Virtualized DCS Architecture for Scalable Industrial Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial control systems face limitations due to hardware-driven architectures, which result in reduced resiliency, reliability, availability, and scalability, as well as inefficient data management and communication, leading to difficulties in troubleshooting, process analysis, and system configuration.
Innovation Solution
A hyperconverged distributed control system (DCS) architecture is implemented using software-defined process controllers and applications, allowing for virtualization of hardware components within a software-defined virtual network, reducing hardware requirements and enabling efficient load balancing and redundancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hardware-driven architecture is used in industrial control systems, then device stability and reliability are improved, but system scalability and adaptability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of control system components through virtualization technology. Virtual controllers, I/O modules, and network devices are instantiated as software entities that can be replicated and distributed across multiple physical hosts, enabling scalability while maintaining the stability characteristics of traditional hardware systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical hardware components with software-based virtual equivalents. Instead of adding physical control modules to expand system capacity, the invention uses virtualized controllers and I/O modules that run on standard server hardware, substituting mechanical/expansion hardware with software-based solutions.
2Productivity
If centralized hardware devices are deployed for process control, then system control capability is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of management increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple distributed control functions into a unified virtualized control environment. Virtual controllers, I/O modules, and management functions are consolidated onto shared server infrastructure, reducing the number of discrete hardware devices while maintaining comprehensive control capability across the process system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal server platforms that can host multiple virtual control instances and I/O modules. A single physical server can simultaneously run multiple virtual controllers managing different process areas, providing multi-functionality and reducing overall system complexity compared to dedicated hardware for each control function.
3Ease of manufacture
If separate hardware components are used for control and data management, then functional separation is improved, but data management efficiency and communication performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges control functions and data management functions into the same virtualized platform. Virtual controllers and data historians both run as software entities on the same server infrastructure, enabling direct memory-access communication and eliminating the need for physical I/O modules and data highways, thereby improving data management efficiency.
4Quantity of substance
If traditional virtualization is applied to control systems, then hardware requirements are reduced, but real-time control performance and deterministic behavior deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the virtualized control system into distinct functional modules with guaranteed resource allocations. Virtual controllers, I/O modules, and communication services are divided into separate virtualized components, each with dedicated CPU time slices, memory buffers, and I/O access rights, ensuring deterministic real-time performance despite sharing physical hardware resources.
Data Source
AI summary
A hyperconverged industrial process control architecture is disclosed for controlling an industrial process within a physical process environment using a software-defined distributed control system (DCS) environment. The software-defined DCS environment may be implemented by virtualizing the hardware components of a DCS architecture on a server group to enable both software-defined process controllers and back-end DCS applications to run within the server group. This software-defined DCS network architecture reduces the hardware requirements of the process control system and reduces configuration complexity by implementing control components and higher-level components within a common environment within the server group.