Industrial Controller Test Manager for Concurrent Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current testing of process control systems for industrial controllers is largely manual, inefficient, and lacks real-time data monitoring, leading to reduced reliability and efficiency due to separate testing protocols for simulators and physical controllers.
Innovation Solution
An engineering tool with a test manager system that enables concurrent testing of logic simulators, controller simulators/emulators, and physical controllers using multiple test manager instances, each with a dedicated communication link, to streamline validation and testing processes, and improve data monitoring and validation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual testing operations are used for process control systems, then testing can be performed with simple equipment, but testing efficiency and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The testing system is segmented into multiple independent test manager instances, each capable of independently managing test cases for different controllers. This segmentation allows parallel testing operations across multiple controllers simultaneously, thereby improving productivity without requiring a single complex centralized system.
Solution Approach 2:
The test manager instances automatically extract test data from controllers and communicate results without requiring manual intervention. The system performs self-service data extraction and validation, reducing the need for manual testing operations while maintaining simplicity in individual test manager design.
2Productivity
If separate testing protocols are used for simulators and physical controllers, then testing can be performed on different device types, but testing time and operational efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The test manager instances are designed with multi-functionality to handle both simulator and physical controller testing through a unified interface. Each test manager instance can adapt to different device types (simulators or physical controllers) using the same basic protocol structure, enabling concurrent testing without requiring separate specialized systems for each device type.
3Measurement precision
If real-time data monitoring is implemented during testing, then test data accuracy is improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The test manager instances implement real-time feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring test data from controllers and automatically validating results against expected outcomes. This feedback loop ensures high measurement precision by immediately detecting and reporting deviations, while the automated nature of the feedback process avoids adding significant system complexity.
4Reliability
If multiple test manager instances are used for concurrent testing, then testing reliability is improved, but communication protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
All test manager instances use the same homogeneous communication protocol and data extraction methods when interacting with controllers. This standardization ensures that multiple instances can operate concurrently with identical communication patterns, improving reliability through consistency while avoiding the need for complex differentiated protocols for different instances.
Data Source
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AI summary
An engineering tool for testing a process control system includes one or more test manager instances. Each test manager instance includes circuitry that receives test cases and associated test requests. The circuitry also identifies a target for each test request, translates each test request into instructions to the identified target, checks each test request for validity, initiates execution of each test case, monitors subscribed data generated by the target, computes a difference between the subscribed data at a first point in time and a second point in time, and generates a notification when the computed difference is greater than a predetermined threshold.