This application claims priority of German Application No. 10 2014 222 508.6 filed Nov. 4, 2014, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to process engineering systems and the control thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to modularly constructible process engineering systems.

2. PRIOR ART

In the process industry, in particular in chemistry, pharmaceuticals and food production, the product quantities in demand are increasingly difficult to forecast and fluctuate depending on region in short-term time intervals. In addition, product life cycles are becoming shorter and shorter on the whole, due to the global availability of alternatives.

However, conventional production systems often are not designed for these fluctuating product quantities. Continuously operated systems are optimized in most cases for a certain quantity of product per time unit, and even for batch operation are less efficient and require many nonproductive time periods, for example cleaning times and conversion times.

When adding to or converting the system, it is normally necessary to also reconfigure or reprogram the corresponding system controller. This is an expensive process, which often takes time comparable to the hardware conversion. This is made more difficult by possibly inadequate documentation for the existing control software, or outdated control hardware which may not provide all of the requisite functions for the new hardware.

More recent developments in the process industry deal with modular system concepts, in which the system is constructed of individual prefabricated modules. Such concepts and their challenges are described in a survey “Modulare Anlagenkonzeption und Automatisierung mithilfe des β-Projektes” (‘Modular System Conception and Automation with the Aid of the β Project’) by Graduate Engineer Sabine Muhlenkamp and Wolfgang Ernhofer, May 10, 2012, in “Process.” There too, integration of the modules with control technology is still regarded as an open question.

The object of the present invention is therefore to develop process engineering systems more flexibly with regard to their production rate, to speed up system planning and construction, and to make suitable means and methods available for these tasks.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above object is fulfilled by a module for a process engineering system according to claim1and by a method for controlling a process engineering system according to claim11.

In particular, the above-named object is fulfilled by a module for a process engineering system having process engineering hardware for carrying out a process engineering sub-process, a control system for local control of the process engineering hardware, the control system being set up to control the process engineering hardware independently and bring it to a number of specific defined states, and an external interface of the control system, the external interface being able to receive a number of defined commands which correspond to the specific defined states of the process engineering hardware.

A process engineering system may be made up of a plurality of these modules. If more production capacity is desired, modules may be connected to the system in a simple manner and then carry out specific sub-processes. To this end, the modules may assume a defined number of specific states. Since the controller of the particular module controls the process engineering hardware locally and independently, and is able to bring it to one state out of the number of specific defined states, the control effort of the overall system is minimized. A superordinate controller of the overall system thus needs only to send defined commands to the external interface of the controller of the module, so that the latter is able to move to and then assume one of its defined states. The superordinate system may give commands for example to start the sub-process, to change the operating mode of the module, to pause or to stop the sub-process. The module-internal controller for attaining the defined state thereupon takes over control of the module automatically, without intervention from outside. The controller of the module may thus be provided, programmed and configured already by the producer of the module, so that the producer of the system is able to create the control of the overall system with very little effort and expense.

Accordingly, when a hardware modification is made to a production engineering system, the central, superordinate controller of the overall system needs only to give high-level commands to the corresponding modules, and the majority of the control effort is performed decentrally and automatically in the individual modules.

To receive the defined high-level commands, the controller of the module has the forenamed external interface. There is no provision for the external interface to be able to directly control actuators of the respective module. This control is the responsibility of the controller of the module.

Preferably, the external interface is able to receive exclusively commands that correspond to the specific defined states of the process engineering hardware. Accordingly, only the forenamed high-level commands are able to be received through the external interface of the module. Other commands are not receivable, and thus are also not processable by the controller of the module.

The controller preferably controls the transition of the process engineering hardware between the specific defined states independently, without commands from outside. This does not require control by a superordinate control system. The module is therefore self-sufficient with regard both to hardware and to control technology.

By preference, no intermediate states of the process engineering hardware are addressable through the external interface. It is thus exclusively the defined states of the module that are addressable via the external interface, which minimizes the control effort for a superordinate control system.

The external interface is preferably also set up to issue defined commands to modules connected upstream, downstream or in parallel. That enables modules to address each other in parallel communication. For example, an upstream module is able to start a downstream module when it has finished an intermediate product for further processing. It is of course equally possible for modules that are connected in parallel to also be in command of each other or to be subject to joint commands.

The external interface is preferably set up to receive the defined commands from upstream or downstream modules. Accordingly, for horizontal communication of the modules with each other the external interface is also able to receive the defined commands from modules connected upstream or downstream or in parallel.

The external interface is preferably also set up to receive the defined commands from a superordinate system controller.

Furthermore, the external interface is preferably set up to issue data to a superordinate system controller. The external interface is also able to issue data to the system control; for example, signals that indicate whether the particular defined state has been reached, whether the module is working faultlessly or whether there is a malfunction of the module.

A process engineering system preferably has a plurality of the modules defined above. That enables the process engineering system to be expanded easily with additional modules, reduced in size, or converted for other products, without need of great expense to adapt superordinate controls.

The process engineering system preferably also has a superordinate system controller for issuing defined commands that correspond to the specific defined states of the process engineering hardware.

The forenamed objects are also fulfilled by a method for controlling a process engineering system, the system being made up of a plurality of modules, each of which has process engineering hardware for carrying out a process engineering sub-process, as well as a controller for locally controlling the process engineering hardware and an external interface of the control, the external interface being able to receive a number of defined commands that correspond to a number of specific defined states of the process engineering hardware, and the method having the following steps:a. reception by the external interface of a module of a command from the number of defined commands for the particular module;b. automatic control of the process engineering hardware of a module by the corresponding controller in accordance with the received command, in order to bring the process engineering hardware of the module to one of the number of specific defined states.

Because each module has its own control, and has to receive through its external interface only defined commands that correspond to one state out of a number of specific defined states of the process engineering hardware of the module and the process engineering hardware is then controlled automatically by the respective controller in order to bring it to one of the number of specific defined states, the advantages of easy control technology system configuration already described above result. The overall system can thus on the one hand be constructed very easily in modular form, while the overall control is easy to create. On the other hand, modules can also easily be added, eliminated or replaced by other modules, without the need of major reconfigurations or even reprogramming of the superordinate control software of the overall system.

Furthermore, the method preferably has the step of reception by at least one of the modules of defined commands from modules connected upstream or downstream or in parallel.

Furthermore, the method preferably has the step of reception by at least one of the modules of defined commands from a superordinate controller.

Furthermore, the method preferably has the step of issuing by at least one of the modules of defined commands to modules connected upstream or downstream or in parallel. That results in horizontal communication between the modules of a system.

Furthermore, the method preferably has the step of issuing by at least one of the modules of signals to a superordinate controller. That results in vertical communication between superordinate controller and the modules of a system.

Furthermore, the method preferably has the step of issuing of a control pattern to the superordinate controller by at least one of the modules. By means of the control pattern, which communicates among other things properties and addressing options of the module to the superordinate controller during initial installation, the effort of programming the control software of the superordinate controller is further minimized. The module can likewise be integrated there in terms of data technology as a ready-made data module. The control pattern may contain in particular a description of the function of the module, the defined states, the defined commands, a user interface and a graphic representation of the module.

