Controller Engine Instance Dynamic Versioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional industrial controllers are rigid and inflexible, requiring specific hardware and software tailored to each control engine, leading to complex management and a high risk of conflicts during firmware updates and upgrades in industrial automation environments.
Innovation Solution
The system facilitates dynamic updates by deploying data portions in real-time within an industrial environment, using an update component that isolates and tests data within a controller engine instance, minimizing errors and compatibility issues, and dynamically distributing loads across multiple controllers and controller engine instances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional controllers use specific hardware and software tailored to each control engine, then control functionality is achieved, but management complexity increases and update risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the controller into multiple independent control engine instances, each capable of running isolated versions of control software. This segmentation allows updates to be tested in individual instances without affecting the entire controller system, reducing update risk while maintaining functional integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables dynamic versioning where control engine instances can operate with different software versions simultaneously. By changing the version parameter of individual instances rather than forcing uniform updates across all controllers, the system reduces management complexity and update risks.
2Productivity
If multiple controllers and control engines are deployed, then control capacity increases, but management overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed with universal management capabilities that can handle multiple control engine instances through a single interface. The system provides multi-functional management features including version control, load balancing, and coordinated updates across all instances, reducing management overhead while maintaining increased control capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated self-management features including automatic load balancing across control engine instances, self-coordinated firmware updates, and automatic version synchronization. These self-service capabilities reduce manual management overhead while allowing the deployment of multiple controllers and engines to increase productivity.
3Speed
If firmware updates are deployed across all controllers simultaneously, then update speed is fast, but conflict risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary testing of firmware updates in isolated control engine instances before deploying them system-wide. This preliminary action allows validation of update compatibility and functionality, reducing conflict risk while maintaining efficient update deployment through subsequent coordinated rollout across all instances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where control engine instances report status and compatibility information during update deployment. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of update propagation, allowing fast simultaneous updates when conditions permit while preventing conflicts when incompatibilities are detected, thus balancing speed and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that facilitates deploying data within an industrial environment. A controller can execute with a real-time operating system such that the controller can include two or more controller engine instances executing as processes on the controller. An update component that can dynamically deploy a portion of data to the industrial environment, the portion of data can be isolated within a controller engine instance for testing prior to exposing such portion of data outside the controller engine instance execution space.