Monitor Control System Redundancy for Maintenance Continuity

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional monitor and control systems face issues during periodic maintenance, where the entire control in the field becomes disabled, and the dual transmission system specification is expensive, leading to high system construction costs.

Innovation Solution

A monitor and control system architecture where a first transmission master station in a first room and a second transmission master station in a control panel independently issue control commands to a first transmission slave station in a second room, allowing for continuous control operation and state indication from the control panel, even if the first transmission master station stops, with a third transmission slave station transmitting disability information to the first transmission master station.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a dual transmission system configuration is used to ensure continuous control operation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and system construction cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous control operationVSAvoiddual system specification

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides control functions into two independent master stations (first and second transmission master stations) located in different rooms, each capable of independently controlling the load. This segmentation allows one master station to serve as backup for the other, ensuring continuous control operation while avoiding the need for a complete dual system specification throughout the entire control architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The third transmission slave station acts as an intermediary that transmits disability information from the first transmission slave station to the second transmission master station. This intermediary mechanism enables the second master station to take over control when the first master station fails, maintaining system reliability without requiring complex dual system configurations at all control points.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a dual transmission system configuration is used to ensure continuous control operation, then reliability is improved, but system construction cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous control operationVSAvoidsystem construction cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides control functions into two independent master stations (first and second transmission master stations) located in different rooms, each capable of independently controlling the load. This segmentation allows one master station to serve as backup for the other, ensuring continuous control operation while avoiding the need for a complete dual system specification throughout the entire control architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The third transmission slave station provides a cost-effective communication pathway for transmitting disability information, using a simpler and more economical approach compared to implementing full dual system specifications across all control stations. This reduces overall system construction costs while maintaining the necessary reliability through strategic placement of redundancy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Ease of operation

If the first transmission master station stops for maintenance, then ease of operation is improved for local control, but loss of information occurs regarding system state monitoring

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocal control from control panelVSAvoidstate monitoring information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The third transmission slave station acts as an intermediary that transmits disability information from the first transmission slave station to the second transmission master station. This intermediary mechanism enables the second master station to take over control when the first master station fails, maintaining system reliability without requiring complex dual system configurations at all control points.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback through the third transmission slave station that continuously monitors and transmits the operational status of the first transmission slave station to the second transmission master station. This feedback mechanism ensures that state monitoring information is preserved and transferred, preventing information loss when the first master station is stopped for maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2854416B1Monitor and control system

Publication Date: 2019.05.08 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP

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AI summary

A second transmission master station (3B is provided in a control panel (3), so that a first transmission master station (1A) and the second transmission master station (3B) independently issue a control command to first transmission slave stations (2a, 2b, ... 2z) in a second room (2) to control a load and collect state monitoring information on the load, thus, even if the first transmission master station (1A) in a first room (1) stops, a control operation over the load and a load state indication from the control panel (3) are possible even during the stop period.