Redundant Process Bus Switching for Fail-Safe Control Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bus systems in process plants are vulnerable to failures, particularly when the administrative bus participant malfunctions, leading to a complete failure of the process system, and redundancy measures are costly.
Innovation Solution
A dual bus system architecture where two data buses are connected via a switching device, allowing functional sending bus participants to take over control of receiving bus participants in case of a fault, with monitoring communication channels and circuit units to ensure seamless operation and reduce secondary data transmission during faults.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single administrative bus participant is used to control receiving bus participants, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because a malfunction leads to complete system failure
Solution Approach 1:
The bus system is segmented into multiple independent administrative bus participants (first sending bus participant and second sending bus participant), each capable of controlling receiving bus participants. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even if one administrative participant fails, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational state of the data bus by switching between different administrative bus participants based on their functional status. When a malfunction is detected, the system transitions control to the standby administrative participant, changing the operational parameters of the bus system to maintain reliability.
2Reliability
If redundant bus participants are implemented to prevent complete system failure, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The second sending bus participant is designed as a universal backup that can control both receiving bus participants (first and second receiving bus participants). This multi-functionality allows a single redundant component to provide backup control for multiple receivers, improving fail-safety while minimizing the increase in device complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The data bus serves as an intermediary that can carry control commands from either administrative bus participant to the receiving bus participants. This shared communication medium allows the redundant administrative participants to interface with all receivers without requiring separate dedicated channels, reducing overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If all receiving bus participants are continuously controlled by the administrative bus participant, then the productivity is maintained, but the loss of energy increases due to continuous data transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a monitoring mechanism that detects malfunctions of administrative bus participants. This feedback allows the system to switch control to the standby participant only when necessary, maintaining productivity through continuous control capability while reducing energy loss by avoiding unnecessary data transmission during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous active control from a single administrative participant, the system uses periodic health checks and on-demand switching. The standby participant remains in a low-power state until needed, at which point it takes over control functions, thereby maintaining productivity while reducing overall energy consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a bus system (1) for a process plant, comprising a first bus participant (2) sending bus messages and at least one first bus participant (3) receiving bus messages, wherein the sending first bus participant (2) and the receiving first bus participant (3) are connected to each other via a first data bus (4), wherein the sending first bus participant (2) is configured to send control commands to the receiving first bus participant (3), and wherein the receiving first bus participant (3) is configured to execute the control commands of the sending first bus participant (2), and solves the problem of providing a bus system (1) that is designed to be particularly fail-safe.