Virtual Gateway for Automated Redundant Automation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automation systems face challenges in ensuring continuous control and monitoring of programmable logic controllers when a gateway computer fails, as manual intervention is required for redundancy, leading to downtime and additional configuration efforts.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method with network load balancing and dynamic configuration parameter interchange between gateway computers, allowing for automated redundancy and transparent failover, ensuring continuous operation without manual administrative interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a redundant gateway computer is activated manually in the event of a fault, then the control and monitoring of programmable logic controllers can be ensured, but the system experiences downtime and requires additional configuration effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple gateway computers with identical communication parameters and establishing a virtual gateway computer before any failure occurs. This allows the redundant gateway to immediately take over without requiring manual configuration or activation, eliminating the downtime between failure and redundancy activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service through automated failover mechanisms where the virtual gateway computer automatically detects failures and redirects communication to the appropriate physical gateway computer without human intervention. The system monitors its own status and self-corrects by switching to redundant components when needed.
2Reliability
If a redundant gateway computer is activated manually, then control and monitoring can be ensured, but additional configuration effort is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple physical gateway computers into a single virtual gateway computer that presents a unified interface to user computers. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate configuration of each physical gateway, as changes made to the virtual gateway are automatically propagated to all underlying physical gateways, reducing configuration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual gateway computer serves multiple functions: it acts as the primary communication interface, manages failover to redundant gateways, and distributes configuration updates to all physical gateways. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate configuration systems for each gateway computer.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple gateway computers are used with different protocols for different bus systems, then communication flexibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual gateway computer acts as an intermediary that abstracts the complexity of multiple protocols and bus systems from user computers. It handles protocol conversion and communication routing between different bus systems (such as PROFIBUS and Ethernet), presenting a unified interface to users while managing the underlying protocol diversity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for redundantly operating an automation system comprising one or more user computers, at least two gateway computers and a plurality of programmable logic controllers, the user computers and the gateway computers being connected to a first bus system of a first type and the gateway computers and the programmable logic controllers being connected to a second bus system of a second type, as a result of which the programmable logic controllers can be controlled and/or monitored by the user computers via one of the gateway computers, wherein to set up a communication link between one of the user computers and one or more of the programmable logic controllers, the user computer contacts a virtual gateway computer having a virtual identifier for all gateway computers of the automation system, which virtual gateway computer establishes a physical communication link to a selected one of the gateway computers.