Development system for process control systems as well as associated method and computer program product

• US 7,349,748 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Spohr, Gerd-Ulrich, Orth, Philipp, Münnemann, Ansgar, Grieb, Herbert, Bellm, Hubert, Pfeiffer, Bernd-Markus, Epple, Ulrich, Abel, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas K.
• Application Number:
  US11/315,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 700/86
• US Class Current: 700/86
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23304 Download program from host
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25229 Partition control software among distributed controllers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and devices for developing programs for process control systems and in particular for mathematically intensive or, as the case may be, mathematically complex programs of said kind. According to the prior art programs of said kind were written in a separate development environment and subsequently the developed algorithm was re-implemented using a programming language available for the process control system and the associated compiler. The programming and testing were consequently both time-intensive and prone to error. It is proposed to split the overall algorithm into two parts when programming programs of said kind, a) the actual control algorithm by means of which the mathematical functionality of a controller is provided, and b) the algorithm by means of which the process control system-specific functionality of the above controller is provided. The second algorithm referred to runs in the process-oriented component of the process control system and the actual control algorithm in a computer suitable for industrial application. In order to control the process the two algorithms exchange data, the decision-making authority remaining at the control system level.

Claims

1. A system for process control system, comprising:

a first computer;

a first computer program that provides the process control system-specific functionality of a controller and is loaded into the process-oriented component of a process control system and executed; and

a second computer program that is executable on the first computer, for controlling and/or regulating a process and the second computer program is embodied to execute a realtime-capable program code of a control algorithm for the controller on the first computer and to exchange data with the first computer program residing in a process control system.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exchanged data includes process values supplied to the second computer program.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exchanged data includes control values of control variables supplied to the first computer program.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an input/output interface is provided for the first computer to allow direct access to analog and/or digital signals of the process that is to be controlled.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the system is assigned a process control system and the process control system is assigned a second computer which is embodied for the development of algorithms for controllers for process control systems and for converting the algorithms into a realtime-capable program code, and for the downloading of the realtime-capable program code onto the first computer.

6. A method for developing a program for a process control system, comprising:

providing a first computer program within a process-oriented component of a process control system, the first computer program providing the process control system-specific functionality of a controller;

providing a second computer program on a first computer, the second computer program including an actual algorithm for the controller; and

simultaneously executing the first and the second computer program while reciprocally exchanging data for controlling and/or regulating a process.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the provisioning of the second computer program is accomplished by programming the underlying algorithm on a second computer, converting the same into a realtime-capable program code, and downloading the realtime-capable program code onto the first computer.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein during execution of the second computer program, the second computer program exchanges data with the first computer program.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the exchanged data includes process values supplied to the second computer program.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the exchanged data includes control values of control variables supplied to the first computer program.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that further program code is loaded onto the first computer dynamically during the runtime of the second computer program.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least two different second computer programs are held switchably in readiness simultaneously with respect to one another on the first computer.

13. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium;

a computer program stored on the computer readable medium so that when the program is loaded into an internal memory of a computer a method is executed for developing a program for a process control system, comprising;

providing a first computer program within a process-oriented component of a process control system, the first computer program providing the process control system-specific functionality of a controller;

providing a second computer program on a first computer, the second computer program including an actual algorithm for the controller; and

simultaneously executing the first and the second computer program while reciprocally exchanging data for controlling and/or regulating a process.