SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATION WITH FOUNDATION FIELDBUS LINKING DEVICES

• US 20120311181A1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Smith, Steven William, Pettigrew, William Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40221 Profibus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating communication with Foundation Fieldbus linking devices are described. A first Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a first Ethernet network and a second Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a second Ethernet network may be identified by a gateway device that includes one or more computers. At least one virtual address representative of the first linking device and the second linking device may be determined by the gateway device. Communications between the first and second linking devices and an external system may be facilitated by the gateway device, and the at least one virtual address may be utilized to represent the linking devices to the external system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a gateway device comprising one or more computers, a first Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a first Ethernet network and a second Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a second Ethernet network;

determining, by the gateway device, at least one virtual address representative of the first linking device and the second linking device; and

facilitating, by the gateway device, communications between the first and second linking devices and an external system, wherein the at least one virtual address is utilized to represent the linking devices to the external system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a first linking device and a second linking device comprises receiving status information for the linking devices from respective controllers that manage the linking devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one virtual address comprises:

determining a first virtual address associated with the first linking device; and

determining a second virtual address associated with the second linking device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating communications comprises:

receiving, by the gateway device, a message output by one of the first linking device or the second linking device;

modifying, by the gateway device, the message in order to associate the at least one virtual address with the message; and

providing, by the gateway device, the modified message to the external system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving a message comprises receiving one of (i) a message associated with operation of the linking device or (ii) a message associated with a Foundation Fieldbus device connected to the linking device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating communications comprises:

receiving, by the gateway device from the external device, a message to be communicated to one of the first or second linking devices, the received message identifying the linking device by a virtual address included in the at least one virtual address;

determining, by the gateway device, a physical address associated with the linking device; and

directing, by the gateway device based at least in part upon the determined physical address, communication of the message to the linking device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the gateway device based at least in part upon an analysis of the received message, an identity of the linking device,

wherein determining the physical address comprises determining the physical address based at least in part upon the determined identity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining an identity of the linking device comprises:

identifying, based at least in part upon the analysis of the received message, a Foundation Fieldbus device that is an intended recipient of the received message; and

identifying the linking device as a linking device to which the Foundation Fieldbus device is connected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating communications comprises:

receiving, by the gateway device from the external device, a message to be communicated to one of the first or second linking devices, the received message identifying the linking device by a virtual address included in the at least one virtual address;

identifying, by the gateway device based at least in part upon an analysis of the virtual address, a network associated with the linking device; and

routing, by the gateway device, the message based upon the identification of the network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein routing the message comprises routing the message to a controller associated with the linking device.

11. A system comprising:

at least one memory operable to store computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to;

identify a first Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a first Ethernet network and a second Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a second Ethernet network;

determine at least one virtual address representative of the first linking device and the second linking device; and

facilitate communications between the first and second linking devices and an external system, wherein the at least one virtual address is utilized to represent the linking devices to the external system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the first linking device and the second linking device based at least in part upon evaluating status information received from respective controllers that manage the linking devices.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one virtual address comprises a first virtual address associated with the first linking device and a second virtual address associated with the second linking device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to facilitate communications by executing the computer-executable instructions to:

receive a message output by one of the first linking device or the second linking device;

modify the message in order to associate the at least one virtual address with the message; and

direct communication of the modified message to the external system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the received message comprises one of (i) a message associated with operation of the linking device or (ii) a message associated with a Foundation Fieldbus device connected to the linking device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to facilitate communications by executing the computer-executable instructions to:

receive, from the external device, a message to be communicated to one of the first or second linking devices, the received message identifying the linking device by a virtual address included in the at least one virtual address;

determine a physical address associated with the linking device; and

direct, based at least in part upon the determined physical address, communication of the message to the linking device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

determine, based at least in part upon an analysis of the received message, an identity of the linking device; and

determine the physical address based at least in part upon the determined identity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the identity of the linking device by executing the computer-executable instructions to:

identify, based at least in part upon the analysis of the received message, a Foundation Fieldbus device that is an intended recipient of the received message; and

identify the linking device as a linking device to which the Foundation Fieldbus device is connected.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to facilitate communications by executing the computer-executable instructions to:

receive, from the external device, a message to be communicated to one of the first or second linking devices, the received message identifying the linking device by a virtual address included in the at least one virtual address;

identify, based at least in part upon an analysis of the virtual address, a network associated with the linking device; and

direct routing of the message based upon the identification of the network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the message is routed to a controller associated with the linking device.