DRIVER Power Swlchus
Contents
1. 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 allow the novice to make a quick set up Selecting instead process control 26 means similarly selecting a larger number of parameters to be set e g whether the feed back signal is a voltage current or pulse signal Another feature of the invention is that despite the fact that the number of parameters is larger when speed control 25 or process control 26 is selected the operator will not be overwhelmed because to make the settings the operator does not need to know the programming parameter numbers Instead set up of the parameters is accomplished in a more intuitive way by letting the operator enter in the physical values from motor and or process This is shown in FIG 5 which in this example is the starting view the operator is led through corresponding to box 15 of FIG 3 regardless of whether he wants open loop speed control or process control application Entering in the motor data would normally require memorizing from the operator s manual parameter number 102 for motor power parameter number 103 for motor voltage parameter 104 for motor frequency parameter 105 for motor current and parameter 106 for nominal motor speed and then sequentially access ing these parameters to set them up According to the invention instead of presenting the parameter numbers to the operator which numbers actually only are of internal interest to the manufacturers of the f2. in which the operator is guided through the set up procedure so that only relevant parameters are displayed on the different views Another aspect of the invention is a method of programming a motor controller not in terms of parameter and parameter numbers but in physical technical and process terms In this way a high level mode of programming a motor controller is achieved because the user interface does not deal with the less interesting motor controller specific parameters but instead allows the opera tor to program the unit in terms he uses 3 Claims 6 Drawing Sheets e os 32 eS aa U S Patent Jun 1 1999 Sheet 1 of 6 5 909 372 Fig 1 U S Patent Jun 1 1999 Sheet 2 of 6 5 909 372 PICTURE NO 2706 aR Oe fe Quadratic U f relationship HVAC applications Notice If using synchronous motors or motors in parallel only select control principle 0 or 2 For setting of the continous current raise and the breakaway torque press Motor control Frequency reference value P084 100 4 Cal _ hz PO77 0 PO77 2 Frequency 0 D Measured frequency Auto C Hz For autocalibration of the statorresistance ress the CAL button or connect a measuring unit P081 MPORTANT The motor MUST be connected Statorresistance P89 C ohms Figs 2 Prior Art U S Patent Jun 1 1999 Sheet 3 of 6 5 909 372 Fig 3 Servo Industry HVAC
3. line 18 speed control 19 or process control 20 After finishing these settings the type of reference signals are set in box 21 and finally the external connections type of start stop buttons are selected in box 22 Box 23 updates the settings and sends them to the frequency converter According to this invention instead of presenting all information at one time a method of programming is provided in which the operator is sequentially guided through the set up so that only relevant parameters are displayed in the different views If a first selection is made in a view the next views only incorporate the parameters belonging to and relevant to the first selection FIG 4 is an example of this and shows a view presented on the PC screen 2 FIG 1 to the operator In this example which corresponds in sequence to the configuration box 17 of FIG 3 the frequency converter can execute control in three types of applications open loop 24 18 in FIG 3 speed control 25 19 in FIG 3 and process control 26 20 in FIG 3 The latter includes PID control whereas speed control 25 involves speed feedback from an encoder or a tachometer The simplest mode of control is the open loop By selecting this one the operator in the following views will only be presented parameters and choices relevant to this mode of control he is shielded from more complicated parameters which only have a function in the other modes This will 10 15
4. up dependent on the adjustment of the curve A third object of the invention is to provide graphically nearly the same views independent of the selections made before This is done by using the same input box for the programming of several parameter numbers Though the prior selections by the operator may result in marked changes in the programming structure and the parameter numbers to be set up the operator will in a user friendly way not perceive this because the changes on the screen are negligible Yet another object of the invention is providing a method of configuring a motor controller following the before mentioned steps and at the end of the set up providing a listing with the alterations programmed this listing offering the choice of skipping altering or activating the set up of the frequency converter BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a general view of the system motor controller and programming tool FIG 2 shows an example of prior art interface between motor controller and programming tool FIG 3 is a flow chart of the programming process FIG 4 is a first view showing the possible applications of the motor controller FIG 5 is a second view showing a family of parameters with a graphic FIG 6 is a third view showing a time frequency curve and a set of family parameters FIGS 7 8 and 9 show the views appearing depending on the chosen feedback signal DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE EMBODYING TH
5. 18 20 Process control U S Patent Jun 1 1999 Sheet 4 of 6 5 909 372 Fig 4 Application Configuration Process Control 0 Multi Motor Fig 5 Motor Data All Values are Rated Name Plate Data 30 Motor Current Motor Power A aE Motor CIEE Motor ele Toji s ieie GETT i ETT ge Les min 31 Therminal Motor Protection Calculated Protecaon Adaptive Porameter Tuning only Single Motor v Only Single induction Motor Off Waming Trip U S Patent Jun 1 1999 Sheet 5 of 6 5 909 372 Figs 6 38 Frequency Range and Ramp Times Frequency Max Output Frequency Hz 36 Min Output Frequency naton s peneatation s 33 34 Fig 7 Feedback Process Control Signal Type Ce Voltage signal C current signal Pulse Signal 39 Feedback Signal v Scale High 310 43 Seale Low U S Patent Jun 1 1999 Sheet 6 of 6 5 909 372 Fig 8 Feedback Process Control Signal Type Voltage signal C Current signal Pulse Signal Feedback Signal ma 20 Scale Low 44 Process Low fara Yig Value L414 Valve L415 416 Fig 9 Feedback Process Control Signal Type Voltage signal C current signal Pulse Signal Pulse Freq Feedback Signal High Hz 327 43 Process Low arg high 5 909 372 1 USER INTERFACE FOR PROGRAMMING A MOTOR CONTROLLER This invention relates to the user interface between user an
6. E BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION FIG 1 shows an overview of the system in which the invention is used A laptop or stationary computer PC 1 has a screen 2 which displays information concerning set up of the motor controller 4 in the following text called a fre quency converter Via a data connection 3 the frequency converter 4 communicates with the PC 1 The frequency converter 4 has an I O module 5 interfacing to the outside world and a front panel 6 which is mounted on the unit itself From this panel the operator is able to program the 5 909 372 3 unit in nearly the same way as when using the PC loaded with set up software A microprocessor 7 controls the frequency converter and motor The set up done by the operator either from the front panel or from the PC is stored in an EEPROM 8 Through a driver 9 the microprocessor controls the activation of the power switches 10 which feed energy in modified form from the mains supply to the electric motor 12 via line 11 The motor is driving a process 13 and the outcome of this process is fed via line 14 back to the frequency converter s I O module 5 Normally set up of a system like the one shown in FIG 1 would require a person skilled in this specific frequency converter An abundance of programmable parameters are at his disposal which certainly can be overwhelming to the novice FIG 2 is an example of a prior art interface and shows a software Siemens Simovis used for commi
7. United States Patent 9 Thybo US005909372A 11 Patent Number 5 909 372 45 Date of Patent Jun 1 1999 54 USER INTERFACE FOR PROGRAMMING A MOTOR CONTROLLER 75 Inventor Claus Thybo S nderborg Denmark 73 Assignee Danfoss A S Nordborg Denmark 21 Appl No 08 659 917 22 Filed Jun 7 1996 SE p Tmt 3 GRE saunaa G05B 9 02 52 US 2 Cheni 364 188 364 146 345 354 345 967 345 970 58 Field of Search oceans 364 188 189 364 167 01 146 345 352 353 354 964 970 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 663 704 5 1987 Jones et al ssesssesssesseseeesese 364 188 4 679 137 7 1987 Lane et al 364 188 4 992 929 2 1991 Yamada etal essees 364 189 5 168 441 12 1992 Onarheim et al wee 364 146 5 251 125 10 1993 Karnowski et al 364 189 5 297 252 3 1994 Becker oe w 364 188 5 392 207 2 1995 Wilson et al wees 364 167 01 5 400 246 5 453 926 3 1995 Wilson et al ceeeeeseeeee 364 146 9 1995 Stroschin et al wees 364 188 Primary Examiner William Grant Assistant Examiner Sheela S Rao Attorney Agent or Firm Lee Mann Smith McWilliams Sweeney amp Ohlson 57 ABSTRACT There is disclosed a method and system for improving the user interface between operator and motor controller in particular a frequency converter According to the invention instead of presenting all information on a display at one time a method of programming the motor controller is suggested
8. d motor controller for operating electrical motors in particular with an interface consisting of a personal com puter equipped with interfacing software It is the aim of the invention to make initial programming and set up of a frequency converter easier and less time consuming than it has been the case hitherto BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Today s motor controllers e g DC drives servo con trollers and frequency converters are digitally controlled with a huge number of control possibilities made possible through the digitization Most electronic control devices are programmed via a menu consisting of a number of param eters to be set For example setting a Danfoss manufactured by Danfoss A S Nordborg Denmark fre quency converter VLT series 3000 to ramp up the motor in 45 seconds requires programming of parameter number 217 to 45 However this means some maneuvering on the user panel located on front of the unit First step is selecting the right group which can be found by looking in the user manual After selecting Group 2 Operations set up next the correct parameter number for Ramp up must be located Again the user manual will help The correct parameter number is 217 which can then be set to 45 During this single programming step the buttons on the user panel have been activated quite a few times and consulting the user manual was necessary For the optimal setting of a frequency converte
9. e time to seek information about them he is also confronted on the screen with an abundance of information and programming choices to be made SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To aid the operator and to improve the user interface this invention makes it possible to configure the frequency converter without knowing the parameter numbers or even without consulting the user manual The object of the 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 invention is to provide a method of programming a user interface for a motor controller in particular a frequency converter wherein the frequency converter is configured by way of parameter numbers this method comprising the following steps a displaying a first view with a graphic representation of the modes of application where each mode contains a number of parameters for configuring the motor con troller b selecting one of these modes c limiting the possible settings and choices to be chosen by the operator to only contain parameters from the selected mode of operation and d incorporating into each view graphics relating to the set of family parameters Another object of the invention is the improvement of graphical setting and programming of parameter values by adjusting the curves displayed on the screen to fit the desired values This fully allows programming without knowing the relevant parameter values since these automatically and simultaneously are set
10. e type of feedback signal from the process FIG 7 shows graphics 39 and 40 relating to a set of family parameters including a curve 41 displaying the relationship between process output and feedback signal In the box 42 the operator can choose between three types of feedback signals i e voltage signal current signal and pulse signal This corresponds to the step of the reference signal box 21 of FIG 3 The following explanation will describe yet another aspect of the invention consisting of the same input box being used for the programming of several parameter num bers By using this method a high level mode of program ming the frequency converter is achieved because the user interface omits the less interesting control of the frequency converter and allows the operator to get close to process control in terms he uses If selecting voltage signal in box 42 the operator has to input five figures which are maxi mum feedback voltage 43 Scale high minimum feed back voltage 44 Scale low process unit 45 e g kg s pes and max and min number of outputs from the process 46 and 47 Again entering data is done by the operator without knowing any parameter numbers This would also be the case if current signal in box 42 were activated instead of voltage signal FIG 8 shows this situation where the only difference to the operator is the change of y axis labelling to mA and the upper limit fixed to 20 Internally i
11. iven only a set of family parameters are given for each view E g parameter numbers 102 106 in the input boxes 27 31 are one set of family parameters since they all deal with the motor data A graphic 32 on FIG 5 representing a motor symbolizes the contents of this family of parameters Correspondingly parameter numbers 200 201 207 and 208 in FIG 6 make up another family of parameters because they all deal with ramping times and motor speed Here the operator inputs the physical characteristics of acceleration deceleration time and max min output frequency of the frequency converter in the boxes 33 34 35 and 36 Again after entering the physical values the different parameter numbers in the family are set automatically Another method according to the invention of entering these values consists of linking the graphic with the input 5 909 372 5 boxes By pointing on the curve 37 with the computer screen pointer and identifying the acceleration points desired e g by clicking a computer mouse the values in the boxes 33 36 will change correspondingly This is an easy and intuitive way of programming The operator has now been led through a view incorpo rating one set of family parameters concerning motor data FIG 5 another view with another set of family parameters concerning acceleration and deceleration FIG 6 and finally he has chosen the process control application FIG 4 In the next view he has to decide on th
12. n the program however things have changed Where the box 44 Scale low in FIG 7 was tantamount to programming parameter number 309 it is now parameter number 315 However the operator will not perceive and is not required to physically enter this change In FIG 9 pulse signal in box 42 has been selected and again the y axis has changed In the box 43 where formerly parameter number 310 was programmed is now parameter number 327 set This change of parameter numbers in the 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 6 boxes in dependence on the choices made in box 42 is easily made Instead of letting box 43 in FIG 7 point to the address in the RAM where the setting value for parameter number 310 is to be stored the box 43 in FIG 9 points to the RAM address of the parameter number 327 Various changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof or scope of the following claims What is claimed is 1 Amethod of programming a user interface for a motor controller via a computer incorporating a monitor displaying different screen displays wherein the motor controller is configured by way of parameters and where an operator is guided in views sequentially through the programming procedure the method comprising the steps of a displaying a first view with a graphic representation of modes of application where each mode contains a number of parameters for configuring the motor controller these mode
13. r a mini mum of about 10 parameters have to be accessed and set up which is cumbersome and time consuming from the front panel on the unit However linking the motor controller to a personal computer PC and programming monitoring or servicing the motor controller with the software on the PC is another way of accessing the motor controller U S Pat No 5 392 207 to Wilson et al describes a motor controller connected to a PC which incorporates software for servicing the motor controller Wilson improves the user interface between operator and motor controller during troubleshoot ing by creating on the PC monitor a sequential flow diagram consisting of boxes where the flow diagram is a graphical representation of the program to be run by the motor controller It is then possible to run through the program for the motor controller step by step and to follow the move ments on the flow diagram thereby checking that the sequence is correct However Wilson does not deal with the user interface at the initial set up of the motor controller The user interface is typically a hand held terminal with a screen display or a personal computer which is more comfortable because of the larger view The huge number of parameters which can be set up on the frequency converter in some cases more than 200 combined with the many options added to the software interface tend to confuse the operator Not only has he to memorize the parameter num bers or us
14. requency converter the operator is presented the physical characteristics to be set in the input boxes 27 28 29 30 and 31 to ease the description the parameter numbers are written in the boxes This means entering respectively e g 5 kW 38 OV 60 Hz 13 A and 1500 RPM without caring about or memorizing parameter numbers This is a more intuitive way of programming the frequency converter user friendly and time saving The program which controls the user interface then allocates the settings to the right parameter numbers This can be done in the following way The program allocates an address in the random access memory RAM of the PC to each box in the view When entering a value in a box the value is written in the corresponding RAM address To the program this RAM address is known to contain the setting value of a certain parameter in the frequency con verter When all the relevant parameters in the different views on the PC screen have been set to the desired values a full look up table with parameter settings has been gen erated in the RAM of the PC Upon final programming of the frequency converter 23 in FIG 3 the PC sends the look up table and the corresponding parameter numbers via a serial data link in FIG 1 to the EEPROM 8 in FIG 1 of the frequency converter Yet another aspect of the invention becomes clear again referring to FIG 5 Instead of incorporating in one view all the physical characteristics to be g
15. s of application indicating basic control principles to be chosen b selecting one of these modes of application c in the guided views limiting the number of settings and choices to be chosen by the operator to only contain parameters from the selected mode of application d whereby each view consists a set of functionally related parameters in the form of a set of family parameters and e incorporating into each view graphics relating to the set of family parameters 2 Method of programming a user interface for a motor controller according to claim 1 wherein the configuration is done by an operator by means of a keyboard or mouse and a graphic where the graphic is linked with input boxes in the views the method comprising sensing selections on a data representation in the graphic to select setting values for programming the motor controller and simultaneously changing the values in the input boxes so that the selections in the graphic correspond to the values in the input boxes 3 Method of programming a user interface for a motor controller according to claim 1 wherein the same input boxes are employed in different screen displays for the programming of different parameters in the motor controller
16. ssion ing a motor controller The operator has the choice between three control principles linearly U f control quadratic U f control and adaptive U f control However independent of the selection made in the following views he is confronted with a large quantity of information and number of settings to be made The novice would have difficulties in program ming because he is not informed which parameters are necessary to program and which ones can be programmed Even the skilled user would have to consult the user manual which is time consuming and he might even miss some settings which are not necessary but could improve the final control of the motor FIG 3 is a flow chart of the programming process After setting the motor controller to control in Industry mode which means speed regulating for example a conveyor the frequency converter can be tailored for still more specialized applications However providing the motor data 15 and the ramping times 16 is common to all applications Therefore boxes 15 and 16 could be interchanged or placed later in the flowchart The choice of HVAC instead of Industry would have presented to the operator other parameters and setting possibilities thus shielding him from the less inter esting options in the Industry mode With Industry selected the frequency converter must be configured to the desired application in box 17 which can be open loop characterized by
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search