Method and apparatus for distributed process control

• US 10,386,823 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Heck, Christian, Wolf, Gerrit
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Erdman, Chad G
• Application Number:
  US15/170,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/011 details of the correcting means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41835 characterised by programme execution
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13179 Reiterate simulation for different conditions or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13186 Simulation, also of test inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32136 Web service oriented architecture for manufacturing and automation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33317 Alternative strategy driver revises control behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A distributed process control system having at least one automation unit on the plant side that calculates a plurality of first process variables and influences the process that is connected by first data link to a monitoring system that controls and/or monitors the process. The system has an external computing unit that is connected by a distributed communication mechanism to the automation unit and exchanges data with it using a second data link. The external computing unit calculates a plurality of second process variables that the of the automation unit uses to influence the process. A method for extending the function of at least one plant-side automation unit is also disclosed.

Claims

1. Apparatus for controlling a process in a plant, the process having at least one plant-side automation unit that calculates first process variables using data provided by a monitoring system connected to the automation unit by a first data link, and uses calculated process variables to control the process, said apparatus further comprising:

at least one external computing unit that is external to the automation unit, said external computing unit being adapted to perform process variable calculations using data provided by the monitoring system that produce second process variables, said external computing unit performing more computation-intensive calculations than the automation unit and calculating the second process variables in parallel with the first process variable calculations performed by the automation unit; and

a distributed communication mechanism connecting said external computing unit to the automation unit, said external computing unit being operatively connected by a second data link to exchange data with the automation unit, said second process variables being executed by the automation unit instead of the first process variables to control the process.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one other external computing unit that is connected to the external computing unit, said other external computing unit being configured to perform process simulation tasks.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein process simulation tasks performed by the other external computing unit are configured to selectably support one of a plurality of different optimization strategies for producing second process variables.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising an interface providing at least one external influencing factor to the other external computing unit, at least one of the simulation strategies being configured to react to the external influencing factor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a switchover unit, wherein second process variable calculations of the external computing unit are overlaid onto the first process variable calculations of the automation unit so that when a fault is detected in the second process variables, the switchover unit causes the first process variables calculated by the automation unit to be executed by the automation unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a service agent configured to supply at least one external computing unit with process data from the automation unit by way of the corresponding second data link, and to supply the automation unit with second process variables calculated by the external computing unit.

7. A method for controlling a process in a plant, the process having at least one plant-side automation unit that uses calculated process variables to control the process, said automation unit being configured to calculate first process variables using data provided by a monitoring system connected by a first data link to the automation unit that monitors data produced by the process, said automation unit being connected by a second data link to at least one external computing unit that is external to the process automation unit, said method comprising the steps of:

performing more computation-intensive calculations using data provided to at least one external computing unit by the monitoring system that produce second process variables in parallel with the first process variable calculations performed by the automation unit;

supplying said second process variables to the automation unit using the a second data link;

controlling the process by executing the second process variables in the automation unit instead of the first process variables.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a further automation function implemented is a process simulation task.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein second process variables of the process simulation task are calculated using different optimization strategies in the process simulation task.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein second process variables calculated by the external computing unit are overlaid onto the first process variables so that the first process variables are executed by the automation unit when a fault is detected in second process variables.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of monitoring the second process variables using the first data link that connects the automation unit to a monitoring system.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of executing first process variables instead of second process variables if there is a fault in the second data link or second process variables.