PLUG-AND-PLAY SENSOR PERIPHERAL COMPONENT FOR PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION

• US 20130191556A1
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Holmstadt, Clarence Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,890,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/30 Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/06 acting through a wall or enclosure, e.g. by bellows, by magnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers

Abstract

A plug-and-play sensor peripheral component includes an electrically conductive physical connector; an electrical connector; a transformer; and an RF communication and data storage circuit. The electrical connector is electrically connected to the physical connector by a first conductive path. The transformer is electrically connected to the RF communication and data storage circuit. The transformer and the RF communication and data storage circuit are electrically isolated from the physical connector and the electrical connector. Electrically connecting the physical connector to the electrical connector by other than the first conductive path inductively couples the RF communication and data storage circuit to the first conductive path.

Claims

1. A plug-and-play sensor peripheral component comprising:

an electrically conductive physical connector;

an electrical connector electrically connected to the physical connector by a first conductive path;

a transformer; and

an RF communication and data storage circuit electrically connected to the transformer;

the transformer and the RF communication and data storage circuit being electrically isolated from the physical connector and the electrical connector;

wherein electrically connecting the physical connector to the electrical connector by other than the first conductive path inductively couples the RF communication and data storage circuit to the first conductive path.

2. The sensor peripheral component of claim 1, wherein the transformer is a toroidal core transformer.

3. The sensor peripheral component of claim 2, wherein electrically connecting the physical connector to the electrical connector by other than the first conductive path includes electrically connecting through a center of the toroidal core transformer to inductively couple the RF communication and data storage circuit to the first conductive path.

4. The sensor peripheral component of claim 1, wherein the inductive coupling between the RF communication and data storage circuit and the first conductive path communicates characteristic information for the sensor peripheral component.

5. The sensor peripheral component of claim 4, wherein the characteristic information comprises at least one of sensor peripheral component type, unique sensor peripheral component identification information, fouling diagnostics information, and maintenance schedule information.

6. The sensor peripheral component of claim 4, wherein the information is communicated between the RF communication and the first conductive path as a digital communication.

7. The sensor peripheral component of claim 6, wherein the digital communication is provided by a modulated carrier signal.

8. The sensor peripheral component of claim 7, wherein the RF communication and data storage circuit is an RFID chip.

9. The sensor peripheral component of claim 1, wherein the sensor peripheral component is a thermowell.

10. A system comprising:

a sensor assembly comprising;

a sensor adaptor;

a first transformer within the sensor adaptor, the first transformer configured to inductively couple to sensor wires; and

an electrically conductive sensor assembly component that extends from a first end within the sensor adaptor to a second end not within the sensor adaptor, wherein the electrically conductive sensor assembly component is configured such that the first transformer inductively couples the electrically conductive sensor assembly component to the sensor wires; and

a sensor peripheral component comprising;

an RF communication and data storage circuit; and

a second transformer electrically connected to the RF communication and data storage circuit;

wherein physical attachment of the sensor assembly to the sensor peripheral component causes the second transformer to inductively couple the electrically conductive sensor assembly component to the RF communication and data storage circuit to form a transformer coupling between the first and second transformers such that the second RF communication and data storage circuit is inductively coupled to the sensor wires to communicate information between the RF communication and data storage circuit and the sensor wires.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transformer is a first toroidal core transformer and the second transformer is a second toroidal core transformer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the electrically conductive sensor assembly component passes through the first toroidal transformer along an axis of the first toroidal transformer to configure the electrically conductive sensor assembly component such that the first toroidal core transformer inductively couples the electrically conductive sensor assembly component to the sensor wires.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the physical attachment of the sensor assembly to the sensor peripheral component causes the electrically conductive sensor assembly component to pass through the second toroidal core transformer along an axis of the second toroidal core transformer to form the transformer coupling between the first and second toroidal core transformers.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising a process transmitter electrically connected to the sensor wires, the process transmitter comprising an RF communication circuit for communicating information between the process transmitter and the RF communication and data storage circuit.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the information communicated between the RF communication and data storage circuit and the process transmitter comprises characteristic information for the sensor peripheral component.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the characteristic information comprises at least one of sensor peripheral component type, unique sensor peripheral component identification information, fouling diagnostics information, and maintenance schedule information.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the information is communicated between the RF communication and data storage circuit and the process transmitter as a digital communication.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the digital communication is provided by a modulated carrier signal.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the RF communication and data storage circuit is an RFID chip.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the electrically conductive sensor assembly component comprises a temperature sensor and the sensor peripheral component is a thermowell.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the electrically conductive sensor assembly component comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, a pH Sensor, and a flow sensor.

22. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an electrical insulator axially surrounding a portion of the electrically conductive sensor assembly component between the first transformer and the second transformer for electrically insulating the portion of the electrically conductive sensor assembly component from the sensor adaptor and the sensor peripheral component.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the electrical insulator includes at least one of a glass, fiberglass, polyimide, and an air gap.

24. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a first electrical connector within the sensor adaptor configured to connect the electrically conductive sensor assembly component to the sensor adaptor at a point between the first end of the electrically conductive sensor assembly component and the first transformer; and

a second electrical connector within the sensor peripheral component configured to connect the sensor peripheral component to the electrically conductive sensor assembly component at a point between the second end of the electrically conductive sensor assembly component and the second transformer.

25. A method of accessing characteristic information from a plug-and-play sensor peripheral component comprises:

attaching a plug-and-play sensor assembly to the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component;

supplying a carrier signal over sensor wires to the plug-and-play sensor assembly;

inducing the carrier signal into a transformer coupling;

inducing the carrier signal from the transformer coupling into the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component;

modulating the carrier signal based upon characteristic information of the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component stored in the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component to produce a first modulated carrier signal containing the characteristic information;

inducing the first modulated carrier signal into the transformer coupling;

inducing the first modulated carrier signal from the transformer coupling into the plug-and-play sensor assembly;

supplying the first modulated carrier signal from the plug-and-play sensor assembly to the sensor wires; and

demodulating the first modulated carrier signal supplied by the plug-and-play sensor assembly to obtain the characteristic information.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein attaching the plug-and-play sensor assembly to the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component is the same as attaching a non-plug-and-play sensor assembly to a non-plug-and-play sensor peripheral component.

27. The method of claim 25 and further comprising:

modulating the carrier signal supplied over sensor wires to the plug-and-play sensor assembly to produce a second modulated carrier signal containing characteristic information to be stored in the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component;

supplying the second modulated carrier signal from the process transmitter to the plug-and-play sensor assembly;

inducing the second modulated carrier signal into the transformer coupling;

inducing the second modulated carrier signal from the transformer coupling into the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component; and

demodulating the second modulated carrier signal containing the characteristic information to be stored in the plug-and-play sensor peripheral component.