Peer-to-peer hosting of intelligent field devices

• US 20060047778A1
• Filed: 08/22/2005
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Johnson, Alexander P., Adams, Lloyd B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Device configurations are stored in a system including at least two intelligent field devices (IFDs) connected by a communications connection. A configuration for a first IFD is stored in the first IFD, and a backup of the configuration for the first IFD is stored in at least one other IFD. Storing a configuration for the first IFD may include having the first IFD request a configuration from at least one other IFD using the communications connection, an IFD having a stored backup of the configuration for the first IFD transmitting the backup to the first IFD using the communications connection, and the first IFD receiving the transmitted backup and storing the received backup in the first IFD as the configuration for the first IFD. Storing a backup of the configuration for the first IFD may include having the first IFD transmit a backup of the configuration for the first IFD to at least one other IFD using the communications connection, and having the at least one other IFD receive and store the backup of the configuration.

Claims

1-52. -52. (canceled)

53. A method of installing a device configuration on an intelligent field device (IFD), the method comprising:

accessing, with an external processor, a configurator program stored on the IFD;

running the configurator program on the external processor to generate the device configuration;

transmitting the device configuration to the IFD; and

storing the device configuration in memory in the IFD.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the configurator program comprises a Java applet.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the external processor comprises an external computer.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein the external processor comprises a hand-held device.

57. A method of installing a device configuration on an IFD, the method comprising:

accessing a configurator program using browser software, wherein the configurator program is stored on a distributed network site;

running the configurator program to generate the device configuration; and

storing the device configuration in memory in the IFD.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the distributed network site comprises a World Wide Web site.

59. The method of claim 57, further comprising translating communications between a first protocol used by the distributed network site and a second protocol used by the IFD.