Distributed Controller Handover Under Network Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional control system upgrades for hardware assets, such as power generation units, often require interrupting operations, leading to costly disruptions and loss of trust due to unpredictable state information changes and the need for intermediary hardware to maintain communication between controllers, which is cost-prohibitive.
Innovation Solution
A distributed control system with a high-level and low-level controller configuration, where the low-level controller receives high-level control references and adjusts control references upon network loss, allowing seamless transition and avoiding the need for intermediary hardware by using surrogate or biasing methods to maintain control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If control system upgrades are performed using conventional methods with redundant controllers, then system reliability is improved during upgrades, but device complexity and cost increase due to intermediary hardware requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the intermediary hardware component from the control system architecture. Instead of using separate intermediary devices to transfer state information between controllers, the system directly transfers control state from the primary controller to the backup controller through a controlled handover process, eliminating the need for additional hardware intermediaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup controller is designed to serve dual purposes: it acts as a standby unit for reliability and simultaneously functions as the upgraded system. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate intermediary hardware, as the backup controller itself performs the state transfer and control functions.
2Ease of operation
If control algorithms are split across multiple controllers, then ease of operation during upgrades is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to communication loss between controllers
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the backup controller continuously monitors the operational status and control state of the primary controller. This feedback loop enables the backup controller to maintain synchronization and take over control seamlessly when communication is lost or during upgrade transitions, ensuring reliability while maintaining ease of operation.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional control models are used for real-time control, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but productivity decreases due to computational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional layers: the primary controller handles computationally intensive real-time control algorithms requiring high manufacturing precision, while the backup controller manages state transfer and handover operations. This segmentation allows each controller to specialize in specific tasks, maintaining precision while improving overall system productivity during upgrades.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for automatic feedback control are provided. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a method for automatic feedback control may commence with receiving high-level control references by a low-level controller communicatively coupled to a high-level controller via the network connection. The method may further include generating, by the low-level controller, low-level control references for a hardware asset based at least in part on the high-level control references. The method may continue with transferring control of the hardware asset to the low-level controller in response to a loss of the network connection. The method may further include adjusting the low-level control references by a low-level control mechanism associated with the low-level controller in response to the loss of the network connection.