Route Control Server

The Route Control Server supplies the RC Clients (Route Control Center) with the necessary data and transfers their operations to the automation systems. When a material transport is requested through the Route Control Center, it is the job of the RC Server to dynamically compile a suitable transport route from the partial routes which were configured using a map of the automation systems on the basis of the selected parameters (source, destination and intermediate locations) and with due consideration of other parameters (e.g. function catalogs, function IDs or material IDs). Configuration changes can be taken immediately into account in the determination of a suitable transport route after transfer from the Route Control Engineering Tool to the Route Control Server and subsequent activation through the Route Control Center (online loading).

Route Control Center

Route Control Center (RCC)

The RCC can be called either from the faceplate of a route block or from the keyset on the operator station. It displays all of a material transport's relevant route data and error information in several coordinated views

Key functional features are:

• Overview of all RC elements, partial routes and request details
• Operation of the selected material transport:
  • Selection of operating mode: Manual/automatic
  • Request, start, stop, continue and terminate material transport in manual mode
  • Set/modify request parameters (origin, destination, intermediate points) as well as general properties (function catalog, function ID, material ID and "ignore fault") in manual mode
  • Enable/disable sequence functions in manual mode
• Diagnostics of material transport request errors caused by locked RC elements, locked partial routes, inconsistent actuations or prohibited sequential material
• Diagnostics of currently running material transports: color and text display of transport route status in the route view of the RCC; detailed analyses by evaluation of feedback signals from RC elements
• Server functions: select RC Server, display RC Server status, update view (read in data again from the RC Server)
• Display of the operator who has logged on
• Definition of route parameters (source, destination, material, function ID etc.), and saving and loading these settings with names
• Switchover between "AS in maintenance" and "AS in operation"