Management Board Redundancy for Stable Industrial Control Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial control servers face issues of poor reliability, insufficient stability, and weak scalability, leading to high operation and maintenance costs due to frequent interface damage and fixed interface types.
Innovation Solution
A management board with dual-interface signal control units and a gating unit that selects paths based on operating states, along with a modular design including interface modules, computing modules with redundant CPUs, and a power supply system with dual-PSUs, enabling flexible and reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If interfaces are managed by a control component on a mainboard, then the interface can perform data interaction functions, but the interface is highly prone to damage due to high-frequency use and requires mainboard inspection during maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The interface management function is segmented from the mainboard control component and placed on a dedicated management board. This separation allows the interface to be independently managed and maintained without affecting the mainboard, reducing maintenance complexity while improving reliability through specialized interface control.
Solution Approach 2:
A management board is introduced as an intermediary component between the mainboard and the interface. This intermediary handles interface signal control and status monitoring, protecting the mainboard from direct interface wear and tear while maintaining system reliability through dedicated interface management.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the type and number of interfaces are fixed in a traditional industrial control server, then the system structure is simple, but the scalability is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The interface configuration is made dynamic through the management board, which can selectively enable or disable different interface paths based on operational needs. This allows the system to adapt interface types and numbers dynamically without requiring complex reconfiguration of the entire system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The management board provides universal interface control capabilities that can manage multiple types of interfaces (UART, CAN, Ethernet, etc.) through a unified architecture. This multi-functional approach enables scalability across different interface types without increasing overall system structural complexity.
3Reliability
If a traditional integrated industrial control server is used, then the design is compact, but the coupling is strong making it difficult to achieve high availability and high stability
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into distinct functional modules: mainboard for core processing, management board for interface control, and various interface units. This segmentation reduces coupling between components, allowing independent failure and maintenance of individual modules while maintaining overall system availability and stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application relates to the technical field of computers. Provided are a management board, an interface module, an industrial control server, and an industrial control system. The management board includes: a first interface signal control unit and a second interface signal control unit, wherein the second interface signal control unit is configured to acquire an operating state of the first interface signal control unit; and an interface unit provided with at least one interface, and a gating unit, wherein one gating end of the gating unit is connected to the first interface signal control unit and the interface unit to form a first interface path, and the other gating end of the gating unit is connected to the second interface signal control unit and the interface unit to form a second interface path, wherein the second interface signal control unit is configured to select the first interface path or the second interface path according to the operating state. The solution of the present application achieves redundant interface management, and may improve the stability of an interface. Furthermore, an interface management manner independent of a mainboard may further reduce operation and maintenance costs.