Modular Instrument Panel Layout for Flexible Monitoring Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing monitoring systems for industrial machinery are inflexible, requiring different components for each implementation, leading to increased resource needs and slower deployment due to specialized components and varied functionalities.
Innovation Solution
A flexible monitoring system with a common architecture that separates functions into different circuits, allowing existing components to be rearranged for various implementations, reducing resource requirements and enabling rapid development of new configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible monitoring system with common architecture is implemented, then adaptability and resource sharing improve, but device complexity increases due to modular card arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is divided into separate functional cards (first cards with power input circuits, second cards with data interfaces and lights, and HMIs) that can be independently configured and arranged within the frame. Each card performs a specific function, allowing the system to be segmented into modular units that can be reorganized based on implementation needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure is designed to universally accommodate different types of cards through standardized openings and positioning mechanisms. The common architecture allows the same physical infrastructure to support multiple card configurations, enabling one system to serve multiple monitoring implementations with different functionalities.
2Measurement precision
If specialized components are used for each monitoring implementation, then measurement precision and functionality improve, but loss of time increases due to slower deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares standardized card templates and common architectural frameworks in advance that can be quickly instantiated for different monitoring needs. Rather than designing specialized components from scratch for each implementation, pre-configured card types with standard interfaces are ready for rapid deployment while maintaining measurement precision through consistent design patterns.
3Reliability
If different components are required for each implementation, then reliability improves through specialized functionality, but loss of substance increases due to increased resource requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple card types with different specialized functions (power input, data interfaces, visual indicators, human-machine interfaces) are merged into a single unified frame structure. This consolidation allows resource sharing among different card functions while maintaining the reliability benefits of specialized components, as each card type retains its specific functionality within the integrated system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An instrument panel (402) includes a frame (406) defining an opening, a plurality of cards (450), and an HMI (404). The cards have a front face, a rear face, one or more circuits, and a data interface on the rear face in communication with the circuits. The cards include one or more first cards (452) and one or more second cards (454). The first cards front face have a vertical dimension approximately equal to a vertical dimension of the opening. The second cards have a body (454b), a nose (454n) projecting from the body defining the second cards front face, and a recess between the nose and body. The HMI includes a front face received within the opening. The first cards are positioned with the front face visible within the opening. The second cards are positioned with the nose visible within the opening and a depth of the HMI received within the recess.