Control method and device, and method for setting up a control system
A device is used for controlling an installation that is comprised of several units. A common control system, that is provided with a central data memory, in which current real values and/or set points are filed as process variables for several units, is allocated to several of these units. The data memory encompasses a storage area for the process variables. The data structure of this storage area can be configured even by using a set of data that describes the projected installation.
1. A device for controlling a printing press, said printing press having at least one unit embodied as a material feeding device adapted to feed a material to be printed, at least one unit embodied as one of a printing unit and a printing group to print on said material received from said material feeding device and at least one unit embodied for farther processing of said material printed on by said one of said printing unit and said printing group, said device comprising:
at least one separate control element for each one of said at least one unit embodied as a material feeding device, said one of said printing unit and said printing group and said at least one unit for further processing of said material;
a common control system assigned to a plurality of said separate control elements of said units, said common control system having a central data memory with an identifier space, in which up-to-date actual values and/or up-to-date command variables are stored in the form of process variables, said central data memory being connected to said plurality of said separate control elements by at least one communications layer embodied as one of ah higher order process unit and a computing unit; and
wherein said central data memory has a memory area for said process variables, each of said process variables having a data structure that is designed with the use of a data set describing a projected installation for said printing press, and said central data memory is a data server that employs object management in accordance with an object model standard.
2. A device for controlling a printing press, said printing press having at least one unit embodied as a material feeding device adapted to feed a material to be printed, at least one unit embodied as one of a printing unit and a printing group to print on said material received from said material feeding device and at least one unit embodied for further processing of said material printed on by said one of the said printing unit and said printing group, said device comprising:
a common control system assigned to several ones of said at least one unit embodied as said material feeding device, said one of said printing unit and said printing group and said at least one unit for further processing of said material, and said control system having a central data memory with an identifier space, in which up-to-date actual values and/or up-to-date command variables are stored in the form of process variables;
a process unit or a computing unit designed as a communication server to which said central data memory is connected with a signal connection;
at least one lower-order process unit to which said communication server is connected, each of which is designed to server a network of defined type; and
at least one control element for one or more of said printing press units to which said at least one lower-order process units is connected.
3. The device of claim 2 , wherein said central data memory has a memory area for said process variables, each of said process variables having a data structure that is designed with the use of a data set describing a projected installation for said printing press.
4. The device of claim 2 , wherein said process unit or said computing unit is embodied as a higher-order communication server.
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein said higher-order communication server has communication-specific information regarding the printing press units.
6. The device of claim 5 , wherein said communication-specific information is implemented in the communication server via an interface using a configuration file.
7. The device of claim 2 , wherein said signal connection is implemented with at least one network.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein basic settings of the process variables are implemented in the central data memory via the data set.
9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a control console from which said process variables in said central data memory can be read and/or refreshed.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein said central data memory is designed as a data server with at least one open interface.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein said central data memory is designed for supporting an inter-process communication with an exchange of complex data structures.
12. The device of claim 10 , wherein said interface is designed for supporting an inter-process communication with an exchange of complex data structures.
13. The device of claim 2 , wherein said central data memory is a data server that employs object management in accordance with an object model standard.
14. The device of claim 2 , wherein said process unit or said computing unit is designed for supporting an inter-process communication with an exchange of complex data structures.
15. The device of claim 2 , wherein said process unit or said computing unit processes objects or process variables on the basis of an object management in accordance with an object model standard.
16. The device of claim 2 , wherein said process unit or said computing unit is connected with several of said lower-order process units, which in turn are each connected with one or with several of the plurality of control elements.
17. The device of claim 2 , wherein said lower-order process unit is a server, which supports an inter-process communication with an exchange of complex data structures.
18. The device of claim 2 , wherein said lower-order process unit conducts inter-process communication on the basis of an object management in accordance with an object model standard.
19. The device of claim 2 , wherein said at least one lower-order process unit is embodied as an arc net handler.
20. The device of claim 2 , wherein said central data memory, said process or computing unit and/or said lower-order process unit have an operating system, which supports a method for inter- process communication that is designed for the exchange of complex data structures.
21. The device of claim 2 , wherein several of said lower-order process units based on different network types and/or protocols are provided that are connected with the higher-order process or computing unit, each of which, in turn, is in respective signal connection with the printing press units based on these different network types and/or protocols.
22. The device of claim 1 , wherein a program section is provided in said central data memory, by means of which set-up of the data structures for the process variables matched to the projected installation is performed using the data in the data set.
23. The device of claim 1 , wherein said identifier space is freely configurable to store project installation layout and its associated data sets.