Distributed Process Server Switching for Production Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart factories face disruptions and inefficiencies due to reliance on a single main server for process management, leading to network errors, server overload, and production paralysis when the main server or process servers go down.
Innovation Solution
A smart process system that distributes process state information across multiple process servers, allowing them to share the burden and seamlessly switch processes in case of server failures, with each server having independent DB areas for real-time data collection and transmission to the main server, and enabling automatic process line changes to maintain production continuity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If process management is centralized through a main server, then process control capability is improved, but system reliability deteriorates when the main server fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized process management function into multiple independent process servers, each capable of managing specific processes. This segmentation allows the system to maintain process control capabilities through distributed servers while improving reliability, as the failure of one server does not paralyze the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameter of server architecture from centralized to distributed. By deploying multiple process servers that can independently execute process management functions, the system maintains control capability while enhancing reliability through redundancy and fault tolerance.
2Loss of information
If all process state information is transmitted to the main server, then centralization of data is improved, but network traffic concentration causes server overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data processing function from the main server and assigns it to individual process servers. Each process server collects and manages its own process state information locally, transmitting only necessary data to the main server. This extraction reduces network traffic concentration and prevents server overload while maintaining data centralization for overall system coordination.
3Device complexity
If a single process line is used for each process, then process simplicity is improved, but productivity deteriorates when server failures cause production stoppage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes process servers universal by enabling them to execute multiple different processes. Each process server is designed to handle various process types and can dynamically switch between processes. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain production continuity by assigning alternative processes to available servers when failures occur, thereby protecting productivity without significantly increasing process complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A smart process system includes a main server, a plurality of process servers, a worktable, and a plurality of process display terminals arranged on the worktable in order of process and connected to respective process severs. A process-line-changeable process management method includes (a) one server from among servers related to processing of the current step detects that process progress has stopped because a server different from the one server is down; (b) the one server transmits a process command signal to a different process server; and (c) the different process server provides process work information about work after stopping of the process progress to a process display terminal connected to the different process server, on the basis of the process command signal. The main server and the plurality of process servers include a process DB area assigned independently for each process.