PROCESS AUTOMATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATION OF A PROCESS AUTOMATION SYSTEM

• US 20140359118A1
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: SCHULZ, Dirk, Ruppert, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 9,667,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/76 using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation requested by the user or requested by the network in response to changing network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/82 Miscellaneous aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

A process automation system includes at least one wireless-aware component for detection of the occurrence (e.g., start and end) of a wireless volume data transfer from at least one other component which might be a wireless-unaware component. Upon such detection, the at least one wireless-aware component requests for bandwidth on behalf of the wireless-unaware component to decrease the communication time and subsequently releases this bandwidth again. A method is provided for operation of the process automation system, in which an upload/download is generally detected by either explicit initiation of the upload/download in the wireless-aware component, or by automatic detection in the wireless-aware component.

Claims

1. A method for operation of a process automation system in which at least two protocols P1, P2 are utilized, the process automation system including at least one P1-aware component and at least one other component using P2, the at least one other component using P2 being unaware of P1, the method comprising:

detecting, in the at least one P1-aware component, an occurrence of a volume data transfer from the P1-unaware component;

requesting, by the P1-aware component upon detecting the occurrence of the volume data transfer, for bandwidth on behalf of that P1-unaware component to decrease the communication time and subsequently releasing the requested bandwidth;

implementing download detection inside of a P1/P2 Linking Device or Proxy; and

at least one of requesting and releasing bandwidth through a P1 resource management function using corresponding commands standardized within P1,

wherein an upload/download is detected by one of;

explicit initiation of the up/download in the P1-aware component,

automatic detection in the P1-aware component, and wherein bandwidth is requested and released by at least one of

using proprietary mechanisms of a P1 communication master or its integration components including at least one of an FDT Communication Device-Type Manager (DTM), Field Device Integration (FDI) Gateway Device Package, and a FDI Communication Server,

implementing a proprietary command in a P1/P2 linking device or field device that causes them to request bandwidth from the P1 communication master or their integration components, and

sending a corresponding standardized request command directly to a P1 resource management function.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the P1 communication master includes at least one of gateway and a linking device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of the corresponding standardized request command includes sending service requests to a network manager inside of the P1 communication master.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component comprises at least one of:

using circumstantial indicators including connection requests in connection-oriented communication;

heuristically measuring an average data rate and access duration to a communication end-point and using given threshold values;

comparing all access sequences with a set of existing trigger command sequences; and

comparing all commands in the access sequence with a set of characteristic commands and comparing a number or percentage of hits with a specified threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the connection requests include an FDT or FDI Connect Request.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the set of characteristic commands is unordered.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component comprises:

comparing all access sequences with a set of existing trigger command sequences,

wherein the set of existing trigger command sequences comprises one of all commands of a known access sequence, and only a part of the commands.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component comprises:

comparing all access sequences with a set of existing trigger command sequences,

wherein the set of existing trigger command sequences comprises one of all commands of a known access sequence, and only a part of the commands.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component delivers a positive result.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component delivers a positive result.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component delivers a positive result.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the automatic detection of an upload/download in the P1-aware component delivers a positive result.

13. The method according claim 4, wherein the trigger command sequences are derived by at least one of:

observation and recording an access history in case of an upload/download detection;

redefining the trigger command sequences during device manufacturing;

obtaining the trigger command sequences in the system from available field-device descriptions;

inserting/downloading the trigger command sequences during runtime from another source which may have obtained the sequence; and

obtaining the trigger command sequences from standardized communication requests for device families or pro-files, in particular standardized commands for HART temperature or pressure transmitters.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the standardized communication requests include standardized commands for HART temperature or pressure transmitters.

15. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least one of:

the trigger sequence is weighed, and the weight is modified upon each confirmed/unconfirmed detection;

the trigger sequence is weighed or weighted, and the weight is modified upon each confirmed/unconfirmed detection but with an actual reduction/increase of compared elements in order to reduce trigger tim; and

.

the trigger sequence is weighed, and the weight is modified upon each confirmed/unconfirmed detection but with an actual reduction/increase of the sequence storage in order to save memory.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of:

the trigger sequence is weighed, and the weight is modified upon each confirmed/unconfirmed detection;

the trigger sequence is weighed or weighted, and the weight is modified upon each confirmed/unconfirmed detection but with an actual reduction/increase of compared elements in order to reduce trigger tim; and

.

the trigger sequence is weighed, and the weight is modified upon each confirmed/unconfirmed detection but with an actual reduction/increase of the sequence storage in order to save memory.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the occurrence of a volume data transfer from the P1-unaware component includes a start and an end of the volume data transfer.

18. A process automation system in which at least two protocols P1, P2 are utilized, the system comprising:

at least one P1-aware component; and

at least one other component using P2, the at least one other component using P2 being unaware of P1,

wherein the at least one P1-aware component is configured to;

detect an occurrence of a volume data transfer from the P1-unaware component, and

upon detection of the occurrence of the volume data transfer, request for bandwidth on behalf of that P1-unaware component to decrease the communication time, and subsequently release the requested bandwidth,

wherein download detection is implemented inside of a P1/P2 Linking Device or Proxy,

wherein the bandwidth is at least one of requested and released through a P1 resource management function using corresponding commands standardized within P1, and

wherein the at least one P1-aware component is one of;

a P1 communication master,

a P1 slave,

a P1/P2 linking device/proxy including at least one of a wireless gateway, a wireless adapter and a wireless device, and

a device integration component in the system representing one of the P1 communication master, the P1 slave, and the P1/P2 linking device/proxy.

19. The process automation system according to claim 18, wherein the occurrence of a volume data transfer from the P1-unaware component includes a start and an end of the volume data transfer.

20. The process automation system according to claim 18, wherein the device integration component includes at least one of an FDT Communication Device-Type Manager (DTM), Field Device Integration (FDI) Gateway Device Package, a FDI Communication Server, a FDI Communication Device Instance, an FDI Communication Manager, and an FDI Device Package.