Module arbitration and ownership enhancements

• US 8,392,008 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• 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: Weatherhead, N. Andrew, Carmount, Mark K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Sunray
• Application Number:
  US11/856,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/99
• 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 processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions, comprising;

a module configured to control a resource of an industrial process, wherein the module has an associated safety component identifier and the resource has an associated safety integrity level threshold;

an ownership component associated with the resource configured to facilitate arbitration of control of the resource between the module and at least one other module configured to control the resource;

a control monitoring component configured to publish contents of an ownership queue associated with the resource, wherein the contents are published to one or more industrial control networks associated with the module or the at least one other module; and

wherein the ownership component is further configured to grant control of the resource to the module in response to a sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue not meeting the safety integrity level threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the resource is a safety resource associated with a safety requirement of the industrial process, the safety resource comprises at least one of 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.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the module is a safety integrity level component or a performance level component.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the resource is a safety integrity level component or a performance level component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ownership component is further configured to provide control of the resource to the module based upon a position of a unique identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the ownership component is further configured to write the unique identifier into the ownership queue in response to granting control of the resource to the module.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ownership component is configured to write the safety component identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource in response to the sum not meeting the safety integrity level threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the resource further comprises an associated performance level threshold; and

the ownership component is configured to grant control of the resource to the module in response to the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the performance level threshold.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the ownership component is configured to write the safety component identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource in response to the sum not meeting the performance level threshold.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource is configured for concurrent ownership by a plurality of modules identified in the ownership queue.

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

employing at least one processor executing computer executable instructions embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to control a resource of an industrial process from an module, wherein the module has an associated safety component identifier and the resource has an associated safety integrity level threshold;

arbitrating control of the resource between the module and at least one other module;

publishing contents of an ownership queue associated with the resource, wherein the contents are published to one or more industrial control networks associated with the module or the at least one other module; and

granting control of the resource to the module in response to a the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the safety integrity level threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the resource is a safety resource associated with a safety requirement of the industrial process, the safety resource comprises at least one of 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.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing control of the resource to the module based upon a position of a unique identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising writing the unique identifier into the ownership queue in response to granting control of the resource to the module.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising writing the safety component identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource in response to the sum not meeting the safety integrity level threshold.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

wherein the resource further comprises an associated performance level threshold; and

granting control of the resource to the module in response to the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the performance level threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising writing the safety component identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource in response to the sum not meeting the performance level threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the resource is configured for concurrent ownership by a plurality of modules identified in the ownership queue.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the module is a safety integrity level component or a performance level component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the resource is a safety integrity level component or a performance level component.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause at least one device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to control a resource of an industrial process from an module, wherein the module has an associated safety component identifier and the resource has an associated safety integrity level threshold;

arbitrating control of the resource between the module and at least one other module;

publishing contents of an ownership queue associated with the resource, wherein the contents are published to one or more industrial control networks associated with the module or the at least one other module; and

granting control of the resource to the module in response to a the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the safety integrity level threshold.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the resource is a safety resource associated with a safety requirement of the industrial process, the safety resource comprises at least one of 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.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprise providing control of the resource to the module based upon a position of a unique identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprise writing the safety component identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource in response to the sum not meeting the safety integrity level threshold.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein:

the resource further comprising an associated performance level threshold; and

the operations further comprise granting control of the resource to the module in response to the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the performance level threshold.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the operations further comprise writing the safety component identifier of the module in a request queue associated with the resource in response to the sum not meeting the performance level threshold.

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

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions, comprising;

a module configured to control a resource of an industrial process, wherein the module has an associated safety component identifier and the resource has an associated performance level threshold;

an ownership component associated with the resource configured to facilitate arbitration of control of the resource between the module and at least one other module configured to control the resource;

a control monitoring component configured to publish contents of an ownership queue associated with the resource, wherein the contents are published to one or more industrial control networks associated with the module or the at least one other module; and

wherein

the ownership component is further configured to grant control of the resource to the module in response to a sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue not meeting the performance level threshold.

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

employing at least one processor executing computer executable instructions embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to control a resource of an industrial process from an module, wherein the module has an associated safety component identifier and the resource has an associated performance level threshold;

arbitrating control of the resource between the module and at least one other module;

publishing contents of an ownership queue associated with the resource, wherein the contents are published to one or more industrial control networks associated with the module or the at least one other module; and

granting control of the resource to the module in response to a the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the performance level threshold.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause at least one device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to control a resource of an industrial process from an module, wherein the module has an associated safety component identifier and the resource has an associated performance level threshold;

arbitrating control of the resource between the module and at least one other module;

publishing contents of an ownership queue associated with the resource, wherein the contents are published to one or more industrial control networks associated with the module or the at least one other module; and

granting control of the resource to the module in response to a the sum of the safety component identifier associated with the module and other safety component identifiers in the ownership queue meeting the performance level threshold.