Process controller and updating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9869984-B2
Application number	US-201514599101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

A process controller includes a first virtualizer to run in a first process controller and a first operating system to run on the first virtualizer, the first operating system transiting from a first state to a second state when control of an industrial process is started. The first operating system transits from the second state to the first state when control of the industrial process for one period ends, the first state being waiting for starting the control of the industrial process, and the second state being when the industrial process is performed. An application runs on the first operating system and performs control of the industrial process at a constant period. A saving unit saves information representing an inner state of the application when the first operating system is in the first state, the information restoring the application in a second process controller different from the first process controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A first process controller comprising:
at least one processor and at least one memory;
a first virtualizer, comprising said at least one processor and a content of said at least one memory, said first virtualizer being configured to run in the first process controller;
a first operating system configured to run on the first virtualizer, the first operating system transiting from a first state to a second state in a case that a control of an industrial process implemented in a plant is started, the first operating system transiting from the second state to the first state in a case that the control of the industrial process for one period ends, the first state being a state waiting for starting the control of the industrial process, and the second state being a state in which the control of the industrial process is performed;
a second operating system configured to run on the first virtualizer;
a communication relaying unit configured to run on the second operating system, the communication relaying unit keeping a communication state of a host device, the communication relaying unit relaying a communication between the application and the host device while continuing the communication between the application and the host device;
an application stored in said at least one memory and configured to run on the first operating system, the application performing the control of the industrial process at a constant period; and
a saving unit, comprising said at least one processor and a content of said at least one memory, said saving unit being configured to save information representing an inner state of the application in a case that the first operating system is in the first state, the information being necessary for restoring the application in a second process controller different from the first process controller.

2. The first process controller according to claim 1 , wherein the first operating system is a static operating system preliminarily allocating resources necessary for running the application.

3. The first process controller according to claim 1 , wherein the first operating system is a dynamic operating system dynamically allocating resources necessary for running the application in accordance with a request of the application.

4. The first process controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a middleware disposed between the first operating system and the application, the middleware establishing a communication path in place of the application.

5. The first process controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
periodic tasks included in the application, the periodic tasks controlling the industrial process.

6. The first process controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an initializing unit included in the first operating system, the initializing unit initializing the first operating system before the saving unit and the application run.

7. The first process controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication state keeping unit included in the communication relaying unit, the communication state keeping unit establishing a communication path with the host device, and the communication state keeping unit keeping the established communication path; and
a communication taking over unit included in the communication relaying unit, the communication taking over unit establishing a communication path with the application, the communication taking over unit re-establishing the communication path in a case that a platform in which the application runs is switched over.

8. A second process controller connected to the first process controller according to claim 1 , the second process controller comprising:
a second virtualizer configured to run in the second process controller;
a third operating system configured to run on the second virtualizer, the third operating system transiting from a first state to a second state in a case that the control of an industrial process is started, the third operating system transiting from the second state to the first state in a case that the control of the industrial process for one period ends, the first state being a state waiting for starting the control of the industrial process, and the second state being a state in which the control of the industrial process is performed; and
a restoring unit configured to receive the information representing the inner state of the application from the saving unit of the first process controller according to claim 1 , the restoring unit restoring the application of the first process controller according to claim 1 on the third operating system based on the received information.

9. The second process controller according to claim 8 , wherein the second virtualizer migrates a second operating system running on the first virtualizer of the first process controller and the communication relaying unit running on the second operating system of the first process controller while the communication between the application and the host device is taken over.

10. A process controller comprising:
at least one processor and at least one memory;
a virtualizer, comprising said at least one processor and a content of said at least one memory, said virtualizer being configured to run in the process controller;
first and second operating systems configured to run on the virtualizer, the first and second operating systems transiting from a first state to a second state in a case that a control of an industrial process implemented in a plant is started, the first and second operating systems transiting from the second state to the first state in a case that the control of the industrial process for one period ends, the first state being a state waiting for starting the control of the industrial process, and the second state being a state in which the control of the industrial process is performed;
an application stored in said at least one memory and configured to run on the first operating system, the application performing the control of the industrial process at a constant period;
a saving unit, comprising said at least one processor and a content of said at least one memory, said saving unit being configured to save information representing an inner state of the application in a case that the first operating system is in the first state;
a communication relaying unit configured to run on the second operating system, the communication relaying unit keeping a communication state of a host device, the communication relaying unit relaying a communication between the application and the host device while continuing the communication between the application and the host device; and
a restoring unit configured to restore the application on the second operating system based on the information saved by the saving unit.

11. The process controller according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a third operating system configured to run on the virtualizer; and
a communication relaying unit configured to run on the third operating system, the communication relaying unit keeping a communication state of a host device, the communication relaying unit relaying a communication between the application and the host device while continuing the communication between the application and the host device.

12. The process controller according to claim 11 , wherein the virtualizer migrates the third operating system and the communication relaying unit while the communication between the application and the host device is taken over.

13. The process controller according to claim 10 , wherein the first operating system is a static op

Assignees

• Yokogawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Tsuchiya Masanobu
• Ohno Takeshi

Classifications

• G05B2219/2212

  All processors are loaded with same program, only part of program is used · CPC title

• G05B19/0426 Primary

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title

• G05B2219/23327

  Modification of program in real time · CPC title

• G05B19/0421 Primary

  Multiprocessor system · CPC title

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title