Unified Communications Module for Fault-Tolerant Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fault-tolerant control systems in process control environments face challenges in efficiently interoperating with process control systems while maintaining safety functionality, particularly in minimizing hardware components and ensuring uninterrupted operation.
Innovation Solution
A unified communications module (UCM) with an embedded functional safety core and onboard communication link is introduced, enabling redundancy between controllers and integrating a switch between the safety core and field device system integrator, which collects data from field devices and communicates it to the DCS application interface, while preventing changes to the safety controller from control network sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate hardware components are used for safety controller and process controller, then safety functionality is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the safety controller and process controller into a single integrated controller unit. The controller includes a processor that can execute both safety-critical functions and process control functions, along with a communication interface that handles both safety network communications and process control network communications. This integration reduces the number of separate hardware components while maintaining distinct safety and control functions through software partitioning and network separation.
2Device complexity
If integrated controller is used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of safety functionality may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated controller implements functional segmentation by separating safety-critical operations from non-critical operations. The processor executes safety functions in a protected environment with guaranteed response times, while process control functions operate in a less critical environment. The communication interface segments network traffic by handling safety network communications and process control network communications through different protocols and priority levels, ensuring safety functions are not compromised by control network activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication interface acts as an intermediary that mediates between the integrated controller and external systems. It implements protocol conversion and message routing to ensure that safety-critical communications are properly isolated from process control communications, even though they share the same physical controller hardware. This intermediary layer maintains the reliability boundaries between safety and control functions.
3Ease of operation
If communication networks are integrated, then ease of operation improves, but safety integrity may be compromised due to external interference
Solution Approach 1:
The communication interface segments network communications into distinct safety network traffic and process control network traffic. Safety network communications use dedicated protocols and message formats that are isolated from control network protocols, ensuring that control network interference cannot compromise safety communications. The interface maintains separate communication channels and priority handling for safety-critical messages.
4Reliability
If separate safety and control networks are used, then safety integrity is maintained, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication interface serves as an intermediary that manages both safety network and process control network communications through a unified hardware platform. It implements intelligent message routing, protocol conversion, and priority arbitration to handle both network types simultaneously while maintaining their operational independence. This intermediary approach provides the operational simplicity of integration with the safety integrity of separation.
Data Source
AI summary
A fault tolerant control system delivers an embedded functional safety core and a distributed control engine with an onboard communication link in an industrial process control environment. The fault tolerant control system includes a process control workstation connected to a first network and a fault tolerant safety controller connected to a second network, wherein a process controller module, a safety controller module and a field device system integration module are co-located on a power interface board.