Process Control Diagnosis Using Local-to-Global Fault Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing process control systems face challenges in diagnosing faults in control devices due to incomplete consideration of interactions with other components, leading to unreliable fault diagnosis and inefficient troubleshooting, especially with limited communication bandwidth and data availability.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes local diagnostic codes generated by individual control devices, transformed into global diagnostic codes with identifiers, and applied through a diagnosis deduction logic in a central unit to reliably identify fault causes across a process plant, considering empirical data and expert knowledge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If local diagnostic codes are generated and transmitted from individual control devices, then fault detection capability is improved, but communication bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential diagnostic information from control devices by generating condensed diagnostic codes that represent fault states. Instead of transmitting complete raw data or detailed diagnostic information, the system extracts and transmits only the critical diagnostic codes, thereby improving fault detection capability while minimizing communication bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional diagnostic approach by having control devices generate and transmit diagnostic codes proactively rather than waiting for centralized diagnostic requests. This inversion allows diagnostic information to be available immediately when needed, improving detection capability while using bandwidth only when diagnostic codes need to be transmitted to the central control unit.
2Reliability
If comprehensive diagnostic analysis considering multiple control devices is implemented, then diagnosis reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central control unit as an intermediary that receives diagnostic codes from multiple control devices and performs comprehensive analysis. This intermediary consolidates the complexity of multi-device diagnostic analysis into a single location, allowing individual control devices to remain simple while achieving reliable system-wide diagnosis through the coordinating function of the central unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges diagnostic information from multiple control devices into a unified diagnostic framework at the central control unit. By combining diagnostic codes from various devices and analyzing them collectively using diagnosis deduction logic, the system achieves comprehensive and reliable fault diagnosis while maintaining simplicity at the device level.
3Measurement precision
If diagnostic codes are transformed with control-device-specific identifiers into global diagnostic codes, then fault localization accuracy is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates global diagnostic codes that serve multiple functions: they retain the diagnostic information from local codes while adding control-device-specific identifiers. This universal code format allows the same diagnostic code structure to be used across all control devices in the system, enabling both accurate fault localization and simplified data handling through a standardized multi-functional code system.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for diagnosing control system of a process engineering plant having a plurality of actuating units for setting a process fluid and a central unit, at least one actuating-unit-specific control raw datum, such as a setpoint value, an actual value, a setpoint-actual difference value, or a control value, is detected; a particularly local diagnosis code is generated by one of the plurality of actuating units based on the at least one detected control raw datum; the diagnosis code is transmitted from the actuating unit to a central unit; a local diagnosis code, is transformed into a global diagnosis codes; a logical condition for a diagnosis deduction logic is defined such that when the logical condition is applied to at least one diagnosis code, the diagnosis deduction logic determines a predetermined deduction result; and a deduction result is determined based on the at least one diagnosis code.