Process Plant Control Signatures for Multi-Instance Value Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In hyper-convergent infrastructure systems, executing multiple control processes on common hardware platforms makes it difficult to reliably distinguish between encoded process values from different software instances, as they share the same encoded application program, leading to potential mixing up of process values.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves computing a first signature for each process value using a prespecified initial value and cyclic increment, allowing each control process to individually define these values, enabling distinct signatures for encoded process values even when using the same application program, thus allowing differentiation between control processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the same application program is executed multiple times on a host system, then resource utilization is improved, but the ability to distinguish between process values from different instances is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the cyclic increment parameter instance-specific while keeping the rest of the application program identical. Each virtual instance uses the same encoded application program but with a locally differentiated cyclic increment value, allowing process values to be distinguished at the local instance level while maintaining global resource sharing. This resolves the contradiction by enabling both multi-instance execution and process value distinction through localized parameter differentiation.
2Reliability
If individual parameterization is performed for each instance, then process value distinction is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying only the cyclic increment parameter to differentiate between instances, rather than individually parameterizing the entire application program. This single parameter change approach maintains process value distinction while minimizing system complexity. The encoded application program remains identical across instances, and only the cyclic increment value needs to be changed for each instance, significantly reducing the complexity compared to full individual parameterization.
3Ease of manufacture
If the same encoded program is used across instances, then ease of deployment is improved, but monitoring reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring instance-specific cyclic increment values before deployment. During the deployment phase, each virtual instance is assigned a unique cyclic increment parameter that will be used during runtime to distinguish process values. This preliminary configuration enables both the ease of deploying identical encoded programs and the reliability of monitoring through pre-established parameter differentiation, resolving the contradiction between deployment simplicity and monitoring reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for controlling a process plant in which a number of control processes are performed on common hardware, wherein encoded process variables are encoded in each of the control processes based on signatures that are defined individually in each of the control processes.