SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A PROCESS LINE USING A PLC AND SCALABLE HMI CONTROL TEMPLATE

摘要

A method and control system control a process line by providing a PLC with control screens each having a unique screen number. Each HMI device is provided access to a first set of the control screens, with displayed buttons labeled with a corresponding one of the control screens. Input signals are received from a requesting HMI device that identifies the requesting HMI device and requests a control action or a monitoring action for a corresponding workstation. Additionally, the requesting HMI device is provided access to a second set of the control screens based on the received input signals, such that the HMI devices share an HMI control template that is also dynamically and individually scalable to the requesting HMI device. The process line is then controlled via the PLC in response to control signals from the HMI devices corresponding to selections from the control screens.

主权项

1. A method for controlling a process line having a plurality of workstations using a programmable logic controller (PLC) programmed with a plurality of control screens each having a unique screen number, wherein the PLC is in networked communication with a plurality of human-machine interface (HMI) devices each having a display screen, the method comprising:
providing access via each of the HMI devices via the PLC to a first set of the control screens, including displaying buttons labeled with a corresponding function of one of the control screens via a respective one of the display screens; receiving input signals via the PLC from a requesting one of the HMI devices, wherein the received input signals identify the requesting HMI device and request one of a control action and a monitoring action for a corresponding one of the workstations; providing the requesting HMI device with access to a second set of the control screens based on the received input signals, such that the plurality of HMI devices share an HMI control template that is also dynamically and individually scalable to the requesting HMI device; and controlling the process line via the PLC in response to control signals from the HMI devices corresponding to selections from the first and second sets of control screens.