Automation network, industrial personal computer, housing module and method for manufacturing industrial personal computer
According to a first aspect, an industrial personal computer (IRC) ( 100 ) is provided. The IPC comprises: •a first housing module ( 10 ) having a first electronic component, an internal electric power supply device and a first electric connection portion; and •a second housing module ( 20 ′) having a second electronic component and a second electric connection portion, the first and the second housing modules being stacked along a stacking direction (SD), wherein the first and second connection portions form a connection bus along the stacking direction at least for transmitting electric power between the first and second housing modules; wherein •the second electronic component is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) device ( 21 ); and •the IRC further comprising a power management controller ( 28 ).
1. An industrial personal computer (IPC) ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) comprising: a first housing module ( 10 ) having a first electronic component ( 11 ), an internal electric power supply device ( 12 ) and a first electric connection portion ( 13 ); and a second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) having a second electronic component ( 21 ) and a second electric connection portion ( 23 ), the first and the second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) being stacked along a stacking direction (SD), wherein the first and second electric connection portions ( 13 , 23 ) form a connection bus ( 2 ) along the stacking direction (SD) at least for transmitting electric power between the first and second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′); wherein the second electronic component ( 21 ) is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) device; and the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) further comprising a power management controller ( 28 ) implemented to: monitor the internal electric power supply device ( 12 ) and/or an internal voltage at the connection bus ( 2 ); detect a presence of the second electronic component ( 21 ) in the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′); control a power distribution of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) such that during a removal or insertion of the second electronic component ( 21 ) the internal electric power distribution remains unaffected; control a charging of the UPS device ( 21 ) by the internal electric power supply ( 12 ); ands control a shutdown and/or boot operation of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ).
2. The IPC according to claim 1 , wherein the UPS device ( 21 ) is configured to provide the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) with electric power through the connection bus ( 2 ) when the internal electric power supply device ( 12 ) fails and/or is disconnected such that an interruption of the power supply of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) is prevented.
3. The IPC according to claim 1 , wherein the connection bus ( 2 ) is further implemented to transmit control signals between the housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) and/or the electronic components ( 11 , 21 ).
4. The IPC according to claim 3 , wherein the connection bus ( 2 ) comprises a PCI bus, a PCI express bus, a USB protocol bus and/or a I 2 c protocol bus.
5. The IPC according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) are stacked on top of each other along the stacking direction (SD) and surfaces of the first and second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) that face each other have same dimensions.
6. The IPC according to claim 1 , wherein the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) comprises a drawer ( 27 ) having the second electronic component ( 21 ) with a connection port ( 29 ), a slot ( 26 ) for receiving the drawer ( 27 ) and an opening ( 25 ) through which the drawer ( 27 ) is insertable into the slot ( 26 ) along an insertion direction (ID) that is perpendicular to the stacking direction (SD), wherein the connection port ( 29 ) and the second electric connection portion ( 23 ) electrically couple to each other when the drawer ( 27 ) is arranged in the slot ( 26 ).
7. The IPC according to claim 6 , wherein the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) further comprises at least one additional drawer ( 27 ′) including an additional electronic component ( 51 - 56 ) and at least one additional opening ( 25 ′) through which the additional drawer ( 27 ′) is insertable.
8. The IPC according to claim 7 , wherein the additional electronic component ( 51 - 56 ) comprises the power management controller ( 28 ).
9. The IPC according to claim 1 , comprising at least three housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′, 30 , 40 ) stacked to each other, wherein the first housing module ( 10 ) comprises a motherboard of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) as the first electronic component ( 11 ), the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) comprises the UPS device ( 21 ) as the second electronic component ( 21 ) and the third housing module ( 30 ) comprises a cooling device ( 31 ) for cooling the first and/or second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′).
10. The IPC according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second and/or third housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′, 30 ) have a cuboid shape and/or wherein sizes of the first, second and/or third housing modules ( 10 , 20 ′, 20 , 30 ) are equal to one another.
11. The IPC according to claim 1 , wherein the UPS device ( 21 ) is adapted to provide an internal emergency power.
12. A housing module for an IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) according to claim 1 comprising an electric connection portion ( 13 , 23 ) and an electronic component ( 21 ) which is a UPS device.
13. A method for manufacturing an IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ), comprising: stacking a first housing module ( 10 ) and a second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) along a stacking direction (SD), the first housing module ( 10 ) having a first electronic component ( 11 ), an internal electric power supply device ( 12 ) and a first electric connection portion ( 13 ) and the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) having a second electric connection portion ( 23 ) and a second electronic component ( 21 ), such that the first and second electric connection portions ( 13 , 23 ) form a connection bus ( 2 ) along the stacking direction (SD) for transmitting electric power between the first and second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′); wherein the second electronic component ( 21 ) is a UPS device; and the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) further comprises a power management controller ( 28 ) performing: monitoring the internal electric power supply device ( 12 ) and/or an internal voltage at the connection bus ( 2 ); detecting a presence of the second electronic component ( 21 ) in the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′); controlling a power distribution of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) such that during a removal or insertion of the second electronic component ( 21 ) the internal electric power distribution remains unaffected; controlling a charging of the UPS device ( 21 ) by the internal electric power supply ( 12 ); ands controlling a shutdown and/or boot operation of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ).
14. A method for manufacturing the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) according to claim 1 , comprises:
stacking the first housing module ( 10 ) and the second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′) of the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) along the stacking direction (SD), such that the first and second electric connection portions ( 13 , 23 ) form the connection bus ( 2 ) along the stacking direction (SD) for transmitting electric power between the first and second housing module ( 20 , 20 ′).
15. An automation network comprising an IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) is implemented to control at least one controllable automation device communicatively coupled to the IPC ( 1 , 50 , 100 , 101 ) through a communications network.
16. The IPC according to claim 2 , wherein the connection bus ( 2 ) is further implemented to transmit control signals between the housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) and/or the electronic components ( 11 , 21 ).
17. The IPC according to claim 16 , wherein the connection bus ( 2 ) comprises a PCI bus, a PCI express bus, a USB protocol bus and/or a I 2 c protocol bus.
18. The IPC according to claim 2 , wherein the first and the second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) are stacked on top of each other along the stacking direction (SD) and surfaces of the first and second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) that face each other have same dimensions.
19. The IPC according to claim 3 , wherein the first and the second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) are stacked on top of each other along the stacking direction (SD) and surfaces of the first and second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) that face each other have same dimensions.
20. The IPC according to claim 16 , wherein the first and the second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) are stacked on top of each other along the stacking direction (SD) and surfaces of the first and second housing modules ( 10 , 20 , 20 ′) that face each other have same dimensions.