Configuration of field devices on a network

• US 20090228611A1
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Lattimer, Donald Robert, Ferguson, Anthony Dean
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40006 Architecture of a communication node current supply arrangements H04L12/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system

Abstract

Field devices on a communication network can be configured using a configuration device that stores a configuration data for each of the field devices in a network configuration domain in nonvolatile memory. Each field device includes a configuration domain associated with configuration data stored in nonvolatile memory of the field device. In response to commands from the configuration device, the field devices upload configuration data to or download configuration data from the configuration device. Field devices receive configuration data from the configuration device and store the received configuration data in the nonvolatile memory to define the configuration of the field device.

Claims

1. A method of configuring field devices on a network, the method comprising:

uploading to a configuration device one or more blocks of configuration data representing configurations for each of a plurality of field devices;

storing the configurations in a network configuration domain of the configuration device; and

downloading from the configuration device to a new field device on the network one of the stored configurations if the new device is of a same field device type as one of the plurality of field devices.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

storing at least one block of configuration data in each field device in a configuration domain of nonvolatile memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein uploading to the configuration device comprises uploading the block of configuration data stored in the configuration domain of the field device to the network configuration domain of the configuration device.

4. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

detecting presence of the new field device on the network.

5. A method of configuring field devices on a network, the method comprising:

storing in a network configuration domain of a configuration device, a block of configuration data for each existing field device on the network;

detecting when an existing device drops off the network;

detecting when a replacement device is added to the network; and

configuring the replacement device by downloading to the replacement device the block of configuration data of the existing device it has replaced.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising:

storing a block of configuration data for each field device in a configuration domain of nonvolatile memory of that field device.

7. A network comprising:

a communication medium;

plurality of field devices capable of communicating over the communication medium, each field device including a configuration domain to which a block of configuration data for that field device can be downloaded over the network and from which the block of configuration data for that field device can be uploaded over the network; and

a configuration device having a network configuration domain capable of storing blocks of configuration data for all of the field devices and for initiating downloads to and uploads from the configuration domains of the field devices.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein the configuration domain comprises a portion of nonvolatile memory of the field device.

9. The network of claim 8, wherein the network configuration domain comprises a portion of nonvolatile memory of the configuration device.

10. The network of claim 7, wherein the configuration device includes an embedded software application capable of uploading and downloading blocks of configuration data from and to the plurality of field devices.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein the software application is capable of detecting when field devices leave or join the network.

12. The network of claim 11, wherein the software application is capable of configuring a field device that has joined the network by downloading a block of configuration data to the configuration domain of the field device that has joined the network.

13. A configuration device comprising:

nonvolatile memory for storing the device configuration data for each of a plurality of field devices in a network configuration domain;

a network interface for sending and receiving messages over a network; and

a processor for generating messages to cause uploading of blocks of device configuration data over the network to the nonvolatile memory and to cause downloading of blocks of device configuration data over the network from the nonvolatile memory to field devices on the network.

14. The configuration device of claim 13, wherein the blocks of device configuration data are uploaded from and downloaded to configuration domains of nonvolatile memory of the field devices.

15. The configuration device of claim 13 and further comprising:

a user interface in communication with the processor.

16. A field device comprising:

a transducer;

a nonvolatile memory for storing a block of device configuration data in a configuration domain;

a network interface for sending and receiving messages over a network; and

a processor for generating messages to be sent, acting on messages received, and controlling operation of the field device based upon the device configuration data, the processor causing the block of device configuration data to be uploaded from the configuration domain to the network in response to an upload command message, and causing the block of device configuration data to be downloaded from the network to the configuration domain in response to a download command message.