Process control system including a method and apparatus for automatically sensing the connection of devices to a network
First Claim
1. A process control system comprising:
- a control process;
a plurality of controllers coupled to the process, the controllers implementing a process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in the control process;
a workstation coupled to the plurality of controllers and including a user interface; and
a software system including a network operating system and implementing a routine for automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into the network operating system, the routine for automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into a network operating system including;
means for connecting a controller to the network;
means operative in the connected controller for sending a request to confirm a network address assignment, the request being accompanied by the controller media access control (MAC) address;
a network configuration service including;
means for receiving the request to confirm;
means for searching a table of configured field devices for a matching MAC address;
means operative when the MAC address matches for generating field device and network information including a network address from a device table;
means operative when the MAC address does not match for generating field device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adding the default information to the device table; and
means operative when the MAC address does not match for assigning the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A digital control system automatically senses when a new controller is attached to a network and determines the number and types of I/O Ports that are attached to the new controller. The digital control system formats and displays the I/O Port information upon request by a user. The digital control system program also includes an automatic configuration program that responds to sensing of a new controller by automatically configuring the input/output (I/O) subsystem. The user adds a new controller without setting any physical switches or nodes. A user optionally supplies configuration information for a device into a database, prior to connection of a device. Upon connection of the device, the device is automatically sensed and configured using the database configuration information, without setting of physical switches or node address information on the devices.
467 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A process control system comprising:
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a control process; a plurality of controllers coupled to the process, the controllers implementing a process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in the control process; a workstation coupled to the plurality of controllers and including a user interface; and a software system including a network operating system and implementing a routine for automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into the network operating system, the routine for automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into a network operating system including; means for connecting a controller to the network; means operative in the connected controller for sending a request to confirm a network address assignment, the request being accompanied by the controller media access control (MAC) address; a network configuration service including; means for receiving the request to confirm; means for searching a table of configured field devices for a matching MAC address; means operative when the MAC address matches for generating field device and network information including a network address from a device table; means operative when the MAC address does not match for generating field device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adding the default information to the device table; and means operative when the MAC address does not match for assigning the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table. - View Dependent Claims (2, 19)
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3. A method of automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into a network operating system including:
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connecting a controller to the network, the controller implementing a process control functionality in a field device in the control process; sending, by the connected controller, a request to confirm a network address assignment, the request being accompanied by the controller media access control (MAC) address; receiving, by a network configuration service, the request to confirm and responding by performing the operations of; searching a table of configured field devices for a matching MAC address; when the MAC address matches, generating field device and network information including a network address from a device table; when the MAC address does not match, generating field device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adding the default information to the device table; and when the MAC address does not match, assigning the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 20)
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10. A method of automatically configuring an input/output (I/O) subsystem in a control system comprising:
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interrogating an I/O Card at a user-specified card position to determine a Card Type and a number of I/O Ports in the I/O Card, the I/O Card capable of being connected to a controller, the controller implementing a control process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in the control process; determining whether the interrogated I/O Card is previously defined in an engineering database; if the I/O Card is not previously defined in the engineering database, defining an I/O Card of a suitable type and I/O Ports of a suitable number, the suitable type and number being predetermined for the card position; interrogating the I/O Ports of an I/O Card in accordance with the Card Type to determine a Port Type and a number of I/O Devices on the I/O Port; if the I/O Port is not previously defined in the engineering database for the port address, defining an I/O Port of a suitable type and I/O Devices of a suitable number, the suitable type and number being predefined; interrogating the I/O Devices in accordance with the Port Type to determine a Device Type; if the I/O Device is not previously defined in the engineering database for the device address, defining an I/O Device of a suitable type, the suitable type being predefined; and creating instrument signal tags (ISTs) for primary signal sources on the I/O Ports and the I/O Devices. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21)
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22. A process control system comprising:
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a control process; a plurality of controllers coupled to the process, the controllers implementing a process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in the control process; a workstation coupled to the plurality of controllers and including a user interface; and a software system including a network operating system and a computable executable program code implementing a routine that automatically senses a connection of a controller to a network and incorporates the controller into the network operating system, the automatic sensing and incorporating routine including; a routine that connects a controller to the network; a routine that sends a request to confirm a network address assignment accompanied by a controller media access control (MAC) address; a network configuration service routine including; a routine that receives the request to confirm; a routine that searches a table of configured devices for a matching MAC address; a routine operative when the MAC address matches that generates field device and network information including a network address from a device table; a routine operative when the MAC address does not match that generates field device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adds the default information to the device table; and a routine operative when the MAC address does not match that assigns the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A computer program product comprising:
a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein implementing a program that automatically senses when a controller is physically connected to a network and responds to the connection of the controller by incorporating the controller into a network operating system, the controller implementing a process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in a control process including; a routine operative in the connected controller that sends a request to confirm a network address assignment accompanied by the controller media access control (MAC) address; a routine operative by a network configuration service in response to the request to confirm including; a routine that searches a table of configured field devices for a matching MAC address; a routine that generates field device and network information including a network address from a device table when the MAC address matches; a routine that generates field device and network information when the MAC address does not match, the device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adding the default information to the device table; and a routine that assigns the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration that previously exists in the device table. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A computer program product comprising:
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a computer system including a processor; a computer usable medium having computable readable code embodied therein implementing a program that executes on the processor and automatically configures an input/output (I/O) subsystem in a control system including; a routine that interrogates an I/O Card at a user-specified card position to determine a Card Type and a number of I/O Ports in the I/O Card, the I/O Card capable of being connected to a controller, the controller implementing a process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in a control process; a routine that determines whether the interrogated I/O Card is previously defined in an engineering database; a routine operative if the I/O Card is not previously defined in the engineering database that defines an I/O Card of a suitable type and I/O Ports of a suitable number, the suitable type and number being predetermined for the card position; a routine that interrogates the I/O Ports of an I/O Card, the I/O Ports depending on a particular Card Type, to determine a Port Type and a number of I/O Devices on the I/O Port; a routine that determines whether the interrogated I/O Port is previously defined in the engineering database; a routine operative if the I/O Port is not previously defined in the engineering database for the port address that defines an I/O Port of a suitable type and I/O Devices of a suitable number, the suitable type and number being predefined; a routine that interrogates the I/O Devices of an I/O Port, the I/O Devices depending on a Port Type, to determine a Device Type; a routine that determines whether the interrogated I/O Device is previously defined in the engineering database; a routine operative if the I/O Device is not previously defined in the engineering database for the device address that defines an I/O Device of a suitable type, the suitable type being predefined; and a routine that creates instrument signal tags (ISTs) for primary signal sources on the I/O Ports and the I/O Devices. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification