Virtual Controller Synchronization for Industrial Process Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial controllers face challenges in monitoring process quality and detecting faults early due to limited data access and resource constraints, making it difficult to prevent downtimes and detect unauthorized changes or sabotage.
Innovation Solution
A control system with a real and virtual controller that synchronizes data and operations, allowing for parallel execution of control tasks and data comparison to identify unexpected operating states, thereby enhancing monitoring precision and detecting malfunctions and manipulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a supervisory control system is used to monitor process data, then process quality can be measured and disturbances can be detected, but the data acquisition places additional demands on the control system resources and requires coordination with the plant or machine manufacturer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual controller that is a digital copy of the real controller, including its control logic and parameters. This virtual copy runs in parallel and allows monitoring of process data without modifying the real controller's configuration, thus avoiding the need for coordination with manufacturers while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual controller acts as an intermediary between the real controller and the supervisory control system. It receives control commands and process data from the real controller, processes monitoring-related data, and provides feedback to the supervisory system, thereby protecting the real controller from additional resource demands while enabling comprehensive monitoring
2Measurement precision
If more measured variables are available for monitoring, then early detection of disturbances becomes possible, but sufficient resources (memory, computing, and communication power) must be available in the control system
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual controller creates a digital replica that can process and store extensive process data without consuming resources from the real controller. This allows the system to monitor numerous measured variables and detect disturbances early while the real controller maintains its original resource consumption levels
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring function is segmented into a separate virtual controller entity. The real controller continues its primary control function with minimal resource usage, while the virtual controller handles the computationally intensive tasks of data acquisition, storage, and analysis for disturbance detection
3Adaptability or versatility
If the control system configuration is modified to enable comprehensive data acquisition, then monitoring capability is improved, but coordination with the plant or machine manufacturer is required
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the real controller's configuration, the patent creates a virtual copy that can be freely adapted and configured for comprehensive monitoring. This virtual controller can access control data through standard interfaces without requiring manufacturer coordination, thus improving adaptability while simplifying implementation
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
In a control system (1, 4) comprising a real controller (1) for controlling an industrial process, plant, or machine and a virtual controller (4) for simulating the control of the industrial process, plant, or machine, the proper operation is to be monitored safely and reliably. According to the invention, synchronization means for synchronizing the real controller and the virtual controller, as well as a control monitoring device (7) for acquiring data from the real controller (1) and the virtual controller (4), are proposed for this purpose. The control monitoring device (7) is configured to compare the data acquired by or derived from the real controller (1) with the data acquired by or derived from the virtual controller (4), and unexpected operating states of the real controller (1) are recognizable from the comparison.