Wireless diagnostic system in industrial processes

• US 7,058,542 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metso Flow Control Oy (Neles Oyj)
• Original Assignee: Metso Automation OY (Vanowen Group Acquisition Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Pyötsiä, Jouni, Kreivi, Mika, Hauhia, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S. W.
• Application Number:
  US10/332,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 702/183
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24058 Remote testing, monitoring independent from normal control by pc
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25186 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25428 Field device

Abstract

The invention relates to device diagnostics in industrial processes comprising field devices employing a field bus. A remote diagnostics device (1) is placed in connection with a process device (2), separate from the field devices and the field bus. The remote diagnostics device comprises diagnostics electronics which collects diagnostics data relating to the process device, and a transmitter part for wireless (17) transmission of the diagnostics data to a near-by field device. The field device comprises a receiver part (41) for wireless (17) reception of the diagnostics data from said remote diagnostics device (1). A field device control unit (430) analyses the received diagnostics data and transmits a diagnostics report over a field bus interface (44) and the field bus to a diagnostics computer.

Claims

1. A system for diagnosing a process device, the system comprising

at least one control computer (6, 23) collecting diagnostics data relating to the process device (2, 14, 15, 16);

a field bus (27, 45);

field devices (14A, 15A, 16A, 18A, 28A, 28B, 29A, 29B) which comprise a control unit (430) and a field bus interface (44) for interfacing with the field bus (45) and for communicating with said at least one control computer over the field bus, characterized in that the system further comprises

a remote diagnostics device (1) which is placed in connection with the process device (2) separate from the field devices and which comprises diagnostics electronics (31) collecting diagnostics data relating to the process device, and a transmitter part (33) for wireless (17) transmission of the diagnostics data to one of said field devices, and that

said one field device comprises a receiver part (41) for wireless (17) reception of the diagnostics data from said remote diagnostics device (1), said control unit (430) being arranged to process the received diagnostics data and to transmit a diagnostics report over said field bus interface (44) and field bus to said control computer (6, 27).

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the diagnostics data sent by the remote diagnostics device (1) substantially consists of raw data, and that the field device is arranged to store and analyse the received diagnostics data to produce a processed diagnostics report.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the field device sends the diagnostics data at predetermined intervals, in response to a request from the control computer and/or when the diagnostics data show that the process device requires servicing or that it functions abnormally.

4. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the field device forwards the diagnostics data in a substantially non-analysed form.

5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, charactrized in that the field device can be configured to perform wireless reception of diagnostics data from two or more remote diagnostics devices (1), and to process the received data.

6. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wireless transmission between the remote diagnostics device (1) and the field device is based on Bluetooth technology or a similar short-range wireless transmission technology.

9. A field device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the field device sends the diagnostics report at predetermined intervals, in response to a request from the control computer and/or when the diagnostics data show that the process device (2) requires servicing or that it functions abnormally.

7. A field device in a process automation system, the device comprising a control unit (430) and a field bus interface (44) for interfacing with a field bus (27, 45) of the process automation system and for communicating with at least one control computer (6, 23) over the field bus, characterized in that the field device (14A, 15A, 16A, 18A, 28A, 28B, 29A, 29B) comprises a receiver part (41) for wireless (17) reception of diagnostics data from a remote diagnostics device (1) placed separate from the field device for collecting diagnostics data of relating to a second process device (2), and that the control unit (430) is arranged to process the received diagnostics data and to transmit a diagnostics report over said field bus interface (44) and field bus (27, 45) to said control computer.

8. A field device according to claim 7, characterized in that the diagnostics data received from the remote diagnostics device (1) substantially consists of raw data, and that the field device is arranged to store and analyse the received diagnostics data to allow a processed diagnostics report to be produced.

10. A field device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the field device forwards the diagnostics data in a substantially non-analysed form.

11. A field device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the field device can be configured to perform wireless reception of diagnostics data from two or more remote diagnostics devices (1), and to process the data.

12. A field device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the wireless transmission (17) between the remote diagnostics device and the field device is based on Bluetooth technology or a similar short-range wireless transmission technology.

13. A diagnostics device for a process device in a process automation system in which field devices (14A, 15A, 16A, 18A, 28A, 28B, 29A, 29B) communicate over a field bus (27, 45), characterized in that the diagnostics device (1) is a remote diagnostics device meant to be placed separate from the field bus (27, 45) in connection with the process device (2), the remote diagnostics device comprising

diagnostics electronics (31) collecting diagnostics data relating to the process device (2),

a transmitter part (33) for wireless transmission of the diagnostics data to one of said field devices connected to the field bus (27, 45).

14. A diagnostics device according to claim 13, characterized in that the diagnostics data sent by the diagnostics device (1) substantially consists of raw data which is analysed in the field device or elsewhere in the process automation system.

15. A diagnostics device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the power source (34) of the diagnostics device (1) comprises an energy converter which converts the mechanic energy, such as kinetic energy or noise, of the process device, or the energy of hydraulic pressure or compressed air supplied to the process device, into electric energy to be used for generating operating voltage for the diagnostics electronics (31) and the transmitter part (33).