Plant control system

Abstract

One aspect relates to a plant control system (10) for controlling at least one plant process operating in at least one plant, the system comprising: first and second controller devices (12, 14) communicatively coupled to each other, where the first controller device (12) is configured to interface with at least one connectable process information device (20), and the second controller device (12, 14) is configured to interface with at least one connectable process information device (20); the connectable process information device (20) provides process information associated with a plant process running in the plant to the first controller device (12), where the second controller device (14) is configured to: (a) obtain process information from the first controller device (12) provided by the connectable process information device (20) to the first controller device (12), (b) interfacing with the plant control system (10), (c) processing the obtained process information and providing the processed information associated with the at least one plant process to the plant control system (10).

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application with application number 202080099910.3, application date October 17, 2022, and subject matter “Factory Control System”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of plant control systems, and more particularly, to a system of controller devices for plant control systems. Background Art

[0003] A plant control system is used to control at least one plant process, such as a water treatment process, operating in at least one plant. A controller device can provide an interface connection between a process information device (e.g., a sensor device that captures parameters of the at least one plant process) and the plant control system used to control the plant process. Specifically, the controller device processes the captured parameters and provides the processed parameters to the plant control system (e.g., a programmable logic controller (PLC) and / or a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)-enabled system and / or actuators of the plant control system) to control the plant process.

[0004] Plant control systems typically access various process information devices. Such process information devices may be fixedly installed at specific locations within the plant (e.g., a pressure sensor or nitrate sensor may be installed at a tank), and it may be desirable to also provide information captured by the process information device to other controller devices that are remotely located from the process information device. However, due to the different geographic locations of the process information devices and the controller devices, connecting the process information device to the remotely located controller devices (i.e., providing an interface connection between the process information device and the remotely installed controller devices) can be cumbersome.

[0005] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide process information from one process information device to different controller devices.In addition, it is an object of the present invention to facilitate configuration of a plant control system and maintenance of said configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This object is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

[0007] One aspect relates to a plant control system for controlling at least one plant process operating in at least one plant, the system comprising a first controller device and a second controller device communicatively coupled to each other, wherein the first controller device is configured to interface with at least one connectable process information device, the connectable process information device providing process information associated with the plant process operating in the plant to the first controller device. Furthermore, the second controller device is configured to obtain, from the first controller device, process information provided to the first controller device by the connectable process information device. The second controller device is further configured to interface with the plant control system, process the obtained process information, and provide the processed information associated with the at least one plant process to the plant control system.

[0008] Advantageously, a communication path or communication channel between the first and second controller devices can be used to provide process information provided by the connectable process information device to the second controller device. Typically, the first and second controller devices can be communicatively coupled via a network, and thus the network can be used to forward process information from the first controller device to the second controller device. Therefore, there is no need to separately connect the process information device interfaced with the first controller device to the second controller device. In other words, the second controller device does not need to be physically or wirelessly connected to the connectable process information device, such as via an input port of the second controller device, in order to interface with the connectable process information device.

[0009] As an example, a connectable process information device may be configured to capture values ​​or parameters of at least one plant process operating in at least one plant, and provide the values ​​or parameters as process information associated with the plant process. Specifically, the connectable process information device may be configured as a sensor device for capturing values ​​or parameters of at least one plant process. However, the connectable process information device is not limited to a sensor device. Alternatively, the connectable process information device may be any device that provides process information associated with a plant process operating in the plant.

[0010] Furthermore, the process information associated with the plant process may further include status information of the connectable process information devices and forecast information of the connectable process information devices. The forecast information may include a set of indicators that characterize the current and future status of the process information devices.

[0011] Preferably, the first controller device includes a first controller device-side interface configured to interface with a connectable process information device. The first controller device-side interface can be configured to exchange data or information with the connectable process information device. In particular, process information associated with the plant process provided by the connectable process information device can be input to the first controller device via the first controller device-side interface. In other words, the first controller device-side interface can be communicatively connected to the connectable process information device via a wired and / or wireless connection (e.g., via a Profibus connection).

[0012] Furthermore, the plant control system interfaced with the second controller device may be a process automation system implemented using a programmable logic controller (PLC) and / or a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)-enabled system. Therefore, the second controller device may include a second controller device-side interface for interfacing with the plant control system. The second controller device-side interface may be adapted to the requirements of the plant control system. For example, the second controller device processes acquired process information and outputs processed information adapted to the requirements of the plant control system via the second controller-side interface. For example, the plant control system may require that the processed information be an analog value or a digital value representing the acquired process information.

[0013] Additionally, the second controller device may be interfaced with a plant control system via other controller devices (eg, a third controller device).

[0014] Preferably, the first controller device can obtain configuration information from at least one connectable process information device (preferably, a plurality of connectable process information devices) interfaced with the first controller device. Furthermore, the first controller device can maintain a first controller device-side configuration of the connectable process information devices interfaced with the first controller device, wherein the first controller device-side configuration may include configuration information for each connectable process information device connected to or interfaced with the first controller device.

[0015] Advantageously, the configuration on the first controller device side allows the first controller device to provide an overview of all connectable process information devices connected to the first controller device (i.e., all connectable process information devices interfaced with the first controller device). This overview information can be provided to other controller devices, such as the second controller device and / or the third controller device.

[0016] Furthermore, not only the first controller device is configured to obtain configuration information from the process information device to which it is connected. Rather, each controller device in the plant control system can obtain configuration information from the process information device to which it is connected and store the configuration information in the corresponding controller device side configuration.

[0017] As described above, a controller device (e.g., the first controller device) can be configured to obtain configuration information from each connectable process information device connected to the corresponding controller device. Thus, each connectable process information device can provide its own configuration information to the connected controller device (e.g., the first controller device).

[0018] The configuration information may include information that allows a controller device (e.g., a first controller device) to communicate with one or more connectable process information devices and configure the corresponding connectable process information devices at the controller device (e.g., the first controller device), particularly at a controller device-side interface (e.g., a first controller device-side interface of the first controller device). For example, the configuration information may allow the first controller device to read sensor values, status information, and / or prediction information from the connectable process information devices.

[0019] In one example, the configuration information may include an identifier (ID) for identifying a connectable process information device. A controller device (e.g., the first controller device and / or the second controller device) may match the ID with a configuration pre-stored in the controller device, and the controller device may configure the connectable process information device based on the pre-stored configuration matching the ID.

[0020] In another example, the configuration information of the connectable process information device may include driver information for configuring the connectable process information device. The controller device (eg, the first controller device and / or the second controller device) may use the driver information to configure the connectable process information device at the controller device.

[0021] Preferably, the first controller device-side configuration may include configuration information for each connectable process information device interfaced with the first controller device. Thus, the configuration information for each connectable process information device may be forwarded to other controller devices (e.g., a second controller device or a cloud-based server).

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the second controller device may be configured to obtain a first controller device-side configuration of the first controller device, and configured to maintain a virtual connectable process information device associated with the connectable process information device interfaced with the first controller device based on the first controller device-side configuration.

[0023] Therefore, a virtual connectable process information device can be created at the second controller device based on the configuration information of the connectable process information device connected to the first controller device. That is, a remote copy of the connectable process information device connected to the first controller device can be created at the second controller device.

[0024] Preferably, the second controller device may be configured to store the obtained process information on the virtual connectable process information device as virtual process information associated with the plant process, and process the virtual process information to provide processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system.

[0025] Thus, the virtual process information can represent a copy of the process information associated with the plant process provided by the connectable process information device to the first controller device. Thus, the second controller device can provide processed information associated with at least one plant process to the plant control system even though the second controller device does not (directly) interface with the connectable process information device connected to the first controller device.

[0026] Preferably, the first controller device and the second controller device may be configured to balance data between a connectable process information device connected to the first controller device and a virtual process information device at the second controller device.

[0027] For example, the second controller device may request the first controller device for process information provided by a connectable process information device connected to the first controller device. In response to the request from the second controller device, the first controller device may provide process information associated with the plant process to the second controller device, and the second controller device may store the received process information as virtual process information.

[0028] In addition, in response to a request from the second controller device for process information, the first controller device can forward process information already stored at the first controller device, or the first controller device reads process information from a connected connectable process information device and forwards the read process information to the second controller device.

[0029] Preferably, the second controller device can maintain virtual process information associated with the process until the virtual process information is updated. This ensures that process information associated with the plant process is always available at the second controller device. Therefore, when the plant control system requests processed information from the second controller device, the second controller device can immediately provide the processed information without first requesting process information from the first controller device. Consequently, the second controller device can respond to requests from the plant control system in real time.

[0030] As an additional or alternative to providing process data from a virtual process information device, the second controller device can be configured to provide an output port having an output port configuration, which is also included in the controller device-side configuration. Furthermore, the second controller device can be configured to process virtual process information from the virtual process information device and provide the processed virtual process information (hereinafter referred to as output port information associated with the plant control process) at the output port. Thus, the second controller device can provide its controller device-side configuration to another controller device (e.g., a third controller device), and the other controller device can create a virtual process information device associated with the output port. Furthermore, the other controller device can request the output port information and store the output port information as virtual process information in its virtual process information device, thereby providing the processed virtual process information as processed information to the plant control system.

[0031] Preferably, the first controller device, the second controller device, and in particular the third controller device can be communicatively coupled via a network (in particular, via a local area network). Furthermore, the first controller device and / or the second controller device and / or the third controller device can include a topology manager configured to identify other controller devices in the network or local area network and store information regarding the identified other controller devices. The information regarding the identified other controller devices can include network address information (e.g., a host name and / or IP address) and / or an identification number for each identified other controller device.

[0032] Advantageously, the topology manager of each controller device allows for scanning for other controller devices in the network or local area network. In particular, the topology manager allows for scanning for other controller devices that reside in the same subnet of the network or in the same local area network. The topology manager may use a Domain Name System (DNS) server (e.g., multicast DNS (mDNS)) to identify other controller devices.

[0033] In addition, the controller devices (eg, the first, second, or third controller devices) can communicate with each other using the TCP / IP protocol suite. In addition, the controller devices (eg, the first, second, and third controller devices) can be connected to a network or a local area network by wire and / or wirelessly.

[0034] Alternatively, each controller device in the network, local area network, or subnet of a local area network may include static configurations of other controller devices in the network, local area network, or subnet of a local area network. The static configurations may provide information (eg, network address information) for communicating with other controller devices.

[0035] Preferably, the topology manager can update the stored information about the identified other controller devices upon detecting a change in the local area network and / or after a period of time has passed. Thus, each controller device (e.g., the first, second, or third controller device) can maintain up-to-date information about the identified other controller devices. For example, if the topology manager of a second controller device detects that the network address of the first controller device has changed, the topology manager of the second controller device can update the information about the identified other controller devices (e.g., the first controller device), particularly the network address of the first controller device.

[0036] The second controller device may use the updated information about the other identified controller devices to communicate with the other controller devices (eg, the first controller device). Specifically, the second controller device may obtain process information from the first controller device based on the updated information about the other identified controller devices.

[0037] Preferably, the topology manager of the second controller device can obtain the first controller device-side configuration based on the information about the identified other controller devices. Typically, the topology manager of each controller device is configured to obtain the controller device-side configuration of the other controllers included in the information about the identified other controller devices. For example, the topology manager of the second controller device can obtain the controller device-side configuration of each of the other identified controller devices.

[0038] Furthermore, the topology manager can identify changes in the obtained first controller device-side configuration relative to the previously obtained first controller device-side configuration and can adapt the configuration of the virtual connectable process information device accordingly. For example, if the connectable process information device is reconnected from the first controller device to a third controller device, the second controller device can identify the connectable process information device as being connected to a different controller device based on the connectable process information device ID. Furthermore, the second controller device can update the configuration of the virtual connectable process information device to obtain process information from the new controller device (i.e., the third controller device).

[0039] Furthermore, the information about the identified other controller devices may include network address information of the other controller devices. The controller device (e.g., the second controller device) may use the network address information to communicate with the other controller device and request a corresponding controller device-side configuration from the other controller device, obtain process information of a connectable process information device connected to the corresponding controller device, or obtain output port information of a corresponding output port provided at the controller device.

[0040] Preferably, the controller devices (e.g., the first, second, and / or third controller devices) can be communicatively coupled to a cloud-based server, which stores information about the controller devices communicatively coupled to the cloud-based server. Furthermore, each controller device in the plant control system can provide its controller device-side configuration to the cloud-based server. For example, the first controller device can provide the first controller device-side configuration to the cloud-based server.

[0041] Connecting the first controller device and the second controller device to the cloud-based server is particularly useful when the first controller device and the second controller device are not on a local area network or a subnet of a local area network. If the first controller device and the second controller device are not on the same local area network or the same subnet of a local area network, it may be difficult for the topology manager to identify the other controller device(s).

[0042] Furthermore, controller devices (e.g., the first, second, and / or third controller devices) connected to the cloud-based server can provide their controller device-side configurations to the cloud-based server. Furthermore, each controller device (e.g., the first, second, and / or third controller device) can also provide information about its identified other controller devices to the cloud-based server. Preferably, all controller devices connected to the cloud-based server and belonging to a system can provide their controller device-side configurations to the cloud-based server. Thus, the cloud-based server can maintain topological information for all connected controller devices, preferably their configurations regarding connected process information devices and / or output ports. That is, the cloud-based server retains information (e.g., network address information) for all controller devices connected to the cloud-based server, preferably configuration information (e.g., controller device-side configuration) for the connectable process information devices connected to the respective controller devices, and configuration information for the output ports provided by the respective controller devices.

[0043] Preferably, each controller device connected to the cloud-based server can obtain topology information, and preferably configuration information of other connected controller devices, from the cloud-based server. For example, a second controller device can obtain topology information (preferably first controller device-side configuration) including network address information about a first controller device from the cloud-based server. Specifically, the second controller device can request the cloud-based server to provide the first controller device-side configuration. In response, the cloud-based server can provide the first controller device-side configuration to the second controller device, which can then utilize the first controller device-side configuration to maintain a virtual process information device. Alternatively, the second controller device can obtain the first controller device-side configuration from the first controller device rather than from the cloud-based server.

[0044] Preferably, the first controller device can interface with a connectable process information device via an interface device other than a local area network or a wide area network. For example, the interface device can be wired (e.g., a fieldbus) or wireless. In other words, the first controller device and the second controller device can function as a gateway between the process information device connected to the first controller device and the plant control system interfaced with the second controller device.

[0045] Preferably, a controller device (e.g., the first, second, and / or third controller device) and / or a cloud-based server may provide a user interface. The user interface may be accessed by a user via a web browser and may allow the user to configure the controller device (e.g., the first, second, and / or third controller device). For example, the user interface may allow the user to configure a virtual process information device at the second controller device and associate the virtual process information device with a connectable process information device connected to a different controller device (e.g., the first controller device). Furthermore, the user interface may allow the user to create an output port at the controller device and associate the output port with processed virtual process information from the virtual process information device of the same controller device.

[0046] Advantageously, the user interface can allow a user to configure a controller device without knowing the topology of the available controller devices and the process information devices to which they are connected. In particular, the user interface can allow the controller device to be configured by reference to information about other identified controller devices and the controller device-side configuration of the other identified controller devices. Thus, the user interface can present the available process information devices (i.e., the process information devices included in the controller device-side configuration of the other identified controller devices) to the user and allow a virtual process information device to be associated with one or more available process information devices. Advantageously, the available process information devices can be presented separately from the topology of the identified controller devices. That is, the user does not need to know to which controller device the process information device to be associated is connected.

[0047] Additionally, the user interface on the cloud-based server and / or each controller device may provide a similar look and feel to the user, such that the user interface facilitates configuration of the controller devices.

[0048] Another aspect relates to a controller device for a plant control system for controlling at least one plant process running in at least one plant, the controller device being configured to:

[0049] interfaced with at least one connectable process information device that provides process information associated with a plant process operating in the plant to the first controller device, and

[0050] Process information associated with a plant process running in the plant is provided to another controller device, the other controller device being interfaced with the plant control system and configured to process the provided process information and provide processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system.

[0051] Furthermore, the controller device may comprise additional features as disclosed above in relation to the first controller device.

[0052] Another aspect relates to a controller device for a plant control system for controlling a plant process running in a plant, the controller device comprising:

[0053] a first interface communicatively coupled to another controller device to obtain process information associated with a plant process operating in the plant, the process information associated with the plant process provided by a connectable process information device interfaced with the other controller device; and

[0054] The second interface is connected to the factory control system.

[0055] The controller device is configured to process the obtained process information and provide processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system.

[0056] Furthermore, the controller arrangement may comprise additional features as disclosed above in relation to the second controller arrangement.

[0057] Yet another aspect relates to a system of controller devices for use in a plant control system for controlling at least one plant process operating in at least one plant, the system comprising:

[0058] a first controller device and a second controller device, communicatively coupled to each other,

[0059] wherein the first controller device is configured to interface with at least one connectable process information device, the connectable process information device providing process information associated with at least one plant process running in the plant to the first controller device,

[0060] Wherein, the second controller device is configured to:

[0061] obtaining, from the first controller device, process information provided to the first controller device by a connectable process information device,

[0062] Interfaces with plant control systems, and

[0063] The obtained process information is processed, and the processed information associated with at least one plant process is provided to a plant control system.

[0064] Furthermore, the system and in particular the first and second controller devices may comprise additional features as disclosed above with respect to the first controller device and the second controller device.

[0065] Yet another aspect relates to a method for providing processed information associated with at least one plant process running in a plant, the method comprising:

[0066] obtaining process information associated with at least one plant process running in the plant from a connectable process information device,

[0067] providing the obtained process information to the first controller device,

[0068] obtaining, by a second controller device communicatively coupled to the first controller device, process information provided to the first controller device by a connectable process information device from the first controller device,

[0069] The obtained process information is processed by a second controller device, and

[0070] Processed information associated with at least one plant process is provided by the second controller device to the plant control system.

[0071] The method may include other features disclosed above with respect to other aspects.

[0072] These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.It should be understood that even if an embodiment is described separately, individual features in an embodiment may be combined into additional embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] Figure 1 A plant control system comprising a system of controller devices is described, and

[0074] Figure 2 A plant control system is described that includes a system of controller devices coupled to a cloud-based server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] Figure 1 A plant control system 10 for controlling at least one plant process in at least one plant is shown. Plant control system 10 includes a first controller device 12, a second controller device 14, a third controller device 16, and a fourth controller device 18. First to fourth controller devices 12, 18 may be communicatively coupled to one another via a network (not shown), such as a local area network (LAN) and / or a wide area network (WAN). That is, first to fourth controller devices 12, 18 communicate via the network. Furthermore, first to fourth controller devices 12, 18 may be connected to the network by wire and / or wirelessly, and may communicate via the network using the TCP / IP protocol suite.

[0076] like Figure 1 As shown, the first controller device 12 is interfaced with a connectable process information device 20. The connectable process information device 20 provides process information associated with a plant process running in the plant. For example, the connectable process information device 20 is a sensor device that captures values ​​or parameters of the plant process and provides the captured values ​​or parameters as process information associated with the plant process.

[0077] Furthermore, the second controller device 14 interfaces with the plant control system 10. For example, the second controller device 14 interfaces with a programmable logic controller (PLC) and / or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)-enabled system 22. Furthermore, as indicated by arrow 19 from the first controller device 12 to the second controller device 14, the second controller device 14 obtains process information from the first controller device 12, which is provided to the first controller device 12 by a connectable process information device 20. Furthermore, the second controller device 14 processes the obtained process information and provides processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system 10, for example, via the PLC and / or SCADA 22. Furthermore, the second controller device 14 may have an input / output port (I / O port) 21, through which the processed information associated with the plant process can be provided to the plant control system (e.g., to the PLC or SCADA). Thus, the plant control system 10 can control the plant process based on the processed information.

[0078] Additionally, the connectable process information device 20 provides configuration information to the first controller device 12. The configuration information allows the first controller device 12 to interface with the connectable process information device 20. For example, the configuration information allows the first controller device 12 to read captured values ​​or parameters from the connectable process information device 20.

[0079] The configuration information may be a unique identifier (ID) that uniquely identifies the connectable process information device 20. The controller devices 12 to 18 may have pre-stored configurations of possible connectable process information devices and may match the IDs to the pre-stored configurations. The pre-stored configurations with the matched IDs may be used to configure the connectable process information device 20 at the corresponding controller device 12 to 18.

[0080] Alternatively, the connectable process information device 20 provides the driver information as the configuration information, and the controller devices 12 - 18 configure the connectable process information device 20 at each controller device 12 - 18 using the driver information.

[0081] Furthermore, each of the controller devices 12 to 18 may have or be associated with a controller device-side configuration. The controller device-side configuration may include at least configuration or topology information of the attached and / or connected connectable process information device 20 (i.e., the connectable process information device 20 to which each controller device 12 to 18 interfaces). The connectable process information device 20 may interface with the corresponding controller device 12 to 18 via a wired or wireless connection, but the connectable process information device 20 may not be connected to a network. In other words, the connectable process information device 20 may interface with the corresponding controller device 12 to 18 via a communication path separate from the network.

[0082] Furthermore, each of the first through fourth controller devices 12 - 18 may include a storage device 24 (e.g., a (data) cache). The storage device 24 may allow for storage of process information provided by the corresponding connectable process information device 20 connected to the controller device. Thus, the storage device 24 may be an input storage device that stores process information provided by the corresponding connectable process information device 20. For example, the first controller device 12 may store process information from the connected process information device 20 in the storage device 24 of the first controller device 12, and the second controller device 14 may store process information from the connected process information device 20 in the storage device 24 of the second controller device 14. Furthermore, the second controller device 14 may be configured to process the process information stored in the storage device 24 and output the processed information to the PLC / SCADA 22 via the I / O port 21. For example, the process information stored in the storage device 24 of the second controller device 14 may be a digital representation of a temperature value obtained by the process information device 20, and the second controller device may control the I / O port 21 to output an analog signal corresponding to the digital representation of the temperature.

[0083] Furthermore, each of the controller devices 12 to 18 may include a topology manager that can be executed as a server on the controller device 12 to 18. The topology manager can identify the other controller devices 12 to 18 in the network. For example, the topology manager of the second controller device 14 can identify the first controller device 12, the third controller device 16, and the fourth controller device 18. In particular, the topology manager can identify controller devices located on the same LAN or subnet of the network. To identify the other controller devices, the topology manager can use a Domain Name System (DNS) server (e.g., multicast DNS).

[0084] Furthermore, the topology manager may store information about the identified other controller devices on the respective controller devices 12 to 18. Figure 1, the topology manager of the first controller device 12 may store information about the identified other controller devices in relation to the second controller device 14, the third controller device 16, and the fourth controller device 18. The information about the identified other controller devices may include identification numbers and network addresses, such as host names and / or IP addresses of the other controller devices.

[0085] Furthermore, the topology manager may be configured to obtain the controller device-side configuration of the other controller devices from the controller devices included in the information about the identified other controller devices. Thus, the topology manager of each of the controller devices 12 to 18 has information about the other controller devices and the process information devices 20 that can be connected to the other controller devices.

[0086] refer to Figure 1 , the topology manager of the second controller device 14 may send a request message to the first controller device 12. The request message may request topology information from the first controller device 12, in particular, information about the connectable process information device 20 connected to the first controller device 12. In response to the request message, the first controller device 12 provides a response message to the topology manager of the second controller device 14, wherein the response message includes information about the connectable process information device 20 connected to the first controller device 12, that is, the controller device-side configuration of the first controller device 12.

[0087] Based on the topology information, the second controller device 14 may allow configuration and / or maintenance of a virtual connectable process information device 26 associated with the connectable process information device 20 interfaced with the first controller device 12. For simplicity, Figure 1 and Figure 2 Only one virtual process information device 26 is shown. Furthermore, the second controller device 14 can store process information obtained from the first controller device 12 in a storage device 24 (e.g., a cache) associated with the virtual connectable process information device 26. The second controller device 14 can process the process information stored in the storage device 24 associated with the virtual connectable process information device 26 to provide the processed information to the plant control system 10.

[0088] refer to Figure 1, the second controller device 14 may send a request message to the first controller device 12, wherein the request message requests process information to be provided by the connectable process information device 20. In response to the request message, the first controller device 12 may send a response message to the second controller device 14, wherein the response message includes the process information provided by the connectable process information device 20. The second controller device 14 may store the process information received with the response message in the storage device 24 associated with the virtual connectable process information device 26.

[0089] Furthermore, the process information received along with the response message is held / stored in the storage device 24 associated with the virtual connectable process information device 26 until the second controller device 14 requests an update of the process information by sending a new request to the first controller device 12. Therefore, the processed information can be immediately provided to the plant control system 10 without initiating a request for process information to the first controller device 12. That is, the processed information can be provided from the second controller device 14 to the plant control system 10 in real time.

[0090] Similarly to the second controller device 14 , a controller device (e.g., the fourth controller device 18 ) can also obtain topology information from the first controller device 12 . Furthermore, the fourth controller device 18 can be configured to create a virtual process information device 26 associated with a connectable process information device 20 of another controller device (e.g., the connectable process information device 20 of the first controller device 12 ). Furthermore, the fourth controller device 18 can provide an output port 27 and associate it with its virtual process information device 26 . Specifically, the fourth controller device 18 can store process information from the process information device 20 connected to the first controller device 12 as virtual process information in the storage device 24 associated with the virtual process information device 26 . Furthermore, the fourth controller device 18 can process the virtual process information from the virtual process information device 26 and provide the processed virtual process information to the output port 27 as output port information associated with the plant process. For example, the output port 27 can also include a storage device (not shown) for storing the output port information. Furthermore, the fourth controller device 18 can store and / or provide configuration information regarding the output port 27 in its controller device configuration.

[0091] Accordingly, another controller device (e.g. Figure 1The third controller device 16 in the fourth controller device 18 can create and / or maintain a virtual process information device 26 associated with the output port 27 of the fourth controller device 18. Similarly, output port information of the output port 27 can be requested from the third controller device 16 and stored as virtual process information in the storage device 24 associated with the virtual process information device 26. The third controller device 16 can process the virtual process information to provide the processed information to the plant control system 10 via the PLC and / or SCADA 22 through the I / O port 21.

[0092] By implementing the above teachings, process information from a connectable process information device can be made available at any controller device 12 to 18 in the plant control system 10. Furthermore, process information from different connectable process information devices interfaced with different controller devices can be made available to the other controller devices. This provides flexibility in configuring and maintaining the plant control system. Furthermore, the installation cost of the plant control system can be reduced because process information obtained by the connectable process information device is available to all communicatively coupled controller devices.

[0093] Figure 2 Describes the Figure 1 A modification of the plant control system 10 is shown, and a cloud-based server 30 is also shown, with the first to fourth controller devices 12 to 18 connected to or registered on the cloud-based server 30. Furthermore, the first to fourth controller devices 12 to 18 may be located in different LANs or subnets, and it may be difficult for the controller devices 12 to 18 to recognize each other. Therefore, the cloud-based server 30 may request topology information from each controller device 12 to 18 connected to the cloud-based server 30. In response to the request from the cloud-based server 30, each controller device 12 to 18 provides its controller device-side configuration to the cloud-based server 30.

[0094] In addition, each of the controller devices 12 to 18 can also provide information about the identified controller device to the cloud-based server. Therefore, the cloud-based server 30 can have topology overview information of all the controller devices 12 to 18 of the plant control system 10 and their controller device-side configurations. In addition, the cloud-based server 30 can provide the topology overview information to the controller devices 12 to 18 in the plant control system 10 so that the controller devices 12 to 18 are aware of each other. The topology overview information also provides network address information of the controller devices so that the controller devices can communicate with each other. In the event that direct network communication between the controller devices 12 to 18 is not possible (for example, due to security restrictions and / or firewalls between the controller devices 12 to 18), the cloud-based server can act as a relay for relay protection between the controller devices 12 to 18.

[0095] Furthermore, the cloud-based server 30 and / or each of the controller devices 12 to 18 may provide a user interface that is accessible to a user, for example, via an internet browser. The user interface may allow the user to create a virtual process information device 26 at a particular controller device (e.g., the second controller device 14) and associate the created virtual process information device 26 with a connectable process information device 20 connected to a different controller device (e.g., the connectable process information device 20 connected to the first controller device 12). Furthermore, the user interface may allow the user to associate an output port 27 of a controller device (e.g., the fourth controller device 18) with a virtual process information device 26 of the corresponding controller device (e.g., the virtual process information device 26 of the fourth controller device 18).

[0096] Reference Signs List

[0097] 10 Factory Control Systems

[0098] 12. First controller device

[0099] 14 Second controller device

[0100] 16. Third controller device

[0101] 18. Fourth controller device

[0102] 19 Data flow / communication between the first controller device and the second controller device

[0103] 20 connectable process information devices

[0104] 21 I / O ports

[0105] 22 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) / Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Enabled Systems

[0106] 24 Storage device (input)

[0107] 26 Virtual Process Information Device

[0108] 27 Storage device (output port)

[0109] 30 cloud-based servers

Claims

1. A plant control system (10) for controlling at least one plant process running in at least one plant, the system comprising: a first controller device and a second controller device (12, 14), the first controller device and the second controller device being communicatively coupled to each other, wherein the first controller device (12) is configured to interface with at least one connectable process information device (20), the connectable process information device (20) providing the first controller device (12) with process information associated with the plant process running in the plant, Wherein, the second controller (14) device is configured to: obtaining from the first controller device (12) process information provided to the first controller device (12) by the connectable process information device (20), interfaced with a plant control system (10), and processing the obtained process information and providing the processed information associated with the at least one plant process to a plant control system (10), wherein the first controller device (12) is configured to obtain configuration information from a plurality of connectable process information devices (20) connected to the first controller device (12) via an interface, and is configured to maintain a first controller device-side configuration of the connectable process information devices connected to the first controller device (12) via an interface based on the configuration information, The second controller device (14) is configured to obtain a first controller device-side configuration (24) of the first controller device (12), and is configured to maintain a virtual connectable process information device (26) associated with the connectable process information device (20) interfaced with the first controller device (12) based on the first controller device-side configuration, Wherein, a first controller device (12) and a second controller device (14) are communicatively coupled to a cloud-based server (30), and the cloud-based server (30) stores information about the controller devices communicatively coupled to the cloud-based server.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The second controller device (14) is configured to store the obtained process information on the virtual connectable process information device (26) as virtual process information associated with the plant process, and process the virtual process information to provide processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system (10).

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The second controller device (14) is configured to maintain the virtual process information associated with the process until the virtual process information is updated.

4. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The first controller device (12) and the second controller device (14) are communicatively coupled via a network, in particular a local area network, and The first controller device (12) and / or the second controller device (14) includes a topology manager configured to identify other controller devices (12, 14, 16, 18) in the local area network and store information about the identified other controller devices.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The topology manager is configured to update the stored information about the identified other controller devices when a change in the local area network is detected and / or after a period of time has elapsed.

6. The system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: The topology manager of the second controller device (14) is configured to obtain the first controller device-side configuration based on information about the identified other controller devices.

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The first controller device (12) is configured to provide the first controller device-side configuration to a cloud-based server (30).

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein: The second controller device (14) is configured to obtain the first controller device-side configuration from a cloud-based server (30).

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The first controller device (12) is configured to interface with the connectable process information device (20) via an interface connection method other than a local area network or a wide area network.

10. The system according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein: The information about the identified other controller devices includes address information of the other controller devices.

11. A controller device (12) for a plant control system (30) for controlling at least one plant process running in at least one plant, the controller device being configured to: is interfaced with at least one connectable process information device (20) that provides process information associated with a plant process operating in the plant to the first controller device (12), and providing process information associated with a plant process running in the plant to another controller device (14), the another controller device (14) being interfaced with the plant control system (10) and configured to process the provided process information and provide processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system (10), wherein The first controller device (12) and the further controller device (14) are communicatively coupled to a cloud-based server (30), which stores information about the controller devices communicatively coupled to the cloud-based server.

12. A controller device (14) for a plant control system, the plant control system being used to control a plant process running in a plant, the controller device comprising: a first interface communicatively coupled to another controller device (12) to obtain process information associated with a plant process running in the plant, the process information associated with the plant process provided by a connectable process information device (20) interfaced with the other controller device (12); and The second interface is connected to the plant control system via an interface, The controller device (12) is configured to process the obtained process information and provide processed information associated with the plant process to the plant control system, Wherein, the other controller device (12) and the controller device (14) are communicatively coupled to a cloud-based server (30), and the cloud-based server (30) stores information about the controller devices communicatively coupled to the cloud-based server.

13. A system of controller devices (12, 14) for a plant control system (10) for controlling at least one plant process running in at least one plant, the system comprising: a first controller device and a second controller device (12, 14), the first controller device and the second controller device being communicatively coupled to each other, The first controller device (12) is configured to interface with at least one connectable process information device (20), the connectable process information device (20) providing process information associated with at least one plant process running in the plant to the first controller device (12), Wherein, the second controller device (14) is configured to: obtaining from a first controller device (12) process information provided to the first controller device by the connectable process information device (20), interfaced with a plant control system (10), and processing the obtained process information and providing the processed information associated with at least one plant process to a plant control system (10), Wherein, a first controller device (12) and a second controller device (14) are communicatively coupled to a cloud-based server (30), and the cloud-based server (30) stores information about the controller devices communicatively coupled to the cloud-based server.

14. A method for providing processed information associated with at least one plant process operating in a plant, the method comprising: obtaining process information associated with at least one plant process running in the plant from a connectable process information device (20), providing the obtained process information to a first controller device (12), The process information provided to the first controller device (12) by the connectable process information device (20) is obtained from the first controller device (12) by the second controller device (14) communicatively coupled to the first controller device (12), The obtained process information is processed by a second controller device (14), and providing processed information associated with at least one plant process to the plant control system (10) by the second controller device (14), Wherein, a first controller device (12) and a second controller device (14) are communicatively coupled to a cloud-based server (30), and the cloud-based server (30) stores information about the controller devices communicatively coupled to the cloud-based server.

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