Block-oriented control system

• US 6,594,530 B1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FieldComm Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fieldbus Foundation (FieldComm Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hodson, William R., Ramachandran, Ram, Krivoshein, Kenneth D., Kinney, Thomas B., Gupta, Ashok K., Tanaka, Mitsugu, Lynch, Frank, Brett, Patricia E., Blevins, Terrence L., Elias, Jack, Mori, Hiroshi, Neitzel, Lee A., Kumeda, Yasuo, Akiyama, Chuji, Glanzer, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US10/160,094
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2-5, 700/17, 700/18-19, 700/7, 700/12-16, 700/79, 700/83-87, 700/28, 700/32, 702/122, 702/182, 702/186, 710/75, 710/62-72, 710/105, 710/109, 710/21, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225-227, 709/315-336, 709/233, 709/245, 709/230, 709/217, 709/250, 709/201, 719/9-13
• US Class Current: 700/18
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31118 Universal interface between asi and fieldbus, for any fielddevice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The present invention is a block oriented control system that allows interoperability between devices made by different manufacturers. A block oriented control system is a system which includes a plurality of field devices incorporating a physical layer, communication stack, and user layer, with the field devices being connected by a transmission medium, such as a bus. The physical layer receives signals from the bus and translates the signals into a message for the communications stack, and receives messages from the communications stack and translates the messages into signals for the bus. The communication stack controls the communications between devices operating in the control system. The user layer is a block oriented approach to the system'"'"'s control functions, and includes function blocks and system management. The function blocks are standardized encapsulations of control functions, such as analog input or proportional/derivative. The system management allows synchronization of the device applications and the network processing.

Claims

1. A block-oriented distributed process control system, comprising:

a transmission medium; and

a plurality of field devices, connected to the transmission medium, each field device including;

a user layer, which includes a function block application that defines the functionality of the field device;

a physical layer, which translates messages from the transmission medium into a suitable format for the user layer and from the user layer into a signal for transmission on the transmission medium; and

a communication stack, connected to the user layer and the physical layer, wherein the communication stack includes a data link layer and-an application layer, wherein the data link layer controls the transmission of messages onto the transmission medium and the application layer allows the user layer to communicate over the transmission medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application layer includes a fieldbus message specification, which defines the communication services and message formats.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user layer includes a plurality of blocks interconnected to perform a desired function.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of blocks include a resource block, a function block, and a transducer block.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the function block includes a program and parameters.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transducer block controls access to the function block.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the resource block makes hardware specific characteristics of the field device electronically readable.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user layer further includes a plurality of objects.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of objects include an alert object and a link object.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium is a bus.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the field devices receive power from the bus.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the function block application includes a resource.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the resource includes one or more blocks and objects coordinated to execute a related set of operations.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the field devices each include a memory containing a system schedule, and wherein the function block application is executed according to the system schedule.

15. A field device capable of operating in an open control system, comprising:

a memory, including;

system management data, wherein the system management data includes a system schedule;

a function block, wherein the function block includes parameters and a computer program;

a resource block, wherein the resource block makes hardware specific characteristics of the device electronically readable; and

at least one transducer block, wherein the at least one transducer block controls access to the function block;

a processor, operably connected to the memory, wherein the processor executes the function block based on the system schedule; and

a medium attachment unit, which translates input messages and output messages between the processor and a transmission medium.

16. The field device of claim 15, wherein the field device is chosen from the list consisting of:

a sensor, actuator, and motor.

17. The field device of claim 15, wherein the function block is a calculation function block and the calculation function block parameters include a back calculation input and a back calculation output.

18. The field device of claim 15, wherein the field device receives power from the transmission medium.

19. The field device of claim 15, wherein the function block is a basic function block chosen from the list consisting of:

analog input, analog output, bias, control selector, discrete input, discrete output, manual loader, proportional/derivative, proportional/integral/derivative and ratio function blocks.

20. The field device of claim 15, wherein the function block is a complex function block chosen from the list consisting of:

pulse input, complex analog output, complex discrete output, step output proportional/integral/derivative, device control, setpoint ramp generator, splitter, input selector, signal characterizer, lead lag, deadtime, arithmetic, calculate, integrator, timer, analog alarm, discrete alarm, analog human interface, and discrete human interface function blocks.