MODULE ARBITRATION AND OWNERSHIP ENHANCEMENTS

• US 20080098401A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Carmount, Mark K., Weatherhead, N. Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/522 Manager
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

Arbitrating access to industrial resources as a function of controller identify is provided herein. For example, a unique identifier can be associated with a control module that can distinguish the module from other components of a system. Upon receiving a request to control a resource, the identifier of the requesting module can be associated with that resource. In a case of multiple requests, an arbitrated ID can be chosen and added to an owner queue. The chosen ID is then published and, if the published identifier matches the module identifier, the module can assume control of the resource; if not, the module'"'"'s request is placed into a request queue for further arbitration. The subject innovation provides for generally applicable arbitration that can reduce redundant code crafted for each module of a system, greatly reducing overhead costs associated with such redundancy.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates module arbitration in an industrial environment, comprising:

a module to control one or more components of an industrial process; and

an identifier component associated with the module that facilitates arbitration of control of the one or more components between the module and other control components of the industrial process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the system includes a safety system;

the module is a safety module embedded in at least one safety component of the industrial process; and

the one or more components of the industrial process include a resource that is pertinent to the safety system, the resource further comprises a presence sensing device, a safety switch, an interlock switch, a safety relay, an emergency stop device, a cable pull and enabling switch, or a safety controller, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising an ownership component that provides control of a resource of the industrial process to the module if an ID of the module generated by the identifier component is associated with the resource.

4. The system of claim 3, the ownership component can determine resources required by a requesting safety module and performs one of allowing or denying access to the resource based at least in part on an ID of the requesting safety module, wherein an allowed request is written into an ownership queue and a denied request is written into a request queue.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising an update component that writes an ID of the module into an ownership ID queue associated with the industrial resource if the module is the concurrent owner of the industrial resource.

6. The system of claim 5, comprising a control monitoring component that audits the ownership ID queue to determine whether the module is a concurrent owner of the resource.

7. The system of claim 5, the control monitoring component publishes the contents of the ownership ID queue to notify additional modules of the industrial process of an owner of the resource.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising an ownership request component that receives a request to control a resource of the industrial process and places the request in a request queue if the resource is concurrently controlled by another module.

9. The system of claim 8, the ownership request component establishes the module as a concurrent owner of the resource if the resource is not concurrently owned by another module.

10. The system of claim 2, the module or the resource, or both, include a safety integrity level (SIL) component or a performance level (PL) component.

11. The system of claim 2, the resource further includes a material, module, or component, or a combination thereof, of the industrial process required to maintain an SIL or a PL, or both.

12. A method for providing module arbitration in an industrial process, comprising:

receiving a request to control a resource of an industrial process from an industrial component; and

arbitrating control of the resource based on a component ID concurrently associated with the resource.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising:

employing a safety module at the industrial component to generate and provide the request; and

employing a material, module or component of an industrial process that is involved in maintaining an SIL or a PL, or both, as the resource.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising determining whether the component ID concurrently associated with the resource is the component ID of the industrial component.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising surrendering control of the resource to the industrial component if the component ID concurrently associated with the resource is the component ID of the industrial component.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising denying control of the resource to the industrial component if the component ID concurrently associated with the resource is not the component ID of the industrial component.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising updating an ownership queue if the resource is concurrently owned by the industrial component to notify other components of the ownership.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising:

associating a component ID of the industrial component with the resource if no component ID is concurrently associated with the resource; and

surrendering control of the resource to the industrial component.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

employing an SIL or PL component, or both, as the resource; and

employing an industrial safety component having a safety component ID as the industrial component, wherein the safety component ID is associated with the resource if a sum of the safety component ID and an existing component ID associated with the resource, if any, is within a resource limit for maintaining the SIL or PL component, or both.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising writing the safety component ID into a request queue if the sum of the safety component ID and the existing component ID associated with the resource, if any, exceeds a resource limit boundary of the SIL or PL component, or both.

21. The method of claim 12, comprising writing a component ID of the industrial component into a request queue if the component ID concurrently associated with the resource belongs to a second industrial component.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

disassociating the component ID of the second industrial component with the resource when the second industrial component is finished utilizing the resource;

forwarding the component ID of the industrial component from the request queue to an ownership queue of the resource; and

surrendering control of the resource to the industrial component.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising resetting the request queue if the component ID of the industrial component is forwarded to an ownership queue of the resource.

24. The method of claim 15, comprising:

resetting the ownership queue when the industrial component is finished utilizing the resource;

updating the ownership queue with a second component ID of a second industrial component; and

surrendering control of the resource to the second industrial component.

25. The method of claim 12, comprising employing a safety device as the resource that is pertinent to the safety system, the safety device further comprises a presence sensing device, a safety switch, an interlock switch, a safety relay, an emergency stop device, a cable pull and enabling switch, or a safety controller, or a combination thereof.

26. A system that facilitates module arbitration, comprising:

means for controlling a component of an industrial process; and

means for arbitrating that provides the means for controlling with access to the component based on a module ID associated with the component.

27. The system of claim 26, comprising:

means for associating the module ID with the component, the module ID belongs to the means for controlling or another industrial module; and

means for identifying the module ID concurrently associated with the industrial resource, the means for arbitrating provides the means for controlling with access to the component if the module ID associated with the component is identified as belonging to the means for controlling.

28. The system of claim 26, comprising:

means for queuing a request to access the component if the component is concurrently controlled;

means for emptying an ownership register associated with the resource if access to the resource is released; and

means for forwarding the request to control to the ownership register, the means for arbitrating provides an industrial module that initiated the request for control with access to the component.

29. The system of claim 26, comprising means for publishing a module ID of the means for controlling to other components of the industrial process if the means for controlling is provided access to the industrial resource by the means for arbitrating.