SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO OVERLAY BEHAVIORS ON FOUNDATION FIELDBUS ALERTS

• US 20120310380A1
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Karaffa, John Michael, Downor, Johnny Stephen, Smith, Steven William
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/80
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0425 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25224 Fieldbus messages services fms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31121 Fielddevice, field controller, interface connected to fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An industrial control system is provided that includes a field device configured to receive only a first plurality of behaviors for the alert and a controller of an industrial control system, wherein the controller is configured to receive the alert and overlay a second plurality of behaviors on the alert, and the controller is configured to process one or more of the second plurality of behaviors differently than the first plurality of behaviors.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a field device configured to provide an alert, wherein the field device is configured to receive only a first plurality of behaviors for the alert; and

a controller of an industrial control system, wherein the controller is configured to receive the alert and overlay a second plurality of behaviors on the alert, and the controller is configured to process one or more of the second plurality of behaviors differently than the first plurality of behaviors.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of behaviors comprises the first plurality of behaviors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the field device comprises a Foundation Fieldbus device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alert comprises a Foundation Fieldbus alert and the first plurality of behaviors comprises a first Acknowledge behavior and a first Unacknowledge behavior.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second plurality of behaviors comprises a second Acknowledge behavior and a second Unacknowledge behavior, wherein the second Acknowledge behavior of the second plurality of behaviors corresponds to the first Acknowledge behavior of the first plurality of behaviors.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second Unacknowledge behavior of the second plurality of behaviors corresponds to the first Unacknowledge behavior of the first plurality of behaviors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the second plurality of behaviors comprises a Lock behavior, an Unlock behavior, an Override behavior, a Remove Override behavior, a Silence behavior, an Unsilence behavior, a Silence Alarm Horn behavior, or a combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising an alarm server, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the alert to the alarm server.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising a graphical user interface configured to provide the second plurality of behaviors for selection by a user.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a controller of an industrial control system, a user behavior for an alert of a field device;

determining, by a processor of the controller, if the user behavior comprises one of a first plurality of behaviors or one of a second plurality of behaviors; and

processing, by a processor of the controller, the user behavior based on the determination.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the user behavior comprises transmitting the behavior to the field device if the user behavior comprises one of the first plurality of behaviors.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the user behavior comprises changing a state of the alert if the user behavior comprises one of the second plurality of behaviors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the state of the alert comprises updating a data manager storing the state of the alert.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the field device comprises a Foundation Fieldbus device, and the alert comprises a Foundation Fieldbus alert.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first plurality of behaviors comprises an Acknowledge behavior and an Unacknowledge behavior.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second plurality of behaviors comprises a Lock behavior, an Unlock behavior, an Override behavior, a Remove Override behavior, a Silence behavior, an Unsilence behavior, a Silence Alarm Horn behavior, or a combination thereof.

17. A non-transitory tangible machine-readable media having executable code stored thereon, the executable code comprising instructions for:

receiving, at a controller of an industrial control system, a user behavior for an alert of a field device;

determining, by a processor of the controller, if the user behavior comprises one of a first plurality of behaviors or one of a second plurality of behaviors; and

processing, by a processor of the controller, the user behavior based on the determination.

18. The non-transitory tangible machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions for processing the user behavior comprise instructions for transmitting the behavior to the field device if the user behavior comprises one of the first plurality of behaviors.

19. The non-transitory tangible machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions for processing the user behavior comprise instructions for changing a state of the alert if the user behavior comprises one of the second plurality of behaviors.

20. The non-transitory tangible machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the field device comprises a Foundation Fieldbus device, and the alert comprises a Foundation Fieldbus alert.