Process control system with backup process controller
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorYoel Keiles
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process control system having a backup controller which is substituted for one of a plurality of primary process controllers upon the detection of a failure of one of the primary process controllers. The substitution of the backup controller is controlled by a backup director which is arranged to sense the operation of a primary process controller and to transfer the operating data from the failed controller into the backup controller to enable the backup controller to take over the operations being performed by the failed controller.
Claims11
A process control system comprising
- at least one primary process controller, said controller having a random access memory for storing process data pertaining to a process being monitored and controlled by said controller and a read only memory storing control information to be used in handling the process signals applied to the process controller,
- a backup controller, said backup controller having a random access memory substantially devoid of stored process data and a read only memory storing substantially the same control information as said read only memory in said primary process controller, and
- a backup director connected to said primary controller and to said backup controller and including control means responsive to a failure of said primary controller for transferring said process data from said random access memory in said primary controller to said random access memory in said backup controller.
A method of substituting a backup controller for a failed primary controller comprising the steps of detecting the failure of a primary controller, and transferring information from a random access memory of the failed controller into a random access memory of the backup controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.