SECURITY, SAFETY, AND REDUNDANCY EMPLOYING CONTROLLER ENGINE INSTANCES

• US 20080209211A1
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Govindaraj, Subbian, Staron, Raymond J., Hall, Kenwood H., Kretschmann, Robert J., Rischar, Charles M., Grgic, Richard J., Vasko, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/166
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/14136 Redundancy, masking redundancy, avoid failure but no fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/03 with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6236 between heterogeneous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that facilitates employing safety within an industrial environment. An enhancing component can implement at least one of a security level, authentication, authorization, or an access right to a validated action to at least one of the controller or the controller engine instance. The enhancing component can further separate two or more entities within the industrial environment, the first entity related to process control and the second entity related to process safety. Additionally, the enhancing component can employ at least one of a backup controller or a backup controller engine instance in the event of at least one of a software error or a hardware error within the industrial environment.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates employing safety within an industrial environment, comprising:

a controller that executes with a real-time operating system such that the controller can include two or more controller engine instances executing as processes on the controller; and

an enhancing component that employs at least one of a portion of security, a portion of safety, or a portion of redundancy to at least one of the controller or the controller engine instance within the industrial environment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security component that implements at least one of a security level, authentication, authorization, or an access right to a validated action to at least one of the controller or the controller engine instance.

3. The system of claim 2, the security component provides at least one of a security level, authentication, authorization, or an access right to at least a grouping within the industrial environment, the grouping includes at least one of a controller or a controller engine instance.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a safety/separation component that ensures protection of at least one of personnel or property related to the industrial environment utilizing a safety master controller and a safety partner controller.

5. The system of claim 4, the safety/separation component separates a controller related to at least one of the safety master controller or the safety partner controller from a controller related to non-safety control.

6. The system of claim 4, the safety/separation component separates a controller engine instance related to at least one of the safety master controller or the safety partner controller from a controller engine instance related to non-safety control.

7. The system of claim 4, the industrial environment includes multiple levels of safety.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a redundancy component employs at least one of a backup controller or a backup controller engine instance in the event of at least one of a software error or a hardware error within the industrial environment.

9. The system of claim 8, the redundancy component employs the backup controller engine instance for at least one of a software backup or a safety aid.

10. The system of claim 8, the redundancy component employs the backup controller engine instance for replacement of a controller engine instance that is incapacitated.

11. The system of claim 8, the redundancy component employs the backup controller for replacement of a controller that is incapacitated.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a controller that includes two or more controller engine instances for potential backups of controller engine instances within the industrial environment.

13. The system of claim 8, at least one of the backup controller engine instance or the backup controller seamlessly replaces at least one of an incapacitated controller engine instance or an incapacitated controller.

14. The system of claim 8, the redundancy component enables at least one of the backup controller or the backup controller engine instance to provide redundancy protection to at least one of a safety master controller or a safety partner controller.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a balance component that allocates a load related to the industrial environment to at least one of a controller or a controller engine instance.

16. The system of claim 15, the enhancing component employs at least one of the following in connection with the balance component:

a security right that corresponds to at least a portion of the load;

a segregation of a portion of control-based load from a portion of safety-based load;

or

a secondary controller engine instance that backs-up a controller engine instance that handles a portion of the allocated load.

17. The system of claim 1, the industrial environment is organized based upon a hierarchical representation of devices, the hierarchical representation of devices is based at least in part upon one of a proprietary standard or an industry standard which can be at least one of ISA S95, or ISA S88.

18. The system of claim 17, the hierarchical representation is based at least in part upon the organization implemented by the enhancing component.

19. The system of claim 18, the hierarchical representation is based at least in part upon a safety zone.

20. The system of claim 19, the safety zone is organized based upon IEC61508 safety integrity levels (SIL).

21. The system of claim 19, the safety zone is organized based upon an en954 category.

22. The system of claim 1, the controller engine instance controls at least one of a portion of a process, a portion of a device, a portion of an application, or a portion of a load related to the industrial environment.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising a search component that facilitates querying data associated with at least one of the controller, the controller engine instance, the existing controller engine instance, the safety level, the first grouping, the second grouping, or data related to the industrial automation environment.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising a log component that tracks data related to at least one of the controller, the controller engine instance, the existing controller engine instance, the safety level, the first grouping, or the second grouping.

25. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bridge component that provides a first network protocol utilized to carry data from the enhancing component and configures the data for transmittal over a second network protocol.

26. The system of claim 25, the bridge component bridges multiple communication networks.

27. The system of claim 25, the first network protocol is one of Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), Fieldbus, Profibus, Hart, Modbus, ASI-bus, or Foundation Fieldbus.

28. The system of claim 27, the second network protocol is at least one of Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), Fieldbus, Profibus, Hart, Modbus, ASI-bus, or Foundation Fieldbus.

29. A method that facilitates protecting a portion of an industrial environment, comprising:

associating a security right with a controller engine instance within the industrial environment;

enforcing execution space separation between a controller engine instance related to safety and a controller engine instance related to control; and

generating a back-up controller engine instance to replicate an existing controller engine instance in the event of a complication with the existing controller engine instance.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

employing a controller with a real time operating system in an industrial environment;

executing at least one or more controller engine instances on the controller, the controller engine instance executes as a process on the controller; and

utilizing at least one controller engine instance to manage at least one of a device or a portion of a process within the industrial environment.

31. The method of claim 29, the back-up controller engine instance seamlessly replaces the existing controller engine instance based on the complication in real-time.

32. A computer-implemented system that facilitates employing safety within an industrial environment, comprising:

means for employing a controller within an industrial environment, the controller includes a real time operating system;

means for executing two or more controller engine instances as processes on the controller;

means for implementing at least one of a security level, authentication, authorization, or an access right to a validated action to at least one of the controller or the controller engine instance;

means for separating two or more entities within the industrial environment, the first entity related to process control and the second entity related to process safety; and

means for employing at least one of a backup controller or a backup controller engine instance in the event of at least one of a software error or a hardware error within the industrial environment.