Sterilization Chamber PLC Control Across Hardware Configurations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing and maintaining sterilization chambers with different hardware configurations is challenging due to the need for custom control software, leading to difficulties in ensuring quality control, debugging, and software upgrades across various chambers.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a single program to control sterilization chambers by abstracting chambers, subsystems, and devices into configurable building blocks, separating configuration data, state data, and live data, and using a standard interface to invoke subsystems, allowing consistent operation across different hardware configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom control software is used for each chamber to accommodate different hardware configurations, then the chamber can be properly controlled and monitored, but software maintenance becomes labor intensive and debugging becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The control software is segmented into a standardized core program and chamber-specific configuration data. The configuration data includes hardware descriptors that define the specific hardware setup for each chamber, allowing the same core program to adapt to different configurations without requiring custom software development for each chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
A universal control program is implemented that can control multiple chambers with different hardware configurations. The program uses a standardized interface and configuration data structure that accommodates various chamber types, manufacturers, and hardware setups through a common architecture rather than requiring separate custom programs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If each chamber runs its own custom program, then the chamber can be controlled independently, but software upgrades affect other chambers differently and require testing for every chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The software is divided into a standardized upgradeable core and chamber-specific configuration data that remains unchanged. When software upgrades are needed, only the standardized core program needs to be updated and tested once, while the chamber-specific configuration data automatically adapts to the new version without requiring separate testing for each chamber.
3Device complexity
If configuration data, state chamber information, and program code are stored in the same memory area, then the PLC control program is simpler, but new program code cannot be downloaded without overwriting and losing configuration data and state chamber information
Solution Approach 1:
The memory structure is segmented into distinct areas: program code memory, configuration data memory, and state information memory. This separation allows independent management of each data type, enabling program code to be downloaded and updated without affecting or overwriting configuration data and state information, thereby preserving critical chamber settings and operational state.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a method and apparatus for operating a sterilization chamber such that one version of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) software is compatible with any number of hardware configurations of the sterilization chamber. The PLC software is divided into a core module for operations which are the same across all hardware configurations, and a template module for hardware specific operations. Configuration data, state data, and live data are segregated from each other.