| CPC G05B 19/042 (2013.01) [G05B 2219/23389 (2013.01)] | 14 Claims |
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1. A modular control system providing a dynamically adaptive process control of a process line of a plant in a Machine-to-Machine network, the process line of the plant comprises a plurality of distributed machine control systems each having programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and one or more elements interlocked to one or more operational units of the process line,
the one or more operational units controlled by way of the plurality of distributed machine control systems, wherein one or more operations of the one or more operational unit performing a physical function within the process line is controlled by an associated machine control system of the plurality of machine control systems by way of elements interlocked to the one or more operational units, the interlocked elements at least comprising IO-interfaces and actor control devices, each operational unit adapted to be signaled by its associated machine control system to perform one or more operations,
wherein the plurality of distributed machine control systems is accessible by a line control system, the line control system having a line controller adapted to provide a dynamically adaptable process line arrangement, via network interfaces, and messages containing monitoring data and/or signaling data and/or steering commands that are adapted to be transmittable between the line control system and the plurality of distributed machine control systems in real-time or quasi real-time, wherein the controlling and/or monitoring and/or steering of the one or more operational units via the plurality of distributed machine control systems is at least related to the one or more operations to be performed and is dynamically adaptable,
wherein the modular control system comprises a plurality of communication channels, the plurality of communication channels operable to communicate between the line control system and the plurality of distributed machine control systems, the plurality of distributed machine control systems acting as network nodes in the Machine-to-Machine network, wherein each machine control system comprises a machine control system-specific identification,
wherein the modular control system comprises a control logic layer positioned between the line control system and the plurality of distributed machine control systems, operable to mediate transmission of messages for controlling, monitoring, and steering of the one or more operational units via the plurality of distributed machine control systems,
wherein the plurality of distributed machine control systems are configured to provide a common interface between the line control system and the one or more operational units, the common interface being specified by performable operations of the one or more operational units, and wherein the line control system comprises a line process engine having a library with identifications and assigned line control commands and parameters for different machine control systems to provide the common interface, wherein the dynamic structuring and adjustment of the process line is based on configuration parameters transmitted by the plurality of distributed machine control systems and corresponding machine control commands extracted from the library, and
wherein the control logic layer accepts the configuration parameters, the configuration parameters indicating at least a preceding machine control system of the plurality of distributed machine control systems and/or a subsequent machine control system within the process line based on machine control system-specific identifications, wherein the line control system dynamically structures and adjusts the process line by a detected sequence of machine control systems based on the configuration parameters.
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