Client-Led Redundancy Switching in Distributed Automation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed automation systems face challenges in maintaining seamless operation during communication channel failures or disruptions, as existing redundancy concepts often require specialized network infrastructure and do not adequately consider real-time computing and communication resources.
Innovation Solution
A method for redundancy control in distributed automation systems, where a client device monitors communication with a first computing infrastructure for faults and instructs a second computing infrastructure to take over, enabling active or passive redundancy without requiring special network infrastructure, allowing for integrative resource management and fast reaction to failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundancy is implemented using specialized network infrastructure (e.g., time-critical networking with specialized switches or routers), then real-time reliability is improved, but device complexity and infrastructure cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the redundancy management functionality from specialized network infrastructure and relocates it to the client device itself. The client device independently monitors communication quality with the first computing infrastructure and autonomously activates the second computing infrastructure when faults are detected, eliminating the need for specialized network switches or routers with redundancy capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The client device performs self-service by autonomously monitoring its own communication channels and managing its own redundancy without external assistance. The device independently detects communication quality degradation, decides when to switch to backup infrastructure, and coordinates the takeover process, making the system self-managing rather than relying on specialized network infrastructure.
2Power
If external computing infrastructure is used to operate the client device, then computing power and availability are improved, but vulnerability to communication failures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by pre-establishing a second computing infrastructure as a backup before any communication failures occur. The client device continuously monitors communication quality with the primary infrastructure and has the backup infrastructure ready to take over immediately when faults are detected, cushioning against the impact of communication failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters by switching between primary and backup computing infrastructures based on communication quality metrics. When communication parameters (quality, reliability) deteriorate below thresholds, the system changes state from using the first computing infrastructure to using the second computing infrastructure, adapting to changing conditions.
3Productivity
If the client device monitors communication and manages redundancy switching, then autonomy and response speed are improved, but processing load on the client device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The client device performs partial monitoring of communication parameters rather than exhaustive analysis of all communication data. It focuses on key indicators of communication quality and reliability, performing sufficient monitoring to detect faults but avoiding excessive processing that would consume unnecessary computational resources.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a method for redundancy control in a distributed automation system (10), preferably a real-time automation system (10), for operating a client device (12) of the distributed automation system (10). The method comprises monitoring, by means of the client device (12), the communication between the client device (12) and a first computing infrastructure (14) of the distributed automation system (10) operating the client device (12) for the occurrence of a fault. Upon the occurrence of the fault, the method comprises instructing, by means of the client device (12), a second computing infrastructure (16) of the distributed automation system (10) to operate the client device (12).