Automatic process data transmission and monitoring for an industrial process network

• US 10,142,199 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerson Process Management Lllp (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Process Management Lllp (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Ferguson, Anthony Dean, Franchuk, Brian Alan, Bell, Thomas Marvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry
• Application Number:
  US14/576,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4026 Bus for use in automation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/24 using dedicated network management hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers

Abstract

A field device can transmit, over an industrial process network, data (e.g., including process data) to a host device configured to send and receive messages with one or more field devices. The field device can transmit the data in response to receiving a communications token that delegates time to the field device to transmit data over the industrial process network. A data monitoring device can monitor the data transmitted over the industrial process network, and can output at least a portion of the data for display at a display device operatively coupled to the data monitoring device.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring data on an industrial process network, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a field device over the industrial process network, data to a host device configured to send and receive messages with one or more field devices, wherein the data transmitted over the industrial process network by the field device comprises;

process data identified for use in real-time control of an industrial process;

view data corresponding to the process data, the view data descriptive of one or more attributes of the process data; and

an alert generated by the field device, the alert corresponding to an operational state of the field device;

monitoring, by a data monitoring device, the data transmitted over the industrial process network, the monitoring comprising receiving the data from the field device;

interpreting, by the data monitoring device, one or more attributes of the process data based on the view data;

outputting, by the data monitoring device, at least a portion of the data for display at a display device operatively coupled to the data monitoring device, wherein outputting at least the portion of the data for display at the display device comprises outputting the interpreted process data and the alert for display at the display device; and

transmitting, by the data monitoring device, a response message to the alert, the response message configured to acknowledge the alert transmitted by the field device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the view data is descriptive of at least one of a data type attribute of the process data and a data range attribute of the process data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the view data comprises configuration data corresponding to the field device, the configuration data descriptive of one or more functional attributes of the field device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting at least the portion of the data for display at the display device comprises outputting at least the portion of the data for display in a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) display format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting at least the portion of the data for display at the display device comprises outputting trending data that indicates a change of the process data over time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the field device comprises a first field device, and wherein the data comprises first data, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by a second field device over the industrial process network, second data to the host device;

monitoring, by the data monitoring device, the second data transmitted over the industrial process network; and

outputting, by the data monitoring device, at least a portion of the second data for display at the display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data monitoring device comprises the display device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data monitoring device comprises an intrinsically safe device.