CN106292503B

CN106292503B - Device and method for realizing man-machine interaction function on industrial product

Info

Publication number: CN106292503B
Application number: CN201510354111.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谢鉴
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Priority date: 2015-06-24
Filing date: 2015-06-24
Publication date: 2020-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2035-06-24
Also published as: CN106292503A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for implementing a human-computer interaction function on an industrial product, the apparatus comprising: a signal unit, at least a portion of the signal unit being located outside of the industrial product; a wireless communication unit for communicating with an electronic device and located within the at least a portion of the signal unit that is external to the product. By using embodiments according to the present disclosure, the cost of industrial products can be reduced without changing the layout of the industrial products.

Description

Device and method for realizing man-machine interaction function on industrial product

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of human-computer interaction, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for implementing human-computer interaction functions on an industrial product.

Background

Human-Computer Interaction or Human-machine Interaction (HCI or HMI) mainly relates to the study of the Interaction between a machine system and a user. The machine system may be a variety of machines and may be a computerized system and software. The human-computer interaction interface generally refers to a portion visible to a user. And the user communicates with the system through a human-computer interaction interface and performs operation. Human-computer interaction has wide application, especially in the field of industrial products. For example, in an aircraft, parameters and conditions of the aircraft are displayed on a dashboard (human-computer interface), and a pilot can control the aircraft through a corresponding device (including a touch-type dashboard) according to display information on the dashboard. For another example, a control room of a power plant, which uses a graphical display interface (man-machine interface) to monitor the operation conditions inside the power plant and performs corresponding control through the man-machine interface.

The above situation requires real time monitoring by a technician, but for some industrial products it does not need to be used often, for example it can be used only once for weeks or even months. On the other hand, as semiconductor, computer, and communication technologies have grown, computing devices with graphics display functionality (e.g., laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) have become increasingly powerful and more portable. A user may view information and issue corresponding response data on a computing device such as a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or the like.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, the present inventors have devised a new apparatus and method for implementing human-computer interaction functionality on an industrial product.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for implementing a human-computer interaction function on an industrial product, comprising: a signal unit, at least a portion of the signal unit being located outside of the industrial product; a wireless communication unit for communicating with an electronic device and located within the at least a portion of the signal unit that is external to the product.

Optionally, the signal unit is at least one of a lamp, a button, an alarm bell and a switch.

Optionally, the device does not include a display screen.

Optionally, the apparatus has a logic processing device and a user programming interface and a communication interface coupled to the logic processing device, wherein the communication interface interfaces with a control system in the industrial product.

Optionally, the user programming interface is multiplexed with the wireless communication unit or the communication interface.

Optionally, the user programming interface is any one of the following: USB, wired Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, RS232 interface, RS485 interface.

Optionally, a human-computer interaction display interface is displayed on the electronic device via the wireless communication unit.

Optionally, the wireless communication unit uses at least one of the following wireless communication protocols: wifi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC, GPRS, CDMA2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE-A, TD-LTE and FDD-LTE.

Optionally, the electronic device is at least one of a personal computer, a mobile communication device, a laptop, a tablet.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an industrial product having an apparatus for implementing a human-computer interaction function, the industrial product having an apparatus according to any one of the above.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for implementing a human-computer interaction function on an industrial product, including: providing a device according to any one of the above; the apparatus is configured to cause a human-machine interface with respect to the industrial product to be displayed on the electronic device when wirelessly communicating with the electronic device via the wireless communication unit.

Optionally, the apparatus is further configured to receive data from the electronic device through the wireless communication unit to control or program the industrial product.

By using the device and the industrial product with the device and the method, the information of the industrial product can be conveniently checked in the electronic equipment.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in greater detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numerals generally represent like parts throughout.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an industrial product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for implementing human-computer interaction functionality according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Certain specific details are now set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter. However, the subject matter of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details.

Throughout the specification and the appended claims, the word "comprise" is to be construed in an open-ended sense, that is, to mean "including but not limited to," unless the context requires otherwise.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects of the disclosure.

Before describing embodiments of the present disclosure, some current states of industrial products having a human-computer interaction device are introduced. Existing human-computer interaction devices typically have a logic processor, a memory unit coupled to the logic processor, a user programming interface, a communication interface to a control system, a signal unit, and a display.

A logic processor is a unit, module, device or apparatus having a logic processing function, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a programmable logic device (PLC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like. The storage unit may be a volatile or non-volatile storage unit, module, device or apparatus, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), or a Flash Memory. In the present disclosure, a signal unit refers to a physical device for transmitting a signal, such as a button, an indicator light, an alarm, etc., on an industrial product, and at least a portion of the signal unit is located outside the industrial product. The user programming interface is used for providing a testing or programming interface for technicians or users, so that the industrial products containing the man-machine interaction function can be programmed. The communication interface connected to the control system is used to transmit information of the control system to the logic processor and to transmit control commands or information from the logic processor to the control system. The display is used for graphically displaying a human-computer interaction interface that is easily understood or manipulated by a user, and may be a display such as a cathode ray tube display (CRT), a plasma display PDP, a liquid crystal display LCD, or the like.

Generally, the control system transmits data detected by devices such as sensors or some other information reflecting parameters or conditions of the industrial product to the logic processor device via the communication interface, either directly or after conversion, which in turn processes it and displays the processed data in graphical or textual form on the human machine interface on the display. The user may input information via another input device or on the display (in the case of a touch screen display) to recall information of interest for display or to transmit control instructions or information to the logical processor, which in turn processes it and transmits the processed instructions or information to the control system. The memory unit may store information transmitted by the control system to the logic processor or information or instructions from user inputs.

The logic processor, the storage unit coupled to the logic processor, the user programming interface, the communication interface connected to the control system, the signal unit and the display are well known to those skilled in the art of human-computer interaction and will not be described in detail herein.

In addition, existing industrial products having a human-computer interaction function generally do not have a wireless communication module and a wireless communication antenna, because the wireless communication module is generally not necessary for the industrial products. Even with the addition of a wireless communication module, a reasonable consideration is simply to place a wireless communication antenna next to the display for wireless communication. The reason for this is that the industrial products are typically metal housings such as iron which tend to shield wireless communications. Therefore, in the case where an antenna is provided outside an industrial product, since generally the industrial product is only a display not covered significantly by a metal case, a reasonable consideration is that a wireless communication device such as an antenna which communicates with a device or apparatus inside the industrial product through physical wiring is provided beside the display.

As discussed in the background section, the provision of a display such as a display having a touch screen is relatively wasteful of resources for such devices, since some industrial products are used less frequently by customers or technicians, for example, they may be viewed only once in weeks or months. For such industrial products, the user or technician needs to go to the location of the industrial product to look at it, and therefore, this approach is relatively inconvenient.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure improve upon the above-described situation, for example, by eliminating a display (e.g., a display with a touch screen) in an industrial product having a human-computer interaction function, so that costs can be saved. Since the human-computer interaction function still requires a display screen to display the human-computer interaction interface, the embodiment of the invention changes the human-computer interaction interface to be displayed on the electronic device with the display function, such as a tablet computer and a smart phone, of the user or the technician. Preferably, the electronic device is a portable electronic device such as a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, or the like.

An industrial product according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to fig. 1. As described above, in order to display a human-computer interaction interface on an electronic device of a user or a technician, it is necessary to transmit related information or data to the electronic device and receive information or data input by the user on the human-computer interaction interface from the electronic device. In case the electronic device is a portable electronic device, the transmission and reception of the relevant information or data is preferably a wireless transmission or reception. In fig. 1, the industrial product 100 is an industrial product having a metal case but not having a display. In the industrial product 100, there are signal devices such as an alarm device 100 and a button 120, in which the alarm device 110 has a Light Emitting Diode (LED) alarm lamp 113 therein. In other examples, the alarm device 110 may have an alarm bell or other warning device, such as a combination alarm light and alarm bell. In the present disclosure, the signal device or the signal unit is a physical device for externally transmitting a signal indicating a state of an industrial product or receiving an external input, such as at least one of a lamp, a button, an alarm bell, and a switch, which does not include a wireless transmission unit or device for wireless transmission. At least a portion of the alarm device 110 is located outside of the industrial product 100 so that the portion is not shielded by the metal housing. Similarly, at least a portion of the signaling device, such as button 120, is located outside of the industrial product 100 so that it is not obscured by the metal housing.

In order not to change the layout of existing industrial products, the inventors contemplate integrating the wireless communication means 114 for transmitting/receiving data or information within the portion of the signaling means (such as the alarm means 110 or the button 120) that is external to the housing of the industrial equipment 100. A specific example of an alarm device 110 is shown on the right side in fig. 1. The alarm device 110 has a power module 111 therein to receive power from a power interface coupled to the internal circuitry of the industrial product 100 and to power other components such as a processing unit 112, a signal transceiver interface 116, and the like. The signal transceiving interface 116 receives a signal from the inside of the industrial apparatus 100 (for example, in case the means for enabling human-computer interaction is located at the alarm device 110) or transmits the received signal to the inside of the industrial apparatus 100 (for example, in case the means for enabling human-computer interaction is located at the button 120). Signal transceiving devices such as bells and buttons are well known concepts to those skilled in the art and will therefore not be described in further detail herein.

The alarm device also includes an internal communication interface, such as a fieldbus interface or USB interface 117, for receiving data (e.g., sensor monitored data) from within the industrial product 100 regarding parameters or conditions of the industrial product or system and transmitting the data to the processing unit 112. On the other hand, an internal communication interface such as a fieldbus interface or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface 117 may also be used to receive, via the processing unit 112, information or instructions entered by a user or technician on a human-machine interface on the electronic device, which may recall data of interest to the user or technician and enter related instructions or commands internally to the industrial product 100.

The processing unit 112 receives information or data representing an industrial product or system, such as parameters or conditions, from the interface 117, processes it for conversion into data suitable for display on the human machine interface and for transmission by the wireless communication unit 114. Such data conversion processes (e.g., converting sensed signals into data suitable for display on a human-computer interface) are well known in the signal processing arts and will not be described in detail herein. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above fieldbus interface or USB interface is merely an example and may have other interfaces such as wired ethernet, wireless ethernet, RS232 interface, RS485 interface.

The signaling device, such as alarm device 110, may also include a user programming interface for testing, debugging, or programming the control system within the industrial product. The user programming interface is, for example, USB, wired ethernet, wireless ethernet, RS232 interface, RS485 interface. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the user programming interface may be any interface to communicate with the computing device, either directly or after protocol conversion. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the interfaces listed above are examples only, and are not limiting of user programming interfaces.

In the present disclosure, the user programming interface may be multiplexed with other interfaces, for example in the example of fig. 1, the user programming interface may be multiplexed with a fieldbus interface or USB interface 117. For example, in the example below with respect to fig. 2, the user programming interface may be multiplexed with the communication interface 205. Those skilled in the art can understand that, during multiplexing, corresponding devices and protocols may need to be adapted or converted, and the adaptation or protocol conversion between different interfaces belongs to the conventional technical means in the field and is not described in detail herein.

In the embodiment of fig. 1, the signaling device further includes a wireless communication unit 114. The processing unit 112 processes the received human-computer interaction data and then sends the processed human-computer interaction data to the wireless communication unit 114. The wireless communication unit 114 transmits the received data to an electronic device, such as a tablet computer, of a user or a technician according to a given communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol is at least one of Wifi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC, GPRS, CDMA2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE-A, TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, for example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing list is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. Any of a variety of short range or long range wireless communication protocols may be used. The wireless communication unit 114 also receives input data from the human-machine interface on the electronic device and sends it, directly or after conversion, to the processing unit 112 for subsequent processing, including, for example, invoking or programming other data in the industrial product.

The situation of the device for implementing the human-computer interaction function in the alarm device 110 is described above with respect to fig. 1. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above description is merely exemplary and not limiting, and that the means for implementing human interaction functionality may be in other devices such as buttons 120.

An embodiment of an apparatus for implementing human-computer interaction functionality according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to fig. 2. The apparatus comprises a signal unit 203, a communication interface 205, a user programming interface 206, a logic processing device 201, a storage unit 202 and a wireless communication unit 204. Similarly, the device is located in a portion of the signaling device that is outside of the industrial product, and the device also does not have a display. The wireless communication unit 204 may include an antenna for transmitting and receiving data and a module for processing the received data according to a predetermined wireless communication protocol. The logic processing device 201 processes the received human-computer interaction data and then sends the processed human-computer interaction data to the wireless communication unit 204. The wireless communication unit 204 transmits the received data to an electronic device, such as a tablet computer, of a user or a technician according to a given communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol is at least one of Wifi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC, GPRS, CDMA2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE-A, TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, for example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing list is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. Any of a variety of short range or long range wireless communication protocols may be used. The wireless communication unit 204 also receives input data from the human-machine interface on the electronic device and sends it, directly or after conversion, to the logic processing means 201 for subsequent processing, including for example processing it into data suitable for transmission by the user programming interface 206 or the communication interface 205 or into data suitable for storage in the storage unit 202.

The signal unit 203 such as a button, an indicator lamp, an alarm, etc. In the example of fig. 2, the signal unit 203 receives data from the logic processor 201 (e.g., indicating that an industrial product or system is in a safety hazard or malfunctioning) to selectively alarm, or receives input from a user and transmits it to the logic processor 201. In other embodiments, the signal unit 203 can also receive output from a control system internal to the industrial product, or transmit input from a user directly to an internal device of the industrial product, without passing through an intermediate device such as a logic processor.

The logic processor 201 is a unit, module, device or apparatus having a logic processing function, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a programmable logic device (PLC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like. As shown in fig. 2, which receives and logically processes outputs from other interfaces or units and transmits the processed data to such interfaces or units.

The communication interface 205 connected to the control system may be any one of USB, wired ethernet, wireless ethernet, RS232 interface, and RS485 interface, for example, and is used to receive data or information from the inside of the industrial product or system and transmit the information to the logic device 201 directly or after conversion. The communication interface 205 connected to the control system is also used to transmit data or instructions from the logic processor 201 to the control system inside the industrial product to control the industrial product. In the case where the communication interface 205 is multiplexed with the programming interface 206, the interface is also used to detect, debug or program the control system.

User programming interface 206 the user programming interface is used to test, debug or program the control system inside the industrial product. The user programming interface is, for example, USB, wired ethernet, wireless ethernet, RS232 interface, RS485 interface. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the user programming interface may be any interface to communicate with the computing device, either directly or after protocol conversion. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the interfaces listed above are examples only, and are not limiting of user programming interfaces.

In the present disclosure, the user programming interface may be multiplexed with other interfaces, such as in the example of fig. 2, the user programming interface may be multiplexed with the communication interface 205. Those skilled in the art can understand that, during multiplexing, corresponding devices and protocols may need to be adapted or converted, and the adaptation or protocol conversion between different interfaces belongs to the conventional technical means in the field and is not described in detail herein.

The storage unit 202 may be a volatile or non-volatile storage unit, module, device or apparatus, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), or a Flash Memory (Flash Memory). The memory unit 202 receives data from the logic processor 201 and stores it, which may be any type of data, such as user-entered data, data representing parameters or conditions of an industrial product, user-programmed data or instructions, and so forth.

In another example, the user programming interface 206 may be multiplexed with the wireless communication unit 204. A user or technician may enter programming data, debugging data, or other types of data on the electronic device that is transmitted to the logic processing device 201 for processing after being received by the wireless communication unit 204. The processed programming data is transmitted via the communication interface 205 to a control system within the industrial product for use by or for programming the control system.

The process of human-computer interaction according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is described below in conjunction with FIG. 1. Industrial products are for example environmental monitoring and control equipment of power plants, which exist independently of electronic equipment and are used to monitor environmental conditions within the power plant and to control some components accordingly using data sensed by sensors. Such monitoring and control devices do not require real-time monitoring by a user or technician, but rather only need to be monitored on a regular basis or as needed. A user or technician may install a corresponding human interactive application on an electronic device, such as an iPad. When monitoring is needed, a user or a technician opens a corresponding human-computer interaction application on the electronic equipment, and the human-computer interaction application sends a calling instruction to a device for realizing a human-computer interaction function through wireless communication. The data sensed by the sensors, received via the fieldbus interface 117, is processed by a processing unit in the device and converted to data suitable for transmission by the wireless communication module 114 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

The electronic device of the user or the technician receives the data transmitted from the wireless communication module 114 and displays the environmental data of the power plant on the man-machine interface of the electronic device. One skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant data for an industrial product or system may be displayed.

On the other hand, when the user or the technician considers that other information needs to be called or an instruction needs to be issued to control the industrial product or system after seeing the information displayed on the human-computer interface, the user or the technician can input relevant instructions or data on an input device (for example, a touch screen) of the electronic device such as the iPad. The instruction or data is transmitted to a wireless communication module in a signal device outside the industrial product through a wireless communication network, and after being processed by the logic processor, the instruction or data is sent to a control system inside the industrial product or system to control the industrial product or system or call other information.

In the case where the user programming interface is multiplexed with the wireless communication interface, a user or technician may input user programming data on the electronic device and send the user programming data to the wireless communication module in the signaling device external to the industrial product via the wireless communication network, and the user programming data, after being processed by the logic processor, is sent to the control system internal to the industrial product or system to program the industrial product or system.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the foregoing is illustrative only and is not limiting of the embodiments of the invention. Embodiments according to the present invention may also be used in other applications requiring human-computer interaction functionality.

It should be noted that although in the above detailed description several units or sub-units of the system are mentioned, this division is only not mandatory. Indeed, the features and functions of two or more of the units described above may be embodied in one unit, according to embodiments of the invention. Conversely, the features and functions of one unit described above may be further divided into embodiments by a plurality of units.

Moreover, while the operations of the method of the invention are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this does not require or imply that the operations must be performed in this particular order, or that all of the illustrated operations must be performed, to achieve desirable results. Rather, the steps depicted in the flowcharts may change the order of execution. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps combined into one step execution, and/or one step broken down into multiple step executions.

While the invention has been described with reference to several particular embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed particular embodiments. The invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for implementing human-computer interaction functionality on an industrial product, comprising:

a signal unit, at least a portion of which is located outside of the industrial product, and which is to indicate a status of the industrial product or to receive an external input, and which does not include a means for wireless transmission;

a wireless communication unit for communicating with an electronic device and located within the at least a portion of the signal unit that is external to the product.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal unit is at least one of a light, a button, an alarm bell, and a switch.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device does not include a display screen.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a logic processing device and a user programming interface and a communication interface coupled with the logic processing device, wherein the communication interface interfaces with a control system in the industrial product.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the user programming interface is multiplexed with the wireless communication unit or the communication interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the user programming interface is any one of: USB, wired Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, RS232 interface, RS485 interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information of the industrial product is displayed on a human-machine interactive display interface on the electronic device via the wireless communication unit.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the wireless communication unit uses at least one of the following wireless communication protocols: wifi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC, GPRS, CDMA2000, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE-A, TD-LTE and FDD-LTE.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is at least one of a personal computer, a mobile communication device, a laptop, a tablet.

10. An industrial product having means for enabling human-computer interaction functionality, the industrial product having a device according to any one of claims 1-9.

11. A method for implementing human-computer interaction functionality on an industrial product, comprising:

providing a device according to any one of claims 1-9;

the apparatus is configured to cause a human-machine interface with respect to the industrial product to be displayed on the electronic device when wirelessly communicating with the electronic device via the wireless communication unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further configured to receive data from the electronic device through the wireless communication unit to control or program the industrial product.