US 2026/0310150 A1 · PARTITIONING AND REDUNDANCY CONTROL IN PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS

Abstract

Process control systems are configured to confirm the presence of a primary control application by a backup control application via a common I/O subsystem in an automation control platform in order to prevent a “dual primary” condition. An I/O subsystem receives request messages generated by the backup control application and broadcasts them onto the network. Further, the primary control application receives the request messages and provides the response back to the backup control application via I/O subsystem. The rebroadcasting of these messages by the I/O subsystem can be used to prevent the control system that include controllers and/or workloads that are located in different controller platforms from being partitioned from one another due to a fault in a communication network link providing data and status communications between the different controller platforms.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for executing process control operations in a process control system, the method comprising:

receiving, at an input/output member node of the process control system, data indicative of a set of operational states for a first group of control member nodes,
rebroadcasting, from the input/output control member node and over a communication link coupling the input/output member node to a second group of control member nodes, the data indicative of the set of operational states for the first group of control nodes;
receiving, at the second group of control member nodes, the data indicative of the set of operational states for the first group of control member nodes;
and
determining, at the second group of control member nodes, an operational status of each of the first group of control member nodes based on the received data indicative of the operation states for each of the first group of control member nodes.

2 more elements

A method for executing process control operations in a process control system, the method comprising:

receiving, at an input/output member node of the process control system, a first address request message issued by a first control member node of the process control system, wherein the first address request message is directed to a second control member node of the process control system and includes a request for information regarding an operational status of the second control member node;
in response to receiving the first address request message, rebroadcasting, from the input/output member node, the first address request message as a first indirect address request message to the second control member node;
receiving, at the input/output member node, a reply back from the second control member node in response to the first indirect address request message;
and
in response to receiving the reply back from the second control member node, outputting, from the input/output member node, an indirect address response directed to the first control member node, the indirect address response including an indication of the operational status of the second control member node.

2 more elements

A process control system comprising:

a plurality of process controllers communicatively coupled together through an input/output control member, the input/output control member comprising one or more input/output controllers configured to control operations associated with input sensors and output actuators included as part of the process control system;
the input/output control member configured to receive messages broadcast from the plurality of process controller, each of the messages including data indicative of an operational state of a particular one of the plurality of process controller that issued the message, and to rebroadcast the received messages over one or more communication links configured to communicatively couple the input/output control member with the plurality of process controllers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Partitioning and redundancy control in process control systems

Life of this patent

Partitioning and redundancy control in process control systems

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20