Conduit Drawing Tool for Industrial Automation Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current interface devices for industrial automation lack efficient tools for dynamic manipulation and configuration, limiting user ability to create, customize, and manage visual representations of objects and processes in real-time without compromising system performance or security.
Innovation Solution
A framework that integrates a run-time environment and a design-time environment, allowing users to interactively configure and modify graphical features, including the generation of visual conduit segments between anchor points, using a browser-based interface without requiring specialized software, enabling remote access and management of device elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional interface devices are used for configuration and manipulation of objects, then system stability and security are maintained, but user ability to create and customize visual representations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The interface device is divided into separate functional modules: a stable run-time environment for executing control logic and a separate design-time environment for configuration and customization. This segmentation allows users to create and customize visual representations without affecting system stability, as the design-time modifications are isolated from the run-time execution environment.
Solution Approach 2:
A simulation environment acts as an intermediary between the user and the actual control system. Users interact with a simplified, visual representation of the control system in the design-time environment, and only after validation are changes transferred to the run-time environment. This intermediary layer enables customization while maintaining system security and stability.
2Ease of operation
If dynamic manipulation tools are added to interface devices, then ease of operation is improved, but system performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into design-time and run-time environments. The design-time environment provides dynamic manipulation tools for easy configuration, while the run-time environment maintains optimized system performance for executing control logic. The two environments are separated to prevent performance degradation from configuration operations during system execution.
Solution Approach 2:
Configuration and customization actions are performed preliminarily in the design-time environment before being applied to the run-time system. This preliminary action allows users to test and validate their configurations in a safe environment, ensuring that only verified changes are implemented, thus maintaining system reliability while providing ease of operation during the configuration phase.
3Adaptability or versatility
If external software is used for configuration, then adaptability is improved, but version conflicts and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration tools and the control system are merged into a single integrated interface device. The design-time environment is built into the same device as the run-time environment, eliminating the need for separate external software. This integration reduces version conflicts and system complexity while maintaining configuration flexibility, as all configuration operations occur within the unified device architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure include displaying a computer-simulated design environment on a user viewable screen of an automation control system, providing a tool within the computer-simulated design environment, wherein the tool is configured to modify the computer-simulated design environment, and generating a visual representation of a first conduit segment extending between a first anchor point and a second anchor point on the user viewable screen, wherein the first anchor point and second anchor point are generated based on sequential activations of the tool.