A batch control switching method based on dynamic reconfiguration and decoupling

Abstract

The application discloses a batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling, comprising the following steps: step 1, constructing an extensible control unit library, wherein the control unit library comprises a plurality of independent control modules formed by abstracting the functions of physical devices; step 2, in response to a new production task request, selecting corresponding control modules from the control unit library, and performing dynamic recombination to generate a unit combination logic matched with the production task; and step 3, providing a recipe parameter set separated from the unit combination logic. Through the implementation of the application, the modular dynamic recombination of the control logic is realized, the production line can be quickly adapted to a new production task within minutes, and the problems of low switching efficiency and poor flexibility caused by unit rigidity, process and recipe coupling and chain waiting in the traditional system are fundamentally solved, and the agility and overall equipment efficiency of batch production are significantly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial batch control technology, and in particular to a batch control switching method based on dynamic reconfiguration and decoupling. Background Technology

[0002] Industrial production batch control has evolved over many years, gradually moving from early manual control to automation and intelligence. Initially, production changeovers relied on manual adjustments of equipment and parameters, consuming significant time and manpower and prone to errors. While traditional batch control systems can achieve basic automated processes with the development of automation technology, they still suffer from low efficiency and long changeover times when switching between different production tasks. Especially with the increasing demand for multi-variety, small-batch production, existing systems struggle to quickly adapt to new production requirements when switching units, processes, and formulas, leading to long downtimes and increased production costs. Furthermore, traditional systems lack effective coordination mechanisms during changeovers, hindering efficient integration of various stages and impacting overall production efficiency.

[0003] To address these shortcomings, this patent aims to provide a rapid switching method that enables efficient and precise batch control switching, meeting the flexibility requirements of modern industrial production.

[0004] In summary, a batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling is needed to address the shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling, aiming to solve the aforementioned problems.

[0006] On the one hand, one embodiment of this application provides a batch control switching method based on dynamic reassembly and decoupling, including the following steps:

[0007] Step 1: Construct an extensible control unit library, which contains multiple independent control modules formed by abstracting the functions of physical devices;

[0008] Step 2: In response to a new production task request, select the corresponding control module from the control unit library and dynamically reorganize it to generate unit combination logic that matches the production task;

[0009] Step 3: Provide a recipe parameter set that is separate from the unit combination logic, wherein the process step sequence defined by the unit combination logic is stored as an independent process template, and the recipe parameter set is stored independently and defines an adjustable parameter mapping relationship with the steps in the process template.

[0010] Step 4: When switching production tasks, load the new recipe parameter set and map its parameters to the process template without reloading or reconstructing the process template;

[0011] Step 5: Based on the custom collaborative switching protocol preset for the equipment unit group, synchronous commands are sent to the equipment units in the group in parallel to trigger the equipment units in the group to perform switching operations synchronously. By building an extensible control unit library, separating process templates and recipe parameter sets, and triggering equipment switching in parallel based on the custom collaborative protocol, the modular dynamic reorganization of control logic is realized. This enables the production line to quickly adapt to new production tasks within minutes, fundamentally solving the problems of low switching efficiency and poor flexibility caused by rigid units, coupling of processes and recipes, and chain waiting in traditional systems, and significantly improving the agility of mass production and overall equipment efficiency.

[0012] Furthermore, in step 1, the function of the physical device is abstracted, specifically including: decomposing the complete working cycle of a single physical device into multiple basic control stages, and each basic control stage is encapsulated as an independent, reusable control module.

[0013] Furthermore, the basic control phases include one or more of the following: startup, feeding, mixing, reaction, discharge, and termination.

[0014] Furthermore, in step 2, dynamic reconfiguration is achieved through a graphical configuration interface, which includes combining selected control modules into a control flow sequence and mapping the control flow sequence to specific physical devices.

[0015] Furthermore, in step 3, the process template and the formula parameter set constitute a two-way decoupling mechanism, whereby one process template can be adapted to multiple different formula parameter sets, and one formula parameter set can be configured to multiple different process templates.

[0016] Furthermore, the bidirectional decoupling mechanism between the process template and the recipe parameter set is implemented in the following way:

[0017] The process template is stored independently of the formula parameter set, and it stores a fixed sequence of process steps.

[0018] The formula parameter set defines the set of adjustable parameters corresponding to the steps in the process step sequence, and is directly loaded when switching tasks, mapping its parameters to the process template.

[0019] Furthermore, in step 4, when loading a new set of formula parameters, the system performs parameter verification, including: comparing the process parameters in the set of formula parameters with the corresponding equipment safety operation thresholds pre-stored in the database; if the parameters are within the safety threshold range, loading is performed; otherwise, an alarm is generated and the operation is stopped.

[0020] Furthermore, in step 5, the process of establishing the custom cooperative handover protocol includes:

[0021] Step 5.1: During the recipe configuration editing stage, define multiple device units that need to operate in parallel as a cooperative unit group, and assign a unique cooperative synchronization number to the cooperative unit group;

[0022] Step 5.2: Define that during the formulation run, all equipment units within the collaborative unit group start up simultaneously and collectively enter the next process step only upon receiving an instruction carrying the collaborative synchronization number.

[0023] Furthermore, the method of issuing the synchronization command includes: issuing software commands to the drive unit with communication function through the controller, and / or issuing power signals to the device without communication function through hard-wired I / O.

[0024] On the other hand, one embodiment of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the batch control switching method of any of the above embodiments.

[0025] The substantial effects of this invention:

[0026] 1. In this invention, by constructing an extensible control unit library and abstracting physical devices into independent control modules, dynamic reorganization of control logic is realized. When facing new production tasks, there is no need to redevelop and debug the underlying code. New production processes can be quickly generated by simply combining existing standard modules through a graphical interface. This greatly shortens the time for introducing new products or switching production tasks and significantly improves the production line's ability to respond quickly to market demands.

[0027] 2. In this invention, a two-way decoupling mechanism between process and formula is used to separate and store the fixed process step sequence from the variable process parameter set. When switching production formulas, the system only needs to load the new parameter set and complete the mapping, without touching or reloading the core process logic. This not only greatly shortens the switching time, but also completely avoids the risk of program errors and production interruptions that may be caused by process reconstruction, and significantly improves the reliability and stability of the system.

[0028] 3. In this invention, by introducing a custom device collaborative switching protocol, parallel synchronous operation of multiple device units is realized. This protocol eliminates the inherent chain waiting time in traditional serial control, enabling multiple devices to complete state switching and step execution almost simultaneously, effectively shortening the interval between batch cycles, thereby directly improving the throughput of the production line and the overall equipment efficiency.

[0029] 4. In this invention, by integrating automated parameter verification function while switching quickly, the system will automatically compare key process parameters with the equipment's safe operating threshold when loading a new formula, preventing the input of unsafe parameters from the source, providing a solid safety guarantee for efficient production, and achieving a balance between efficiency and safety. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the operation process of Example 2.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the modular dynamic reconfiguration architecture of Example 2.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the process and recipe decoupling architecture for Example 2.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the parallel switching workflow in Example 2.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the formulation process sequence for Product B in Example 2. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. When an element is described as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0038] Example 1:

[0039] A batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling includes the following steps:

[0040] Step 1: Build an extensible control unit library. The control unit library is manifested as an extensible database at the system level. Each independent control module is stored in the library as a well-encapsulated, reusable control program block. The control unit library contains multiple independent control modules formed by abstracting the functions of physical devices.

[0041] Step 2: In response to a new production task request, select the corresponding control module from the control unit library and dynamically reorganize it to generate unit combination logic that matches the production task;

[0042] Step 3: Provide a recipe parameter set that is separate from the unit combination logic. The process step sequence defined by the unit combination logic is stored as an independent process template, while the recipe parameter set is stored independently and defines the adjustable parameter mapping relationship with the steps in the process template.

[0043] Step 4: When switching production tasks, load the new recipe parameter set and map its parameters to the process template without reloading or refactoring the process template;

[0044] Step 5: Based on the custom collaborative switching protocol preset for the equipment unit group, send synchronization commands to the equipment units in the group in parallel to trigger the equipment units in the group to perform switching operations synchronously.

[0045] As one implementation method, the functions of physical devices are abstracted, specifically including: decomposing the complete working cycle of a single physical device into multiple basic control stages, with each basic control stage being encapsulated as an independent, reusable control module.

[0046] As one implementation method, the basic control stage includes: a start-up step, a feeding step, a mixing step, a reaction step, a discharge step, and a termination step.

[0047] As one implementation method, dynamic reconfiguration, through a graphical configuration interface, involves combining selected control modules into a control flow sequence and mapping this sequence to specific physical devices. The graphical configuration interface provides a visual workflow design canvas where users drag and drop module icons from the control unit library onto the canvas and define the execution order and data flow between modules using connecting lines, thereby creating a control flow sequence. During deployment, the system provides a device mapping table where users specify a specific physical device instance (e.g., "Metering Tank Module") for each logical module in the process (e.g., "Metering Tank A"). Based on this mapping, the system sends the generated control commands to the corresponding PLC or field controller.

[0048] As one implementation method, the process template and the formula parameter set constitute a two-way decoupling mechanism. One process template can be adapted to multiple different formula parameter sets, and one formula parameter set can be configured to multiple different process templates.

[0049] As one implementation method, the bidirectional decoupling mechanism between the process template and the recipe parameter set is achieved in the following way:

[0050] The process template is stored independently of the formula parameter set, and it stores a fixed sequence of process steps.

[0051] The formula parameter set defines the set of adjustable parameters corresponding to the steps in the process step sequence, and is directly loaded when switching tasks, mapping its parameters to the process template without having to reload the process template itself.

[0052] As one implementation method, when loading a new set of formula parameters, the system performs parameter verification, including: comparing the process parameters in the set of formula parameters with the corresponding equipment safety operation thresholds pre-stored in the database; if the parameters are within the safety threshold range, loading is performed; otherwise, an alarm is generated and the operation is stopped.

[0053] As one implementation method, the process of establishing a custom cooperative handover protocol includes:

[0054] Step 5.1: During the recipe configuration editing stage, define multiple device units that need to operate in parallel as a cooperative unit group, and assign a unique cooperative synchronization number to the cooperative unit group;

[0055] Step 5.2: Define that during recipe execution, all equipment units within the collaborative unit group start up simultaneously and collectively enter the next process step only upon receiving an instruction carrying a collaborative synchronization number.

[0056] As one implementation method, the synchronous command is issued in the following ways: software commands are issued to drive units with communication functions through the controller, and power signals are issued to devices without communication functions through hard-wired I / O.

[0057] Example 2:

[0058] This embodiment is basically the same as Embodiment 1, except that it provides an application in a fine chemical production line. This embodiment takes a production line that needs to produce multiple fine chemical products (such as product A and product B) as the background to demonstrate how the present invention can achieve rapid and flexible production line switching.

[0059] Implementation Background:

[0060] Physical equipment layer: This production line includes physical equipment such as metering tank A, metering tank B, initiation tank, reaction vessel, and maturation vessel;

[0061] Traditional pain point: In the past, switching from producing product A to new product B required control engineers to rewrite the PLC control logic and configure the human-machine interface according to the completely new process flow of product B, and to conduct tedious joint debugging and testing. This process usually took several days or even weeks and was prone to introducing errors, leading to the risk of production stoppages, and could not meet the flexible production needs of "multiple varieties and small batches".

[0062] The implementation process of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0063] Step 1: Build the control unit library;

[0064] First, in the batch control system, the physical equipment on the production line is functionally abstracted to establish an extensible control unit library.

[0065] The "reactor" is broken down into independent control modules for start-up, feeding, heating, heat preservation, stirring, discharging, cleaning, and termination.

[0066] The "metering tank" is broken down into independent control modules for starting, receiving formula parameters, feeding, metering, discharging, and ending.

[0067] The "initiation tank" is broken down into independent control modules for starting, feeding, mixing, discharging, and ending.

[0068] These modules, like "standard parts," are stored in the system's control unit library and can be called up and combined at any time.

[0069] Step 2: Dynamically reorganize and generate unit combinational logic;

[0070] When a process engineer needs to introduce product B, the core process of the formulation is: "Add raw materials BA and EA to the metering tank, discharge them to the reaction vessel, and the reaction vessel will carry out the mixing reaction."

[0071] Engineers do not need to write code; they can configure the system through a graphical interface (see appendix). Figure 1-5 Drag and drop existing standard modules from the control unit library:

[0072] A metering tank module (including feeding, metering, and discharging steps);

[0073] A reactor module (including feeding, mixing, and discharging steps);

[0074] The system combines these modules into a control flow sequence for product B, known as "unit combinational logic." The system automatically maps this logic sequence to specific physical devices (e.g., designating "metering tank A" to perform the metering task) and generates underlying executable control commands. The entire process is completed within 30 minutes.

[0075] Step 3: Implementation of process-recipe decoupling;

[0076] In the above process, the generated "unit combination logic" is itself stored as a process template called "Product B Basic Process". This template defines a fixed sequence of steps (first metering, then mixing), but does not contain specific process parameters.

[0077] At the same time, a formula parameter set named "Product B-1" is created, stored independently, and mapped to the process template, for example:

[0078] Parameters mapped to the feeding step of the metering tank module: Raw material BA=500L, Raw material EA=300L.

[0079] Parameters mapped to the mixing step of the reactor module: stirring speed = 120 rpm, mixing time = 45 min.

[0080] Achieve bidirectional decoupling: When it is necessary to produce another variant of product B, "product B-2", simply create a new formula parameter set "product B-2" and modify the parameters (such as raw material BA = 700L), without making any changes to the "product B basic process" template; when switching, the system directly loads the "product B-2" parameter set and maps it to the original process template.

[0081] Step 4: Parallel switching based on the cooperative protocol;

[0082] In the process of product B, the reaction vessel can only begin mixing after the "metering tank A" and the "initiator tank" have completed feeding simultaneously.

[0083] Establish the protocol: During the recipe configuration phase, define "Metering Tank A" and "Initiation Tank" as a cooperative unit group and assign a cooperative synchronization number, such as Sync_001.

[0084] Execution Switching: During recipe execution, metering tank A and initiation tank start feeding simultaneously. Once both have completed feeding and sent a "ready" signal to the upper controller, the controller issues a parallel instruction carrying Sync_001 to the coordination unit group.

[0085] Synchronous action: Only after receiving the Sync_001 command will the devices in the collaborative unit group collectively switch to the next step, that is, notify the reactor to start working; this eliminates the chain waiting phenomenon of "metering tank A completes - initiation tank starts - initiation tank completes - reactor starts" in the traditional system, and greatly shortens the batch interval time.

[0086] By applying this invention, the introduction and changeover time for new product B has been reduced from the traditional "weeks / days" to "minutes." Because it uses verified, standard control units, logical errors are fundamentally eliminated, ensuring successful equipment startup on the first attempt and significantly improving stability. Simultaneously, the production line can easily handle production tasks with different formulas and batch sizes, truly achieving high-efficiency and highly flexible mass production.

[0087] Example 3:

[0088] This embodiment is basically the same as Embodiment 1, except that it provides the application of parameter verification function. As a supplement to Embodiment 1, this embodiment further demonstrates its security features.

[0089] When loading the formula parameter set for "Product B-2", the system automatically performs parameter verification.

[0090] The system compares the "reactor temperature setting value = 250℃" in the recipe with the "reactor R101 safe temperature limit = 200℃" pre-stored in the database.

[0091] Upon detecting that 250℃ > 200℃, exceeding the safe range, the system immediately aborted the loading process and generated an alarm message on the operator interface: "Error: Reactor R101 temperature setpoint exceeds limit!"

[0092] This function effectively prevents unsafe parameters from being used in production, ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment, and demonstrating that while pursuing high efficiency, this invention also places great emphasis on production safety.

[0093] One embodiment of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the batch control switching method of any of the above embodiments.

[0094] It should be noted that while the preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided in the specification and accompanying drawings, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are not intended to impose additional limitations on the content of the present invention; their purpose is to provide a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the disclosure of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described technical features can be combined with each other to form various embodiments not listed above, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the present invention specification. Moreover, those skilled in the art can make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Construct an extensible control unit library, which contains multiple independent control modules formed by abstracting the functions of physical devices; Step 2: In response to a new production task request, select the corresponding control module from the control unit library and dynamically reorganize it to generate unit combination logic that matches the production task; Step 3: Provide a recipe parameter set that is separate from the unit combination logic, wherein the process step sequence defined by the unit combination logic is stored as an independent process template, and the recipe parameter set is stored independently and defines an adjustable parameter mapping relationship with the steps in the process template. Step 4: When switching production tasks, load the new recipe parameter set and map its parameters to the process template without reloading or reconstructing the process template; Step 5: Based on the custom collaborative switching protocol preset for the equipment unit group, send synchronization commands to the equipment units in the group in parallel to trigger the equipment units in the group to perform switching operations synchronously. The process of establishing the custom cooperative handover protocol includes: Step 5.1: During the recipe configuration editing stage, define multiple device units that need to operate in parallel as a cooperative unit group, and assign a unique cooperative synchronization number to the cooperative unit group; Step 5.2: Define that during the formulation run, all equipment units within the collaborative unit group start up simultaneously, and collectively enter the next process step only when they receive an instruction carrying the collaborative synchronization number; The methods for issuing the synchronization command include: issuing software commands to the drive unit with communication function through the controller, and / or issuing power signals to the device without communication function through hard-wired I / O.

2. The batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 1, the function of the physical device is abstracted, specifically including: decomposing the complete working cycle of a single physical device into multiple basic control stages, and each basic control stage is encapsulated as an independent and reusable control module.

3. The batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling according to claim 2, characterized in that, The basic control phases include one or more of the following: startup, feeding, mixing, reaction, discharge, and termination.

4. The batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 2, dynamic reconfiguration is achieved through a graphical configuration interface, which includes combining selected control modules into a control flow sequence and mapping the control flow sequence to specific physical devices.

5. The batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 3, the process template and the formula parameter set constitute a two-way decoupling mechanism. One process template can be adapted to multiple different formula parameter sets, and one formula parameter set can be configured to multiple different process templates.

6. The batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bidirectional decoupling mechanism between the process template and the recipe parameter set is implemented in the following way: The process template is stored independently of the formula parameter set, and it stores a fixed sequence of process steps. The formula parameter set defines the set of adjustable parameters corresponding to the steps in the process step sequence, and is directly loaded when switching tasks, mapping its parameters to the process template.

7. The batch control switching method based on dynamic recombination and decoupling according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 4, when loading a new set of formula parameters, the system performs parameter verification, including: comparing the process parameters in the set of formula parameters with the corresponding equipment safety operation thresholds pre-stored in the database; if the parameters are within the safety threshold range, loading is performed; otherwise, an alarm is generated and the operation is stopped.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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