Field apparatus control system and computer-readable storage medium

A field apparatus control system for controlling duplicated field apparatuses constituting normal and standby systems of field apparatuses, comprising:

• duplicated field buses connected to the duplicated field apparatuses, respectively, said one of duplicated field buses being referred as a normal system field bus and other thereof being referred as a standby system field bus;
• duplicated main control units for controlling the duplicated field apparatuses;
• and
• duplicated communication control units for processing information communication between the main control units and the duplicated field apparatuses via the duplicated field buses, respectively,
• wherein one of the duplicated main control units and one of the communication control units constitute a normal system, and the other of the duplicated main control units and other of the communication control units constitute a standby system, and the normal system of communication control unit is connected via the normal system field bus to the normal system field apparatus so that the normal system of communication control unit executes information communication processing between the main control unit of the own system and the normal system field apparatus via the normal system field bus, and
• wherein the standby system of communication control unit is connected via the standby system field bus to the standby system field apparatus so that the standby system of communication control unit executes information communication processing between the main control unit of the own system and the standby system field apparatus via the standby system field bus.

A field apparatus control system for controlling a field apparatus, comprising:

• duplicated first and second field buses connected to said field apparatus;
• a main control unit for controlling said field apparatus;
• and
• a communication control unit for processing information communication between the main control unit and the field apparatus via the first and second field buses,
• wherein said communication control unit further comprises
• operation request transmission means for transmitting an operation request to the field apparatus via the first and second field buses based on control information transmitted from the main control unit;
• first judgment means for judging whether or not response information corresponding to the operation request is transmitted from the field apparatus via one of the first and second field buses;
• means for receiving the transmitted response information when the first judgment means judges that the response information is transmitted so as to transmit the received response information to the main control unit;
• second judgment means for judging whether or not response information corresponding to the operation request is transmitted from the field apparatus via other of the first and second field buses when the first judgment means judges that the response information is transmitted;
• means for receiving the transmitted response information when the second judgment means judges that the response information is transmitted so as to transmit the received response information to the main control unit;
• and
• means for transmitting information to indicate the generation of failure in the first and second field buses to the main control unit when the second judgment means judges that the response information is not transmitted.

A storage medium used in a field apparatus control system for controlling a field apparatus connected to a field bus, said field apparatus control system comprising duplicated normal and standby main control units for controlling the field apparatus;

• and duplicated normal and standby computers for processing information communication between the normal and standby main control units and the field apparatus via the field bus, respectively, said storage medium being readable by at least one of the normal and standby computers comprising:
• means for causing at least one of the normal and standby computers to transmit an operation request to the field apparatus based on control information when the own computer is the normal computer, said control information being transmitted from the normal main control unit;
• means for causing at least one of the normal and standby computers to receive response information corresponding to the operation request transmitted from the field apparatus to an address, said address being allocated to the normal and standby computers;
• means for causing at least one of the normal and standby computers to transmit the received response information to the main control unit of an own system corresponding to the at least one of the normal and standby computers;
• means for causing at least one of the normal and standby computers to judge whether or not failure occurs to the own system;
• means for causing at least one of the normal and standby computers to, when the own computer is the normal computer and it is judged that failure occurs to the own computer, stop the operation of the own computer;
• and
• means for causing at least one of the normal and standby computers to monitor operation of the normal computer when the own computer is the standby computer, and when, by the monitored result, detecting the stop of the operation of the normal computer, to switch the own computer which is the standby computer to the normal computer.