CONFIGURATION BASED PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER (PLC) PROGRAMMING

• US 20120226368A1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flow Data, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flow Data, Inc.
• Inventors: Thomson, Keith, Brennan, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/87
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23297 Remote load of program with cellular, wireless, satellite connection

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamic reconfiguration of an application of a programmable process controller are provided. According to one embodiment, a configuration device reads a new configuration file, which contains information regarding a desired number of instances and desired configurations of modules of the process control application, from its local memory. The configuration device then causes the application to instantiate the desired number of instances with the desired configurations by replacing an existing configuration file of the programmable process controller with the new configuration file. In another embodiment, a process control application of a programmable process controller dynamically configures its structure and memory allocation usage. During startup of the application, a configuration file is read that defines a number of instances and configurations of modules for the application. Based thereon, the application creates the defined number of instances of the modules having the defined configurations.

Claims

1. A method of reconfiguring a process control application stored in a memory of a programmable process controller, the method comprising:

reading, by the configuration device, a new configuration file from a memory of the configuration device, the new configuration file containing information regarding a desired number of instances and desired configurations of modules of the process control application; and

causing, by the configuration device, the process control application to instantiate the desired number of instances of the modules with the desired configurations by replacing an existing external configuration file stored in the memory of the programmable process controller with the new configuration file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the process control application comprises a well automation application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the programmable process controller comprises a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the programmable process controller comprises a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the PLC is selected from a group comprising a SCADAPack PLC, RTU or SCADASense Transmitter, Modicon Quantum PLC, a Modicon Premium PLC, a Modicon Momentum PLC, a Modicon M168 PLC, a Modicon M238, a Modicon M258 PLC, a Modicon LMC058 motion controller and a Modicon TSX Micro PLC.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration device comprises a wireless mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless mobile device is selected from a group comprising a smart phone, a tablet computer and a laptop computer.

11. A process control architecture comprising:

a data bus;

at least two programmable process controllers residing on the data bus;

a process control application installed on each of the at least two programmable process controllers; and

wherein, upon startup of the process control application, the at least two programmable process controllers dynamically build different configurations of the process control application having differing numbers of instances of modules as a result of the at least two programmable process controllers having different configuration files.

6. The method of claim 11, wherein the PLC includes an integrated short-range wireless radio.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the integrated short-range wireless radio comprises a Bluetooth radio.

8. The method of claim 11, wherein the PLC includes a web server.

12. The process control architecture of claim 11, wherein the at least two programmable process controllers comprise a first Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) from a first family of PLCs sold by a PLC distributer and a second PLC from a second family of PLCs sold by the PLC distributer.

13. The process control architecture of claim 11, wherein the a main program of the process control application provides compatibility across a plurality of hardware platforms by a main program of the process control application instantiating a configuration object specialized for a hardware platform of the plurality of hardware platforms for which the process control application is compiled.

14. The process control architecture of claim 11, wherein the at least two programmable process controllers comprise a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).

15. The process control architecture of claim 11, wherein the process control application is selected from a group comprising an oil or gas extraction application, an oil or gas transportation application, an oil or gas refining application, an energy management application, a building management application, a machine safety application, a packaging control application, a bagging machine control application, a boxing machine control application, a labeling machine control application, a material handling application, a hoisting control application, a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control application and a wastewater treatment application.

16. A method comprising:

during a first startup of a process control application running on a programmable process controller, reading a configuration file associated with the process control application, the configuration file defining a number of instances and configurations of modules of the process control application; and

instantiating, by the process control application, the defined number of instances of the modules with the defined configurations.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the programmable process controller comprises a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) or a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the programmable process controller, a new configuration file from a configuration device; and

during a second startup of the process control application, reading the new configuration file and responsive thereto instantiating, by the process control application, a number of instances of the modules different from the defined number and having configurations specified by the new configuration file.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the configuration device comprises a wireless mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless mobile device is selected from a group comprising a smart phone, a tablet computer and a laptop computer.