The configuration of machines and plants can be done completely manually, whereby a high degree of engineering knowledge is required. However, this can also be executed fully automatically by third party systems, for example SAP. This includes development steps that enable a manual configuration by users without engineering knowledge as well as configuration options that can be performed from distributed locations.
Manual configuration by users with extensive engineering knowledge
A modular system with few mechatronic components can serve as the initial model.
- The mechatronic components are directly derived from MechatronicComponent and can be freely nested within each other.
- The parameters save texts (strings) and numbers (integer).
The following figure shows a modular system with mechatronic components for a machine and three mechatronic components of a power supply. The mechatronic components of the power supply appear in all machines
Disadvantages:
- None?
Manual configuration by users with little engineering knowledge
- Instances have been created and parameterized by means of a user interface (Form-UI).
- A graphic diagram (Graph2D) can be used for instancing and specific user interfaces (Form-UIs) can be used to parameterize the instances.
- All entries are validated so that there is no risk of incorrect entries.
- The generation of the target documents is initiated directly by the user.
- The target documents are created by the same computer that performs the configuration.
Manual configuration by users who are located in multiple locations
- Web EEC provides the user interface (Form-UI) via online connections..
- Instances are created and parameterized via the user interface. This can be also only a partial configuration for a certain part of the machine or plant.
- The generation of target documents can be initiated directly by the user but also by other parties.
- The target documents are created by a central computer that also provides the Web EEC.
Fully automated configuration
- Third party systems, for example SAP, determine the configuration of a machine or plant.
- The configuration data is transferred as a so called job definition to the Job Server.
- The Job Server passes the job definitions to so called Workers who are capable of handling these job definitions.
- The Workers can:
- Create new projects.
- Import partial projects.
- Instantiate components.
- Parameterize components.
- Create target documents.
- The Job Server in turn makes the created target documents available to the requester.