Methods and apparatus for RFID communications in a process control system

• US 10,325,197 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2018
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Lovell, Michel Ken, Junk, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thang D
• Application Number:
  US15/876,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20180144231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 340 1034, 3405721-5729, 340 101- 106
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for RFID communications in a process control system are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device to be communicatively coupled to a field device of a process control system via a wired connection. The RFID device includes an RFID tag to be powered via the wired connection based on power provided to the field device. The power is provided to the field device along with a control signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device to be communicatively coupled to a field device of a process control system via a wired connection, the RFID device including an RFID tag to be powered via the wired connection based on power provided to the field device, the RFID device to be coupled, via the wired connection, to a signal wire transmitting the power and a control signal between a distributed control system and the field device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device is to be coupled to the signal wire via the field device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device is to be connected to the signal wire in parallel with the field device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a power manager to draw power from the power provided to the field device without disrupting the control signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the RFID tag is powered via the power provided to the field device and a second portion of the RFID tag is powered via at least one of an RFID reader or an RFID writer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the RFID tag includes a processor, an onboard memory, and an antenna, wherein the processor and the onboard memory are powered via the power provided to the field device and the antenna is powered via at least one of the RFID reader or the RFID writer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the onboard memory is to store data associated with the field device, the data including at least one of maintenance information, diagnostic information, or configuration information associated with the field device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device includes a microcontroller operatively coupled between the RFID tag and the field device, the microcontroller to store data associated with the field device in an onboard memory of the RFID tag.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data is wirelessly transmitted between the RFID tag and at least one of an RFID reader or an RFID writer at a rate faster than a communication speed of a communication protocol associated with the distributed control system and the field device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID device is to be communicatively coupled to the distributed control system via the signal wire.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a field device of a process control system, the field device to receive power and a control signal from a distributed control system via a signal wire communicatively coupling the field device with the distributed control system; and

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device operatively coupled to the field device via a wired connection, the RFID device having an RFID tag to receive at least a portion of the power provided to the field device via the signal wire by way of the wired connection.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the RFID device is to be connected to the signal wire in series with the field device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the RFID device includes a power manager to draw power from the signal wire without disrupting the control signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the power manager is operatively coupled between the RFID tag and the field device.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the RFID device is to be connected to the signal wire in parallel with the field device.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device, power provided to a field device of a process control system from a distributed control system over a signal wire, the power received via a wired connection coupling the RFID device and the field device, wherein the power provided to the field device is associated with a control signal provided to the field device, the control signal transmitted to the field device via the signal wire from the distributed control system; and

powering an RFID tag of the RFID device with the power provided to the field device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein powering the RFID tag includes drawing from the power provided to the field device without disrupting the control signal.

18. The method of claim 16, further including powering an antenna of the RFID tag via at least one of an RFID reader or an RFID writer when a processor and an onboard memory of the RFID tag are powered via the power provided to the field device.

19. The method of claim 16, further including storing data associated with the field device in an onboard memory of the RFID tag, the data including at least one of maintenance information, diagnostic information, or configuration information associated with the field device.

20. The method of claim 19, further including wirelessly transmitting the data between the RFID tag and at least one of an RFID reader or an RFID writer at a rate faster than a communication speed between the field device and the distributed control system.