FR2713360A1 - Computer system for centralised control of industrial installation - Google Patents

Abstract

The control system has a central computer (20) to drive the human interface and drive the various parts of the plant. The human interface is provided by a display screen (36) and an operator control panel (37). The plant is driven through an interface circuit to multiple actuators (OF1,...,OFm). The central computer has a database (23) in memory holding all the information on the theoretical configuration of the installation. Interfaces are provided to the user (21) and to the plant (26). The command processor (25) displays to the user control functions defined by the theoretical configuration and modified by the actual state of the installed systems. The central processor then makes the input-output links needed to indicate in real time the progress of the requested function. The actuator controls are delivered through an interface (30).

Description

"Centralized control system of an installation
industrial "
DESCRIPTION
Technical area
The present invention relates to a centralized and reconfigurable control system for an industrial installation.

State of the art
Industrial installations (aircraft, train, chemical plant, power plant, etc.) are in general (and increasingly) managed and controlled from commands, control rooms, etc. where all the necessary information comes and goes. to their proper functioning
The power elements 4 realizing the functions are deported to the place of realization (for example starting up a backup compression turbine), and only the command and its associated feedback are presented to the command post.

 As a general rule, these installations are characterized by very long lifetimes (several decades) and different phases in this life cycle (study, prototyping, energizing, delivery, operation).

Throughout these phases, the various elements of the installation, and therefore the control stations, associated control rooms, are subject to change for various reasons:
- new teeth;
- evolution of the installation (modification, increase in capacity, ...);
- application of new regulations;
- evolution of technologies;
Therefore, it is often necessary to modify the "panels" to add / remove new functions / commands, using for example:
- an adhesive tape marked in pencil and glued to a push button;
- filling in the "holes";
- a multiplication of orders, leading in particular in aeronautics to weight increases.

 For large and scalable installations (plane, car, etc.) monitoring modifications and adaptations to the needs of the teeth compared to the standard definition is extremely difficult and costly (for example: push-button in provision, selection of function (s) no available for such client ...).

 Such a situation is frequently encountered on aircraft (but not exclusively) following various circumstances: modification of an aircraft (the modified aircraft does not include exactly the same equipment as the original aircraft), multiple versions of 'a given plane, to give just two examples. The control members (push button, selector, etc.) must obviously be consistent with each configuration, as much with regard to the number of positions that can be selected as with the engraved indication to identify the reaction corresponding to each position of this member. control. These simple necessities lead to a multiplication of specific control elements that must be provided for all cases and a risk of content in the event of insufficiency in updating: function incorrectly identified or, worse, non-existent or inoperative function on this plane to take just two more examples.

 The realization of the front face of the cockpit of a given aircraft sometimes requires catching up and adaptation on the spot, in difficult conditions (engravings modified in front of selector position ...) to be adapted to the equipment in progress. It therefore has repercussions in terms of cost and safety (risk of incident if the front face is not up to date).

 The object of the invention is to generate commands for selecting or activating various functions (that is to say without any link between them) from a reconfigurable-programmable control station which displays the object of the function to be performed.

Exhibition of Invention
To this end, the present invention provides a centralized control system for an industrial installation comprising a control station which includes a display screen and a control console allowing the intervention of an operator, as well as a processing device allowing the control of functional organs for the implementation of different functions to be carried out, characterized in that the processing organ is a central computer which comprises:
- a database memory containing all the information concerning the theoretical configuration of the installation;
- an interface with the control station;
- an input interface to collect all the information necessary to perform the various functions;
- an order management unit, communicating with these different circuits, which allows
# to present to the operator, on the display screen,
the functions of the compliant control elements,
on the one hand in the state of installation defined by a base of
theoretical data and, secondly, in the real state of
installation systems,
to carry out the necessary isolated links and
to indicate the progress in real time of the
performance of each requested function;
- an output interface for controlling the various functional bodies responsible for carrying out the function.

Advantageously, the database memory is updated by downloading
The input interface collects all the information necessary to perform the various functions; these can be of several types:
information from the facility
(neighboring computers interacting with the computer,
for example not powered ...) allowing the organ to
order management to present only
useful indications for the operator on the display screen,
feedback from organs
functional (signals representative of the state of the organs
functional (LEDs, voice alarms, etc.), status
sensors ...) allowing the command manager to inform the operator about the status of the function being
production.

 The system of the invention can advantageously be used on board an aircraft.

 The system of the invention provides a global solution to the problems of cost (management and manufacturing) and security existing in prior art systems. Information, which is not necessary for the current flight phase, is concealed: there is no longer any need to search for the correct position of a selector with all the risks of error that this entails.

 The operating conditions are therefore better. Information management on the cockpit control front panel is much easier. There is, moreover, a concentration of useful information.

 The establishment of a centralized and reconfigurable control system based on visualization can avoid the multiplication! Diversity of control means (and therefore standardize its use by operators). This also makes it possible to overcome, thanks to the possibilities offered by digital systems, the limitations linked to the tAtiquette principle: for example possibility of using the "HELP" function allowing to visualize information guiding the operator on the path to followffaction to be carried out (no limitation of size, color), possibility of confirming actions (protection against handling errors), possibility of perfectly adapting the control means to the configuration of the installation at the given time (no button present without effective allocation, choice or definition of the active state of the command.). Your "HELP" function corresponds to a reminder of an "understanding aid" (or memory aid, conceivable almost exclusively thanks to data processing) which is intended for recall, on a "clear" screen, the knowledge necessary for the proper use of the b function concerned.

 In addition, during a modification of the installation, a simple update of the database and / or the software of the display screens is to be carried out at the control station. This flexibility of adaptation thus makes it possible to reduce the costs of modifying the control station.

Brief description of the drawings
- Figure 1 illustrates a known rart system;
- Figure 2 illustrates the system according to the invention;
- Figure 3 illustrates a particular embodiment of a known art system;
- Figure 4 illustrates the embodiment shown in Figure 3 using the system of the invention.

Detailed description of embodiments
Today, the activation or selection of functions is carried out between a control station and the body responsible for carrying out the requested function, by association of an actuator (selector, push-button, rotator ...) with several states (two or more) and a labeling / inscription indicating the reason / object of the function and or of the order (example: "ON / OFF", "SETIRESEr, ...).

For example, we have the following commands:
-a button pushes in two states in which the feedback is carried out by lighting or extinguishing the "ON"indicator;
- a two-state controller in which the feedback is carried out using "ON" and zOFF labeling;
- a three-state switch in which the feedback is achieved by labeling "ON", "OFF" and "AUTO";
- a twelve-position pruner in which the feedback is achieved through labeling.

 FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an activation and selection system of functions installed for example in an aircraft.

 A processing member 10, for example a computer, receives, on the one hand, signals from the various control members or actuators OC1, OC2, ..., OCn, such as those defined above and, on the other hand, Various information arriving in the system.

 This processing unit 10 represents on its outputs signals which are sent to functional units OF1, OF2, .. .., OFm.

 As shown in FIG. 1, in an airplane these different elements are installed respectively in the cockpit on the control panel 12, in the hold 13, and in the hold or in the rest of the airplane 14.

 However, the control stations of industrial installations, for example airplanes, are brought to evolve more and more during their life cycle for various reasons: modifications of the installation, increase in capacity ... This generates cool changes as well as the risks of encountering control panels that do not comply with the definition of the installation (provisioned function, etc.).

Increasingly, it is necessary to present to the operator, for example the pilot of the aircraft, only the information necessary at a given time, in particular for:
- allow an occasional user to use the "HELFr;
- protect, for security reasons, certain accesses by confirmations.

 The invention therefore proposes to load a centralized and reconfigurable command line based on interactive visualization, to standardize (or on the contrary to personalize) its use with respect to operators, as well as to adapt perfectly to the configuration. (downloaded) of the installation at the given time, as well as the operating conditions (example: it is not necessary, in aeronautical refonniation, to present specific orders for maintenance to the studs during the flight).

 FIG. 2 illustrates the system of the invention which includes a central computer 20.

This central installation computer 20 includes:
- An interface 21 with an interactive control and display system 22 allowing, on the basis of a definition of the installation stored in upgradeable memory by download. transmit and / or position an operator command to the body responsible for performing the requested function;
- a database memory 23 of the theoretical definition of the installation which can be updated by downloading;
an order management unit 25, the two essential functions of which are
to present to the operator on a display screen
a fully compliant order status on the one hand
in the state of the installation defined by the database
memorized and, on the other hand, to the real state of the
installation,
to perform the input / output link necessary for the realisetion
of the requested function (example: opening a
valve, reduction of air flow, ...);
an input interface 26 making it possible to collect all the information necessary for the performance of the various functions; these can be of several types:
information 27 from the installation
(neighboring computers interacting with computer 20,
for example non-powered ...) allowing the organ to
order management to present only
useful indications to Pop6rBtsur on the display screen,
28 year information returns from
OF1, OF2 ...., OFm (signals
representative of the state of the functional organs
(LEDs, voice alarms, etc.), sensor status, etc.)
allowing the order manager to inform
the operator on the progress of the function in
course of realization;
- An output interface 30 for controlling the different functional organs OFI, OF2 ...., OFm responsible for carrying out the function.

The control station 22 includes:
a display screen 36 displaying all the commands made available to the operator (that is to say all the commands useful to the operator), as well as all the information necessary for the proper functioning of the installation;
- a control panel 37 allowing the selections (keyboard, touch screen ...) of the various commands.

 The database 23 contains at a time t, all the known elements necessary for the computer to be able to function: this can for example include the absence of a functional element or the existence of a non-standard functional element with regard to its operation, its inputs or outputs. This database therefore contains in real time all the information concerning the theoretical configuration of the aircraft. The update can be carried out by any information reading member 24: this can for example be a floppy disk drive making it possible to load the database and "refresh" it if necessary.

 In this FIG. 2, we find the three parts 12, 13, 14 of the airplane shown in FIG. 1.

 Figures 3 and 4 relate to a particular embodiment, that of an airplane, respectively with a device of the known art and with the device of the invention.

 These two figures relate to the download function which makes it possible to load a database, a new version of software, etc. in certain computers of the aircraft.

 In FIG. 3 there is a rotary selector 40 which makes it possible to put in runic communication computer 41 responsible for carrying out the downloading operations (having a floppy disk drive or the like) and said "source computer" with the aircraft computers 42 which are concerned through updates to their database and possibly their software. some of these computers are necessarily present (standard), others are options which have or have not been requested by the customer of this aircraft. The selector label is engraved in anticipation of the maximum case and it can be seen that it is then possible to prepare a download operation intended for a computer which does not exist.

This figure shows the following different computers:
- CMC (7Centralized Maintenance Computer "): central maintenance computer;
- ACMS ("Aircraft Condition Monitoring System"): aircraft condition monitoring system;
- FMGEC (Flight Management and Guidance Envelope
Computer:: flight management calculator;
- ACARS ("Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System"): avionisol communication system;
- CBMU ("Circuit Breaker Monitoring Unit"): circuit breaker monitoring computer;
- TCAS ("Traffic Collision Avoidance System"): system to avoid an aircraft collision.

In this figure, the CMCs, FGMECs and CBMU computers, shown in solid lines, are standard; ACMS, ACARS and
TCAS, shown in dotted lines, are optional, the latter, crossed out, being an option not fitted on the aircraft in question. Also shown in FIG. 3 is a connection connector 43.

 In Figure 4 we find the same source (41) and destination computers (42: CMCs, ACMS, FGMECs, ACARS, CBMU and TCAS), but the communication is no longer done by a selector: it is done via a " central computer 45 connected to a "control station" 46 which can be compared to a terminal allowing the pilots to interact with the aircraft. This central computer / control station assembly is present to ensure a quantity of other operations , for example aircraft navigation.

In this exemplary embodiment, the CBMU computer, for example, is not supplied. When the pilot selects the appropriate page, he sees on the screen the communications that he is able to restore and
only these: we see that the CBMU computer, which is not powered, cannot be selected. The TCAS computer, not mounted, is obviously not offered in the selection either. The selection is made by pressing the button opposite the name of the chosen computer. Additional information appears on the screen: the progress of the loading operation

Claims (4)

 1. Centralized control system of an industrial installation comprising a control station which includes a display screen (36) and a control console (37) allowing the intervention of an operator, as well as a processing unit allowing the control of functional organs (OFI,., OFm) for the implementation of various functions to be performed, characterized in that the processing member is a central computer (20) which comprises:  - a database memory (23) containing all the information concerning the theoretical configuration of the installation;  - an interface (21) with the control station;  - an input interface (26) making it possible to collect all the information necessary for the performance of the various functions;  - an order management unit (25), communicating with these different circuits, which allows  to present to the operator, on the display screen,  the functions of the compliant control elements,  on the one hand to the state of the installation defined by a base of  theoretical data and, on the other hand, with real state of  installation systems,  carry out the necessary input links and  indicate the real-time progress of the  performance of each requested function;  - An output interface (30) make it possible to control the various functional organs (OF1, ...., OFm) responsible for carrying out b function.  2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the database memory (23) is updated by downloading  3. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the input interface (26) makes it possible to collect all the information necessary for the performance of the various functions; these can be of several types:  # infomBtions (27) from installation  allowing the order management body not to  present only useful information to the operator on  the display screen,  feedback (28) from  OFI, OF2, functional organs. ., OFm allowing the  order manager to inform the operator about  the state of the function in progress.  4. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is used on board an aircraft.