Docking to Support Secure Associations and Flexible Manufacturing

• US 20150192917A1
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajakarunanayake, Yasantha
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23406 Programmer device, portable, handheld detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A portable terminal may dock to an industrial process controller through a wireless docking interface. The industrial process controller may communicate industrial node (e.g., process sensor) configuration information to the portable terminal. The portable terminal moves within an industrial process environment where processor sensors are located. The portable terminal also docks to the process sensors using the same or different wireless docking interface. Once docked, the portable terminal configures the process sensors with the sensor configuration information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

docking a portable terminal to an industrial process controller through a wireless docking interface;

communicating sensor configuration information from the industrial process controller to the portable terminal;

moving the portable terminal into an industrial process environment;

docking the portable terminal to a process sensor in the industrial process environment; and

configuring the process sensor with the sensor configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, where:

docking to the industrial process controller comprises docking with a first wireless communication technology supported by the industrial process controller; and

docking to the process sensor comprises docking with a second wireless communication technology supported by the process sensor, and that is different than the first wireless communication technology.

3. The method of claim 1, where docking to the industrial process controller comprises:

near field communication (NFC) docking.

4. The method of claim 2, where docking to the industrial process controller comprises:

Bluetooth docking.

5. The method of claim 1, where the sensor configuration information comprises operating instructions for the process sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, where the sensor configuration information comprises operational settings for the process sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, where:

the process sensor is in place in the industrial process environment to support a current manufacturing process; and

where;

the sensor configuration information comprises operating instructions that modify the process sensor to support a new manufacturing process different than the current manufacturing process.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a map of the industrial process environment from the industrial process controller to the portable terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, where the map comprises:

location information for the process sensor within the industrial process environment.

10. The method of claim 8, where:

the process sensor is included among a sequence of multiple process sensors; and

the map comprises;

location information for the sequence of multiple process sensors to reconfigure within the industrial process environment with the sensor configuration information.

11. A portable configuration terminal comprising:

a terminal docking interface configured to dock with a sensor docking interface of a process sensor in an industrial process environment;

a controller docking interface configured to dock with a controller device;

terminal configuration logic operable to;

dock the portable configuration terminal through the controller docking interface to the controller device; and

obtain sensor configuration information for the process sensor from the controller device while docked with the controller device;

a memory operable to store the sensor configuration information for the process sensor; and

sensor configuration logic operable to;

dock the portable configuration terminal through the sensor docking interface to the process sensor; and

reconfigure the process sensor with the sensor configuration information while docked with the sensor docking interface.

12. The portable configuration terminal of claim 11, where:

the sensor configuration information comprises operating instructions for the process sensor.

13. The portable configuration terminal of claim 11, where the sensor configuration information comprises operational settings for the process sensor.

14. The portable configuration terminal of claim 11, where:

the sensor configuration information comprises operating instructions that modify the process sensor to support a new manufacturing process that is different than a current manufacturing process supported by the process sensor.

15. The portable configuration terminal of claim 11, where the memory is further operable to store:

a map of the industrial process environment; and

further comprising;

an output operable to display the map.

16. The portable configuration terminal of claim 15, where the map comprises:

location information for the process sensor within the industrial process environment.

17. The portable configuration terminal of claim 15, where:

the map specifies a sequence of multiple process sensors to reconfigure.

18. A controller device comprising:

a wireless near field communication (NFC) docking interface configured to connect to a portable configuration terminal;

a memory in communication with the NFC docking interface, the memory comprising;

sensor configuration information for process sensors that support a current manufacturing process in an industrial process environment;

sensor configuration instructions for the process sensors;

map data comprising location information for the process sensors within the industrial process environment; and

portable terminal configuration logic operable to;

dock the controller device to a configuration terminal through the NFC docking interface; and

transfer to the configuration terminal the sensor configuration information, the map data, and the sensor configuration instructions for the process sensors, while docked through the NFC docking interface.

19. The controller device of claim 18, where:

the sensor configuration information comprises operating instructions for the process sensors that reconfigure the process sensors to support a new manufacturing process in the industrial process environment.

20. The controller device of claim 19, where the map data specifies a sequence of the process sensors to reconfigure with the sensor configuration information to support the new manufacturing process in the industrial process environment.