Abstract: An Intrinsically Safe (IS) Advanced Physical Layer (APL) based low power field device having a virtual controller implemented thereon. The virtual controller provides distributed control and one or more of historian, workstation, and HMI functionality on the field device.

Abstract: An Ethernet Advanced Physical Layer (Ethernet-APL) bridge system between an edge field device and an industrial network. The bridge system includes at least one Ethernet-APL switch and a plurality of redundant physical Ethernet-APL 10BaseT1L ports coupled to the at least one switch providing improved load distribution and high availability.

Abstract: A system is provided to conduct communication in a facility with equipment in hazardous and safe areas. The system includes at least one field device in a hazardous area of the facility; one or more controllers, located in a safe area of the facility, for managing the at least one field device; and a field barrier, between the safe and hazardous areas, to limit at least electrical energy, which is supplied to the at least one device, at or below an electrical energy threshold in the hazardous area. The system also includes a bus system to supply electrical energy across the field barrier to the at least one field device using electrical wiring and to enable communication between the at least one field device and the one or more controllers across the field barrier using one or more fiber optic cables.

Abstract: A system is provided to conduct communication in a facility with equipment in hazardous and safe areas. The system includes at least one field device in a hazardous area of the facility; one or more controllers, located in a safe area of the facility, for managing the at least one field device; and a field barrier, between the safe and hazardous areas, to limit at least electrical energy, which is supplied to the at least one device, at or below an electrical energy threshold in the hazardous area. The system also includes a bus system to supply electrical energy across the field barrier to the at least one field device using electrical wiring and to enable communication between the at least one field device and the one or more controllers across the field barrier using one or more fiber optic cables.

Abstract: A method of compressing an electronic file is provided. The method comprises reading a first electronic file in reverse order sequence from bottom to top, while reading the first file, identifying patterns in a content of the first file and while reading the first file, building a dictionary comprising a plurality of entries, each entry defining an association of a code to one of the patterns identified in the content of the first file. The method further comprises, while reading the first file, building a second electronic file that is a compressed version of the first file, wherein the second electronic file comprises a compressed content portion and a dictionary portion, wherein the compressed content portion comprises codes from the dictionary and wherein the dictionary portion comprises the dictionary.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing a Proportional/Integral/Derivative (PID) tuning cycle in a distributed control system comprising a PID block on a field device collecting loop characteristics of a control loop. The PID block may communicate the collected loop characteristics from the field device to a host computer in the distributed control system. The host computer may calculate a new tuning constant based on the received loop characteristics and communicate the new tuning constant to the PID block on the field device. The PID block on the field device may receive the new tuning constant for the PID block from the host computer. The PID block on the field device may be tuned with the new tuning constant.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of reprogramming a field device in a process control network using the standard communications protocol for the network, and a reprogrammable field device in the process control network adapted for being reprogrammed using the standard communications protocol for the network. The method and device of the present invention use the standard communications protocol to transmit the downloaded code to the field device and store the downloaded code in the field device while the device is enabled to perform process control. Once the new code is downloaded and stored in the field device, the field device is set to a steady state condition and/or disabled from performing process control, reprogrammed to execute the downloaded code, and reenabled to perform process control.

Abstract: An electromagnetic shielding system for shielding a user's head from electromagnetic waves produced from an antenna of a cellular phone. The electromagnetic shielding system includes an expandable shield assembly that includes a base panel and an arm panel pivotally coupled together for providing an expanded area of coverage for a user's head. The base panel is removably mountable to the antenna of a cellular phone. An electromagnetic reflective member is mounted to the shield assembly for shielding a user from the electromagnetic waves. A coupling assembly is removably mountable to and extends between the shield assembly and the antenna of the cellular phone for positioning the expandable shield assembly between a stored position and a shielding position.

Abstract: A multi-protocol smart field device uses a Fieldbus communication protocol to communicate process control information and uses a HART communication protocol to enable local configuration of the field device via a hand-held HART communicator. The multi-protocol smart field device includes a first communications interface communicatively coupled to a digital data bus that is adapted to process HART communications which are received from and which are sent to a HART hand-held communicator. The multi-protocol smart field device further includes a second communications interface communicatively coupled to the digital data bus that is adapted to process Fieldbus communications.

Abstract: A multi-protocol smart field device uses a Fieldbus communication protocol to communicate process control information and uses a HART communication protocol to enable local configuration of the field device via a hand-held HART communicator. The multi-protocol smart field device includes a first communications interface communicatively coupled to a digital data bus that is adapted to process HART communications which are received from and which are sent to a HART hand-held communicator. The multi-protocol smart field device further includes a second communications interface communicatively coupled to the digital data bus that is adapted to process Fieldbus communications.

Abstract: A maintenance interface device for use in a digital, loop-powered process control network includes an interface to either a two-wire input/output port of a field device or to a two-wire communication media, a control logic for determining a simple status of the field device or communication loop, and a display for displaying the simple status. The maintenance interface device may be used for fault analysis to detect whether a field device or a communication loop is operational or nonoperational, powered or unpowered, and generating a valid communication signal or generating an invalid communication signal. The maintenance interface device is adapted to perform simple functionality tests on a plurality of devices in a process control network including a loop controller, a digital control system, an operator console, a workstation, a personal computer, and a bridge to thereby detect the functionality of those devices on a communication wire.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of and a device for monitoring, from a central location, the current operating conditions (such as values of process parameters) in a process control network having distributed control functions. In one embodiment, the method and device of the present invention use scheduled periodic communications to send signals containing, for example, measured values of process parameters developed by field devices to a centralized viewing device. The viewing device receives the signals and stores at least one value of the process parameters, and maybe more values if necessary to monitor and control the process. To retrieve the stored process parameters for viewing, the viewing device processes messages from human interface devices requesting the stored values of one or more of the stored parameters and then transmits response messages containing the stored values.

Abstract: An interface between a remote communications network and a process control system includes a storage device, a communication software stack and a user software layer. The user software layer enables interfacing between the remote communications network and the process control system by directing the communication software stack to operate in the process control system using a process communication protocol, by monitoring the message traffic on the communication software stack, and by copying requested message traffic to the storage device. The user software layer also includes media interface software that allows access to the storage device by the remote communications network to thereby deliver specific data to a device connected to the remote communications network.

Abstract: A schematic generator for use in a process control network, in which control functions are implemented by field devices interconnected at various and distributed locations on a bus, polls each of the field devices to retrieve information pertaining to the identity of the device, the identity of the control functions associated with the device, the manner in which the device communicates with other devices with respect to each of the control functions associated with that device, the timing associated with the execution of each of the control functions of that device and the timing of the communication activities associated with each of the control functions of that device. The schematic generator then analyses the retrieved data to identify the manner in which the devices are physically connected on the bus and the manner in which the different control functions are interconnected over the bus to perform process control loops within the process control network.

Abstract: Functional elements within a two-wire, loop-powered, two-way digital communications environment are interconnected using selective redundant connections and selective redundant functional elements. The redundant functional elements and redundant connections provide a smooth transition from operation of a primary process loop element to a secondary process loop element in the event of a failure of the primary process loop element. Redundancy is selectively implemented using a redundant pair of field devices or a redundant bus pair having a primary bus and a redundant bus. In a first case, redundancy is selectively implemented using a single set of communication media, such as a single communication loop, but implementing redundant functional elements, such as field devices, so that recovery is achieved upon failure of a functional element but not upon failure of the communication media.

Abstract: A system and method for debugging and tuning a process control network having distributed control functions implemented by a set of field devices communicatively linked over a bus includes an operational scheduler that schedules the execution of each of a number of process control functions and communication functions performed by the field devices to define a process control scheme and an indicator that indicates one or more process control scheme locations at which the process control scheme is to be automatically or conditionally interrupted to thereby enable debugging and/or tuning of the process control network. A controller interrupts execution of the process control scheme at the indicated flow locations, communicates process data to a user to display the current or a past state of the process to a user and waits for user input before continuing with operation of the process control scheme.

Abstract: A field device for use in a process control network having a plurality of devices communicatively coupled by a two-wire, all-digital communication bus includes a connector that connects the field device to the two-wire, all-digital bus to enable all-digital communication over the bus, a memory that stores a diagnostic test routine having a series of device or process diagnostic test instructions, and a controller that performs the device or process diagnostic test instructions stored in the memory to implement a device or process diagnostic test using the field device. A data collection unit within the field device collects diagnostic data generated during the diagnostic test and a communication unit communicates the collected diagnostic data over the bus to a host device for processing. The controller may include a program language interpreter adapted to interpret the diagnostic test instructions which may be provided to the field device from another one of the devices via the bus.

Abstract: A diagnostic system is adapted to perform device and process diagnostics in a process control network having a plurality of process control devices communicatively linked over a bus, wherein each of the devices is capable of preforming a process control function and of communicating over the bus using scheduled periodic communications. The diagnostic system is disposed in a first one of the devices and includes a signal generator that produces a diagnostic control signal, a communicator configured to deliver the diagnostic control signal to a second one of the devices using scheduled periodic communications, and an output signal receiver adapted to receive an output signal developed by the second device in response to the diagnostic control signal. The diagnostic system may use the received output signal to perform diagnostics or may send this signal to a host device for diagnostic analysis.

Abstract: A field device for use in a process control network having a plurality of devices communicatively coupled by a two-wire, all-digital communication bus includes a connector that connects the field device to the two-wire, all-digital bus to enable all-digital communication over the bus, a memory that stores a diagnostic test routine having a series of device or process diagnostic test instructions, and a controller that performs the device or process diagnostic test instructions stored in the memory to implement a device or process diagnostic test using the field device. A data collection unit within the field device collects diagnostic data generated during the diagnostic test and a communication unit communicates the collected diagnostic data over the bus to a host device for processing. The controller may include a program language interpreter adapted to interpret the diagnostic test instructions which may be provided to the field device from another one of the devices via the bus.