Abstract: Improved process control systems may include shared safety control and process control components/elements, facilitating the sharing of sensors, actuators, and input/output (I/O) interface circuitry between the safety functionality of the system and the general operational (i.e. normal) functionality of the system. Components and/or circuitry corresponding to safety operations of the system may be designed to permit inputs to be monitored during normal operations at all times as there is typically no safety risk associated with monitoring. The components and/or circuitry corresponding (or dedicated) to the safety operations of the system may operate to prevent normal operational control of various designated outputs/actuators when there is a need to activate safety functions. When there is no need to activate safety functions, these same components and/or circuitry may allow normal operational control of the designated outputs/actuators.

Abstract: Improved process control systems may include shared safety control and process control components/elements, facilitating the sharing of sensors, actuators, and input/output (I/O) interface circuitry between the safety functionality of the system and the general operational (i.e. normal) functionality of the system. Components and/or circuitry corresponding to safety operations of the system may be designed to permit inputs to be monitored during normal operations at all times as there is typically no safety risk associated with monitoring. The components and/or circuitry corresponding (or dedicated) to the safety operations of the system may operate to prevent normal operational control of various designated outputs/actuators when there is a need to activate safety functions. When there is no need to activate safety functions, these same components and/or circuitry may allow normal operational control of the designated outputs/actuators.

Abstract: Capturing datasets of interest from a data acquisition data stream. An acquired dataset may be received from a measurement device. The acquired dataset may include measurement data from measurements of one or more physical phenomena acquired by the measurement device, and may be a current dataset in a sequence of datasets acquired by the measurement device. The acquired dataset is buffered, resulting in a buffered dataset. One or more thresholds specifying datasets of interest may be automatically determined based on the buffered dataset or one or more previously acquired datasets. The buffered dataset may be automatically analyzed with respect to the one or more thresholds, and a determination may be made as to whether the buffered dataset is a dataset of interest based on said automatically analyzing. In response to determining that the buffered dataset is a dataset of interest, the buffered dataset may be stored in a storage medium.

Abstract: System and method for transmitting data over a wireless medium. A wireless sensor node receives data from at least one sensor, where the data include a plurality of data sets. For each data set: the wireless sensor node compares the size of the data set with a specified packet size, and if the size of the data set exceeds the specified packet size, transmits a plurality of packets containing respective portions of the data set to a gateway device over a wireless medium. If the size of the data set does not exceed the specified packet size, then a packet containing the data set is transmitted to the gateway device over the wireless medium.

Abstract: System and method for controlling cartridges to perform industrial operation(s). The system may include cartridge controllers coupled to the cartridges, timing and data routing logic coupled to the cartridge controllers, and controlling software coupled to the timing and data routing logic. Each of the cartridge controllers may be operable to detect and establish communications with a respective cartridge based on information retrieved from the cartridge, and adapt input/output signals of the respective cartridge according to instructions specified by the timing and data routing logic. The timing and data routing logic may be operable to synthesize data stream(s) from the adapted input/output signals, wherein each of the data stream(s) includes a respective subset of the adapted input/output signals received from a corresponding subset of the cartridges, and transmit the data stream(s) to the controlling software.

Abstract: System and method for controlling cartridges to perform industrial operation(s). The system may include cartridge controllers coupled to the cartridges, timing and data routing logic coupled to the cartridge controllers, and controlling software coupled to the timing and data routing logic. Each of the cartridge controllers may be operable to detect and establish communications with a respective cartridge based on information retrieved from the cartridge, and adapt input/output signals of the respective cartridge according to instructions specified by the timing and data routing logic. The timing and data routing logic may be operable to synthesize data stream(s) from the adapted input/output signals, wherein each of the data stream(s) includes a respective subset of the adapted input/output signals received from a corresponding subset of the cartridges, and transmit the data stream(s) to the controlling software.

Abstract: A display node in a graphical program may be used to automatically transfer an image from an embedded device lacking display capabilities to another device having a display. A method for displaying an image involves creating a graphical program on a display in response to user input and executing the graphical program on a first embedded system. The graphical program may include a first node for acquiring an image and a second node for displaying the image. If the first embedded system is coupled to a second system having a display device, executing the graphical program involves the second node transferring the image to the second system and directing the second system to display the image on the display device of the second system. If the first embedded system is not coupled to a second system having a display device, the second node may perform no display operation during execution.

Abstract: System and method for controlling cartridges to perform industrial operation(s). The system may include cartridge controllers coupled to the cartridges, timing and data routing logic coupled to the cartridge controllers, and controlling software coupled to the timing and data routing logic. Each of the cartridge controllers may be operable to detect and establish communications with a respective cartridge based on information retrieved from the cartridge, and adapt input/output signals of the respective cartridge according to instructions specified by the timing and data routing logic. The timing and data routing logic may be operable to synthesize data stream(s) from the adapted input/output signals, wherein each of the data stream(s) includes a respective subset of the adapted input/output signals received from a corresponding subset of the cartridges, and transmit the data stream(s) to the controlling software.

Abstract: A display node in a graphical program may be used to automatically transfer an image from an embedded device lacking display capabilities to another device having a display. A method for displaying an image involves creating a graphical program on a display in response to user input and executing the graphical program on a first embedded system. The graphical program may include a first node for acquiring an image and a second node for displaying the image. If the first embedded system is coupled to a second system having a display device, executing the graphical program involves the second node transferring the image to the second system and directing the second system to display the image on the display device of the second system. If the first embedded system is not coupled to a second system having a display device, the second node may perform no display operation during execution.