9 has verified that this state change via the intermediate operating state is better from the point of view of energy, the energy control device 8 can be, for example, reprogrammed so that it will itself provide the corresponding state change signal S.sub.Z,E in future.

[0051] Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0052] For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements.