Software-Defined Process Control Redundancy on Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial process control systems are inflexible and hardware-centric, leading to increased costs for initial engineering and change management, as well as vulnerabilities to cost overruns and supply-chain delays due to their dependence on purpose-built hardware.
Innovation Solution
A software-defined process control system (SDCS) that decouples software and hardware, implementing business logic as logical abstractions on top of software and hardware resources, and dynamically managing these resources using a hyper-converged infrastructure to support dynamic demands of process control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If purpose-built hardware is used in traditional process control systems, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of control functions through software-defined controllers that run on standardized hardware. Multiple virtual controller instances can be deployed on the same physical infrastructure, providing redundancy and reliability without requiring additional purpose-built hardware for each controller. This virtualization approach maintains system reliability while reducing hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal hardware platform that can host multiple different control functions and protocols through software configuration. A single standardized server can perform the roles of multiple specialized controllers, I/O devices, and communication gateways, eliminating the need for dedicated purpose-built hardware for each function and reducing overall device complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If purpose-built hardware is used in traditional process control systems, then initial engineering costs are controlled, but adaptability and ease of change management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic software-defined controllers that can be reconfigured at runtime without hardware changes. Control logic, I/O mappings, and communication protocols can be modified through software updates, allowing the system to adapt to new processes, equipment, or requirements dynamically. This provides high adaptability while using cost-effective standardized hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows control system parameters, control algorithms, and operational characteristics to be modified through software configuration rather than hardware reconfiguration. This enables rapid adaptation to changing process requirements, new products, or optimized control strategies without incurring additional hardware costs or complex engineering changes.
3Stability of the object's composition
If traditional hardware-centric architecture is used, then system stability is maintained, but productivity and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical and electronic hardware control systems with software-defined control logic running on virtualized platforms. This substitution enables faster control response, easier deployment of advanced control algorithms, and improved operational efficiency while maintaining system stability through virtualization orchestration and standardized hardware interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple control functions, I/O processing, communication gateways, and monitoring capabilities into a unified software-defined control platform. This consolidation improves operational efficiency by reducing hardware overhead, simplifying system management, and enabling better resource utilization, while system stability is maintained through orchestrated virtualization and standardized communication protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
A software defined distributed control system (SDCS) in a process plant includes an application layer that includes a plurality of containers instantiated in a data cluster. Each of the containers is an isolated execution environment executing within the local operating system of a respective computing node. The containers cooperate to facilitate execution of a control strategy in the SDCS, and includes a hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) operating across the data cluster, which HCI is configured to communicate with the application layer via an adapter service. The HCI includes software-defined (SD) compute resources, SD storage resources, SD networking resources, and an orchestrator service. The orchestrator service is programmed to configure a first container to include a service executing within the first container. It also assigns the first container to execute on an available hardware resource to control a plurality of field devices operating in the process plant.