Upper computer monitoring system of marine boiler

Abstract

The invention discloses an upper computer monitoring system of a marine boiler, and relates to the technical field of automatic control and remote monitoring of marine boilers. The system exchanges data with a marine boiler controller based on a TCP / IP communication mode, and remote monitoring of the operation state of the marine boiler, process parameter recording and historical information query are achieved. The system comprises a communication connection module, a signal interface module, a signal processing module, a signal recording module and a picture updating module. The communication connection module establishes stable TCP / IP connection according to a fixed IP address and a port number of the PLC; the signal interface module defines a label name, a DB block address, a start address, a read-write length and an update rate of each PLC signal; the signal processing module reads PLC signals according to a fixed time interval, and data updating is judged by comparing the two signals; the signal recording module writes the updated signal into an SQLServer database; and the picture updating module refreshes the picture display of the upper computer according to the latest signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic control and remote monitoring technology for marine boilers, specifically to a host computer monitoring system for marine boilers. Background Technology

[0002] Automatic control systems are a core component of marine boilers. Typically, on-site automatic control of boiler feedwater and burner ignition and combustion is achieved using programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and human-machine interfaces (HMIs). Meanwhile, the status of the boiler equipment is remotely monitored from the central control room via a host computer. Signal transmission between the PLC controller and the host computer generally uses hardwiring and Modbus RTU communication methods. These methods have limitations on the number of signals that can be transmitted, as well as limitations on network communication speed, interference immunity, and transmission distance.

[0003] IP protocol communication is now widely used in industrial control. Network cables offer high transmission speeds, strong anti-interference capabilities (shielded network cables can resist electromagnetic interference), and long transmission distances (extendable to kilometers through cascading switches). Therefore, a host computer monitoring system for marine boilers based on TCP / IP communication is proposed. This system collects relevant signals from the boiler equipment, visualizes them, and records process parameters, thereby improving the monitoring effect of the boiler equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The core problems solved by this invention are: communication issues such as low signal quantity, slow transmission, and weak anti-interference; real-time acquisition and stable transmission of multiple parameters; unified signal interface and screen interface to reduce maintenance costs and improve system scalability; and long-term storage and rapid retrieval of process parameters to meet fault tracing requirements.

[0005] To overcome the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a host computer monitoring system for marine boilers, comprising: a communication connection module, a signal interface module, a signal processing module, a signal recording module, and a screen update module; the communication connection module is used to establish a TCP / IP communication connection based on the fixed IP address and fixed port number of the PLC controller; the signal interface module is used to define the tag name, DB block address, start address, read / write length, and update rate of the PLC signal; the signal processing module is used to read the PLC signal at fixed time intervals after establishing the TCP / IP communication connection and determine whether the signal data has been updated; the signal recording module is used to write the updated PLC signal into the SQL Server database; and the screen update module is used to update the host computer screen according to the latest data of the PLC signal.

[0006] Preferably, the communication connection module is implemented through the clsConnection class, which includes connection name, port number, IP address and communication protocol attributes, and includes the subGetConfig method for obtaining PLC configuration information and the OpenConnection method for establishing a TCP / IP connection.

[0007] Preferably, the signal interface module is defined by the clsLink class, which includes tag name, DB block address, start address, read / write length and update rate attributes. Multiple clsLink objects correspond to multiple PLC signal interfaces.

[0008] Preferably, the signal processing module is implemented through the clsPLCComm class, which includes the ReadPLCData method, the subCreateHotLink method, the subUpdateHotLinks method, and the NewData event. The ReadPLCData method reads PLC signal data, the subCreateHotLink method creates a long connection based on the signal interface, the subUpdateHotLinks method determines whether to update by comparing the current signal with the previous signal, and the NewData event is used to notify that the signal has been updated.

[0009] Preferably, the signal recording module is implemented through the clsProdLogger class, which includes the subCheckStatus method for detecting status signals, the BuildProdRecord method for generating record data, the subWriteRecordToSQLDB method for writing to the database, and the NewStatus event.

[0010] Preferably, the screen update module adopts a unified interface BMSForm. BMSForm includes PLCData property, LinkIndex property, and Initialize, Show and UpdatePLCData methods to realize screen initialization, display and signal-driven update.

[0011] Preferably, the host computer runs on the Windows 10 operating system, uses the Windows Forms framework, is developed in C#, uses Visual Studio as the development tool, and uses SQL Server as the database.

[0012] Preferably, the system is connected to the PLC controller via a Cat5e shielded network cable and long-distance data transmission is achieved through a switch, with the system's screen refresh delay not exceeding 200ms.

[0013] Preferably, the system can simultaneously read at least three types of signals, including boiler screen signals, burner screen signals, and alarm and warning signals, and display them synchronously on the host computer interface.

[0014] Preferably, the system supports storing historical process parameter records for at least one year and supports querying historical data by signal tag name, time range, and signal category.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: (1) Users can intuitively monitor the operating status of the boiler equipment through the host computer and record the historical data of the boiler equipment operation; (2) The signal interface and screen interface are unified, which facilitates updates and maintenance; (3) It has universality, is associated with the control system, and supports the application scenarios of boiler monitoring for different ship types; (4) Communication stability is improved, anti-interference ability is enhanced, and the long-distance monitoring needs of large ships are met. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a network diagram of the marine boiler supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic block diagram of the marine boiler supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of each module of the marine boiler supervisory control system of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1-PLC controller; 2-Remote I / O module; 3-Touch screen; 4-Switch; 5-Host computer; 6-Category 5e shielded network cable; 7-Communication connection module; 8-Signal interface module; 9-Signal processing module; 10-Signal recording module; 11-Screen update module. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0021] This invention provides a TCP / IP-based host computer monitoring system for marine boilers. The system includes a communication connection module 7, a signal interface module 8, a signal processing module 9, a signal recording module 10, and a screen update module 11. The communication connection module 7 establishes a TCP / IP communication connection between the PLC controller 1 and the host computer 5. The host computer establishes a stable connection with the PLC controller 1 based on the PLC controller's IP address and port number. The signal interface module 8 defines the basic structure of the communication signals. It specifies the address and length of the communication signals, enabling the host computer 5 to accurately read the signals from the PLC controller 1. The signal processing module 9 allows the host computer 5 to periodically read the signals from the PLC controller 1 at regular time intervals, such as 100ms. By comparing the currently read signal data with the previously read signal data, it determines whether the signal data has been updated. The signal recording module 10 and the screen update module 11 enable the host computer 5 to record or display the signal data after reading it from the PLC controller 1. The recording function enables the host computer to read process parameter signals and record them in the database; the screen update module 11 enables the host computer 5 to read the signal data of the PLC controller 1 and update the corresponding elements on the screen according to the signal data, so as to ensure that the screen of the host computer 5 is consistent with the actual state.

[0022] The module interaction logic is as follows: Communication connection module 7 establishes a TCP / IP connection; signal interface module 8 defines the signal structure; signal processing module 9 periodically reads signals and determines updates, synchronizing the updated signals to screen update module 11 (real-time display) and signal recording module 10 (signal recording). Through the combined action of these modules, the host computer 5 realizes real-time monitoring of the boiler equipment status and recording of process parameters.

[0023] For reference Figure 1 The marine boiler control system network includes a PLC controller 1, a remote I / O module 2 (Siemens ET200SP), a touch screen 3 (Siemens KTP1200), a switch 4 (gigabit, supporting TCP / IP protocol), and a host computer 5 (configuration: i7-9750HCPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD). All devices are connected via Cat5e shielded network cables 6. The host computer 5 is connected to the switch 4 via Cat5e shielded network cables 6, enabling communication with the PLC controller 1. The PLC controller 1 uses a Siemens PLCCPU1511-1PN, and the host computer 5 is a Windows Forms application running on the Windows 10 operating system, developed using Visual Studio 2022, in C#, and using SQL Server 2017 as the database.

[0024] For reference Figure 2The host computer 5 reads the signals in the PLC controller 1 through the communication connection module 7, signal interface module 8, signal processing module 9, signal recording module 10 and screen update module 11 to monitor the marine boiler equipment.

[0025] For reference Figure 3 The diagram shows the structure of each module in the host computer 5, including three parts: attributes, methods, and events. The communication connection module 7 establishes a TCP / IP connection between the host computer 5 and the PLC controller 1 via the PLC controller 1's IP address and port number. This is implemented using the `clsConnection` class, which has attributes for connection name (`Name`), port number (`Port`), rack number (`Rack`), slot number (`Slot`), IP address (`IPAddress`), and communication protocol (`Protocol`). It also has the methods `subGetConfig()` and `OpenConnection()`. The `subGetConfig()` method retrieves the configuration information of the PLC controller 1, and the `OpenConnection()` method establishes the communication connection between the host computer 5 and the PLC controller 1.

[0026] Signal interface module 8 defines the interfaces for signal address, signal length, and update rate. It is implemented using the clsLink class, which has properties such as TagName, DB block address, Area, Bit, read / write length, start address, update rate PollRate, RefData, and SameDataCount. Creating multiple clsLink objects to represent different signal interfaces allows the host computer 5 to read the contents of multiple signal interfaces, improving the amount of data read and written by the host computer 5 and its efficiency.

[0027] Signal processing module 9 is used after the host computer 5 establishes a communication connection with the PLC controller 1 via module 7. It reads signals from the PLC controller 1 through signal interface module 8 and determines whether the signal data has been updated. This is implemented using the clsPLCComm class, which has methods ReadPLCData(), OneTimeRead(), subCreateHotLink(), subUpdateHotLinks(), and a NewData event. The ReadPLCData() method reads signal data from the PLC controller 1. The subCreateHotLink() method creates a long connection (reading at intervals) using signal interface module 8. The subUpdateHotLinks() method compares the previous data with the current data, determining whether the signal data in the long connection has been updated based on their consistency. An update triggers the NewData event. The NewData event notifies the host computer 5 that the signal data in the long connection has been updated, and the host computer 5 then processes the updated signal data.

[0028] The signal recording module 10 is used by the host computer 5 to write signals from the PLC controller 1 to the SQL Server database. This is implemented using the clsProdLogger class, which has subCheckStatus(), BuildProdRecord(), subWriteRecordToSQLDB() methods and a NewStatus event. The subCheckStatus() method checks the Status signal in the PLC controller 1. When the Status signal is updated, it triggers the NewStatus event, notifying the BuildProdRecord() method to read the signal to be recorded from the PLC controller 1, and then the subWriteRecordToSQLDB() method to write the signal to the SQL Server database.

[0029] The screen update module 11 updates the screen of the host computer 5 according to the signals in the PLC controller 1. The screen of the host computer 5 uses the unified interface BMSForm interface. The BMSForm interface has FormName, PLCData, and LinkIndex attributes, and has Initialize(), Show(), InitPLCData(), and UpdatePLCData() methods. Initialize() initializes the screen, Show() displays the screen, and UpdatePLCData() updates the screen content according to the PLCData. The screen update module 11 ensures that the screen elements of the host computer 5 are consistent with the signals in the PLC controller 1, allowing users to monitor the current status of the equipment. Using a unified interface to define the screen of the host computer 5 facilitates the maintenance and expansion of the screen of the host computer 5.

Claims

1. A supervisory control system for a marine boiler, characterized in that The application relates to a PLC signal interface module for a host computer (5) and a PLC signal interface module (2) for a PLC (1), wherein the PLC signal interface module (2) comprises a communication connection module (7), a signal interface module (8), a signal processing module (9), a signal recording module (10) and a picture updating module (11); the communication connection module (7) is used for establishing a TCP / IP communication connection according to a fixed IP address and a fixed port number of the PLC controller (1); the signal interface module (8) is used for defining a label name, a DB block address, a start address, a read-write length and an updating rate of the PLC signal; the signal processing module (9) is used for reading the PLC signal at a fixed time interval after the TCP / IP communication connection is established and judging whether the signal data is updated; the signal recording module (10) is used for writing the PLC signal which is updated into a SQLServer database; and the picture updating module (11) is used for updating the host computer (5) picture according to the latest data of the PLC signal. The communication connection module (7) is realized through a clsConnection class, the clsConnection class comprises connection name, port number, IP address and communication protocol attributes, and contains a subGetConfig method for acquiring PLC configuration information and an OpenConnection method for establishing a TCP / IP connection. The signal interface module (8) is defined through a clsLink class, the clsLink class comprises label name, DB block address, start address, read-write length and updating rate attributes, and a plurality of clsLink objects correspond to a plurality of PLC signal interfaces. The signal processing module (9) is realized through a clsPLCComm class, the clsPLCComm class comprises a ReadPLCData method, a subCreateHotLink method, a subUpdateHotLinks method and a NewData event; the ReadPLCData method reads PLC signal data, the subCreateHotLink method creates a long connection according to a signal interface, the subUpdateHotLinks method judges whether the signal is updated by comparing the current signal with the last signal, and the NewData event is used for notifying that the signal is updated. The signal recording module (10) is realized through a clsProdLogger class, the clsProdLogger class comprises a subCheckStatus method for detecting a status signal, a BuildProdRecord method for generating record data, a subWriteRecordToSQLDB method for writing into a database and a NewStatus event. The picture updating module (11) adopts a unified interface BMSForm, the BMSForm comprises PLCData attributes, LinkIndex attributes and an Initialize method, a Show method and an UpdatePLCData method, and is used for realizing picture initialization, display and signal-driven updating. ​ 2. A supervisory control system for a marine boiler as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: ​ 3. The supervisory control system for a marine boiler of claim 1, wherein: ​ 4. The supervisory control system for a marine boiler of claim 1, wherein: ​ ​ 5. The supervisory control system for a marine boiler of claim 1, wherein: ​ 6. A supervisory control system for a marine boiler as defined in claim 1, characterized in that ​ 7. The supervisory control system for a marine boiler of claim 1, wherein: The host computer (5) runs on Windows 10 operating system, adopts Windows Forms framework, the development language is C#, the development tool is Visual Studio, and the database adopts SQL Server.

8. A supervisory control system for a marine boiler as claimed in claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that The system is connected with the PLC controller (1) through super five shielded network cable, and realizes long-distance data transmission through the switch (4), and the picture refreshing delay of the system is not more than 200 ms.

9. A supervisory control system for a marine boiler as defined in claim 1, characterized in that The system can simultaneously read at least three types of signals, including boiler picture signals, burner picture signals and alarm and warning signals, and synchronously display on the host computer (5) interface.

10. The supervisory control system for a marine boiler of claim 1, wherein: The system supports historical record storage of process parameters for not less than one year, and supports historical data query according to signal tag name, time range and signal category.

Images