Field device electronics fed by an external electrical energy supply

• US 20060161359A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Original Assignee: Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Inventors: Lalla, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,200,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8409 constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8413 means for influencing the flowmeter's motional or vibrational behaviour, e.g., conduit support or fixing means, or conduit attachments
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8422 exciters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8431 electronic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/849 having straight measuring conduits

Abstract

Field-device electronics including an electric current controller, through which a supply current flows. The electric current controller controls and/or modulates the supply current. The supply current is driven by a supply voltage provided by the external energy supply. Additionally, the field-device electronics has an internal operating and evaluating circuit for controlling the field device, as well as an internal supply circuit lying at a field-device electronics, internal input voltage derived from the supply voltage and feeding the internal operating and evaluating circuit. Provided in the supply circuit is a voltage controller flowed-through, at least at times, by a first component of the supply current. The voltage controller provides in the field-device electronics a first internal, useful voltage controlled to be essentially constant at a predetermined, first voltage level. Moreover, the supply circuit has a second voltage controller flowed through, at least at times, by a second current component of the supply current. The second voltage controller provides in the field-device electronics a second internal, useful voltage, which is variable over a predetermined voltage range. Also contained in the supply circuit is a voltage stabilizer flowed-through, at least at times, by a third current component of the supply current. The voltage stabilizer serves to set and maintain the internal input voltage of the field-device electronics at a predetermined voltage level. In accordance with the invention, the operating and evaluating circuit is flowed-through, at least at times, both by a first useful current driven by the first useful voltage, and by a second useful current driven by the second useful voltage.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. Field device electronics for a field device, fed by an external, electric energy supply, wherein the external electric energy supply provides a supply voltage (U_V), especially a unipolar one, and delivers a variable supply current (I) driven thereby, especially a unipolar and/or binary supply current, which field-device electronics comprises:

an electric current controller which a supply current (I) flows for adjusting and/or modulating, especially clocking, the supply current (I);

an internal operating and evaluating circuit for controlling the field device; and

an internal supply circuit feeding said internal operating and evaluating circuit and lying at an internal input voltage (U_e) of the field-device electronics derived from the supply voltage (U_V), said internal supply circuit including;

a first voltage controller (UR₁) through which, at least at times, an especially variable, first current component (I₁) of the supply current (I) flows for providing in the field-device electronics a first internal, useful voltage (U_N1) essentially controlled to be constant at a predeterminable, first voltage level (U<sub>N1—

desired</sub>), a second voltage controller through which, at least at times, an especially variable, second current component (I₂) of the supply current (I) flows for providing in the field-device electronics a second internal, useful voltage (U_N2) variable over a predeterminable voltage range, and a voltage stabilizer through which, at least at times, an especially variable, third current component (I₃) of the supply current flows for adjusting and maintaining the internal input voltage (U_e) of the field-device electronics at a predeterminable voltage level, wherein;

said operating and evaluating circuit has flowing there through, at least at times, both by an especially variable, first useful current (I_N1) driven by the first useful voltage (U_N1) and by an especially variable, second useful current (I_N2) driven by the second useful voltage (U_N2).

26. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the second useful voltage (U_N2) is controlled as a function of an instantaneous voltage level of the internal input voltage (U_e) of the field-device electronics and/or as a function of an instantaneous voltage level of a terminal voltage (U_K) falling from the input across the field-device electronics and derived from the supply voltage (U_V).

27. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the second useful voltage (U_N2) is controlled as a function of an instantaneous current strength of at least one of the three current components (I₁, I₂, I₃).

28. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the second useful voltage (U_N2) is controlled as a function of an instantaneous current strength of the third current component (I₃).

29. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the second useful voltage (U_N2) is controlled as a function of the instantaneous current strength of the second current component (I₂) and an instantaneous voltage level of the internal input voltage (U_e) of the field-device electronics.

30. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the feeding, external energy supply provides a supply voltage (U_V) with variable, especially fluctuating, voltage level.

31. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the supply voltage (U_V) delivered by the external energy supply drives a supply current (I) of variable current strength, especially a current strength fluctuating in an essentially initially undeterminable manner.

32. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

there is provided in said operating and evaluating circuit at least one microprocessor, for which the first useful voltage (U_N1), or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves, at least partially, as an operating voltage.

33. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

there is provided in said operating and evaluating circuit at least one amplifier, for which at least one of the two useful voltages (U_N1, U_N2), or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves, at least partially, as an operating voltage.

34. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

there is provided in said operating and evaluating circuit at least one A/D-converter, for which the first useful voltage (U_N1), or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves, at least partially, as an operating voltage.

35. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

there is provided in said operating and evaluating circuit at least one D/A-converter, for which at least one of the two useful voltages (U_N1, U_N2), or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves, at least partially, as an operating voltage.

36. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

means for comparing electric voltages falling in the field-device electronics and/or electric currents flowing in the field-device electronics.

37. The field-device electronics as claimed in claim 36, wherein:

the field-device electronics produces an alarm signal (x<sub>pwr—

fail</sub>) signaling the under-supplying of the field-device electronics, at least when said operating and evaluating circuit detects a subceeding by the second useful voltage of a minimum useful voltage limit value predetermined for the second useful voltage and a subceeding by the third current component of a minimum current component limit value predetermined for the third current component.

48. A field device for adjusting at least one predetermined physical and/or chemical parameter, especially a flow rate, density, viscosity, fill level, pressure, temperature, pH-value, or the like, of a medium, especially a medium conveyed in a pipeline and/or a container, which field device comprises field-device electronics claim 25 after comprising, as well as an electrical-to-physical actuator electrically coupled with the field-device electronics, wherein:

said actuator reacts to changes of at least one applied control signal, especially a variable signal voltage and/or a variable signal current, with an adjusting motion of the actuator for influencing the parameter to be adjusted.

38. A field-device for measuring and/or monitoring at least one specified physical and/or chemical parameter, especially a flow rate, density, viscosity, fill level, pressure, temperature, pH-value, or the like, of a medium, especially a medium conveyed in a pipeline and/or a container, comprising:

field-device electronics having an electric current controller which a supply current (I) flows for adjusting and/or modulating, especially clocking, the supply current (I);

an internal operating and evaluating circuit for controlling the field device; and

an internal supply circuit feeding said internal operating and evaluating circuit and lying at an internal input voltage (U_e) of the field-device electronics derived from the supply voltage (U_V), said internal supply circuit including;

a first voltage controller (UR₁) through which, at least at times, an especially variable, first current component (I₁) of the supply current (I) flows for providing in the field-device electronics a first internal, useful voltage (U_N1) essentially controlled to be constant at a predeterminable, first voltage level (U<sub>N1—

desired</sub>), a second voltage controller through which, at least at times, an especially variable, second current component (I₂) of the supply current (I) flows for providing in the field-device electronics a second internal, useful voltage (U_N2) variable over a predeterminable voltage range, and a voltage stabilizer through which, at least at times, an especially variable, third current component (I₃) of the supply current flows for adjusting and maintaining the internal input voltage (U_e) of the field-device electronics at a predeterminable voltage level, wherein;

said operating and evaluating circuit has flowing there through, at least at times, both by an especially variable, first useful current (I_N1) driven by the first useful voltage (U_N1) and by an especially variable, second useful current (I_N2) driven by the second useful voltage (U_N2), as well as, electrically coupled with the field-device electronics, a physical-to-electrical, measurement transducer, which reacts to changes of the at least one parameter and issues, at least at times, at least one measurement signal (s₁, s₂) corresponding with the parameter, especially a measurement signal (s₁, s₂) in the form of a variable signal voltage and/or a variable signal current.

39. The field device as claimed in claim 38, wherein:

said operating and evaluating circuit includes at least one driver circuit for the measurement transducer, and the second useful voltage, or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves at least partially as operating voltage for a driver circuit.

40. The field device as claimed in claim 38, wherein:

said operating and evaluating circuit has at least one A/D-converter for the at least one measurment signal, and the first useful voltage, or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves, at least partially, as operating voltage for the A/D-converter.

41. The field device as claimed in claim 40, wherein:

said operating and evaluating circuit has at least one microcomputer, especially one in the form of a microprocessor and/or a signal processor, connected with the A/D-converter, for generating the measured value, and

the first useful voltage serves at least partially as an operating voltage of the microcomputer.

42. The field device as claimed in claim 38, wherein:

said measurement transducer includes at least one measuring tube, insertable into the course of a pipeline, for conveying the medium.

43. The field device as claimed in claim 42, wherein:

at least one magnet coil is arranged at the measurement transducer for producing a magnetic field, especially a variable magnetic field, and

said at least one magnet coil has flowing through it, at least at times, an exciter current (i_exc), for generating the magnetic field, especially a bipolar exciter current, or one variable in a current strength, and the exciter current is driven by the second useful voltage, or a secondary voltage derived therefrom.

44. The field device as claimed in claim 38, wherein:

communicating, at least at times, via a data transmission system with an external control and review unit situated remotely from the field device, a communication circuit (COM) controlling the communication via a data transmission system provided therefor in the field-device electronics.

45. The field device as claimed in claim 44, wherein:

the first useful voltage (U_N1), or a secondary voltage derived therefrom, serves, at least partially, as an operating voltage for the communication circuit (COM).

46. The field device as claimed in claim 38, wherein:

the field-device electronics is electrically connected with the external energy supply solely via a single pair of electric lines and

the field-device electronics transmits the measurement value (X_M) produced at least at times to represent instantaneously, especially digitally, the at least one parameter to be measured and/or monitored, via the single pair of electric lines to an evaluation circuit provided in the external electrical energy supply and/or electrically coupled therewith.

47. The field device as claimed in claim 46, wherein:

an instantaneous current strength of the supply current, especially one set at a value lying between 4 mA and 20 mA, represents the instantaneously produced, measured value.