Bulk Explosive Loading HMI Decoupling for Secure Recipe Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bulk explosive loading systems often feature outdated and difficult-to-use user interfaces that are tied to the controller, making them expensive and hard to update or replace, which poses challenges in safely and efficiently delivering explosive mixtures in mining and drilling applications.
Innovation Solution
A Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is introduced that is independent of the controller, allowing for real-time communication and reconfiguration without affecting the controller, providing a more robust and updatable interface for operators, enabling secure access and customizable features based on user authority levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the user interface is tied to the controller, then the system structure is simple, but the interface becomes outdated and difficult to update or replace
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent components: the controller and the user interface. The interface can be updated or replaced without modifying the controller, as demonstrated by the ability to provide a new interface for an existing controller. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing interface adaptability while maintaining a simple, unchanged controller structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The user interface is extracted from the controller, making it a separate, interchangeable component. This extraction allows the interface to be updated independently while the controller remains intact, solving the problem of interface obsolescence without increasing controller complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the user interface is updated or replaced, then the interface becomes more user-friendly, but the cost and difficulty of updates increase
Solution Approach 1:
A new user interface is provided that copies or replicates the functionality of the original interface while offering improved user-friendliness. This new interface can be implemented as a software layer or separate hardware interface that communicates with the existing controller, allowing updates without expensive hardware replacements or complex integration work.
3Reliability
If communication between HMI and controller is interrupted, then the interface provides continuous operation capability, but the system requires independent operation capability
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed with prior cushioning by providing the capability to operate independently of continuous communication between the HMI and controller. This means the controller can function autonomously if communication is interrupted, and the HMI can be reconnected later without losing operational capability. This design choice ensures reliability while managing the complexity of independent operation through careful system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Controllers and methods of bulk explosive loading systems are disclosed. A controller of a bulk explosive loading system includes a communication interface configured to communicate with a human-machine interface (HMI). The HMI is configured to execute a software program configured to enable the HMI to receive user inputs from a user. The controller also includes control outputs to output control signals to electrically controllable components. The controller further includes sensor inputs configured to receive sensor signals from sensors configured to monitor the bulk explosive loading system. The controller also includes a processor configured to process recipe information received from the HMI, generate the control signals based on the recipe information to control the electrically controllable components to blend the mixture, process the sensor signals received during blending of the mixture, and transmit blending information to the HMI device. The blending information includes information regarding the blending of the mixture.