I/O virtualization for commissioning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435728-B2
Application number	US-201816146371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques for virtualizing the I/O of control modules that are to be implemented by a process controller in the runtime environment of a process plant. A configuration application identifies references to the I/O objects utilized by the control modules. In response, the configuration application generates virtual device signal tags (DSTs) to mimic the performance of the identified I/O objects. To facilitate testing and/or verification of the control module, e.g., during the commissioning of a back-end environment, the configuration application instantiates a virtual controller in a simulation environment. To generate the virtual controller, the configuration application replaces any references to the I/O objects with references to respective, generated virtual DSTs. Thus, by using the virtual DSTs as a proxy for the I/O to the field devices, the control module and/or controller may be tested prior to the field devices without the field environment being fully commissioned.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A computing device for virtualizing input/output (I/O) of a process controller in a process plant during commissioning of the process plant, the computing device comprising:
a configuration database;
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the configuration database and the one or more processors and storing a configuration application thereon, that when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing device to:
receive an indication of a control module that is to be executed by a process controller in a runtime environment of the process plant; and
receive a request to simulate the process controller, and based on the received request:
generate, by using the configuration database, a respective virtual device signal tag (DST) for each DST included in the control module;
store each virtual DST at a respective location of the configuration database; and
instantiate, in a simulation environment, the control module at a virtual controller corresponding to the process controller, including substituting a reference to a respective location of the each DST with the respective location in the configuration database of the each virtual DST.

2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein:
a first particular DST included in the control module is allocated to a field device; and
the respective virtual DST of the first particular DST comprises a copy of data stored in an instance of a DST object corresponding to the first particular DST and configured for the field device.

3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein:
a second particular DST included in the control module is one of: not allocated to any field device, or not assigned to any field device; and
the respective virtual DST of the second particular DST comprises a copy of a template object corresponding to a type of the second particular DST, the copy of the template object storing default parameter values.

4. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is communicatively connected to an asset object system of the process plant, the asset object system storing device placeholder objects.

5. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the configuration application further causes the computing device to:
receive an indication of an input value for the control module; and
simulate the process controller executing the control module by providing the input value to a virtual DST associated with an input to the virtual controller.

6. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the configuration application further causes the computing device to download the control routine into the process controller.

7. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein:
a third particular DST included in the control module is not allocated to any field device; and
the respective virtual DST of the third particular DST comprises a copy of a device placeholder object for the third particular DST stored in the asset object system.

8. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein:
a fourth particular DST included in the control module is not assigned to any field device; and
the respective virtual DST of the fourth particular DST comprises a copy of a device placeholder object for the fourth particular DST stored in the asset object system.

9. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein:
a fourth particular DST included in the control module is not assigned to any field device; and
generating the respective virtual DST of the fourth particular DST comprises generating a copy of a device placeholder object for the fourth particular DST stored in an asset object system.

10. The computing device of claim 5 , wherein the simulation of the process controller executing the control module generates an output value via a virtual DST associated with an output of the virtual controller, the output value generated by the virtual controller based on the input value.

11. A method for virtualizing input/output (I/O) of a module in a process plant, the comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors executing at least a configuration application, an indication of a control module that is to be executed by a process controller in a runtime environment of the process plant; and
receiving, by the one or more processors, a request to simulate the process controller, and upon receiving the request:
generating, by accessing the configuration database, a respective virtual device signal tag (DST) for each DST included in the control module;
storing each virtual DST at a respective location of the configuration database; and
instantiating the control module at a virtual controller corresponding to the process controller, including substituting a reference to a respective location of the each DST with the respective location in the configuration database of the each virtual DST.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
a first particular DST included in the control module is allocated to a field device; and
generating the respective virtual DST of the first particular DST comprises generating a copy of data stored in an instance of a DST object corresponding to the first particular DST and configured for the field device.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
a second particular DST included in the control module is not allocated to any field device; and
generating the respective virtual DST of the second particular DST comprises generating a copy of a template object corresponding to a type of the second particular DST, the copy of the template object storing default parameter values.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
a third particular DST included in the control module is not allocated to any field device; and
generating the respective virtual DST of the third particular DST comprises generating a copy of a device placeholder object for the third particular DST stored in an asset object system.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more processors, an indication of an input value for the control module; and
simulating the process controller executing the control module by providing the input value to a virtual DST associated with an input to the virtual controller.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
detecting, by the one or more processors, a change to the control module; and
refreshing, by the one or more processors, the virtual controller to include the detected change; and
executing, by the one or more processors, an updated simulation using the refreshed virtual controller.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising downloading, by the one or more processors, the control routine into the process controller.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the simulating the process controller executing the control module comprises obtaining an output value via a virtual DST associated with an output of the virtual controller, the output value generated by the virtual controller based on the input value.

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Enver Alper T

Classifications

• G05B19/41885 Primary

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• G05B2219/32355

  Simulate control process using virtual bus · CPC title

• G05B2219/50123

  Setup, automatic setup · CPC title

• G05B19/418 Primary

  Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] · CPC title

• G05B2219/33286

  Test, simulation analysator · CPC title