Publish-Subscribe I/O Switching for Virtual Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial control systems face limitations in scalability, reconfigurability, reliability, and performance due to hardware-driven architectures, which restrict their ability to efficiently manage data and I/O operations, leading to issues with data archiving, communication resource utilization, and system resilience.
Innovation Solution
A multi-purpose hardware/software architecture decouples hardware from software, enabling dynamic simulation and run-time process control through a virtualized environment that abstracts I/O operations, allowing for easier scaling, reconfiguration, and improved reliability and performance by using virtual and physical components that cooperate in industrial process control systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hardware-driven architecture is used in industrial control systems, then the system structure is stable and simple to implement, but the scalability, reconfigurability, and adaptability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control system into independent virtual components (virtual process control modules, virtual I/O modules, virtual field devices) that can be individually configured, instantiated, and managed. Each virtual component operates as a separate software entity, allowing the system to be reconfigured by creating, deleting, or modifying individual virtual components without affecting the entire system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtualization dimension that overlays the physical hardware architecture. By creating a virtual layer that abstracts and decouples software from hardware, the system gains reconfigurability and adaptability without adding physical complexity. Virtual components can be dynamically allocated, moved, and reconfigured in the virtual space while mapping to fixed physical resources.
2Productivity
If traditional data highway communication is used, then the system structure is simple, but the communication resource utilization and data management efficiency are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a publish/subscribe protocol as an intermediary communication mechanism between virtual components. Instead of direct point-to-point data highway communication, virtual components publish data to topics and subscribe to relevant topics, enabling efficient many-to-many communication patterns. This intermediary layer improves data management efficiency by allowing selective data distribution and reducing unnecessary communication overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The publish/subscribe protocol serves multiple functions simultaneously: it enables real-time data exchange between virtual components, provides automatic data archiving through subscription mechanisms, supports event-driven communication patterns, and facilitates efficient data routing. This universal communication mechanism replaces multiple specialized communication channels, improving overall system productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If virtualized components are introduced to improve scalability and reconfigurability, then the system adaptability increases, but the device and software complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses virtual copies of control modules and I/O modules that replicate the functionality of physical components in software form. These virtual copies can be instantiated multiple times, configured independently, and managed without physical constraints. The copying approach enables scalability by creating additional virtual instances of proven working components, reducing the need to design and validate new hardware configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The publish/subscribe protocol acts as a standardized intermediary that simplifies the complexity of virtual component interactions. By providing a uniform communication interface and data exchange mechanism, the protocol abstracts the complexity of inter-component communication, making the virtualized system easier to manage and configure despite the increased number of software components.
4Reliability
If the system tightly couples hardware and software, then the implementation is straightforward, but the system resilience and responsiveness to changes are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tight hardware-software coupling into independent virtual components that can fail independently. When a virtual component fails, only that specific component is affected, not the entire system. This segmentation enables localized fault isolation and recovery, improving system resilience by preventing cascade failures while maintaining manageable complexity through modular virtual component design.
Data Source
AI summary
A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.