Instrument panel for computing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12340032-B2
Application number	US-202418640944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2024
Priority date	Sep 9, 2019
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

An instrument panel includes a frame defining an opening, a plurality of cards, and an HMI. The cards have a front face, a rear face, one or more circuits, and a data interface on the rear face in communication with the circuits. The cards include one or more first cards and one or more second cards. The first cards front face have a vertical dimension approximately equal to a vertical dimension of the opening. The second cards have a body, a nose projecting from the body defining the second cards front face, and a recess between the nose and body. The HMI includes a front face received within the opening. The first cards are positioned with the front face visible within the opening. The second cards are positioned with the nose visible within the opening and a depth of the HMI received within the recess.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An instrument panel, comprising:
a frame housing a plurality of cards, each card having a front face, a rear face, one or more circuits, and a data connection interface in electrical communication with the one or more circuits, the plurality of cards including,
one or more first cards, wherein the front face of the first cards extends fully over a height of the frame, and a width of the front face of the first cards is less than the height of the frame, and
one or more second cards, having a body, a nose projecting forward from the body and defining the front face of the one or more second cards, wherein the front face of the second cards extends over a portion of the height of the frame, and a width of the front face of the second cards is less than the height of the frame;
wherein the one or more first cards include a front data connection interface on the front face and a rear data connection interface on the rear face,
wherein the one or more first cards are interchangeable such that the front face or the rear face of the first cards is visible within an opening of the frame, and
wherein the one or more second cards are positioned such that the nose is visible within the opening of the frame.

2. The instrument panel of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first cards includes a power input circuit.

3. The instrument panel of claim 1 , further comprising a human machine interface (HMI) including a front face with a display received within a portion of the opening of the frame.

4. The instrument panel of claim 3 , wherein the one or more second cards further comprise a first data connector mounted to the body and configured to couple to a second data connector mounted to the HMI to form a data connection pathway for exchange of data between the one or more second cards and the HMI.

5. The instrument panel of claim 3 , wherein the front faces of respective cards of the one or more first cards and the one or more second cards, and the HMI are positioned within the opening such that
the one or more first cards are positioned adjacent to a left side of the frame;
the one or more second cards are positioned right of the first cards with the nose of respective ones of the second cards adjacent to a top or a bottom of the frame; and
the HMI is positioned right of the one or more first cards and below the second cards.

6. The instrument panel of claim 3 , wherein the front faces of respective cards of the one or more first cards and the one or more second cards, and the HMI are positioned within the opening such that
the one or more first cards are positioned adjacent to a right side of the frame;
the one or more second cards are positioned left of the first cards with the nose of respective ones of the second cards adjacent to a top or a bottom of the frame; and
the HMI is positioned left of the one or more first cards and above the second cards.

7. The instrument panel of claim 3 , wherein the front faces of respective cards of the one or more first cards and the one or more second cards, and the HMI are positioned within the opening such that
the one or more first cards are positioned inward from the right and left sides of the frame;
the one or more second cards include a plurality of second cards, wherein a first portion of the plurality of second cards is positioned left of the first cards and a second portion of the plurality of second cards is positioned right of the first cards, and wherein the nose of respective ones of the plurality of second cards are adjacent to a top of the frame; and
further comprising a first HMI and a second HMI, wherein the first HMI is positioned right of the first cards, the second HMI is positioned left of the one or more first cards, and the first and second HMI are positioned below the plurality of second cards.

8. The instrument panel of claim 3 , wherein the front faces of respective cards of the one or more first cards and the one or more second cards, and the HMI are positioned within the opening such that
the one or more first cards are positioned inward from the right and left sides of the frame;
the one or more second cards include a plurality of second cards, wherein a first portion of the plurality of second cards is positioned left of the first cards and a second portion of the plurality of second cards is positioned right of the first cards, and wherein the nose of respective ones of the second cards are adjacent to a bottom of the frame; and
further comprising a first HMI and a second HMI, wherein the first HMI is positioned right of the first cards, the second HMI is positioned left of the one or more first cards, and the first and second HMI are further positioned above the plurality of second cards.

9. The instrument panel of claim 1 , wherein at least one card of the one or more second cards includes one or more lights positioned on the front face of the at least one second card, the one or more lights in communication with the one or more circuits and configured to indicate a status of the at least one second card based on a duty cycle of the at least one second card.

10. The instrument panel of claim 1 , wherein at least card of the one or more second cards includes the data connection interface positioned on the front face.

11. A flexible monitoring system, comprising:
an instrument panel including a frame including at least two bases housing at least two backplanes therein, the at least two backplanes including a plurality of circuits communicatively coupled to at least one sensor configured to sense an operating parameter of a target, the at least two bases further defining a data communication interface,
wherein at least a portion of the plurality of circuits are configured on one or more first cards, wherein a front face of the one or more first cards extends fully over a height of the frame, and a width of the of the front face of the one or more first cards is less than the height of the frame,
wherein at least a portion of the plurality of circuits are configured on one or more second cards, the one or more second cards having a body, a nose projecting forward from the body and defining a front face of the one or more second cards, wherein the front face of the one or more second cards extends over a portion of the height of the frame, and a width of the front face of the one or more second cards is less than the height of the frame,
wherein the one or more first cards include a front data connection interface and a rear data connection interface that are interchangeable such that the front data connection interface or rear data connection interface of the one or more first cards is visible within the opening of the frame, and
wherein the one or more second cards are positioned such that the nose is visible within the opening of the frame and adjacent to the bottom of the frame.

12. The flexible monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of circuits includes a plurality of bridge circuits.

13. The flexible monitoring system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of bridge circuits are in electrical communication with the at least two backplanes, and wherein at least one card of the one or more second cards includes a rear face and the one or more data connection interfaces are positioned on the front face or the rear face and are in communication with the one or more circuits.

14. The flexible monitoring system of claim 13 , wherein at least one card of the one or more second cards includes one or more lights positioned on the front face of the at least one second card, the one or more lights in communication with the one o

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations Llc

Inventors

• Fisher Steven William
• Doan Kevin
• Blachnicka Malgorzata Anna
• Shadel Bryan

Classifications

• H05K7/1465

  Modular PLC assemblies with separable functional units · CPC title

• G05B2219/33328

  Diagnostic for bus system of computer · CPC title

• G05B19/4065

  Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition · CPC title

• G01R31/2801

  Testing of printed circuits, backplanes, motherboards, hybrid circuits or carriers for multichip packages [MCP] (G01R31/318508 takes precedence; contactless testing G01R31/302; testing contacts or connections G01R31/66) · CPC title

• G05B19/4185

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title