Power Supply Component Control via Distributed OPC UA Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack a flexible, cost-effective, and platform-independent method for configuring, controlling, and monitoring power supply components in industrial systems, leading to high data communication and processing burdens, limited scalability, and inefficiencies due to the need for multiple adaptations across different hardware and software platforms.
Innovation Solution
A control system comprising a central server unit, client units, and local server units, with a database for storing power supply component data, allowing for reduced data transmission loads and enabling platform-independent operation across various hardware architectures, including stationary PCs, distributed systems, and cloud computing, using OPC UA for secure communication and dynamic client unit generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a centralized server architecture is implemented for configuring and monitoring power supply components, then platform independence and scalability are improved, but data communication and processing loads on individual power supply components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the server functionality into distributed server units, each responsible for specific power supply components. This segmentation allows the centralized management benefits while distributing the data processing load across multiple independent units, preventing any single point from becoming a bottleneck or overload source.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces communication interfaces and protocols as intermediaries between the server units and power supply components. These intermediaries handle data transmission and processing, reducing the direct burden on power supply components while maintaining efficient communication. The intermediary layer abstracts and manages the complexity of data exchange.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple platform-specific applications are deployed for different hardware architectures, then compatibility with specific systems is improved, but system complexity and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal server unit architecture that can operate across multiple hardware platforms (PCs, embedded systems, cloud environments). The server units use standardized communication protocols and can be deployed on any platform, eliminating the need for separate platform-specific applications while maintaining broad hardware compatibility through a single unified system.
3Extent of automation
If comprehensive monitoring and control functionality is integrated into power supply components, then system control capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts comprehensive monitoring and control functionality from the power supply components themselves and relocates it to external server units. The power supply components retain only essential operational functions, while the extracted control and monitoring capabilities are implemented in dedicated server units that can access and manage multiple power supply components without adding complexity to each individual component.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a control system for power supply components (SV1, SV2, SV3), such as electrical power supplies, electrical fuses, measuring units, etc., of at least one system, which monitors and controls the power supply to control and/or computer units of the at least one system. The control system comprises a central server unit (ZS) to which a database (DB) for storing specific data and/or parameters of the respective power supply components (SV1, SV2, SV3) is assigned. Furthermore, the control system includes client units (C1, C2, C3) for communication and for transmitting the specific data and/or parameters to and from the power supply components. A separate client unit (C1, C2, C3) can be generated for each power supply component connected and identified via a communication network.The control system also includes local server units (LS1, LS2, LS3) for communication. These local server units (LS1, LS2, LS3) are permanently assigned to the respective power supply components. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for commissioning, controlling, and monitoring power supply components of a system using the control system according to the invention.