Portable computer in a process control environment

• US 20050062677A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark J., Burr, Kent A., Peterson, Neil J., Tzovla, Vasiliki, Dove, Andrew P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,245,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/2.100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23293 Automated assembly of machine control software, reusable software components
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23406 Programmer device, portable, handheld detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23414 Pc as detachable program, debug, monitor device for control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

A portable computer for use in interfacing to a process control system having a host system includes a housing adapted for hand-held operation, a processing unit disposed within the housing and a computer readable memory disposed within the housing and coupled to the processing unit. The portable computer also includes a display, a keypad and a radio frequency transceiver adapted to communicate with the host system, all of which are disposed within the housing and communicatively coupled to the processing unit. A first software routine stored in the computer readable memory processes a user input received from the keypad and sends a command to the host system via the radio frequency transceiver. Additionally, a second software routine stored in the computer readable memory receives process information sent from the host system in response to the command and displays the received process information via the portable computer display.

Claims

1. A portable computer system for use in testing a process control system, comprising:

a processing unit;

a computer readable memory;

a graphical display unit;

an input device adapted to produce an input signal;

a remote communication device that communicates with the process control system;

a first software routine run on the processing unit that requests plant level information from the process control system and displays the plant level information via the graphical display unit; and

a second software routine run on the processing unit that processes the input signal to develop a change signal indicating a change to be made in a process signal within the process control system and that communicates the change signal to the process control system via the remote communication device to thereby cause a change to be made to the process signal.

2. The portable computer of claim 1, further including a third software routine that communicates with the process control system to obtain the actual value of the process signal and displays the actual value of the process signal via the graphical display unit.

3. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the input device is a microphone that produces a speech signal and further including a voice recognition unit that decodes the speech signal to develop the change signal.

4. The portable computer of claim 1, further including a fourth software routine that produces a screen on the graphical display unit having a list of communication channels therein and enables the user to select one of the communication channels using the input device.

5. The portable computer of claim 4, wherein the fourth software routine displays the type of process signal on a selected communication channel via the graphical display unit.

6. The portable computer of claim 4, wherein the fourth software routine displays a valid range of the process signal on a selected communication channel via the graphical display unit.

7. The portable computer of claim 4, wherein the fourth software routine enables a user to enter the change signal for the process signal in a field on the graphical display unit.

8. The portable computer of claim 4, wherein the input device is a microphone.