Industrial Simulation I/O Kernel Configuration Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional industrial simulation techniques suffer from inefficiencies in data fidelity, update rates, and simulation accuracy due to the lack of direct communication with I/O module configurations, leading to bypassing of I/O modules and inadequate synchronization of clocks between controllers and simulations, which compromises the realism and effectiveness of validation processes.
Innovation Solution
An automation simulation system that leverages I/O module configuration information to establish direct communication between a plant simulation and the controller's I/O module instances, using a simulated I/O kernel to exchange data as raw values and employing a synchronization mechanism like modified IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol to maintain clock synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a middleware layer (e.g., OPC server) is used to link simulation I/O points to controller data table addresses, then the simulation can exchange I/O data with the controller, but transmission latency increases and data fidelity deteriorates due to the non-deterministic middleware layer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the middleware layer (OPC server) from the I/O data exchange path between simulation and controller. By establishing direct communication channels, the simulation can read from and write to controller I/O modules without intermediary processing, eliminating the non-deterministic delays and data fidelity issues introduced by the middleware layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a simulation I/O kernel as a new intermediary that sits between the simulation and controller I/O modules. This kernel provides deterministic data exchange by directly accessing controller memory spaces and I/O module configurations, replacing the non-deterministic OPC server middleware with a more efficient communication mechanism.
2Reliability
If simulated I/O data is exchanged directly with the controller's I/O data table via middleware, then data can be transmitted between simulation and controller, but the I/O module configurations are bypassed reducing simulation accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the simulation I/O kernel capable of handling multiple I/O module types and configurations through a unified interface. The kernel can adapt to different controller platforms and I/O module configurations while maintaining consistent simulation behavior, allowing the same simulation framework to work across diverse industrial control systems without requiring separate configuration approaches for each device type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts simulation parameters based on the actual controller I/O module configurations. By reading configuration data from the controller and adapting simulation behavior accordingly, the system maintains accuracy across different hardware configurations without requiring manual reconfiguration of the simulation model for each device variant.
3Ease of manufacture
If the simulation executes on a general-purpose computer with operating system functions, then the simulation can run on standard hardware, but operating system interrupts can occur during simulation execution compromising real-time performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary scheduling actions by reserving dedicated time slots and CPU resources for simulation execution before operating system interrupts can interfere. The simulation I/O kernel establishes predetermined execution windows where simulation code runs with higher priority, preempting or avoiding OS interrupts to maintain deterministic real-time performance on general-purpose hardware.
4Adaptability or versatility
If I/O module configurations are not integrated into the simulation, then the simulation can run independently of controller configurations, but the validation process becomes less representative of real-world system behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic configuration loading where the simulation I/O kernel automatically reads and adapts to the controller's actual I/O module configurations during runtime. This allows the simulation to independently load configurations as needed rather than requiring pre-configured static models, maintaining both independence and realism by dynamically matching the target controller's I/O architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A simulation environment is provided for running a process simulation used to validate an industrial control program. The simulation environment exposes the I/O module configurations defined in the control program and retrieves module configuration information therefrom. This I/O module configuration information is combined with generic, module-specific I/O module profiles to create a pool of available controller I/O points, which can be selectively associated with I/O points in the simulation to create an I/O point mapping. During control program validation, simulated I/O data is exchanged between the process simulation and the I/O module instances in the controller in accordance with the I/O point mapping. A variation of these techniques for use with cloud-based emulations is also described.