Industrial process control loop monitor

• US 20080126861A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Zielinski, Stephen A., Bell, Thomas M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31121 Fielddevice, field controller, interface connected to fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31124 Interface between communication network and process control, store, exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31131 Field device with gateway functions for communication with pc and other field devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A process control loop monitor includes a housing configured to mount in the field of an industrial process. A loop interface circuit couples to a process control loop and receives data from the process control loop. A memory stores data received by the loop interface circuit from the process control loop.

Claims

1. A process control loop monitor, comprising:

a housing configured to mount in the field of an industrial process control or monitor system;

process control loop interface circuitry configured to couple to a process control loop and receive data from the process control loop; and

a memory configure to log data received by the interface circuitry from the process control loop.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the process control loop interface circuitry is configured to couple to a two wire process control loop.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the process control loop monitor is powered with power received from the process control loop.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the process control loop carries data in accordance with a Fieldbus communication standard.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory is removable.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 including a clock.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein data stored in the memory is time stamped with time information from the clock.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the clock comprises a real time clock.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is configured to mount to standardized couplings in process control or monitor systems.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 including a microcontroller configured to log the data in the memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the microcontroller includes a trigger configured to trigger logging of the data.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the microcontroller is configured to filter data received from the process control loop.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein older data stored in the memory is overridden with newer data.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 including a connection configured to retrieve data from the memory.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 including a connection configured to control data logging parameters.

16. A method of diagnosing operation of a process control loop used in a process control or monitor system, comprising:

(a) receiving data in a field mounted loop monitor from the process control loop;

(b) logging the received data in a memory;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b); and

(d) retrieving the logged data.

17. The method of claim 16 including diagnosing the process control loop based upon the retrieved logged data.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the process control loop comprises a two wire process control loop.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the process control loop carries data in accordance with a Fieldbus communication standard.

20. The method of claim 16 including removing the memory from the loop monitor.

21. The method of claim 16 including time stamping the logged data.

22. The method of claim 16 including mounting the loop monitor to a standardized coupling in process control and monitor systems.

23. The method of claim 16 including logging of data in response to a trigger.

24. The method of claim 16 including filtering the data received from the process control loop.

25. The method of claim 16 including transmitting input/output connection configured to retrieve data from the memory.

26. A process control loop monitor, comprising:

process control loop interface circuitry configured to couple to a process control loop and receive data from the process control loop;

a memory configure to log data received by the interface circuitry from the process control loop; and

wherein the process control loop interface circuitry is further configured to send configuration commands to field devices coupled to the process control loop.