Publish-Subscribe I/O Virtualization for Real-Time Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial control systems face limitations in scalability, reconfigurability, and resilience due to tight hardware-software coupling, limited memory and bandwidth, and inefficient data archiving and communication.
Innovation Solution
A novel multi-purpose hardware/software architecture decouples hardware from software, enabling dynamic simulation and run-time process control through a virtual process environment that cooperates with a physical environment, using virtual and physical nodes with publish/subscribe layers for data communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional hardware-software coupled architecture is used, then system stability is maintained, but scalability and reconfigurability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into independent virtualization layer, hardware abstraction layer, and physical hardware components. This allows software to be virtualized and decoupled from specific hardware configurations, enabling scalable deployment and flexible reconfiguration without redesigning the entire system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware abstraction layer provides universal interfaces that allow multiple software applications and control systems to operate on diverse hardware platforms. This multi-functionality enables the system to scale across different hardware configurations and be reconfigured for various industrial control scenarios without hardware changes.
2Productivity
If centralized data archiving is implemented, then data management is simplified, but memory bandwidth limitations and communication inefficiency occur
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized data archiving system is segmented into distributed edge computing nodes that process and archive data locally. This reduces the memory bandwidth burden on central systems and improves communication efficiency by enabling parallel data processing across multiple nodes, eliminating the single-point bottleneck.
Solution Approach 2:
The data archiving architecture transitions from a single-dimensional centralized model to a multi-dimensional distributed network structure. Data can be archived and accessed across multiple spatial dimensions (different edge nodes, cloud services, and local devices), significantly increasing effective bandwidth and communication efficiency through parallel data paths.
3Reliability
If simulation and run-time operations share the same hardware, then resource utilization improves, but system reliability and availability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Virtualization creates software-based copies of hardware resources and system environments. Simulation operations run on virtualized copies of the control system hardware, while run-time operations execute on the physical hardware. This copying approach allows both environments to coexist without interfering with each other, ensuring that simulation activities do not compromise the reliability or availability of actual process control operations.
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.