APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING MAINTENANCE ROUTES WITHIN A PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A method of automatically generating a maintenance route in a process control system, wherein the process control system includes a wireless gateway network device and a plurality of process devices in wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device, the method implemented via one or more processors, the method comprising:
- for each process device, beginning with the first process device, in an initial list of process devices in direct wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device, where the process devices of the initial list are ranked therein according to a signal strength of a wireless connection with the wireless gateway network device, iteratively selecting the process devices from the initial list; and
with each iteration, appending the initial list with the remaining process devices from the plurality of process devices until the plurality of process devices are included in the appended initial list by;
creating a subsequent list of process devices in direct wireless communication with the process device selected from the initial list, wherein the process devices of the subsequent list are ranked therein according to a signal strength of a wireless connection with the process device selected from the initial list; and
appending the initial list with the process devices in the subsequent list, wherein each process device appended to the initial list is ranked therein after the process device selected from the initial list according to the signal strength of its wireless connection with the process device selected from the initial list, unless the process device from the subsequent list is already ranked in the initial list ahead of the selected process device from the initial list.
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Abstract
Generating a maintenance route in a process control system includes creating an initial ordered list of all wireless nodes in direct communication with a wireless gateway, where the nodes are ordered by signal strength with the wireless gateway device. A subsequent ordered list is created of all nodes in direct communication with first node of the initial ordered list, where the nodes are ordered by signal strength with the first node. The subsequent ordered list is then appended to the initial ordered list after the first node. This process of creating a subsequent list and appending the initial list is iteratively repeated thereafter, each time accounting for the next node in the appended ordered list following the previous iteration until all nodes are accounted for. In the last iteration, the nodes correspond to stop points along the route and the order corresponds to the route to be taken among the stop points.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method of automatically generating a maintenance route in a process control system, wherein the process control system includes a wireless gateway network device and a plurality of process devices in wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device, the method implemented via one or more processors, the method comprising:
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for each process device, beginning with the first process device, in an initial list of process devices in direct wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device, where the process devices of the initial list are ranked therein according to a signal strength of a wireless connection with the wireless gateway network device, iteratively selecting the process devices from the initial list; and with each iteration, appending the initial list with the remaining process devices from the plurality of process devices until the plurality of process devices are included in the appended initial list by; creating a subsequent list of process devices in direct wireless communication with the process device selected from the initial list, wherein the process devices of the subsequent list are ranked therein according to a signal strength of a wireless connection with the process device selected from the initial list; and appending the initial list with the process devices in the subsequent list, wherein each process device appended to the initial list is ranked therein after the process device selected from the initial list according to the signal strength of its wireless connection with the process device selected from the initial list, unless the process device from the subsequent list is already ranked in the initial list ahead of the selected process device from the initial list. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of generating a maintenance route in a process control system, wherein the process control system includes a wireless network comprising a wireless gateway network device and a plurality of wireless network nodes, each of which is in wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device either directly or via another wireless network node, the method implemented on one or more processors, the method comprising:
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creating a primary ordered list of wireless network nodes in direct wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device, wherein the wireless network nodes comprising the primary ordered list are organized according to decreasing signal strength with the wireless gateway network device; and iteratively appending the primary ordered list with the remaining wireless network nodes, wherein each iteration comprises; selecting a wireless network node from the previous iteration of the primary ordered list; creating a secondary ordered list of wireless network nodes in direct wireless communication with the selected wireless network node, wherein the wireless network nodes comprising the secondary ordered list are organized according to decreasing signal strength with the selected wireless network node; and appending the primary ordered list with the wireless network nodes of the secondary ordered list after the selected wireless network node. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system for automatically generating a maintenance route in a process control system, wherein the process control system includes a wireless gateway network device and a plurality of wireless network nodes in wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device, the system comprising:
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a processor; a memory operatively coupled to the processor; a display device operatively coupled to the processor and the memory; a routine stored in the memory and adapted to be executed by the processor to iteratively select wireless network nodes from an initial list of wireless network nodes in direct wireless communication with the wireless gateway network device beginning with the first wireless network node, where the wireless network nodes of the initial list are ranked therein according to a signal strength of a wireless connection with the wireless gateway network device; a routine stored in the memory and adapted to be executed by the processor to, for each iteration, create a subsequent list of wireless network nodes in direct wireless communication with the wireless network node selected from the initial list, wherein the wireless network nodes of the subsequent list are ranked therein according to a signal strength of a wireless connection with the wireless network node selected from the initial list; and a routine stored in the memory and adapted to be executed by the processor to, for each iteration, append the initial list with the wireless network nodes in the subsequent list, wherein each wireless network node appended to the initial list is ranked therein after the wireless network node selected from the initial list according to the signal strength of its wireless connection with the wireless network node selected from the initial list. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification