Technologies for configuring voting blocks associated with a process control system

A computing device for enabling configuration of a configurable voting block for a process control system in a process plant, the configurable voting block having a voting scheme associated with a set of inputs generated by a set of field devices to control operation of at least one device within the process plant, comprising:

• a user interface;
• a memory storing a set of computer-executable instructions;
• and
• a processor interfacing with the user interface and the memory, and configured to execute the set of computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to:
• receive, via the user interface, a first control selection that directs whether the voting scheme for the configurable voting block is degraded for a first instance of a first type of input of one of the set of inputs,
• receive, via the user interface, a second control selection that directs whether the voting scheme for the configurable voting block is degraded for a second instance of the first type of input of another one of the set of inputs,
• receive, via the user interface, a trip inhibit enable selection that directs whether the at least one device is inhibited from tripping automatically when a number of required votes of the voting scheme exceeds a number of votes of the voting scheme that are not bypassed or bad, wherein the trip inhibit enable selection is either a yes selection or a no selection,
• configure the configurable voting block according to the first control selection, the second control selection, and the trip inhibit enable selection,
• receive, from the set of field devices, the set of inputs, and
• determine, from the set of inputs and according to the configurable voting block that was configured, whether the number of required votes of the voting scheme exceeds the number of votes of the voting scheme that are not bypassed or bad;
• and
• based on the determining, cause the at least one device to trip automatically or be inhibited from tripping automatically.

A controller module for use in a process plant having a processor communicatively coupled to control at least one device within the process plant based on a set of inputs generated by a set of field devices, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium;
• and
• a function block stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executed on the processor, the function block comprising:
• a set of inputs, each configured to receive an input signal respectively from the set of field devices, the input signal indicating a process condition,
• a first control block comprising a first control parameter that directs whether a voting scheme for the function block is degraded for a first instance of a first type of input of one of the set of inputs,
• a second control block comprising a second control parameter that directs whether the voting scheme for the function block is degraded for a second instance of the first type of input of another one of the set of inputs,
• a third control block comprising a trip inhibit enable parameter that directs whether the at least one device is inhibited from tripping automatically when a number of required votes of the voting scheme exceeds a number of votes of the voting scheme that are not bypassed or bad, wherein the trip inhibit enable parameter is either a yes selection or a no selection,
• an output providing an output signal, and
• a voter logic block coupled between the first control block, the second control block, the third control block, and the output, the voter logic block configured to:
• determine, from the set of input signals and according to the first control parameter, the second control parameter, and the trip inhibit enable parameter, whether the number of required votes of the voting scheme exceeds the number of votes of the voting scheme that are not bypassed or bad, and
• based on the determining, produce the output signal;
• wherein the processor is configured to, based on the output signal, cause the at least one device to trip automatically or be inhibited from tripping automatically.