Unified communications module (UCM)

• US 9,582,376 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Gabler, John Carl, Kieu, Michael, Kral, Peter P., Mishra, Ajay P.
• Primary Examiner(s): MASKULINSKI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US14/541,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20160139999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41855 by local area network [LAN], network structure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31245 Redundant bus, interbus, with two masters
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33273 DCS distributed, decentralised controlsystem, multiprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/00 Safety arrangements G05B7/00 takes precedence; safety arrangements in programme-control systems G05B19/048, G05B19/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A fault tolerant control system delivers an embedded functional safety core and a distributed control engine with an onboard communication link in an industrial process control environment. The fault tolerant control system includes a process control workstation connected to a first network and a fault tolerant safety controller connected to a second network, wherein a process controller module, a safety controller module and a field device system integration module are co-located on a power interface board.

Claims

1. A fault tolerant control system comprising:

a process control system workstation operatively connected to a first network;

a fault tolerant safety controller operatively connected to a second network; and

an interface between the process control workstation and the fault tolerant safety controller, said interface comprising;

a process controller module operatively connected to the first network;

a safety controller module operatively connected to a second network;

a field device system integration module for communicating safety information from the safety controller module to the process controller module; and

a switch configured to selectively connect the safety controller module and the field device system integration module while maintaining a functional and physical separation between the first network and the second network;

wherein the process controller module, the safety controller module, and the field device integration module are co-located on a power interface board.

2. The fault tolerant control system claim 1, wherein the first network comprises a distributed control system (DCS) network, and wherein the second network comprises a safety instrumented system (SIS) network.

3. The fault tolerant control system of claim 2, wherein the interface is configured to implement a redundancy approach on the SIS network.

4. The fault tolerant control system of claim 3, wherein the interface is further configured to adapt the redundancy approach of the SIS network to the DCS network.

5. The fault tolerant control system of claim 2, wherein the interface is configured to implement a redundancy approach on the DCS network.

6. The fault tolerant control system of claim 2, wherein the interface is configured for the holistic presentation of information in the DCS network.

7. The fault tolerant control system of claim 6, wherein the information comprises SIS network information.

8. The fault tolerant control system of claim 6, wherein the information comprises one or more of the following:

sequence of events (SOE) data, SIS time stamped data, system health data, and equipment health data.

9. The fault tolerant control system of claim 1, wherein the modules comprise a plurality of input/output (I/O) cards operatively connected to the power interface board.

10. The fault tolerant control system of claim 9, further comprising a chassis for housing the I/O cards and the power interface board.

11. The fault tolerant control system of claim 10, wherein the chassis further houses a backplane configured to receive the power interface board.

12. The fault tolerant control system of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a three-port switch co-located on the power interface board, and wherein the three-port switch is configured to interface the safety controller module and the field device system integration module via a selective connection therebetween.

13. A communications interface for a fault tolerant controller, comprising:

a process controller module operatively connected to a regulatory network;

a safety controller module operatively connected to a safety network;

a field device system integration module for communicating safety information from the safety controller module to the process controller module; and

a three-port switch configured to interface the safety controller module and the field device system integration module via a selective connection therebetween;

wherein the three-port switch isolates communications from the process controller module via the field device system integration module to the safety controller module, and wherein the communications interfaces appears as a control station on the regulatory network.

14. The communications interface of claim 13, wherein the modules comprise a plurality of input/output (I/O) cards operatively connected to a power interface board.

15. The communications interface of claim 14, further comprising a chassis for housing the I/O cards and the power interface board.

16. The communications interface of claim 15, wherein the chassis further houses a backplane configured to receive the power interface board.

17. The communications interface of claim 13, wherein the three-port switch comprises an Ethernet switch.

18. The communications interface of claim 17, wherein the selective connection further comprises maintains a functional and physical separation between the regulatory network and the safety network.

19. A fault tolerant controller comprising:

a modified backplane interface;

a main processor operatively connected to the modified backplane interface; and

,

a power interface board operatively connected to the modified backplane interface, said power interface board comprising;

a process controller module;

a safety controller module operatively connected to the main processor;

a field device system integration module; and

,

a three-port switch operatively connected to the safety controller module and the field device system integration module;

wherein the three-port switch is configured to interface the safety controller module and the field device system integration module via a selective connection therebetween.

20. The fault tolerant controller of claim 19, further comprising a second power interface board installed in a redundant configuration in the modified backplane interface.

21. The fault tolerant controller of claim 19, wherein the three-port switch further comprises an Ethernet switch.

22. The fault tolerant control system of claim 19, wherein the selective connection maintains a functional and physical separation between a first network and a second network.