System, method, and device for communicating between a field device, device controller, and enterprise application

• US 20070226317A1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pepperl+Fuchs Se
• Original Assignee: Comtrol Corporation (Pepperl+Fuchs Se)
• Inventors: Lunstad, Andrew, Rydberg, Kris, Berscheid, Herb
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks

Abstract

A system for communicating between a field device, a device controller for the field device, and an enterprise application distinct from the device controller includes a single communication device configured to communicate with each of the field device, the device controller, and the enterprise application. The single communication device is configured to facilitate communication between the field device and the device controller, and the field device and the enterprise application. The single communication device is configured to replicate data received from the field device and, after replication of the data, separately filter the data for the device controller and the enterprise application.

Claims

1. A system for communicating between a field device, a device controller for the field device, and an enterprise application distinct from the device controller, the system comprising:

a single communication device configured to communicate with each of the field device, the device controller, and the enterprise application,

wherein the single communication device is configured to facilitate communication between the field device and the device controller, and the field device and the enterprise application, and

wherein the single communication device is configured to replicate data received from the field device and, after replication of the data, separately filter the data for the device controller and the enterprise application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the single communication device is configured to facilitate bidirectional communication between the field device and the device controller, and bidirectional communication between the field device and the enterprise application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the single communication device is configured to facilitate communication between the device controller and the enterprise application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the single communication device includes an embedded application, wherein the embedded application is associated with the enterprise application.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the embedded application is configured to at least one of filter the data from the field device for the enterprise application and analyze the data from the field device for the enterprise application.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the embedded application is configured to convert a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the enterprise application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the single communication device includes a protocol converter for the device controller, wherein the protocol converter is configured to convert a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the device controller.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the protocol converter is configured to filter the data from the field device for the device controller.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the field device comprises one of a sensor, a transmitter, and an actuator.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the field device comprises one of a bar code scanner, a weigh scale, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, a vision sensor, a photo eye, a lidar, a printer, a display, a fare machine, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the device controller comprises a programmable logic controller (PLC).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise application comprises one of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a warehouse management system (WMS), a manufacturing execution system (MES), a business intelligence (BI) system, and a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

13. A method of communicating between a field device, a controller for the field device, and an enterprise application distinct from the controller for the field device, the method comprising:

communicating a single communication device with each of the field device, the controller for the field device, and the enterprise application, including communicating between the field device and the controller for the field device with the single communication device, and communicating between the field device and the enterprise application with the single communication device; and

receiving data from the field device at the single communication device, replicating the data with the single communication device, and, after replicating the data, separately filtering the data for the controller for the field device and the enterprise application with the single communication device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein communicating the single communication device with each of the field device, the controller for the field device, and the enterprise application includes bi-directionally communicating between the field device and the controller for the field device with the single communication device, and bi-directionally communicating between the field device and the enterprise application with the single communication device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

communicating between the enterprise application and the controller for the field device via the single communication device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the single communication device includes an embedded application, wherein the embedded application is associated with the enterprise application.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

at least one of filtering the data from the field device for the enterprise application and analyzing the data from the field device for the enterprise application with the embedded application.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

converting a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the enterprise application with the embedded application.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the single communication device includes a protocol converter, and further comprising:

converting a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the controller for the field device with the protocol converter.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

filtering the data from the field device for the controller for the field device with the protocol converter.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the field device comprises one of a sensor, a transmitter, and an actuator.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the field device comprises one of a bar code scanner, a weigh scale, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, a vision sensor, a photo eye, a lidar, a printer, a display, a fare machine, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the controller for the field device comprises a programmable logic controller (PLC).

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the enterprise application comprises one of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a warehouse management system (WMS), a manufacturing execution system (MES), a business intelligence (BI) system, and a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

25. A communication device for communicating between a field device, a device controller for the field device, and an enterprise application distinct from the device controller, the communication device comprising:

a device interface configured to communicate with the field device, a controller interface configured to communicate with the device controller, and an application interface configured to communicate with the enterprise application;

a packetizer coupled to the device interface and configured to replicate data received from the field device for the device controller and the enterprise application;

a protocol converter configured to filter the data for the device controller after replication of the data by the packetizer and communicate the data with the device controller via the controller interface; and

an embedded application configured to filter the data for the enterprise application after replication of the data by the packetizer and communicate the data with the enterprise application via the application interface.

26. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the communication device is configured to facilitate bidirectional communication between the field device and each of the device controller and the enterprise application.

27. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the communication device is configured to facilitate communication between the device controller and the enterprise application.

28. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the protocol converter is configured to convert a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the device controller.

29. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the embedded application is associated with the enterprise application.

30. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the embedded application is configured to analyze the data from the field device for the enterprise application.

31. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the embedded application is configured to convert a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the enterprise application.

32. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the device interface comprises at least one of a serial interface and an Ethernet interface, and wherein the controller interface and the application interface comprises at least one of a serial interface and an Ethernet interface.

33. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the field device comprises one of a sensor, a transmitter, and an actuator.

34. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the field device comprises one of a bar code scanner, a weigh scale, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, a vision sensor, a photo eye, a lidar, a printer, a display, a fare machine, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor.

35. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the device controller comprises a programmable logic controller (PLC).

36. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the enterprise application comprises one of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a warehouse management system (WMS), a manufacturing execution system (MES), a business intelligence (BI) system, and a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

37. A communication device for communicating between a field device, a device controller for the field device, and an enterprise application distinct from the device controller, the communication device comprising:

means for communicating with each of the field device, the device controller, and the enterprise application, and supporting communication between the field device and the device controller, and the field device and the enterprise application; and

means for receiving data from the field device, replicating the data, and, after replicating the data, separately filtering the data for the device controller and the enterprise application.

38. The communication device of claim 37, wherein means for communicating with each of the field device, the device controller, and the enterprise application supports bidirectional communication between the field device and the device controller, and bidirectional communication between the field device and the enterprise application.

39. The communication device of claim 37, further comprising:

means for communicating between the enterprise application and the device controller.

40. The communication device of claim 37, further comprising:

means for converting a format of the data from the field device to a format compatible with the device controller and a format compatible with the enterprise application.