Industrial control system architecture for real-time simulation and process control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11726463-B2
Application number	US-202117491210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2021
Priority date	Jun 10, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.). The platform simultaneously supports simulation and run-time operations and interactions/intersections therebetween.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system of an industrial process plant, the system comprising:
a process control system including:
a field device disposed in a physical environment of the industrial process plant, the field device performing a physical function;
an I/O switch communicatively disposed between the field device and a virtual node, the I/O switch being a subscriber to first data that is generated by the field device and that has been published, and the I/O switch being a publisher of second data indicative of the first data generated by the field device;
the virtual node, the virtual node being a subscriber to the second data corresponding to the field device and published by the I/O switch, the virtual node including a component behavior module that operates on the second data corresponding to the field device to thereby generate a control signal to modify a behavior of another node of the process control system, the virtual node disposed in a virtual environment of the industrial process plant, and the field device, the virtual node, and the another node operating in conjunction during run-time operations of the industrial process plant to control an industrial process; and
an edge gateway system communicatively connected to one or more applications, each of the one or more applications being a respective consumer of a respective at least a portion of one or more types of data published by the I/O switch, the edge gateway system being a subscriber to the one or more types of data published by the I/O switch, and the edge gateway system including one or more security mechanisms utilized in delivering the one or more types of the data between the I/O switch and the one or more applications.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the virtual node is a publisher of third data indicative of the control signal;
the indication of the third data is received by the another node;
the I/O switch is a subscriber to the third data corresponding to the control signal generated by the virtual node;
the I/O switch is a publisher of fourth data indicative of the third data corresponding to the control signal generated by the virtual node; and
one of:
an intervening node that is communicatively disposed between the I/O switch and the another node is a subscriber to the fourth data; or
the another node is the subscriber to the fourth data, and the fourth data includes the indication of the third data.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the intervening node is the subscriber to the fourth data;
the intervening node is an I/O hub device communicatively disposed between the I/O switch and a plurality of physical devices included in a physical environment of the industrial process plant, the plurality of physical devices including the field device; and
the I/O hub device being a publisher of data respectively generated by each physical device of the plurality of physical devices.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual node is a first virtual node, and the another node is a second virtual node.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the another node is a physical node disposed in the industrial process plant.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual node is one of a virtual process controller or a virtual safety controller of the industrial process plant, and the component behavior module is a respective control module.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual node is included in a plurality of virtual nodes disposed within the virtual environment of the industrial process plant, the plurality of virtual nodes including at least one of: a virtual process controller, a virtual safety controller; a virtual safety logic solver; a virtual I/O card, device, or node; a virtual wireless device; a virtual Ethernet device; a virtual operator workstation; a virtual user interface device; a virtual tool; a virtual gateway; a virtual electronic marshalling cabinet or system; or a virtualization of another type of physical device or component disposed within a physical environment of the industrial process plant.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the component behavior module included in the virtual node is downloadable into a physical device that is represented by the virtual node and that is disposed within a physical environment of the industrial process plant.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the virtual node and the field device are included in a first control loop of the process control system;
the process control system includes a plurality of control loops operating to control the industrial process during the run-time operations of the industrial process plant;
each control loop of at least one control loop of the plurality of control loops includes a respective field device disposed in the physical environment of the industrial process plant and at least one other process control device disposed in the virtual environment of the industrial process plant; and
each control loop of the at least one control loop of plurality of control loops utilizes the I/O switch in lieu of any physical I/O device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of control loops further includes one or more other control loops, each of which includes a respective field device disposed in the physical environment of the industrial process plant and a respective process control device disposed in the physical environment of the industrial process plant.

11. The system of claim 1 ,
further comprising an I/O hub device communicatively disposed between the I/O switch and the field device; and
wherein the I/O hub device is a publisher of the first data generated by the field device.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the virtual node operating during the run-time operations of the industrial process plant to control the industrial process is a virtual run-time node that is included in a plurality of virtual nodes disposed in the virtual environment of the industrial process plant;
the plurality of virtual nodes includes one or more simulated nodes, the one or more simulated nodes excluding the virtual run-time node, and each simulated node of the one or more simulated nodes simulates at least a portion of a respective one or more physical devices or components that are deployable in the physical environment of the industrial process plant, the respective one or more physical devices or components including at least one of: a process controller; a safety controller; a safety logic solver; an I/O node, card, or device; a wireless device; an Ethernet device; an operator workstation; a user interface device; a tool; a gateway; an electronic marshalling cabinet; a network connection; or another type of physical device or component disposed within the physical environment of the industrial process plant; and
the system further comprises a simulation system, the simulation system including the I/O switch and the one or more simulated nodes.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least the portion of the respective one or more physical devices or components simulated by a particular simulated node includes less than an entirety of a particular physical device or component, the less than the entirety of the particular physical device or component including at least one of: a module, a routine, a function or behavior, a MAC address, or a hardware sub-component of the particular physical device or component.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein:
a simulation run including a particular simulated node of the one or more simulated nodes includes communications between the particular simulated node and at least one of another virtual run-time nod

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Nixon Mark J
• Amaro Jr Anthony
• Bell Noel Howard
• Caldwell John M
• Law Gary K

Classifications

• G05B19/4186 Primary

  by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP · CPC title

• G05B19/4185 Primary

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title

• G05B19/41885 Primary

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

• G05B19/4183

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G05B19/41835

  characterised by program execution · CPC title