Continuous equipment operation in an automated control environment
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- determining a safe state in which equipment is to be maintained upon disablement of an automation controller, the automation controller configured to control the equipment by providing commands to an I/O module to control the equipment, the automation controller being a separate component from the I/O module; and
prior to a disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost, performing;
configuring the I/O module with safe state data to facilitate maintaining, by the I/O module, the equipment in the safe state upon disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost; and
configuring the I/O module to provide one or more signals, based on the safe state data, to the equipment upon disablement of the automation controller and loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller, wherein the configuring the I/O module with the safe state data and the configuring the I/O module to provide the one or more signals facilitates continuous equipment operation upon disablement of the automation controller despite the loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller during the disablement of the automation controller.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Continuous equipment operation is facilitated despite disablement of an automation controller for controlling the equipment. A safe state in which equipment is to be maintained upon disablement of the automation controller is determined. Safe state data is provided for configuring an I/O module, through which the automation controller controls the equipment, with the safe state data to facilitate maintaining the equipment in the safe state during disablement of the automation controller. In one embodiment, upon subsequent enablement of the automation controller, a current state of the I/O module is evaluated and an automatic control state into which the equipment is to be transitioned is determined. The equipment is then transitioned to the determined automatic control state.
46 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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determining a safe state in which equipment is to be maintained upon disablement of an automation controller, the automation controller configured to control the equipment by providing commands to an I/O module to control the equipment, the automation controller being a separate component from the I/O module; and prior to a disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost, performing; configuring the I/O module with safe state data to facilitate maintaining, by the I/O module, the equipment in the safe state upon disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost; and configuring the I/O module to provide one or more signals, based on the safe state data, to the equipment upon disablement of the automation controller and loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller, wherein the configuring the I/O module with the safe state data and the configuring the I/O module to provide the one or more signals facilitates continuous equipment operation upon disablement of the automation controller despite the loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller during the disablement of the automation controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system comprising:
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a memory; and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the system is configured to perform; determining a safe state in which equipment is to be maintained upon disablement of an automation controller, the automation controller configured to control the equipment by providing commands to an I/O module to control the equipment, the automation controller being a separate component from the I/O module; and prior to a disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost, performing; configuring the I/O module with safe state data to facilitate maintaining, by the I/O module, the equipment in the safe state upon disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost; and configuring the I/O module to provide one or more signals, based on the safe state data, to the equipment upon disablement of the automation controller and loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller, wherein the configuring the I/O module with the safe state data and the configuring the I/O module to provide the one or more signals facilitates continuous equipment operation upon disablement of the automation controller despite the loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller during the disablement of the automation controller. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium readable by a processor and storing instructions for execution by the processor to perform a method comprising; determining a safe state in which equipment is to be maintained upon disablement of an automation controller, the automation controller configured to control the equipment by providing commands to an I/O module to control the equipment, the automation controller being a separate component from the I/O module; and prior to a disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost, performing; configuring the I/O module with safe state data to facilitate maintaining, by the I/O module, the equipment in the safe state upon disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost; and configuring the I/O module to provide one or more signals, based on the safe state data, to the equipment upon disablement of the automation controller and loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller, wherein the configuring the I/O module with the safe state data and the configuring the I/O module to provide the one or more signals facilitates continuous equipment operation upon disablement of the automation controller despite the loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller during the disablement of the automation controller. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A method comprising:
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receiving, by an I/O module, safe state data from an automation controller during a normal operating condition in which the automation controller controls equipment by providing commands to the I/O module to control the equipment, the I/O module and the automation controller being separate components, the I/O module configured with safe state data to facilitate maintaining, by the I/O module, the equipment in a safe state upon disablement of the automation controller in which control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost, and the I/O module configured to provide one or more signals, based on the safe state data, to the equipment upon disablement of the automation controller and loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller; based on a disablement of the automation controller and loss of control of the equipment by the automation controller, recognizing, by the I/O module, the disablement of the automation controller, wherein the recognizing comprises the I/O module recognizing that control of the equipment by the automation controller is lost; and based on the I/O module recognizing the disablement of the automation controller, automatically controlling, by the I/O module, the equipment based on the safe state data, in which the I/O module controls operation of the equipment during at least a portion of the disablement of the automation controller, despite the control of the equipment by the automation controller being lost.
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Specification