Plant Control Program Relocation with Automated Variable Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plant control systems face challenges in efficiently relocating programs and variables across programmable controllers while maintaining data exchange and adhering to naming conventions, leading to increased design costs and potential errors.
Innovation Solution
The system includes a relocate management part with modules for designating program movement, variable conversion, and name changing, which automatically moves or copies controller global and station global variables, and converts variable names according to set rules, ensuring seamless data exchange and reduced manual processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If programs are manually relocated across programmable controllers, then program movement can be achieved, but design costs increase and errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically designating destination programmable controllers and managing variable conversions before program relocation occurs. The relocate management part pre-configures the relocation parameters and executes the movement, eliminating the need for manual intervention during the actual relocation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The relocate management part enables the system to serve itself by automatically managing program relocation and variable conversions without external manual operation. The system self-designates destination controllers, self-manages variable accessibility, and self-converts variable names according to naming conventions, thereby reducing design costs and improving efficiency.
2Reliability
If variables are manually managed during program relocation, then variable tracking can be achieved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical variable management with an automated electronic management system. The relocate management part electronically tracks and manages variable conversions, accessibility, and naming conventions through software automation, eliminating the time-consuming manual tracking process while maintaining data exchange accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring variable usage and automatically adjusting variable conversions and accessibility settings during program relocation. The relocate management part receives feedback about variable dependencies and uses this information to make real-time decisions about variable management, ensuring accuracy without time loss.
3Productivity
If variable names are not converted according to naming conventions, then relocation speed may be maintained, but naming convention compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary variable name conversion according to naming conventions before program relocation is finalized. The relocate management part pre-processes variable names, ensuring they comply with conventions in advance, so that the actual relocation can proceed quickly without compromising naming accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The relocate management part enables the system to automatically convert variable names according to naming conventions without manual intervention. The system self-identifies variables requiring conversion, self-applies the appropriate naming conventions, and self-verify(ies) compliance, thereby maintaining both relocation speed and naming accuracy simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a plant control system includes a station mounting controllers thereon, an engineering device which manages programs, and a device which connects the controllers and the engineering device. The engineering device includes database which stores information on a first variable for allowing data to be shared among programs in each controller and a second variable for allowing data to be shared among programs in the station, the database management part, and a relocate management part which moves the program, and the relocate management part includes a designating module which designates an execution order of programs in a source controller, one or more programs to be moved, a destination controller, and the source controller, a module which moves the program as designated in the designating module, and a changing module which, when the program is moved, moves or copies the first and second variable used in the program.