Redundant Controller Diagnosis Using Control Data Adoption Statistics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing process control systems in plants have low tolerance for malfunctions or intermittent failures in process device interfaces, which can lead to instability and inefficiency in control calculations.
Innovation Solution
A diagnosing apparatus and method that utilizes a redundant configuration of controllers and interface apparatuses to acquire and diagnose statistical information on control data adoption, allowing for the identification of abnormal conditions and differentiation between permanent and temporary malfunctions, thereby enhancing system reliability and fault detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a process device interface performs majority determination of control data from multiple controllers, then control system reliability is improved, but the interface becomes vulnerable to malfunctions and intermittent failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the interface apparatus into multiple independent determination units, each capable of performing majority determination separately. This segmentation isolates potential malfunctions to specific units rather than affecting the entire interface, thereby maintaining control system reliability while reducing vulnerability to interface failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a diagnosing apparatus as an intermediary that monitors and analyzes the operation status of the interface apparatus and controllers. This intermediary detects malfunctions and intermittent failures before they compromise control reliability, allowing for proactive fault management while preserving the majority determination mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If statistical information on control data adoption is acquired and analyzed, then fault detection accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The interface apparatus automatically generates and maintains statistical information about control data adoption from multiple controllers without requiring external intervention. This self-service approach enables accurate fault detection through built-in monitoring capabilities while avoiding the complexity of separate diagnostic systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the diagnosing apparatus continuously monitors the statistical information and operation status, then provides diagnostic results back to the control system. This closed-loop feedback enables precise fault detection and differentiation between permanent and intermittent failures while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
An abnormality is diagnosed in a control system including a plurality of controllers adopting a redundant configuration, a diagnosing apparatus that diagnoses a control system. The control system includes a plurality of controllers adopting a redundant configuration; and an interface apparatus that outputs control output data, which is based on a plurality of redundant pieces of control data received from the plurality of controllers, to a device under control. The diagnosing apparatus includes a statistical information acquiring section that acquires statistical information including adoption/non-adoption of the control data from each of the plurality of controllers in the interface apparatus; and a diagnosing section that diagnoses the control system based on the statistical information.