Control of field device on low power wireless networks

• US 20070161367A1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Karschnia, Robert, Orth, Kelly, Dobrowski, Patrick, Lovegren, Eric, Stotz, Kyle
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31162 Wireless lan
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/34 ensuring sequence integrity, e.g. using sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/22 Traffic simulation tools or models
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 : Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 : using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 : where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 : Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 : Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 : Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/00 : Interfaces specially adapted for wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A control system uses a wireless network to provide communication between a host computer and field devices. The host and the field devices communicate with one another using control messages and response messages based upon a known control system protocol. The control and response messages are embedded as a payload within a wireless message that is transmitted over the wireless network. When the wireless message is received at its ultimate destination, the control or response message is separated from the wireless message and is delivered to the intended recipient (either a field device or the host computer).

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a host for providing control messages based upon a control system protocol;

a field device for receiving control messages based upon the control system protocol;

a wireless network for routing wireless messages between the host and the field device based upon a wireless protocol, the wireless network including;

a host interface for receiving a control message to the field device from the host and embedding the control message as a payload within a wireless message; and

a field device interface for receiving the wireless message, separating the control message from the wireless message, and delivering the control message to the field device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the host interface removes physical layer overhead from the control message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the field device generates a response message, based upon a control system protocol, in response to a control message received from the host.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the field device interface embeds the response message as a payload of a wireless response message to the host.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the host interface receives the wireless response message, separates the response message from the wireless response message, and delivers the response message to the host.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the host interface comprises a gateway of the wireless network.

7. A system comprising:

a plurality of field devices;

a host for sending control messages to field devices and receiving response messages from the field devices; and

a wireless network routing wireless messages among a plurality of nodes, each node including at least one of the plurality of field devices, wherein the wireless messages include a payload of an embedded control message or response message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control messages and response messages are in a first protocol and the wireless messages are in a second protocol.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein physical layer overhead is removed from the control messages to produce the payload.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the field device generates a response message, based upon a control system protocol, in response to a control message received from the host.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the response message is embedded as a payload of a wireless response message to the host.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the response message is separated from the wireless response message and delivered to the host.

13. A method of communicating between a host and field devices over a wireless network, the method comprising:

generating at the host a control message;

embedding the control message as a payload of a wireless message;

transmitting the wireless message over the wireless network;

receiving the wireless message;

extracting the control message from the wireless message; and

delivering the control message to a field device to which it is addressed.

14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising:

generating a response message at the field device;

embedding the response message as a payload of a wireless message;

transmitting the wireless message with the embedded response message over the wireless network;

receiving the wireless message with the embedded response message;

extracting the response message from the wireless message; and

delivering the response message to the host.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the control message and the response message are formatted in a control system protocol.

16. The method of claim 13 and further comprising:

removing physical layer overhead from the control message prior to embedding.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the control message includes a field device address of the field device to which the control message is directed.