SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS PROCESS COMMUNICATION OVER DISTINCT NETWORKS

• US 20090316628A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Enns, Frederick, Zielinski, Martin, Gutierrez, Jose A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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 2012/4026 Bus for use in automation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/52 Multiprotocol routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• 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
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A dual-mode router for conveying process communication packets across a plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks is provided. The router includes wireless communication circuitry and a controller coupled to the wireless communication circuitry. The wireless communication circuitry is configured to interact with signals from each of the plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks. The controller is configured to adapt process communication packets from a first distinct wireless process communication network for transmission over a second distinct wireless process communication network. Methods for configuring the distinct wireless process communication networks and relaying process packets over the distinct wireless process communication networks are also provided.

Claims

1. A dual-mode router for conveying process communication packets across a plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks, the router comprising:

wireless radio frequency communication circuitry configured to interact with signals from each of the plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks;

a controller coupled to the wireless radio frequency communication circuitry, the controller being configured to adapt process communication packets from a first distinct wireless process communication network for transmission over a second distinct wireless process communication network.

2. The dual-mode router of claim 1, wherein the first distinct wireless process communication network is WirelessHART.

3. The dual-mode router of claim 2, wherein adapting the process communication packets includes encapsulating the WirelessHART packet'"'"'s payloads in ISA100.11a packets.

4. The dual-mode router of claim 3, wherein adapting the process communication packets includes translating WirelessHART packet header information into ISA100.11a headers.

5. The dual-mode router of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to coordinate system management for the plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks.

6. The dual-mode router of claim 1, wherein the second distinct wireless process communication network is ISA100.11a.

7. The dual-mode router of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured generate an ISA100.11a payload based on an encapsulated WirelessHART packet such that the full WirelessHART packet can be reconstructed when the WirelessHART packet exits the ISA100.11a network.

8. The dual-mode router of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide communication between devices of the first distinct wireless process communication network through the second distinct wireless process communication network.

9. The dual-mode router of claim 1, wherein the dual-mode router is intrinsically safe.

10. A method of configuring a distinct first wireless process communication network based on a second distinct wireless process communication network, the method comprising:

obtaining a time-base from the second distinct wireless process communication network; and

setting a time-base in the first distinct wireless process communication network based on the time-base obtained from the second distinct wireless process communication network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first distinct wireless process communication network is WirelessHART.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second distinct wireless process communication network is ISA100.11a.

13. The method of claim 10, and further comprising providing process packet collision avoidance over the first and second distinct wireless process communication networks.

14. The method of claim 10, and further comprising relaying process packets between the first and second distinct wireless process communication networks.

15. A method of conveying a process communication packet over distinct wireless process communication networks, the method comprising:

receiving a first wireless process communication packet from a first distinct wireless process communication network;

modifying the first wireless process communication packet to form a modified process communication packet; and

transmitting the modified process communication packet over a second distinct wireless process communication network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving and transmitting are done using the same radio-frequency communication circuitry.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method is performed using a dual-mode router.

18. A method interacting with multiple distinct wireless process communication networks, the method comprising:

receiving a process packet through wireless radio frequency communication circuitry;

inspecting the packet to determine a distinct wireless process communication network from which the process packet originated; and

selectively conveying the packet based on the inspection.

19. A process communication system comprising:

a first distinct wireless process communication network;

a first system manager configured to provide at least one of configuring, controlling and monitoring the first distinct wireless process communication network;

a second distinct wireless process communication network;

a second system manager configured to provide at least one of configuring, controlling and monitoring the second distinct wireless process communication network; and

wherein the first and second system managers are configured to communicate with each other to coordinate operation of the process communication system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and second system managers are configured to provide collision avoidance between the first and second distinct wireless process communication networks.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first wireless process communication network is ISA100.11a.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first wireless process communication network is WirelessHART.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and second system managers are configured to coordinate 16 bit address assignment of field devices so that addresses in the IEEE802.15.4 MAC header may be used to identify a packet on one of a plurality of distinct wireless process control networks.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and second system managers are configured to coordinate the selection of a plurality of unique PAN identifiers for each distinct wireless process control network such that the PAN identifier(s) in the IEEE802.15.4 MAC header can be used to identify the distinct wireless process control network.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and second system managers are configured to coordinate graph IDs across each of the first and second distinct wireless process communication networks.

26. A combined wireless process communication system, the system comprising:

a plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks;

a plurality of devices with dual-mode router functionality;

at least one field device configured to communicate on at least one of the distinct wireless process communication networks; and

a coordinated system manager adapted to provide at least one function of configuring, controlling, and monitoring of the plurality of distinct wireless process communication networks.

27. The combined wireless process communication system of claim 26, wherein the system supports communication from the field device on a first distinct wireless process communication network communicating through a second distinct wireless process communication network to a host application of the field device'"'"'s process control system.

28. The combined wireless process communication system of claim 26, wherein the system supports communication from the field device on a first distinct wireless process communication network communicating through a second distinct wireless process communication network to a field device also on the first distinct wireless process communication network.

29. The combined wireless process communication system of claim 26, wherein the first distinct wireless process control network is WirelessHART.

30. The combined wireless process communication system of claim 26, wherein the second distinct wireless process control network is ISA100.11a.