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EP-4740128-A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TESTING A CIRCUIT CONFIGURATION

EP4740128A1EP 4740128 A1EP4740128 A1EP 4740128A1EP-4740128-A1

Abstract

The invention describes a technique for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit configuration (110) on a computer (140). According to a method aspect of the technique, an input, which specifies at least one electrical component (100) of the circuit configuration (110), is detected at a user interface (130). The at least one electrical component (100) has a plurality of electrical coupling points (120), wherein the coupling points (120) are designed to allow electrical connection to another component (100) or to another element of the circuit configuration (110). A representation of the at least one component (100) at the user interface (130) is based on a real geometric design of the component (100) and the plurality of coupling points (120) are located on the representation of the component (100) in accordance with their arrangement on the component (100). All the coupling points (120) of the at least one electrical component (100) with the same electric potential are determined in accordance with the electrical function of the component (100). The determined coupling points (120) are highlighted by means of the user interface (130) with marking (150) of a coupling point (120) from amongst the plurality of coupling points (120), wherein the marking process is initiated by means of the user interface (130).

Inventors

  • Isaak, Peter

Assignees

  • Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co KG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240621

Claims (18)

  1. 1. A method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) on a computer (140), comprising: Detecting at a user interface (130) an input that indicates at least one electrical component (100) of the circuit structure (110), wherein the at least one electrical component (100) has a plurality of electrical coupling points (120), wherein the coupling points (120) are designed to enable an electrical connection to another component (100) or another element of the circuit structure (110), wherein a representation of the at least one component (100) on the user interface (130) is based on a real geometric configuration of the component (100) and the plurality of coupling points (120) are located on the representation of the component (100) according to their arrangement on the component (100); and Determining all crosspoints (120) of the at least one electrical component (100) with the same electrical potential according to an electrical function of the component (100) and highlighting the determined crosspoints (120) by means of the user interface (130) when marking (150) a certain crosspoint (120) from the plurality of determined crosspoints (120), wherein the marking is initiated by means of the user interface (130).
  2. 2. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit structure (110) corresponds to a wiring of a control cabinet (190), optionally wherein the electrical function of the component (100) is stored in a database or a module library, and/or wherein the detection and the determination are computer-implemented.
  3. 3. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to claim 1 or 2, - TI - wherein the electrical component (100) comprises at least one switching element (160), wherein a position of the switching element (160) influences the electrical function of the component (100), wherein the position of the switching element (160) is taken into account when highlighting the coupling points (120) of the component (100) with the same electrical potential, optionally wherein the switching element (160) is designed as a switchable terminal for clamping a wire connection.
  4. 4. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the electrical components (100) are combined in a component group (170), wherein at least some of the electrical components (100) in the component group (170) are electrically connected to one another by a bridge connection (180), wherein the electrical connection of the components (100) is taken into account when highlighting the coupling points (120) of the components (100) and/or by highlighting the bridge connections (180).
  5. 5. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the input indicates the function of the at least one electrical component (100) and/or the electrical state of the at least one electrical component (100) and/or an orientation or a location of the at least one electrical component (100), optionally relative to one another and/or within the control cabinet (190), and/or wherein the determination of the coupling points (120) is dependent on the function and/or the electrical state and/or the specified location of the at least one electrical component (100).
  6. 6. A method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: Detecting an input and arranging by means of the user interface (130) at least one further component (100), optionally a further component group (170), for the circuit structure (110); and Detecting an input by means of the user interface (130) of at least one electrical connection (210) between the component (100) and the further component (100) at the coupling points (120), wherein the equipotential test comprises determining and highlighting all coupling points (120) of the at least one component (100) and all coupling points (120) of the further component (100) having the same electrical potential at a marking (150) of a coupling point (120) from the plurality of coupling points (120).
  7. 7. A method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to claim 6, wherein the highlighting, optionally in response to a further input at the user interface (130), also comprises highlighting the electrical connection (210), and/or wherein the highlighting comprises color highlighting and/or a graphical enlargement of all crosspoints (120) belonging to a group of electrical connections, and/or wherein the highlighting is optionally activated and deactivated by a selection menu of the user interface (130) and/or a button of the user interface and/or a program-controlled simulation function.
  8. 8. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the electrical connection (210) between the component (100) of the component group (170) and the further component (100) of the further component group (170) is designed as a bridge (220) and/or as a wire connection (230).
  9. 9. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling points (120) are designed as terminals for clamping the wire connection or the bridge.
  10. 10. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one component (100) and/or the at least one further component (100) is arranged on a support rail (200), optionally wherein the support rail (200) is designed as a top-hat rail (202).
  11. 11. A method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising Generating an instruction (240) for determining the component (100) and/or for arranging the component (100) and/or for wiring the component (100) and/or for adjusting the component (100), wherein the instruction (240) is designed to be machine-readable, optionally wherein the instruction (240) is also designed to be readable by a person.
  12. 12. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to claim 11, wherein the instruction (240) is suitable for at least partially controlling an automatic assembly machine (250) for arranging the components (100) and/or interconnecting the components (100) according to the circuit structure (110).
  13. 13. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the instruction (240) comprises a test instruction (330) for at least partially checking the circuit structure constructed by the automatic assembly machine (250) according to the circuit structure (110) detected by means of the input, wherein the test instruction (330) comprises a checking step in which the specific coupling points (120) with the same electrical potential in the constructed circuit structure are checked for electrically conductive connection, optionally wherein the checking step comprises a manual checking step.
  14. 14. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the equipotential test is carried out two-dimensionally, in particular as a plan view of the components (100) and component groups (170), whose coupling points (120) and bridge connections (180) can be shown in the plan view.
  15. 15. Method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the equipotential test is carried out three-dimensionally, and/or wherein the representation of the arrangement of the components (100) and the highlighting of the coupling points (120) by means of the user interface (130) are three-dimensionally is rotatable so that different perspectives of the components (100) and component groups (170) can be displayed.
  16. 16. Device (360) for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure (110), comprising a computer (140) with a user interface (130), the device being designed: to detect, by means of a detection device (370), on the user interface (130), an input that indicates at least one electrical component (100) of the circuit structure (110), the at least one electrical component (100) having a plurality of electrical coupling points (120), the coupling points (120) being designed to enable an electrical connection to another component (100) or another element of the circuit structure (110), a representation of the at least one component (100) on the user interface (130) being based on a real geometric configuration of the component (100) and the plurality of coupling points (120) being localized on the representation of the component (100) according to their arrangement on the component (100). and for determining, by means of a determining device (380), all of the coupling points (120) of the at least one electrical component (100) having the same electrical potential according to the electrical function of the component (100) and highlighting the determined coupling points (120) by means of the user interface (130) when marking (150) a certain coupling point (120) from the plurality of determined coupling points (120), wherein the marking is initiated by means of the user interface (130).
  17. 17. System (400) for computer-aided configuration of an electrical circuit structure (110), in which a validation of a configuration of an electrical circuit (102) is carried out by means of a potential testing module (440); wherein the potential testing module (440) comprises a visualization of comparable potentials and/or a current path marking of comparable potentials.
  18. 18. System (400) according to claim 17, additionally comprising a module for reverse engineering (450) of the electrical circuit structure (110), in which the connections are marked with comparable potential and the system (400) detects and marks errors based thereon; optionally, wherein the error detection is based on a comparison of the electrical circuit structure (110) with the electrical circuit (102).

Description

Method and device for testing a circuit structure The invention relates to a technology for configuring and testing an electrical circuit structure, in particular for implementing an electrical terminal plan with predetermined components. The invention preferably relates to the planning and testing of a control cabinet or the like in which a large number of electrical (in particular electronic) functions are implemented, which serve, for example, to control a plant or a system. In general, computer-aided engineering (CAE) is a well-known use of computer software to support technical analysis and implementation tasks. It also includes planning tools for control cabinets, which, for example, also support the construction of terminal blocks or terminal boxes in control cabinet construction. These CAE tools enable the design of a circuit structure, in particular the configuration of the control cabinet, with the support of intelligent engineering assistants, which contributes significantly to rationalization. This also includes the multiple use of the data obtained, which can be used from purchasing to production. Here, the circuit structure includes the spatial arrangement (in particular on a mounting rail) of electrical components (in particular switching relays and terminals) and their wiring (in particular by means of rails). In other words, the circuit structure does not concern a circuit diagram, but the concrete circuit diagram implementation. A large number of supply, control, regulation and evaluation components are used, which must be selected, set (in particular parameterized) and connected to each other and to the associated inputs and outputs in accordance with the functional requirements. The complexity that has to be managed (for example the control to be provided) requires the circuit structure to be checked shortly before or during its physical implementation, for example by installing it in a control cabinet. Supporting and checking functions are also useful, which check that the circuit structure is being implemented correctly or make checking easier. However, during the actual planning process of the circuit diagram implementation with real components, their settings and parameterizations as well as their multiple connections, errors can arise, the search for and correction of which is complex and time-consuming. Even during the implementation of the circuit, i.e. when building the circuit using the real components and when wiring and parameterizing them, errors can arise despite Supporting the implementation through the planning data. Again, considerable effort is required to identify and eliminate any errors. The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a technology which makes errors in planning and implementation easier to detect and can also support their elimination. The object is achieved with the features of the independent claims. Expedient embodiments and advantageous further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. Embodiments of the invention, which can optionally be combined with one another, are disclosed below with partial reference to the figures. A first aspect relates to a method for equipotential testing of electrical states of an electrical circuit structure using one or more computers. The method comprises a step of detecting an input to at least one electrical component for the circuit structure. The term "electrical" can in particular also include the term "electronic", whereby, for example, the term electronic requires non-linear electrical components. The component has or the components have (for example each) a plurality of electrical coupling points. The coupling points are designed to enable an electrical connection to another component or another element of the circuit structure. A representation of the at least one component using the user interface is based on a real geometric design of the respective component (in particular not a circuit diagram symbol). The majority of the coupling points are also localized in accordance with their arrangement on the real component when the component is represented using the user interface. The method further comprises a step of determining all coupling points (of the at least one electrical component) with the same electrical potential according to the electrical function (for example, depending on the electrical state or a switching position) of the respective component. Highlighting the determined coupling points (of the at least one component) with the same electrical potential according to the electrical function of the component takes place when a certain coupling point is marked from the majority of the determined coupling points on the user interface. The recording of the input (which indicates the circuit structure underlying the determination of the coupling points) and the marking (which causes the highlighting) is initiated by means of the user interface. The recording