Virtualized Real-Time I/O for Scalable Process Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial control systems face limitations in scalability, reconfigurability, reliability, and performance due to hardware-driven architectures, which restrict their ability to efficiently manage data and I/O operations, leading to issues with data archiving, communication resource utilization, and system responsiveness.
Innovation Solution
A multi-purpose hardware/software architecture decouples hardware from software, enabling dynamic simulation and run-time process control through a virtualized environment that abstracts I/O operations, allowing for easier scaling, reconfiguration, and improved reliability and availability by using virtual and physical components that cooperate within the MPDSC platform.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hardware-driven architecture is used in industrial control systems, then system stability and reliability are improved, but scalability and reconfigurability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into virtualization layer, I/O abstraction layer, and physical hardware layer. This segmentation allows the control system to maintain stable physical hardware connections while enabling flexible virtual resource allocation and reconfiguration through software-defined I/O virtualization mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
An I/O virtualization intermediary layer is introduced between the control software and physical I/O devices. This intermediary enables dynamic resource allocation and reconfiguration while maintaining stable physical connections, resolving the contradiction between hardware reliability and software flexibility.
2Speed
If physical I/O devices are directly connected to controllers, then communication speed and responsiveness are improved, but system complexity and difficulty of management increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple physical I/O devices are merged into virtual I/O resources that can be dynamically allocated to different virtual machines or control processes. This merging reduces the number of direct connections required while maintaining communication speed through virtualization-based resource sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The I/O virtualization layer acts as an intermediary that manages communication between controllers and physical devices. It maintains high communication speed through direct physical connections while simplifying system management by providing abstracted, software-defined I/O interfaces.
3Reliability
If dedicated hardware is allocated for each I/O function, then system reliability and fault isolation are improved, but resource utilization and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Physical I/O devices are configured with universal interfaces that can serve multiple virtual machines or control functions simultaneously. This multi-functionality enables fault isolation through virtualization while improving resource utilization by allowing shared access to physical hardware resources.
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual copies of I/O devices are created for each virtual machine or control process, while the physical hardware is shared. These virtual copies provide fault isolation and reliable interfaces while the underlying physical sharing improves resource utilization efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.