APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING WIRELESS ACTUATORS AND OTHER DEVICES IN PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a wireless leaf node configured to modify operation of an industrial process; and
a plurality of wireless access points configured to transmit data to the wireless leaf node in specified time slots and to receive an acknowledgement from the wireless leaf node in response to successful receipt of the data by the wireless leaf node.
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Abstract
A system includes a wireless leaf node configured to modify operation of an industrial process. The system also includes a plurality of wireless access points configured to transmit data to the wireless leaf node in specified time slots and to receive an acknowledgement from the wireless leaf node in response to successful receipt of the data by the wireless leaf node. Various communication schemes are disclosed for supporting communications between the wireless leaf node and the access points. Each access point could also include a local slot manager configured to assign the specified time slots for that access point to communicate with the wireless leaf node. The wireless leaf node could represent a wireless actuator.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a wireless leaf node configured to modify operation of an industrial process; and a plurality of wireless access points configured to transmit data to the wireless leaf node in specified time slots and to receive an acknowledgement from the wireless leaf node in response to successful receipt of the data by the wireless leaf node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An access point comprising:
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at least one transceiver configured to transmit data to a wireless leaf node that is configured to modify operation of an industrial process; and a controller configured to initiate transmission of the data to the wireless leaf node in specified time slots, the controller configured to identify the specified time slots in cooperation with a second access point that is configured to transmit the data to the wireless leaf node; wherein the at least one transceiver is also configured to receive an acknowledgement from the wireless leaf node in response to successful receipt of the data by the wireless leaf node. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method comprising:
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receiving data from multiple access points at a wireless leaf node in an industrial control and automation system during one or more first time slots; transmitting an acknowledgement to the multiple access points; modifying operation of an industrial process based on the received data; identifying a readback value associated with the modified operation of the industrial process; and transmitting a message containing the readback value to the multiple access points during one or more second time slots. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification