Virtual Machine Controller Service for PLC Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing and testing numerous geographically-dispersed programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs) is labor-intensive and costly, often requiring production downtime and impractical to replicate expensive machinery for testing or training purposes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a virtual machine controller environment as a network-based service (MCaaS) allows users to create and deploy virtual controller instances that emulate physical machine controllers, enabling high-fidelity testing and training without physical equipment, allowing for validation and deployment of machine controller applications across multiple sites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If machine controllers are tested in a live production environment on-site at a facility, then testing can be performed with actual equipment, but production output is lost during testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual replicas of machine controllers that accurately simulate the behavior and characteristics of physical controllers. These virtual instances allow complete testing and validation to be performed on copies rather than originals, eliminating the need to take actual production equipment offline for testing while maintaining testing fidelity.
2Productivity
If replicas of expensive machinery are built offsite for testing or training purposes, then production can continue uninterrupted, but the cost of building and maintaining replicas becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical mechanical replicas with software-based virtual instances. Instead of building expensive physical copies of machinery for testing and training, the system uses virtual machine controller instances that run software simulations, eliminating the need for costly physical replication while maintaining full testing and training capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If a large workforce of control systems engineers is hired to manage numerous geographically-dispersed machine controllers, then comprehensive management is achieved, but the cost and complexity of managing the workforce becomes impracticable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple geographically-dispersed machine controller instances into a unified virtual environment. By consolidating management of numerous physical controllers across different locations into a single virtualized platform, the system eliminates the need for distributed engineering teams at each facility, allowing centralized management of all controllers from one location.
4Productivity
If numerous physical machine controllers are deployed across multiple facilities, then production capacity is increased, but the difficulty and cost of managing and testing each controller increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal virtual management platform that can manage any type of machine controller across any number of facilities through a single interface. The virtualization layer provides multi-functional capabilities that work with diverse controller types and locations uniformly, eliminating the need for facility-specific management approaches and reducing overall system complexity despite increased production capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual machine controller service of a service provider network may provide a virtual machine controller environment where applications associated with machine controllers (e.g., programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable automation controllers (PACs), etc.) can execute and data can be provided as input to the executing applications. An example process may include receiving a request to create a virtual controller instance, and creating the virtual controller instance in a service provider network based at least in part on the request. The example process may further include executing, on the virtual controller instance, an application that is associated with a machine controller that is operable within a facility, and sending data as input to the application to elicit a response from the application. This example process can be used for training personnel and/or for validating machine controller applications prior to their deployment on a physical machine controller in a facility.