Objects in IGSS

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Introduction

Before you purchase an IGSS system, you have to make some decisions about the size of the system you need. Among other things, you must decide how many IGSS objects you require.
This topic explains what an IGSS object is and how the number of objects in an IGSS configuration is calculated.

What is an IGSS object ?

An IGSS object typically represents a physical component in the process. This may be a pump, a valve, a motor, a level gauge, a flow meter, etc. Beside these physical components, IGSS also has a number of internal object types. Refer to "The IGSS object types" below for further details.

Creating Objects

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In contrast to some other SCADA systems, IGSS collects all properties relating to one physical component into one IGSS object. This means that one object may contain up to ten I/O points or data tags. In IGSS, we call these "atoms". As an example, an analog object can include the following atoms: High Alarm, High Limit, Current Value, Set Point, Low Limit, Low Alarm, Alarm-In, Alarm-Out.

The IGSS object types

When you create an object in IGSS, the first thing you determine is the object type. IGSS features nine different object types:

Object type Description Example
Analog An analog object is used for process components that can take on any value within a measuring range. Level gauge, flow meter, temperature gauge
Area An area is a collection of diagrams, graphs and other IGSS objects. Areas are used to divide an IGSS configuration into logical parts. This may be the individual subprocesses in a production line. One area allocated per subprocess: "Raw material", "Unpacking", "Assembly line", "Packaging", "Distribution".
Counter A counter object may take on any value up to a given maximum. The counter can be reset by the operator or set to a preset value. Hour count, minute count, second count. Start/stop registration. Number of revolutions per minute.
Diagram A diagram is a graphical process picture showing a section of the monitored process. The operator monitors and controls the process components from the diagram. "Assembly line 1", "Assembly line 2", "Assembly line 3"
Digital A digital object is used for process components that can take on a finite number of states and commands. Valve, pump, motor
Graph A graph is a chart showing the values or states of up to ten IGSS objects. The data source can be either log data or reduced values. Temperature gauges, level gauges, flow meters
Scaling A scaling object maps one set of values to another set of values. It is typically used to convert one set of values received from the PLC to another set of values that the operator can relate to during supervision. Fahrenheit to Celsius
String A string object is a text field displaying a message related to the monitored process. "The cleaning process is in progress"
Table A table object is a collection of up to ten analog measurements that have the same measuring range and alarm limits. Temperature gauges (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10)

Configuring objects in IGSS

Creating an object in IGSS is very simple. You start by deciding how you want the object to appear on the diagram. In the example below, we define an analog object (a flow meter) as a bar display. The first dialog allows you to name and describe the new object.


Clicking the "Create" button brings you to the object properties dialog which includes all the properties for this object. This includes data management, appearance and I/O settings.



Predefined system objects

When you create a new IGSS configuration, a number of predefined internal objects are included for your convenience. These objects provide basic functionality in the system, such as:

  • The ability to create dynamic graphs during supervision
  • The ability to protect IGSS objects against unauthorized access
  • Automatic monitoring of free disk space
  • Automatic monitoring of PLC driver communication

There are about ten predefined system objects and they are, of course, included in the total number of objects in a configuration.

Calculating the number of objects in an IGSS configuration

The number of objects is calculated as follows:

  • One object is counted for every new object you create
  • One object is counted for every new template you create
  • One object is counted when you name the states or commands in a digital template(yet another object is counted each time a block of 32 extra states for the template is defined)
  • One object is counted for every time you use the valid commands feature in a digital template
  • One object is counted when you define global function keys
  • One object is counted for each diagram where you define function keys

You can always see the number of objects you've purchased and the number of objects currently used in the configuration. Simply choose "Help About".
About IGSS