Temperature sensing system

• US 7,496,473 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Lenz, Gary A., Fennewald, Kenneth F., Steinhauser, Louis P., Culbertson, David P., McNutt, Leon J., Schuh, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau; Tung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cherry; Stephen J
• Application Number:
  US11/216,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20060062091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 702/130, 702/188, 702/183
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/026 arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/028 arrangements for numerical indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 15/00 Testing or calibrating of thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/14 in respect of space
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31211 Communicate diagnostic data from intelligent field device controller to central
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0254 based on a quantitative model, e.g. mathematical relationships between inputs and outputs; functions: observer, Kalman filter, residual calculation, Neural Networks

Abstract

A temperature sensing and diagnostics system having a temperature sensor for generating a temperature characteristic and a bitbus includes a field processing module and an auxiliary processing module. The field processing module is adapted for coupling to the temperature sensor and for receiving the temperature characteristic from the temperature sensor. The field processing module includes a field diagnostic component and a field communication component configured for communication over the bitbus and is adapted to generate field operating data including a temperature diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic. The auxiliary processing module is configured for communicating with the bitbus and for receiving the field operating data and includes an auxiliary diagnostic component and an auxiliary communication component having a fieldbus interface and a gateway component. The auxiliary processing module is configured for generating auxiliary field data as a function of the field operating data and for communicating the auxiliary field data over a fieldbus.

Claims

1. A temperature sensing and diagnostics system having a temperature sensor for generating a temperature characteristic and a first bus, the system comprising:

a field processing module adapted for coupling to the temperature sensor and for receiving the temperature characteristic from the temperature sensor, the field processing module including a field diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate a field diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic and a field communication component configured for communication over the first bus; and

an auxiliary processing module configured for communicating with the first bus and for receiving the field diagnostic parameter, said auxiliary processing module including an auxiliary diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate an auxiliary diagnostic parameter, and an auxiliary communication component having a second bus interface and a gateway component, said auxiliary processing module being configured for communicating the auxiliary diagnostic parameter over a second bus separate and distinct from the first bus wherein the auxiliary processing module is configured for transmitting the auxiliary diagnostic parameter to the field processing module, and wherein the field processing module is configured for communicating the field diagnostic parameter over the first bus in response to the received auxiliary diagnostic parameter.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the temperature characteristic is selected from the group consisting of loop resistance, energy, power, frequency, current, and voltage.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the temperature characteristic is a sensed enemy level and wherein the field processing module is adapted to compare the sensed energy level to a predefined energy level and to identify a temperature diagnostic event when the difference between the sensed energy level and the predefined energy level is indicative of the temperature diagnostic event

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the field diagnostic component is configured for determining a change in an isothermal entropy.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the field diagnostic component is configured for determining a mass flow in a heater as a function of the temperature characteristic, the heater being in the system and associated with the temperature sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary processing module is configured for converting the received field diagnostic parameter in a first bus format to the auxiliary diagnostic parameter in a second bus format, and for communicating the auxiliary diagnostic parameter over the second bus to a temperature management system coupled to the second bus.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a field device for generating a field operating characteristic, said field processing module configured for receiving the field operating characteristic and the field diagnostic component configured for generating the field diagnostic parameter further as a function of the field operating characteristic.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the field device is selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, a level sensor, a force sensor, a leak detection sensor, a stress sensor, a motion sensor, a position sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a chemical property sensor, an actuator, a leak sensor, an accelerometer, a velocimeter, a valve positioner, a valve position sensor, an RFID tag, a smart card, a gauge including a pressure gauge, a solenoid, a power supply, a heater, a valve including a solenoid valve, a meter, a motor, a pump, a switch including a thermal switch, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetic intensity sensor, a gas sensor, a fusible link, an RFID tag, a smart card, and a memory device.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the field device includes a field device memory storing a field device diagnostic parameter and wherein the field device is configured to provide the field device diagnostic parameter to the field processing module.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the temperature sensor is selected from the group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector (RTD), a thermopile, a diode, a semiconductor sensor, a resonance temperature sensor, an infrared sensor, and a thermistor.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the field processing module is configured for determining a sensed temperature as a function of the temperature characteristic and the field diagnostic parameter.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the sensed temperature is determined as a function of an EMF-to-temperature relationship defined by the field diagnostic parameter.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the field diagnostic component is configured to generate the field diagnostic parameter responsive to a field operating event selected from the group consisting of a change of a state, a change of a mode, a change of a status, a failure, a change of a field parameter, a change of the field operating characteristic, a time rate of change of a temperature characteristic, a value of a field parameter exceeding a threshold, an alarm, a comparison, en alert, and a value of the field operating characteristic exceeding a threshold.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the field diagnostic parameter includes a temperature diagnostic parameter.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary diagnostic parameter is selected from the group consisting of an operational diagnostic, a device calibration, a configuration, a controller action, a system administration, and a system operation.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary processing module is configured to perform an operational function associated with at least one of the temperature sensor, the field processing nodule, the first bus, the auxiliary processing module, the second bus, and the system, the operational function being selected from the group consisting of a diagnostics, a trouble shooting method, a statistical process control (SPC) computed parameter, a fault detection, a fault isolation, a root cause, a setting, a limit, a threshold, a calibration, a failure prediction, a maintenance procedure, a validation, a verification, a traceability, an auto-configuration, an architecture alignment, a fingerprint, an identification, a biometric identification, a theoretical modeling, a self-administration, a self-tuning rule, an operational device control.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the temperature sensor and the field processing module are configured as a mechanically integrated unit.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the temperature sensor includes a temperature sensor memory storing a temperature sensor diagnostic parameter and wherein the temperature sensor is configured to provide the temperature sensor diagnostic parameter to the field processing module.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the first bus has a communication format having less parameters than a communication format of the second bus.

6. The system of claim a 1 wherein the field diagnostic component includes a loop current step response.

21. A temperature sensing system with integrated diagnostics having a first bus, a temperature sensor for generating a temperature characteristic, and a field device for generating a field operating characteristic, the system comprising:

a first field processing module for receiving the temperature characteristic from the first temperature sensor, the first field processing module including a first field diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate a first diagnostic parameter as a function of the temperature characteristic and a first field communication component configured for communication over the first bus;

a second field processing module for receiving the field operating characteristic from the field device, the second field processing module having a second field diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate a second diagnostic parameter, and a second field communication component configured for communication over the first bus; and

an auxiliary processing module configured for communicating with the first bus and receiving the first diagnostic parameter from the first field processing module and the second diagnostic parameter from the second field processing module, said auxiliary processing module including an auxiliary diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate an auxiliary diagnostic parameter as a function of at least one of the first diagnostic parameter and the second diagnostic parameter, and an auxiliary communication component having a second bus interface and a gateway component said auxiliary processing module configured for communicating the auxiliary diagnostic parameter over a second bus separate and distinct from the first bus.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the auxiliary field processing module includes a supervisory module generating supervisory data as a function of the first diagnostic parameter and the second, said auxiliary field processing module configured to communicate the supervisory data over the second bus.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the first bus comprises a first bitbus and a second bitbus, wherein the first field communication component is configured for communication with the first bitbus and the second field communication component is configured for communication with the second bitbus, the auxiliary processing module being configured for communicating with the first bitbus for receiving the first diagnostic parameter and configured for communicating with the second bitbus for receiving the second.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a second auxiliary processing module for communicating with the second bitbus and having a second bus interface for communicating over the second bus, wherein said second field processing module is configured to communicate with the first field processing module via the second bitbus, the second auxiliary processing module, the second bus, the first auxiliary processing module, and the first bitbus.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the first field processing module is configured to receive the second diagnostic parameter and to transmit the second diagnostic parameter over the first bus as a function, at least in part, of the received second diagnostic parameter.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein temperature sensor is a first temperature sensor for generating a first temperature characteristic and the field device is a second temperature sensor and the field operating characteristic is a second temperature characteristic.

27. A temperature sensing system with integrated diagnostics having a first bus, the system comprising:

a first temperature sensor configured for generating a first temperature characteristic;

a second temperature sensor configured for generating a second temperature characteristic;

a field processing module for receiving the first temperature characteristic from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature characteristic from the second temperature sensor, the field processing module including a field diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate a field diagnostic parameter as a function of at least one of the first temperature characteristic and the second temperature characteristic and a field communication component for communicating with the first bus; and

an auxiliary processing module configured for communicating with the first bus and receiving the field diagnostic parameter, said auxiliary processing module including an auxiliary diagnostic component that performs a computational operation to generate an auxiliary diagnostic parameter and an auxiliary communication component having a second bus interface and a gateway component, said auxiliary processing module configured for communicating the auxiliary diagnostic parameter over a second bus separate and distinct from the first bus.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the field processing module is configured to transmit the received second temperature characteristic to the first field temperature sensor.