Dual-Interpreter Industrial Controller for Safe Real-Time Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial controller systems for safety applications face challenges in achieving versatility and efficiency while maintaining hardware-independence and meeting stringent safety standards, often requiring significant hardware overhead for redundancy.
Innovation Solution
An industrial controller system utilizing two redundant software channels, a native and a coded-processed channel, where the industrial control program is interpreted by respective interpreter units, allowing for real-time control and enhanced versatility without specific hardware dependence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundancy is employed by operating multiple industrial controller systems in parallel, then operational safety is enhanced, but hardware overhead increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple controller systems into a single controller by implementing redundant software channels (native and coded-processed) that execute on the same hardware platform. The combination unit integrates outputs from both channels, allowing safety redundancy to be achieved through software rather than physical hardware duplication, thereby reducing hardware overhead while maintaining operational safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The single industrial controller system is designed to perform multiple functions by executing both native and coded-processed software channels simultaneously. The controller universally handles safety-critical operations through interpreted code execution, eliminating the need for dedicated hardware for each redundant channel and enabling one system to fulfill the role of multiple systems.
2Speed
If compiled code is used for real-time control, then execution speed is improved, but versatility and hardware-independence deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the interpreter) that translates high-level control programs into executable code in real-time. This intermediary enables the system to maintain versatility and hardware-independence by allowing control programs to be written in high-level languages while still achieving real-time execution performance, bridging the gap between compiled code speed and interpreted code flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control program is prepared and validated in advance through compilation to object code, with safety checks performed beforehand. The interpreter then executes this pre-processed code in real-time, combining the benefits of preliminary compilation (speed optimization and validation) with the flexibility of interpretation (hardware-independence and versatility).
Data Source
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AI summary
An industrial controller system comprises an encoder unit adapted to receive an application code of an industrial control program and to convert the application code into a coded-processed application code; wherein the encoder unit is further adapted to receive input data for the industrial control program and to convert the input data into coded-processed input data. The industrial controller system further comprises a first interpreter unit adapted to receive the application code and the input data and to convert the application code and the input data into a first industrial control code; and a second interpreter unit adapted to receive the coded-processed application code and the coded-processed input data and to convert the coded-processed application code and the code-processed input data into a second industrial control code; and a combination unit adapted to combine the first industrial control code and the second industrial control code into a resulting industrial control code for the industrial control program.