Wiring fault detection, diagnosis and reporting for process control systems
First Claim
1. A system that detects a wiring fault for use within a process control system having a plurality of smart field devices communicatively coupled to a protocol bus, the system comprising:
- a linking device that enables a controller to communicate with the plurality of smart field devices, the linking device being further operable to automatically detect a communications problem associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active, and wherein the linking device has a wiring fault detection unit and a wiring fault detection unit residing therein;
the wiring fault detection unit being adapted to be coupled to the protocol bus to measure an electrical characteristic associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active; and
the wiring fault diagnostic manager being communicatively coupled to the wiring fault detection unit and using the measured electrical characteristic to determine a type of the wiring fault.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A wiring fault detection, diagnostic and reporting technique enables linking devices within a process control system to measure the electrical characteristics of a segment protocol bus and the electrical characteristics of the signals transmitted via the protocol bus. The technique connects a signal line of a segment protocol bus to one of a plurality of measurement blocks within a wiring fault detection unit. The one of the plurality of measurement blocks measures an electrical characteristic associated with the segment protocol bus and sends the measured electrical characteristic to a wiring fault diagnostic manager. The wiring fault diagnostic manager analyzes the measured electrical characteristic to determine a type of the wiring fault and reports the type of the wiring fault via a user interface.
67 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system that detects a wiring fault for use within a process control system having a plurality of smart field devices communicatively coupled to a protocol bus, the system comprising:
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a linking device that enables a controller to communicate with the plurality of smart field devices, the linking device being further operable to automatically detect a communications problem associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active, and wherein the linking device has a wiring fault detection unit and a wiring fault detection unit residing therein;
the wiring fault detection unit being adapted to be coupled to the protocol bus to measure an electrical characteristic associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active; and
the wiring fault diagnostic manager being communicatively coupled to the wiring fault detection unit and using the measured electrical characteristic to determine a type of the wiring fault. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 26)
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10. A method of detecting a wiring fault for use within a process control system having a user interface, a protocol bus, a linking device that enables a controller to communicate with the plurality of smart field devices, and wherein the linking device has a wiring fault detection unit and a wiring fault detection unit residing therein, the wiring fault detection unit including a plurality of measurement blocks and a signal switching unit, the method comprising:
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automatically detecting a communications problem associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active;
connecting a signal line of the protocol bus to one of the plurality of measurement blocks;
measuring an electrical characteristic associated with the protocol bus using the one of the plurality of measurement blocks while the protocol bus is substantially active;
sending the measured electrical characteristic to the wiring fault diagnostic manager;
determining a type of the wiring fault based on the measured electrical characteristic; and
automatically reporting the type of the wiring fault to the user interface. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 27)
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18. A system for detecting a wiring fault for use within a process control system having a user interface, a controller, a protocol bus, a processor, and a linking device that enables a controller to communicate with the plurality of smart field devices, the linking device having a wiring fault detection unit and a wiring fault diagnostic manager therein, the wiring fault detection unit including a plurality of measurement blocks and a signal switching unit, the system comprising:
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a computer readable medium;
a first routine stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by the processor that causes the wiring fault detection unit to connect a signal line of the protocol bus to one of the plurality of measurement blocks;
a second routine stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by the processor that causes the wiring fault detection unit to measure an electrical characteristic associated with the protocol bus using the one of the plurality of measurement blocks while the protocol bus is substantially active;
a third routine stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by the processor that determines a type of the wiring fault based on the measured electrical characteristic;
a fourth routine stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by the processor that automatically reports the type of the wiring fault to the user interface; and
a fifth routine stored on the computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by the process that automatically detects a communications problem associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 28)
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23. A system that detects a wiring fault for use within a process control system having a controller and a protocol bus, the system comprising:
a plurality of measurement blocks communicatively coupled to the controller and adapted to be coupled to the protocol bus, wherein the controller is programmed to connect one of the plurality of measurement blocks to the protocol bus to detect the wiring fault and wherein the measurement blocks reside within a linking device, wherein the linking device enables the controller to communicate with a plurality of smart field devices, the linking device being operable to automatically detect a communications problem associated with the protocol bus while the protocol bus is substantially active. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
Specification