Unified Plant Debugger for Multi-System Debugging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current control systems lack a method or system for debugging across different control systems, domains, field buses, field devices, and distributed control systems, making it difficult to test and debug complex industrial processes, especially during factory acceptance tests and commissioning, where errors are costly and time-consuming, and require manual synchronization across multiple engineering tools.
Innovation Solution
A plant debugger system that extracts and visualizes parameters and signals from multiple control sub-systems, allowing for system-wide breakpoints and synchronized control of multiple control systems or simulations from a single point, integrating with various engineering tools and providing a unified view of all signals and parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate sub-system specific engineering tools are used for each control sub-system, then each sub-system can be engineered and tested independently, but system-wide debugging and testing across different control sub-systems becomes impossible or extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a system-wide debugger as an intermediary tool that connects to multiple separate control sub-systems and engineering tools. This debugger acts as a mediator that can monitor, control, and debug parameters across different sub-systems simultaneously, enabling system-wide debugging while preserving the independence of individual sub-system engineering tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The debugger is designed with universal functionality to work across multiple different control sub-systems, field buses, and engineering tools. It can extract and visualize parameters from diverse sources, set breakpoints across different sub-systems, and provide unified control, making a single tool capable of performing system-wide debugging tasks that previously required multiple separate tools.
2Reliability
If manual synchronization is used across multiple engineering tools during factory acceptance testing, then comprehensive testing can be performed, but engineering time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the debugging functionality across multiple separate engineering tools into a single unified debugger interface. This consolidation allows engineers to monitor and control all control sub-systems from one location, automatically synchronizing breakpoints and parameter monitoring across different tools, thereby reducing the time required for comprehensive factory acceptance testing while maintaining thorough testing coverage.
3Ease of operation
If control code execution of multiple control devices is stopped manually in separate tools, then debugging can be performed, but synchronized stopping across different control sub-systems is not achievable
Solution Approach 1:
The system-wide debugger implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor the state of multiple control sub-systems and provide real-time information about parameter values, signal states, and execution status. This feedback enables the debugger to automatically detect when specified breakpoint conditions are met across different sub-systems and coordinate the stopping of control code execution synchronously, achieving precise synchronized breakpoint monitoring that was previously impossible with manual separate tool operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary method and a system for debugging a control system of an industrial plant where the system includes at least two different control sub-systems, of the same or different control equipment type, on plant or sub-system level, and has specific programmable controller units in devices like PLCs, DCSs, robots, drives, instruments and/or other process specific components whereas all specified parameters and signals of the control system across its sub-systems, devices, and technologies are extracted and visualized on a single sight and are utilized for the definition of system wide breakpoints, utilizing a subset of those signals or parameters, and related conditions, e.g. logical combinations of the signals or parameters.