Automation of air conditioning systems. Why do we need automation to control the supply ventilation system Ventilation and air conditioning control system
The magazine "Climate World" continues to publish fragments of the new training program for additional vocational education of the Educational and Consulting Center "UNIVERSITY OF CLIMATE" entitled "Automation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems."
Earlier, we described in detail how to work with applications in the modern CAREL c.Suite development environment. Now let's talk about the development of dispatch user interfaces in the c.Web environment.
Development of custom dispatching interfaces in c.Web environment
Dispatching tools
The CAREL product range includes various dispatching tools, both local and global.
Freely programmable c.pCO family controllers
The c.pCO family of controllers, equipped with an integrated Ethernet port, provide direct Internet dispatching through an integrated web server.
The server user interface can be either standard, provided by CAREL free of charge, or developed according to the requirements of a specific customer.
The standard user interface is sufficient for monitoring the operation of the installation, controlling it and analyzing the behavior of the equipment over time due to the built-in function of logging the values of the selected parameters with their subsequent viewing in the form of graphs.
This solution is optimal for facilities with a small amount of equipment, where the budget does not allow installing a dedicated dispatching system server.
BOSS Object Level Dispatch Server
All controllers of the c.pCO family, regardless of modification, have at least one built-in RS485 port, which can be used to integrate the controller into the dispatch bus using ModBus or BACnet protocols.
The collection, storage, display of information from field controllers and notification of site personnel about situations requiring attention should be carried out by the BOSS dispatch server.
The features and benefits of the BOSS dispatch server are:
- access via any web browser with PC, tablet or smartphone;
- built-in Wi-Fi hotspot allows you to remotely work with BOSS as with mobile device so with personal computer;
- if necessary, it is possible to connect a monitor via Display Port or VGA connectors, and also keyboards and mice via USB ports;
- automatic scaling of server pages to the screen resolution of the device, with which is being accessed;
- integrated support for Modbus (Master and Slave) and BACnet (Client and Server) protocols via MS / TP (RS485) and TCP / IP buses;
- the most simplified procedure for deploying a dispatching system based on BOSS for data visualization score with using template pages.
The solution using BOSS is focused on objects where it is necessary to integrate dozens - hundreds of controllers, both manufactured by CAREL and third-party ones, into a single dispatch interface, supporting the most common communication protocols ModBus and BACnet.
Cloud dispatching service tERA
TERA's cloud-based dispatching service, which uses the power of the Internet to interact with field controllers located in various locations, is a universal solution for objects of any size, as well as for networks of objects.
TERA advantages:
- no need to place any server equipment in the field;
- Access to the tERA internet portal is possible with any device connected to global network;
- not special configuration of network equipment is required for the facility where the automation systems that are supposed to be controlled are installed;
- detailed information on equipment and management capabilities depend on the type of user set by the local administrator;
- automatic generation of reports as per schedule and upon the occurrence of certain events that require the intervention of the service personnel;
- support for updating the software of field controllers;
- built-in tools for analyzing equipment behavior by comparing parameters over time and between different objects;
- the user interface can be either minimalistic, consisting only of tables and graphs, or designed with taking into account the wishes of a particular customer.
The use of the tERA service is especially important for networks of small and medium-sized facilities, where it is impractical to use physical dispatch servers due to the small amount of equipment at each of the facilities, and the number of facilities themselves is large, which makes it difficult to directly connect to each of them.
Also, the tERA service is the optimal platform for service organizations offering their customers periodic maintenance and equipment repair services.
User interface development tools
All dispatching tools assume the ability to create a user interface designed in accordance with the customer's requirements.
An important component of the operator's user interface is the graphic design, the efficiency of the dispatcher's work depends on the convenience, clarity and ergonomics of which.
In addition, the requirements for cross-platform support and support for mobile devices are imposed on modern means of information visualization in BMS systems.
All of the above requirements are met by the CAREL c.Web user interface development environment, which has the following main characteristics:
support for modern cross-platform visualization technologies - standard HTML and SVG graphics are used, supported by all modern platforms - in contrast to FLASH and a number of other technologies;
the development process is optimized to the maximum for the use of library elements with the minimum required amount of programming. At the same time, the experienced developer is provided with extensive customization options;
provides support for mobile devices in terms of convenience for the operator when working with small screens;
protection of intellectual property - the interests of developers are taken into account - the compiled HTML code is loaded into the target device, while the original project remains with the author;
c.Web is a single unified tool for developing user interfaces for dispatching tools of various levels of CAREL production up to the possibility of transferring projects from one system to another while maintaining functionality and minimal modifications.
c.Web
Launching c.Web and creating a project
To start c.Web, select the appropriate shortcut in the taskbar and run it as administrator:
After that, the menu will look like:
Select the Project Console, which will bring up the corresponding window:
If you intend to work with an already selected project, then click the Builder button. If you want to change the current project, press the red server stop button.
In the window that opens, specify the name of the new project and the folder in which it will be located:
It should be noted that if the files of a previously created project are in the specified folder, then when the editor starts, they will be opened as a new project. In this way, you can develop new projects based on previously created ones.
and then the Builder button to launch the actual c.Web editor.
If the server has not been previously configured, the parameters window will appear, in which you need to assign the server name, address and type.
In our case, the type should be Carel, and we specify the name and IP address of the target controller based on our own preferences.
On the Advanced tab, you must specify the paths to the folders containing the controller parameter tables available for dispatching, and to the folders where the editor will place the finished project.
If there is a connection with the controller via the local network, it is convenient to upload the finished project directly to the controller using the built-in FTP server, therefore, we specify the corresponding folders in the controller as target folders.
To fill in the Config Source field, you need to create a configuration file for controller variables, which can be done only if you have a source project.
To do this, go back to the controller application project and open it in the c.Suite development environment, in the c.design program.
We set the checkbox Enable c.Web - this is necessary for the correct operation of the user interface project after loading into the controller:
We export the project variables in the format corresponding to the c.Web editor:
A window will open in which you should specify the folder where we intend to save the configuration file.
After completing the specified actions, a message of the form will appear:
Since we made changes to the controller application project, it needs to be reloaded:
Now we can return to configuring the c.Web editor by specifying in the Config Source field the path to the folder where the variable configuration file from c.design was saved:
As a result, the specified window will look like this:
Setting the Cleanup dataroot checkbox will clear the folder where the project files will be uploaded to the controller, so if any additional files that are not included in the c.Web project are placed there during work, they will be deleted. In some cases, this is undesirable, so it is better not to check this box.
On the Layout tab, select the appropriate page format, taking into account the screen resolution on which the generated user interface will most likely be displayed:
After clicking OK, the main editor window will open:
Retrieving data points and snapping to objects
The first thing to do is download information about the data points that we plan to use in our project. To do this, right-click on the project name and select Acquire Datapoints:
If the procedure is successful, a window will appear like:
The read variables can be seen in the OBJECTS section of the project tree:
Let's start creating the user interface on the Main page. Let's transfer the Circular Meter object from the library to the project page:
The properties of the selected object are displayed in the corresponding editor window. To bind a variable to an object to display the value of the variable, you must use the Base property.
Let's bind to the existing object a variable containing the value of the current temperature:
And we will change a number of other parameters that determine the appearance and behavior of the object:
Loading into the controller
To make sure that the variable import mechanism worked correctly, let's load the resulting project with one object into the target controller.
To do this, right-click on the project name and select Distribute:
Upon completion, by opening a browser and specifying the controller's IP address, we can make sure that the download was successful and the data is correctly displayed in the controller's web interface:
To change the titles of the web interface pages, you should modify the corresponding line in the code of the index.htm object located in the Library - ATVISE - Resources section:
Let's add an object to our page that allows not only viewing, but also changing the values of variables in the controller.
Such an object can be, for example, Read / Write Variable - it is especially convenient for use on touch screens, since it contains large buttons for decreasing and increasing values, as well as a slider.
Let's place the specified object on the page, bind it to the temperature setpoint variable and modify the object's appearance in accordance with our preferences:
After downloading the updated project to the controller, it will be possible to change the setpoint via the web interface:
Let's add a switch for changing the state of a discrete variable and bind it to turning the unit on and off:
Dynamic alarm indication
Let's add an alarm indication. To do this, draw a circle using the Add circle tool.
For a number of graphic objects in c.Web there is a set of ready-made templates, in particular, it concerns circles: by selecting a circle and choosing Templates from the menu, you can apply the template format to the selected object.
Make the circle red with a gradient fill.
To change the state of the alarm indicator depending on the situation, we will use the Add Simple Dynamic mechanism built into c.Web.
In the EVENT item, we will indicate the value of the alarm state variable, and in the ACTION item, we will match the state of the presence of an alarm, the blinking of the selected object and its state of invisibility in the absence of an alarm.
In fact, the Simple Dynamics mechanism is a wizard that, using simple visual tools, allows you to create certain sequences of actions that require programming. Simple Dynamics allows you to simplify this process, but the result is a script that can be used as a basis and later manually modified by the developer.
To display and edit the script, press the Script button on the c.Web panel:
The resulting script can be analyzed and supplemented.
For a more detailed notification of the operator about the presence of an alarm, it is advisable to add an acoustic signal to the visual notification - the flashing red indicator.
To do this, add a file containing an alarm to the Resources folder:
In addition, we will add one more indicator - green, which should light up when there is no alarm:
We will set the size of the green indicator to be the same as the red one, and to accurately position both indicators one above the other, we will use the alignment tools:
Let's modify the script as follows:
More information about the available commands and script syntax is available in the online help.
Let's add one more regulator, which we will bind to a variable that determines the alarm threshold.
And add labels to the indication and control elements:
To increase the aesthetics of the created web interface, add a gradient background using the Add Rectangle tool in the c.Web control panel.
Let's set the parameters of the rectangle and place it under the existing objects:
After loading into the controller, the web interface will look like this:
Embedding ready-made pages
Further expansion of the functionality of the web interface is possible using ready-made templates available for download from the c.Web section of the ksa.carel.com portal:
In particular, ready-made pages are available with displaying the built-in display of the WebpGD controller, graphs of logs and alarms.
To apply these templates, the corresponding files must be uploaded to the file system of the controller via FTP. To do this, you can use the FileZilla program:
The folders downloaded in advance should be prepared for copying to the controller's HTTP folder.
If the web interface has already been loaded into the controller up to this point, this folder will not be empty, and the template folders should be added to the existing files:
Upon completion of the data transfer process, the controller's HTTP folder will look like this:
To use the templates, it is proposed to add a menu with three items to the main page of the user interface: WebpGD, Trends and Alarms.
We'll also add a new page named WebpGD.
In the File menu, select the Settings item to configure the parameters of the new page:
Let's set the page size to 900 by 500 pixels and then use the Add Foreign Object tool:
Let's draw a rectangle of 460 by 800 pixels - this is the area where the controller screen and control buttons will be displayed.
By clicking on this zone, we get a window for editing the object's script, where we add the command to refer to the previously loaded template page: