Systems and methods for merging modular control systems into a process plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10409253-B2
Application number	US-201715791123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2017
Priority date	Oct 24, 2016
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A modular control system includes a modular controller that implements control logic of the modular control system, where the controller is built natively on a platform of a distributed control system, equipment configured to perform a physical function in a process plant according to the control logic, and a configuration database storing configuration parameters of the modular control system. In a first mode of operation, the modular control system operates as a standalone module, and in a second mode of operation, the modular control system operates natively as one or several nodes of a distributed control system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular control system comprising:
a modular controller that implements control logic of the modular control system, wherein the controller is built natively on a platform of a distributed control system and implements a proprietary communication protocol of the distributed control system;
equipment configured to perform a physical function in a process plant according to the control logic; and
a configuration database storing configuration parameters of the modular control system;
wherein:
in a first mode of operation, the modular control system operates as a standalone module, and
in a second mode of operation, the modular control system operates natively as one or more nodes of a distributed control system.

2. The modular control system of claim 1 , wherein the modular controller shares at least one software layer with a controller operating in the distributed control system.

3. The modular control system of claim 1 , wherein in the second mode of operation, one or more of the configuration parameters stored in the configuration database are renamed to avoid conflicts with identically named configuration parameters in a centralized configuration database of the distributed control system.

4. The modular control system of claim 3 , wherein in the second mode of operation, the one or more of the configuration parameters that are renamed to include a shared prefix.

5. The modular control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a physical frame housing the modular controller, the equipment, and the configuration database, wherein the modular control system is a skid-mounted system transportable as a single unit.

6. The modular control system of claim 5 , wherein the equipment includes a sensor that generates a signal indicative of a parameter value and provides the signal to the modular controller.

7. The modular control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first register storing a first network address, and
a second register storing a second network address.

8. The modular control system of claim 7 , wherein:
the first network address is defined according to a scheme of the distributed control system, wherein the modular controller is addressable using the first network address from other nodes of the distributed control system; and
the second network address is defined according to a scheme of the modular control system, wherein the modular controller is addressable using the second network address from a node that supports a proprietary communication protocol of the modular control system;
wherein the proprietary protocol of the modular control system is different from a communication protocol of the distributed control system.

9. A distributed control system comprising:
a centralized configuration database storing configuration parameters of the distributed control system;
a first controller that implements at least a portion of control logic of the distributed control system; and
a second controller that implements control logic of a modular control system that implements control logic of a modular control system, wherein the modular control system includes:
a first register storing a first network address, and
a second register storing a second network address, and wherein the second controller is configured to operate as:
a standalone module independently of the distributed control system in a first mode of operation, and
one or more nodes of the distributed control system in a second mode of operation;

wherein the first controller and the second controller share a software layer that specifies one or more of (i) a configuration procedure, (ii) a security mechanism, or (iii) a communication protocol.

10. The distributed control system of claim 9 , wherein the modular control system includes equipment configured to perform a physical function in a process plant according to the control logic of the modular control system.

11. The distributed control system of claim 10 , wherein the modular control system further includes a configuration database that stores configuration parameters of the modular control system.

12. The distributed control system of claim 11 , wherein the modular control system includes a physical frame housing the second controller, the equipment, and the configuration database, wherein the modular control system is a skid-mounted system transportable as a single unit.

13. The distributed control system of claim 9 , wherein the modular control system includes a configuration database storing configuration parameters of the distributed control system, and wherein a plurality of the configuration parameters of the distributed control system are merged into the centralized configuration database in the second mode of operation.

14. The distributed control system of claim 9 , wherein a plurality of the configuration parameters of the distributed control system are not merged into the centralized configuration database in the second mode of operation.

15. The distributed control system of claim 9 , wherein:
the first network address is defined according to a scheme of the distributed control system, wherein the first controller is addressable using the first network address from other nodes of the distributed control system; and
the second network address is defined according to a scheme of the modular control system, wherein the second controller is addressable using the second network address from a node that supports a proprietary communication protocol of the modular control system;
wherein the proprietary protocol of the modular control system is different from a communication protocol of the distributed control system.

16. A method of integrating modular control systems into distributed control systems, the method comprising:
detecting, by one or more processors, that a modular control system is communicatively coupled to a local area network of a distributed control system, wherein the modular control system includes a modular controller that implements control logic of the modular control system in a standalone mode of operation;
retrieving, by the one or more processors, configuration data from a configuration database of the modular control system;
identifying, by the one or more processors, configuration items that are conflicting with configuration items at other nodes of the distributed control system, including querying a centralized configuration data of the distributed control system;
modifying at least some of the configuration items determined to be conflicting; and
updating the configuration data of the modular control system so that the modular control system can operate as one or several nodes of the distributed control system.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein modifying at least some of the configuration items determined to be conflicting includes prepending a shared prefix to each of the at least some of the configuration items.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising receiving the shared prefix from an operator via a user interface.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein prepending the shared prefix includes:
automatically generating a suggested alphanumeric string to be used as the shared prefix; and
providing the suggested alphanumeric string to an operator via a user interface.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising automatically generating the suggested alphanumeric string based on an order in which the modular control system is detected relative to one or more other modular control s

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Naidoo Julian K
• Ott Michael G
• Jones Aaron C
• Colclazier Deborah R
• Johnson Karen
• Halgren Iii Robert G

Classifications

• G05B2219/1204

  Multiprocessing, several plc's, distributed logic control · CPC title

• G05B19/052 Primary

  Linking several PLC's · CPC title

• G05B19/41845 Primary

  characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity · CPC title

• G05B2219/33273

  DCS distributed, decentralised controlsystem, multiprocessor · CPC title

• G05B19/41815

  characterised by the cooperation between machine tools, manipulators and conveyor or other workpiece supply system, workcell · CPC title