Abstract: A set of discrete input/output (I/O) channels for one or more field devices may be grouped, organized, and connected to a field module device, which may connect to an electronic marshalling apparatus in a marshalling cabinet via an I/O channel. The field module acts as an intermediary, decoding messages received via the I/O channel to identify commands for discrete output (DO) channels that are then forwarded appropriately. The field module may also receive variable values carried by signals on discrete input (DI) channels and encode the values to a message that may be transmitted to the marshalling apparatus and controller, thus making the variable values on the DI channels available to the controller. The field module may store a profile including information that facilitates various smart commissioning techniques, including autosensing of tags, automatic tag binding, and automatic configuration of a control element corresponding to the field module.

Abstract: A set of discrete input/output (I/O) channels for one or more field devices may be grouped, organized, and connected to a field module device, which may connect to an electronic marshalling apparatus in a marshalling cabinet via an I/O channel. The field module acts as an intermediary, decoding messages received via the I/O channel to identify commands for discrete output (DO) channels that are then forwarded appropriately. The field module may also receive variable values carried by signals on discrete input (DI) channels and encode the values to a message that may be transmitted to the marshalling apparatus and controller, thus making the variable values on the DI channels available to the controller. The field module may store a profile including information that facilitates various smart commissioning techniques, including autosensing of tags, automatic tag binding, and automatic configuration of a control element corresponding to the field module.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for automatically distributing device identification amongst components of a process control loop in a process plant while the loop is communicatively disconnected from the plant's back-end environment or control room. A field device's identification is stored in a memory of a component of the loop (which may be the field device or a proxy) and is used for commissioning the field device. While the loop remains disconnected, the field device's identification is distributed to the memory of another component of the loop and used for commissioning a portion of the loop including the field device and the another component. Additional distribution to other components for commissioning other loop portions is possible. Distribution may be triggered by the completion of certain commissioning activities, the establishment of communicative connections between components, and/or other conditions.

Abstract: An I/O-abstracted configuration is defined for a field device that has not yet been assigned or allocated to communicate via a particular I/O device or I/O network within a plant, and this configuration is stored in a device placeholder object in a back-end environment of the plant. Thereafter other objects, modules, applications, user interfaces, etc., that are to execute in the back-end environment of the plant to communicate with the field device during on-line operation of the plant may be designed, built, configured, and tested using the device placeholder object without any actual communications with the field device and without assigning the device placeholder object to a particular I/O channel or I/O network.

Abstract: Techniques for controlling the operation of a process plant or several process plants within a process control system using a centralized or distributed controller farm allow for increased flexibility in the process control system. Any of the controllers in the controller farm may be utilized to execute modules corresponding to any of the field devices in one or several process plants. Control modules or other operations may be allocated amongst the controllers distributing the load so that one controller is not performing several operations while others are inactive. Additionally, the controller farm may be located in a temperature controlled room or area in an offsite location from the process plants. In some scenarios, load balancing techniques are performed to distribute the load for the modules equally or at least similarly amongst the controllers.

Abstract: A set of discrete input/output (I/O) channels for one or more field devices may be grouped, organized, and connected to a field module device, which may connect to an electronic marshalling apparatus in a marshalling cabinet via an I/O channel. The field module acts as an intermediary, decoding messages received via the I/O channel to identify commands for discrete output (DO) channels that are then forwarded appropriately. The field module may also receive variable values carried by signals on discrete input (DI) channels and encode the values to a message that may be transmitted to the marshalling apparatus and controller, thus making the variable values on the DI channels available to the controller. The field module may store a profile including information that facilitates various smart commissioning techniques, including autosensing of tags, automatic tag binding, and automatic configuration of a control element corresponding to the field module.

Abstract: A system tag identifying a device of a process control loop is determined/derived from a unique identifier of the device while the loop is communicatively disconnected from a process plant's back-end environment or control room. The system tag may be stored at the device itself or at a proxy that is disposed in the field of the process plant (e.g., at another component of the loop). One or more commissioning activities that include the device are performed in the field using the device's system tag, and at least some of the field commissioning activities may be automatically triggered based on the derivation of system tag. Upon the loop being communicatively connected to the back-end environment of the plant, the device's system tag known to the loop in the field is synchronized with the device's system tag known to the back-end of the process plant.

Abstract: During commissioning activities of a process plant, a device placeholder object that stores an I/O-abstracted configuration of a particular field device within the plant is created and stored in a device in the back-end environment of the plant and a further configuration file is stored in or for the particular field device in the field equipment environment of the plant. The device placeholder object, which will eventually be associated with the particular field device, and the field device configuration file are used to perform separate commissioning activities in each of these plant environments before the field devices are configured to communicate with a process controller via a particular I/O network within the plant. Thereafter, a binding application performs a discovery process to detect the I/O communication path through which each field device is connected to the back-end environment.

Abstract: An I/O-abstracted configuration is defined for a field device that has not yet been assigned or allocated to communicate via a particular I/O device, and the field device (and optionally portions of the process control loop of which the field device is a part) is commissioned based on contents of its I/O-abstracted configuration. The field device's I/O-abstracted configuration is stored in an instance of a device placeholder object, which may be common to multiple types of devices and multiple types of I/O. A property of the device placeholder object may be exposed based on the value entered for another property, and the device placeholder object may store abstracted values as well as explicit or discrete values that are descriptive of the field device and its behavior. Upon I/O-assignment or allocation, values held in the device's I/O-abstracted configuration may be transferred to or otherwise synchronized with the device's as-built configuration.

Abstract: Techniques for automatically testing an entire process control loop, such as after components and portions of the loop have been commissioned separately, or after run-time operation begins, enable the process control loop to be tested without an operator in a back-end environment of a process plant coordinating with an operator in a field environment of the process plant to supply inputs and/or generate various conditions at the loop. Instead, a single operator performs a single operation to initiate an automatic loop test, or in some implementations, no user input is needed to initiate and/or perform the automatic loop test. Automatic loop testing includes automatically causing a field device to operate in a plurality of test states and determining whether resultant loop behaviors are expected behaviors. Multiple loops may be tested concurrently or distinct in time. An automatic loop test result is generated and may be presented via a user interface.

Abstract: Techniques for controlling the operation of a process plant or several process plants within a process control system using a centralized or distributed controller farm allow for increased flexibility in the process control system. Any of the controllers in the controller farm may be utilized to execute modules corresponding to any of the field devices in one or several process plants. Control modules or other operations may be allocated amongst the controllers distributing the load so that one controller is not performing several operations while others are inactive. Additionally, the controller farm may be located in a temperature controlled room or area in an offsite location from the process plants. In some scenarios, load balancing techniques are performed to distribute the load for the modules equally or at least similarly amongst the controllers.

Abstract: An I/O-abstracted configuration is defined for a field device that has not yet been assigned or allocated to communicate via a particular I/O device, and the field device (and optionally portions of the process control loop of which the field device is a part) is commissioned based on contents of its I/O-abstracted configuration. The field device's I/O-abstracted configuration is stored in an instance of a device placeholder object, which may be common to multiple types of devices and multiple types of I/O. A property of the device placeholder object may be exposed based on the value entered for another property, and the device placeholder object may store abstracted values as well as explicit or discrete values that are descriptive of the field device and its behavior. Upon I/O-assignment or allocation, values held in the device's I/O-abstracted configuration may be transferred to or otherwise synchronized with the device's as-built configuration.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for automatically distributing device identification amongst components of a process control loop in a process plant while the loop is communicatively disconnected from the plant's back-end environment or control room. A field device's identification is stored in a memory of a component of the loop (which may be the field device or a proxy) and is used for commissioning the field device. While the loop remains disconnected, the field device's identification is distributed to the memory of another component of the loop and used for commissioning a portion of the loop including the field device and the another component. Additional distribution to other components for commissioning other loop portions is possible. Distribution may be triggered by the completion of certain commissioning activities, the establishment of communicative connections between components, and/or other conditions.

Abstract: An I/O-abstracted configuration is defined for a field device that has not yet been assigned or allocated to communicate via a particular I/O device or I/O network within a plant, and this configuration is stored in a device placeholder object in a back-end environment of the plant. Thereafter other objects, modules, applications, user interfaces, etc., that are to execute in the back-end environment of the plant to communicate with the field device during on-line operation of the plant may be designed, built, configured, and tested using the device placeholder object without any actual communications with the field device and without assigning the device placeholder object to a particular I/O channel or I/O network.

Abstract: A system tag identifying a device of a process control loop is determined/derived from a unique identifier of the device while the loop is communicatively disconnected from a process plant's back-end environment or control room. The system tag may be stored at the device itself or at a proxy that is disposed in the field of the process plant (e.g., at another component of the loop). One or more commissioning activities that include the device are performed in the field using the device's system tag, and at least some of the field commissioning activities may be automatically triggered based on the derivation of system tag. Upon the loop being communicatively connected to the back-end environment of the plant, the device's system tag known to the loop in the field is synchronized with the device's system tag known to the back-end of the process plant.

Abstract: A process and device for generating a prototype waveform and a weighting function. The process including obtaining waveforms generated by a detector having at least one photosensor, generating an initial estimate for the prototype waveform and the weighting function and parameterizing the prototype waveform and the weighting function and determining for each waveform an optimal amplitude and an optimal time offset of the prototype waveform.

Abstract: A positron emission tomography scanner system that includes detector modules arranged adjacent to one another to form a cylindrical detector ring. Each of the detector modules includes an array of scintillation crystal elements, a plurality of photosensors arranged to cover the array of crystal elements and configured to receive light emitted from the array of crystal elements, and a fiber optics plate arranged between the array of scintillation crystal elements and the plurality of photosensors, the fiber optics plate including a plurality of fibers configured to guide the light emitted from the scintillation crystal to the plurality of photosensors.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture are disclosed that provide flexible input/output device communications in a process control system. In one example, a process control system controls a plurality of field devices. The process control system includes a control device and a communications protocol component. The communications protocol component has at least one communications channel that is selectively configurable to use at least a first or second communications protocol and to communicate with at least one of the field devices.

Abstract: A control system, a safety system, etc., within a process plant may each use one or more state machine function blocks that can be easily integrated into a function block diagram programming environment. Such a state machine function block may include one or more inputs, which may cause astute machine implemented by the state machine function block to change states. The state machine function block may determine a next state to which it is to transition based, at least in part, on data indicative of the next state to which to transition, if any. The configuration data may be retrieved from a database based on the current state of the state machine and at least one of the inputs. The state machine function block may also include one or more outputs that are generated based on the state of the state machine.

Abstract: A process and device for generating a prototype waveform and a weighting function. The process including obtaining waveforms generated by a detector having at least one photosensor, generating an initial estimate for the prototype waveform and the weighting function and parameterizing the prototype waveform and the weighting function and determining for each waveform an optimal amplitude and an optimal time offset of the prototype waveform.