Arrangement, storage medium and method for providing information which is obtained via a device type manager, and transmitted in an extensible mark-up language format or a hypertext mark-up language format

• US 20040230582A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smar Research Corp.
• Original Assignee: Smar Research Corp.
• Inventors: Bechuate, Luis Gustavo de Carvalhc, Pagnano, Marco Aurelio de Oliveira
• Application Number:
  US10/436,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230582A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31132 FDT interfacing profibus field device drivers DTM with engineering tool
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32142 Define device, module description using xml format file
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An information arrangement, storage medium and a method for providing information in a process using such arrangement, are provided. Specifically, a first processing system is communicatively coupled to a second processing system, and the second processing system is communicatively coupled to one or more field devices. The second processing system includes a Device Type Manager (“DTM”), and the DTM includes properties associated with the field device. Moreover, the first processing system is adapted to receive data associated with the properties from the second processing system, and to transmit the data associated with the properties in an Extensible Mark-up Language (“XML”) format or a Hypertext Mark-up Language (“HTML”) format.

Claims

1. An information arrangement, comprising:

a first processing system communicatively coupled to a second processing system, wherein the second processing system comprises at least one Device Type Manager (“

DTM”

), and is communicatively coupled to at least one field device, wherein the at least one DTM comprises at least one property associated with the at least one field device, and wherein the first processing system is adapted to receive data associated with the at least one property from the second processing system, and to transmit at least a portion of the data associated with the at least one property in one of an Extensible Mark-up Language (“

XML”

) format and a Hypertext Mark-up Language (“

HTML”

) format.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first processing system comprises a first server and the second processing system comprises a second server.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one property comprises at least one of a configuration that is associated with the at least one field device, maintenance information that is associated with the at least one field device, and at least one parameter that is associated with the at least one field device.

4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the data associated with the at least one property is at least one of a particular value associated with the at least one parameter and the at least one parameter.

5. The arrangement of claim 4, wherein the particular value is associated with a measurement performed by the at least one field device.

6. The arrangement of claim 5, wherein the measurement performed by the at least one field device is at least one of a temperature measurement, a pressure measurement and a flow-rate measurement.

7. The arrangement of claim 4, wherein the at least one field device comprises a valve, and wherein the at least one parameter is at least one of an instantaneous position of the valve, a desired position of the valve, and a difference between the instantaneous position of the valve and the instantaneous position of the valve.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the DTM is a software plugin that comprises a user interface portion and a business portion, wherein the business portion comprises the data associated with the at least one property, and wherein the user interface portion is operable to display the data associated with the at least one property.

9. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the second processing system further comprises at least one user application.

10. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein the at least one user application comprises a Field Device Tool (“

FDT”

), wherein the FDT comprises an inquiry portion, and wherein the first processing system comprises an active server page script.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein the active server page script is operable to access the inquiry portion, and wherein the inquiry portion is operable to access the data associated with the at least one property from the business portion of the DTM, and to transmit the data associated with the at least one property to the first processing system.

12. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the first processing system is adapted to receive the data associated with the at least one property from the inquiry portion, and wherein the active server page script is executable to create one of an XML page and a HTML page that comprises at least a portion of the data associated with the at least one property, and to transmit the created page using the Internet.

13. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein the created page is one of a Web-type page, a window-type page and a spreadsheet-type page.

14. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the second processing system is communicatively coupled to a controller, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the at least one field device using an open smart communications protocol, and wherein the second processing system is communicatively coupled to the at least one field device via the controller.

15. The arrangement of claim 14, wherein the open smart communications protocol is at least one of a PROFIBUS®

protocol, FOUNDATION®

Fieldbus protocol and a HART®

protocol.

16. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one smart field device is at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor, a valve and a switch.

17. An information arrangement, comprising:

a processing system communicatively coupled to at least one field device, wherein the processing system comprises at least one Device Type Manager (“

DTM”

), wherein the at least one DTM comprises at least one property associated with the at least one field device, and wherein the processing system is adapted to transmit at least a portion of the data associated with the at least one property in one of an Extensible Mark-up Language format and a Hypertext Mark-up Language format.

18. A method for providing information in a process, comprising the steps of:

receiving data associated with at least one property via at least one Device Type Manager (“

DTM”

), wherein the at least one property is associated with at least one field device; and

transmitting at least a portion of the data associated with the at least one property in one of an Extensible Mark-up Language (“

XML”

) format and a Hypertext Mark-up Language (“

HTML”

) format.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one property comprises at least one of a configuration associated with the at least one field device, maintenance information associated with the at least one field device, and at least one parameter associated with the at least one field device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the data associated with the at least one property is at least one of a particular value that is associated with the at least one parameter and the at least one parameter.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the particular value is associated with a measurement performed by the at least one field device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the measurement performed by the at least one field device is at least one of a temperature measurement, a pressure measurement and a flow-rate measurement.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one field device comprises a valve, and wherein the at least one parameter is at least one of an instantaneous position of the valve, a desired position of the valve, and a difference between the instantaneous position of the valve and the instantaneous position of the valve.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the DTM is a software plugin that comprises a user interface portion and a business portion, wherein the business portion comprises the data associated with the at least one property, and wherein the user interface portion is operable to display the data associated with the at least one property.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the transmitting step comprises the steps of:

creating one of an XML page and a HTML page using an active server page script, wherein the created page comprises at least a portion of the data associated with the at least one property; and

transmitting the created page using the Internet.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the created page is one of a Web-type page, a window-type page and a spreadsheet-type page.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one smart field device is at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor, a valve and a switch.

28. A storage medium comprising executable instructions for providing information in a process, wherein, when the executable instructions are executed by a first processing system, the executable instructions perform the steps comprising of:

receiving data associated with at least one property via at least one Device Type Manager, wherein the at least one property is associated with at least one field device; and

transmitting at least a portion of the data associated with the at least one property in one of an Extensible Mark-up Language format and a Hypertext Mark-up Language (“

HTML”

) format.