Pivotable touchscreen for a gas-distribution facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10823336-B2
Application number	US-201615749018-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to a facility for supplying a working gas provided with an insulating chamber ( 3 ) and a door ( 3 ′) that is pivotable about a vertical axis in order to allow the opening and the closing of said chamber ( 3 ), including a device ( 9 ) for distributing a working gas having a monitoring and command unit ( 35, 35 A) including means ( 45 ) for controlling the monitoring and command unit ( 35, 35 A) which can be actuated by an operator of the distribution device ( 9, 9 A), said controlling means ( 45 ) including a touchscreen ( 47 ) having command regions ( 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 ) associated with monitoring corresponding tasks, characterised in that said touchscreen is attached to a housing ( 47 A) built into the door ( 3 ′), said housing ( 47 A) being capable of and designed to pivot about a vertical axis (Y).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A facility for supplying a working gas, equipped with an isolation enclosure ( 3 ) and with a door ( 3 ′) pivotable about a first vertical axis (X) in order to enable said enclosure ( 3 ) to be opened and closed, comprising:
at least one source ( 5 , 7 ) of a pressurized working gas arranged in the isolation enclosure ( 3 ), and a device ( 9 ) for distributing a working gas comprising
a set of pipelines ( 15 , 21 , 23 ) linked to at least one source ( 5 , 7 ) of a pressurized working gas and to at least one output pipeline ( 10 , 10 A) for routing the working gas to a consumer station ( 10 B),
functional components ( 25 ), in particular valves ( 27 , 29 , 27 A, 29 A) arranged in the set of pipelines ( 15 , 21 , 23 ) and used to regulate the flow of the working gas in said pipelines, gas leak detectors ( 34 , 34 A), and a monitoring and control unit ( 35 , 35 A) comprising a communication link ( 37 ) with said functional components ( 25 ), a monitoring system ( 39 ) configured for and adapted to monitoring tasks relating to said functional components ( 25 ), and a user interface ( 45 ) configured for and adapted to enable a user to manage the monitoring system ( 39 ), wherein the user interface is configured for and adapted to be actuated by an operator of the distribution device ( 9 , 9 A), said user interface ( 45 ) comprising a touchscreen ( 47 ) having main control zones ( 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ) associated with the monitoring of corresponding tasks, characterized in that said touchscreen is attached to a housing ( 47 A) integrated into the door ( 3 ′), said housing ( 47 A) being able to and designed to pivot about a second vertical axis (Y).

2. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that the touchscreen ( 47 ) has main control zones ( 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ) associated with the monitoring of corresponding tasks, which main control zones ( 60 to 68 ) being delineated by graphics ( 50 to 58 ) associated with said tasks.

3. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that the touchscreen ( 47 ) comprises, for at least one main control zone ( 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 ), at least one secondary control zone ( 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ) associated with said at least one main control zone ( 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 ) and relating to an instruction for monitoring the task corresponding to said at least one main control zone ( 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 ), said at least one secondary control zone ( 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ) being delineated by a graphic ( 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 ) associated with said instruction and displayed on said touchscreen ( 47 ) only in the event of activation of said corresponding main control zone ( 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 ) by an operator.

4. The facility of claim 3 , characterized in that the touchscreen ( 47 ) comprises a first region ( 49 ) reserved exclusively for said main control zones ( 60 to 68 ) and a second region ( 80 ) separate from said first region ( 49 ) and intended for said secondary control zones ( 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ).

5. The facility of claim 4 , characterized in that the touchscreen ( 47 ) furthermore comprises a third region ( 100 ) separate from said first ( 49 ) and second ( 80 ) regions and reserved for displaying an item of information relating to a main control zone ( 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 ) activated by an operator.

6. The facility of claim 3 , characterized in that the user interface ( 45 ) for managing the monitoring system ( 39 ) is additionally configured for and adapted to signal ( 70 ), on the touchscreen ( 47 ), a control zone ( 60 ; 61 ; 62 ; 63 ; 64 ; 65 ; 66 ; 67 ; 68 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ) activated by an operator.

7. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that a task monitored by the monitoring system ( 39 ) relates to the management and display, on the touchscreen ( 47 ), of an alarm detected by the functional components ( 25 ), and in that one ( 60 ) of the main control zones of the touchscreen is a zone for activating a display of the alarm.

8. The facility of claim 1 further comprising measuring sensors ( 31 ) for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipelines ( 15 ), characterized in that a task monitored by the monitoring system ( 39 ) relates to the evaluation of the measured values captured by said measuring sensors ( 31 ) and to a display of said values on the touchscreen ( 47 ), and in that one ( 61 ) of said main control zones is a zone for activating the display, on the touchscreen, of a measured value.

9. The facility of claim 1 further comprising measuring sensors ( 31 ) for measuring the pressures prevailing in the pipelines, characterized in that the user interface ( 45 ) comprise a computer memory ( 48 ) for storing a block diagram showing the device ( 9 ) for distributing the working gas and the valves ( 27 , 29 ) arranged therein, in that a task monitored by the monitoring system ( 39 ) relates to an evaluation of measured values captured by said sensors ( 31 ) and to the joint display, on the touchscreen ( 47 ), of the block diagram of the distribution device ( 9 ), which block diagram is recorded in said computer memory ( 48 ), and of said measured values captured by the sensors ( 31 ), and in that one ( 62 ) of said main control zones is a zone for activating a display, on the touchscreen ( 47 ), of the block diagram with the measured values.

10. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises two sources ( 5 , 7 ) of working gas, said sources being gas cylinders.

11. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that the user interface ( 45 ) for managing the monitoring system ( 39 ) is able to and designed to be controlled remotely, by way of a WiFi connection, by a tablet, a smartphone or a portable computer.

12. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that an emergency stop button (B) is attached to said housing ( 47 A), said housing being situated at a height of less than 1.70 m from the ground.

13. The facility of claim 1 , characterized in that a size of the touchscreen ( 47 ) is less than 12 inches.

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• Air Liquide Electronics Systems

Inventors

• Ouerd Aziz
• DULPHY HERVé
• Dos Reis Henrique

Classifications

• F17C13/02

  Special adaptations of indicating, measuring, or monitoring equipment (measuring in general G01) · CPC title

• F17C2221/037

  Containing pollutant, e.g. H2S, Cl · CPC title

• F17C2205/035

  Flow reducers · CPC title

• F17C2260/044

  Avoiding pollution or contamination · CPC title

• F17C2260/042

  Reducing risk of explosion · CPC title