Wireless controller grids for process control and other systems and related apparatus and method

A process control system comprising:

• a plurality of wireless nodes including multiple controller nodes, each controller node configured to execute at least one of multiple control algorithms for controlling at least a portion of an industrial process, each control algorithm associated with at least one of:
• one or more sensor nodes or one or more actuator nodes;
• wherein at least one of the wireless nodes is configured to (i) control a distribution of the control algorithms amongst the controller nodes by identifying a solution to an optimization problem and (ii) control an automatic redistribution of the control algorithms amongst the controller nodes in response to one or more detected changes in the process control system so that each of one or more of the control algorithms is executed by different controller nodes at different times;
• wherein the solution to the optimization problem comprises a vector having a first portion defining algorithm positions, a second portion defining alternative routing slack variables, and a third portion defining robustness slack variables.

A wireless node comprising:

• a transceiver configured to communicate with other wireless nodes within a wireless controller grid of a process control system;
• and
• a controller configured to (i) control a distribution of multiple control algorithms for controlling at least a portion of an industrial process amongst the other wireless nodes by identifying a solution to an optimization problem and (ii) control an automatic redistribution of the control algorithms amongst the other wireless nodes in response to one or more detected changes in the process control system so that each of one or more of the control algorithms is executed by different wireless nodes at different times, each control algorithm associated with at least one of:
• one or more sensor nodes and one or more actuator nodes;
• wherein the solution to the optimization problem comprises a vector having a first portion defining algorithm positions, a second portion defining alternative routing slack variables, and a third portion defining robustness slack variables.

A method comprising:

• executing at least one of multiple control algorithms for controlling at least a portion of an industrial process at a first wireless node in a wireless controller grid of a process control system, the wireless grid including multiple wireless nodes;
• receiving and executing at least one different control algorithm at the first wireless node as the control algorithms are dynamically distributed and the control algorithms are automatically redistributed in the wireless controller grid in response to one or more detected changes in the process control system so that each of one or more of the control algorithms is executed by different wireless nodes at different times;
• and
• identifying a solution to an optimization problem associated with the distribution of the control algorithms in the wireless controller grid, the solution to the optimization problem comprising a vector having a first portion defining algorithm positions, a second portion defining alternative routing slack variables, and a third portion defining robustness slack variables.

A wireless node comprising:

• a transceiver configured to communicate with other wireless nodes within a wireless controller grid of a process control system, the wireless nodes associated with multiple wireless links;
• and
• a controller configured to (i) control a distribution of multiple control algorithms for controlling at least a portion of an industrial process amongst the other wireless nodes by identifying a solution to an optimization problem and (ii) control an automatic redistribution of the control algorithms amongst the other wireless nodes in response to one or more detected changes in the process control system so that each of one or more of the control algorithms is executed by different wireless nodes at different times, each control algorithm associated with at least one of:
• one or more sensor nodes and one or more actuator nodes;
• wherein the optimization problem is associated with one or more constraints including at least one of:
• a computational power of each controller node, a bandwidth of each wireless link, or a quality of each wireless link;
• and
• wherein the optimization problem is associated with one or more optimization factors including at least one of:
• minimizing a total number of wireless links between each controller node and any sensor and actuator nodes associated with the control algorithm or algorithms executed by that controller node;
• maximizing an aggregate wireless link quality of the wireless links between each controller node and any sensor and actuator nodes associated with the control algorithm or algorithms executed by that controller node;
• equalizing a computing load on each of the controller nodes;
• or
• equalizing a link load on each of the wireless links.