Dual protocol handheld field maintenance tool with radio-frequency communication

• US 20060161393A1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Dewey, Alan R., Russell, Alden C. II, Zielinski, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration

Abstract

A dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool is provided with radio frequency communication. The radio frequency commination can be provided by virtue of an SDIO card inserted within an SDIO slot in the handheld field maintenance tool. A method of interacting with a process using a dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool is also provided.

Claims

1. A dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool comprising:

terminals selectably coupleable to a process communication loop having a process industry standard communication protocol;

first and second media access units coupled to the terminals, wherein the first media access unit is adapted to communicate in accordance with a first process industry standard protocol, and wherein the second media access unit is adapted to communicate in accordance with a second process industry standard protocol;

a processor coupled to the first and second media access units; and

a wireless radio-frequency transceiver coupled to the processor.

2. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 1, wherein the tool is intrinsically safe.

3. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 1, wherein the wireless radio-frequency transceiver is configured to communicate in accordance with a wireless communication standard.

4. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication standard is IEEE 802.11b.

5. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication standard is Bluetooth.

6. A dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool comprising:

terminals selectably coupleable to a process communication loop having a process industry standard communication protocol;

first and second media access units coupled to the terminals, wherein the first media access unit is adapted to communicate in accordance with a first process industry standard protocol, and wherein the second media access unit is adapted to communicate in accordance with a second process industry standard protocol;

a processor coupled to the first and second media access units; and

an SDIO card interface coupled to the processor.

7. The handheld field maintenance tool of claim 6, and further comprising a radio-frequency communication module installed in the SDIO card interface of the tool.

8. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 6, wherein the tool is intrinsically safe.

9. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 6, wherein the wireless radio-frequency communication module is configured to communicate in accordance with a wireless communication standard.

10. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication standard is IEEE 802.11b.

11. The dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool of claim 9, wherein the wireless communication standard is Bluetooth.

12. A method of interacting with a process communication loop using a dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool, the method comprising:

entering at least one keystroke into the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool;

transmitting a radio-frequency communication signal in response to the at least one keystroke to at least one process-wired device;

causing the process-wired device to effect a change in response to the radio-frequency communication signal; and

detecting the change.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the change is detected with the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the change is detected by physically coupling the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool to a process communication loop.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the change is detected by physically coupling the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool to a field device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the process-wired device is a controller.

17. A method of interacting with a wireless process sensor coupled to a process and transmitting raw sensor information wirelessly, the method comprising:

entering at least one keystroke into the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool;

causing the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool to receive at least some of the raw sensor information; and

displaying information on a user-interface of the dual-protocol handheld field maintenance tool based on the raw sensor information.