Controller Migration Using a Shared I/O Pool in Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional process control systems with dedicated I/O modules do not allow access to I/O modules used by other process controllers, limiting the utilization of these modules without requiring a major system redesign.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an I/O software agent that enables existing I/O modules to be part of a shared I/O pool, allowing any process controller to access and utilize I/O modules, even if originally dedicated to another controller, through a software solution rather than a hardware redesign.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated I/O modules are assigned to specific process controllers, then each controller has guaranteed access to its assigned modules, but other controllers cannot access those modules even if resources are underutilized
Solution Approach 1:
An I/O software agent is introduced as an intermediary component that manages I/O module allocation. The agent runs on the process controller and handles communication with the I/O pool, enabling dynamic resource sharing while maintaining reliable access for each controller through software-mediated resource management
Solution Approach 2:
The I/O modules in the pool are designed to serve multiple process controllers simultaneously. Instead of being dedicated to a single controller, each I/O module can be dynamically allocated to any controller in the system that needs it, making the I/O resources universal and multi-functional
2Device complexity
If the system uses conventional dedicated I/O module assignment, then the system architecture remains simple and well-defined, but the system cannot leverage unused I/O modules from other controllers without major redesign
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the physical hardware-based dedicated I/O assignment with a software-based virtualization approach. The I/O software agent creates a virtual I/O pool that abstracts the physical I/O modules, allowing logical sharing without changing the physical connectivity or requiring hardware redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The I/O software agent creates a virtual representation or copy of the I/O module pool that can be accessed by multiple controllers simultaneously. Each controller gets a virtual interface to the shared I/O resources, allowing multiple instances of I/O access without duplicating physical hardware
3Ease of manufacture
If I/O modules are dedicated to specific controllers, then configuration and management is straightforward, but resource utilization efficiency decreases when controllers have unused I/O capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The I/O module allocation is made dynamic rather than static. The I/O software agent enables controllers to dynamically request and release I/O modules from the pool based on real-time needs, allowing the system to adapt resource allocation to changing conditions and maximize utilization efficiency
Data Source
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AI summary
A process control system (300) includes a first process controller (110a) coupled to a first set of input/output (I/O) modules (235) that provided first channels, including an I/O software agent (218) coupled to an I/O module pool (120) that includes a first and at least a second I/O module collectively providing a plurality of pooled channels. The first channels and the pooled channels are each coupled by a respective field device (108a) to a plurality of first and second processing equipment (105a, 105d), respectively. The I/O software agent is configured for enabling addition of the first set of I/O modules to the I/O module pool, coupling of a plurality of additional process controllers in a controller pool (110) to the first process controller, and enabling at least one of i) making any of the first set of channels available to any of the process controllers in the controller pool, and ii) making any of the pooled channels available to the first process controller.