Interactive I/O Station Configuration With Automatic Rule Checking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing software systems for building modular I/O stations in automation control systems require user-driven component selection without adequate support for ensuring error-free setups, lacking interactive and iterative design capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a selection, database, and display unit that supports interactive and iterative design by determining signal data, providing property data for various I/O devices, checking setup rules, and displaying configurations, allowing for user interaction and adaptation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user manually selects components from a product catalog using existing software tools, then the user has full control over component selection, but the design process becomes time-consuming and complex for users without prior knowledge of I/O devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic component selection and configuration based on user requirements without requiring manual intervention. The automated design tool independently selects I/O devices, configures parameters, and generates station layouts, freeing the user from time-consuming manual selection processes while maintaining design quality
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the design process from manual parameter specification to automated parameter optimization. By changing from user-driven component selection to system-driven automatic configuration, the design time is significantly reduced while maintaining or improving design quality through algorithmic optimization
2Adaptability or versatility
If the software provides comprehensive component selection capabilities, then the system offers high versatility, but the device complexity increases requiring users to have prior knowledge
Solution Approach 1:
The automated design tool acts as an intermediary between the user and the complex I/O device catalog. It translates high-level user requirements into specific component selections and configurations, shielding users from the underlying complexity of the product catalog while maintaining full versatility in component selection
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides a universal design interface that handles multiple I/O device types and configurations through a single automated process. This multi-functional approach maintains versatility across different component types while presenting a simplified unified interface to users, reducing the perceived complexity
3Reliability
If the system performs comprehensive technical checks of setup rules, then the reliability of the I/O station configuration is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs technical checks and validation rules as preliminary actions during the automatic configuration process, before the final design is presented to the user. This proactive verification ensures configuration reliability is established early in the design process rather than requiring time-consuming post-processing checks
Solution Approach 2:
The technical validation and setup rule checks are performed continuously throughout the automated design process rather than as a separate final step. This continuous verification maintains configuration reliability while integrating checking time into the overall design time, preventing additional time loss
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus (100) for iteratively and interactively planning an I/O station for an automation controller, wherein the apparatus (100) comprises: a selection device (110) which is designed to determine a selection of signals for the I/O station in the form of (i) signal data and (ii) planning data for the I/O station on the basis of a user input; a database device (120) which is designed to provide property data for a multiplicity of I/O devices and I/O systems; a configuration device (130) which is designed to determine a system configuration for the I/O station on the basis of the signal data, the planning data and the property data, which system configuration comprises at least one I/O device from the multiplicity of I/O devices, wherein the configuration device (130) is also designed to carry out a technical test of the specific construction rules of the particular I/O system of the system configuration and to change the system configuration if the technical test is failed; and a display device (140) which is designed to display the system configuration for the I/O station.