Industrial Communication Failover Across Transport Layers and Protocols
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems face disruptions due to failures in communication networks, particularly when the transport layer or communication protocol fails, leading to the inability to transfer crucial data and disrupt the functioning of the control system.
Innovation Solution
An industrial control system with automated switching capabilities, utilizing a primary and secondary transport layer and protocol configuration, enabling seamless communication by switching to secondary layers or protocols when failures occur, ensuring uninterrupted data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single primary transport layer and primary protocol are used for communication, then the system structure is simple and easy to operate, but the system reliability deteriorates when the primary transport layer or protocol fails
Solution Approach 1:
The communication network is segmented into multiple independent transport layers (primary, secondary, tertiary) with distinct protocols. When the primary transport layer fails, the system can switch to secondary or tertiary layers, ensuring communication continuity. This segmentation isolates failures to specific layers while preserving overall system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures multiple backup transport layers and protocols before failures occur. The control center device maintains readiness to switch to alternative transport layers by having them预先 configured and monitored. This preliminary preparation enables rapid failover without requiring complex real-time decision-making during failure events.
2Reliability
If multiple backup transport layers and protocols are configured for automated switching, then the system reliability improves during failures, but the device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control center device automatically monitors the health status of the primary transport layer and autonomously switches to backup transport layers when failures are detected. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual intervention during failures, simplifying operation while maintaining high reliability through automated multi-layer switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors feedback from the primary transport layer regarding its operational status. When failure indicators are detected, this feedback triggers automatic switching to secondary or tertiary transport layers. The feedback mechanism enables the system to respond dynamically to failure conditions without requiring complex manual assessment procedures.
3Loss of time
If automated switching between primary and secondary transport layers is implemented, then the loss of time during failure recovery is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Backup transport layers are pre-configured and monitored alongside the primary transport layer. The control center device maintains readiness to switch by having alternative paths prepared in advance with their status continuously checked. This preliminary action enables instantaneous switching upon failure detection, minimizing recovery time without requiring complex real-time analysis during the switch.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for automated switching of communication element. The system comprises at least one controller (102), a control center device (104) communicatively connected to the controller (102), and a communication network (106) enabling bidirectional communication between the controller (102) and the control center device (104). The communication network (106) comprises at least two transport layers (108) comprising one primary transport layer (110) and at least one secondary transport layer (112a, 112b). Further, the communication network (106) comprises a plurality of communication protocols (114) including one primary protocol (116) and at least one secondary protocol (118a, 118b). If the control center device (104) detects failure of the primary transport layer (110), the control center device (104) switches to one of the secondary transport layers (112a, 112b) or switches to one of the secondary transport layers (112a, 112b) and one of the secondary protocols (118a, 118b) to enable communication.