| 摘要 |
A test system ( 10 ) is coupled to a control system ( 20 ) in a manner which allows the test system to communicate with and drive the control system by sending and receiving signals via both the controller-I/O communication channel ( 160 ) and the field I/O connectors ( 225 ). The test system ( 10 ) is used to both simulate a plant to be controlled and to monitor, validate, and/or modify the internal state of the control system controller and possibly the control system I/O interface ( 220 ). Plant simulation is accomplished by simulating the I/O devices to which the control system ( 20 ) is coupled (and hence the plant processes) when installed in the operational environment. In addition to the simulation of I/O devices, the test system ( 10 ) takes advantage of the fact that many commonly used controller and I/O interfaces are capable of communication with other devices by using such communications ability to provide instructions to or obtain information from a control system's controller(s) and I/O interface(s). |
