Control System Redundancy via Inter-Application Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current control systems that require high reliability often incur significant costs due to the need for redundant configurations with multiple control apparatuses, and there is a lack of intermediate solutions that balance reliability and cost effectively.
Innovation Solution
A control system and apparatus that utilize a redundant configuration of multiple controller applications operating on a single piece of hardware, with an inter-application interference prevention processing unit and a selection processing unit to ensure normal operations even in the presence of errors, by selecting and outputting a proper calculated value.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a redundant configuration with two control apparatuses is used, then reliability is improved, but system cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple controller applications onto a single control apparatus, running them in parallel on the same hardware platform. This consolidation maintains the redundancy benefit of multiple controllers while eliminating the need for multiple separate physical apparatuses, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity or system cost
Solution Approach 2:
The control apparatus is designed to host multiple different controller applications simultaneously, making it a universal platform that can perform multiple control functions. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve redundant configuration benefits while using a single apparatus, reducing both cost and complexity compared to dedicated separate controllers
2Reliability
If a redundant configuration with two control apparatuses is used, then reliability is improved, but hardware cost doubles or more
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple controller applications onto a single hardware platform, sharing common hardware resources such as processor, memory, and I/O interfaces. This approach maintains the reliability benefits of redundant controllers while avoiding the cost of duplicating entire hardware systems, thereby reducing hardware quantity and associated costs
3Device complexity
If multiple controller applications run on the same hardware, then cost is reduced, but inter-application interference may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control applications into isolated execution environments or processes, allowing them to run independently on the same hardware. This segmentation prevents interference between applications by providing separate memory spaces, execution contexts, or virtualization layers, thus enabling cost-effective consolidation while maintaining system stability
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer or mechanism that manages interactions between multiple controller applications sharing the same hardware. This intermediary could be an operating system, virtualization layer, or communication bus that mediates resource access and prevents direct interference, allowing safe coexistence of multiple applications
4Device complexity
If a single control apparatus is used, then cost is reduced, but reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple controller applications onto a single control apparatus, running them in parallel on the same hardware platform. This consolidation maintains the redundancy benefit of multiple controllers while eliminating the need for multiple separate physical apparatuses, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity or system cost
Data Source
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AI summary
A control system (2) includes hardware (111), an inter-application interference prevention processing unit (119) that operates on the hardware (111), controller applications (114) that operate on the inter-application interference prevention processing unit (119), and a selection processing unit (115). The controller applications (114) each perform a predetermined calculation on an input value and output a calculated value as a calculation result. The selection processing unit (115) selects one output value based on the calculated values outputted by the controller applications (114) and outputs the output value.