Method and apparatus for serial bus communication

• US 7,870,324 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Golden, Gregory J., Shepherd, Ray, Farmer, Bob, Baillargeon, Michel, Burghardt, Thomas, Schmidt, Glen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stiglic; Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US12/022,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 710/104
• US Class Current: 710/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4295 using an embedded synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method for providing a serial communication bus is disclosed. A serial communication bus connects multiple footprint devices, such as electronic sensors in a process control sample system. The footprint devices can utilize various footprint device specific communication protocols. Multiple tophat devices act as general I/O ports for connecting with the footprint devices. Each tophat device identifies the footprint device specific communication protocol of a connected footprint device, converts outputs signals transmitted from the connected footprint device from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to a standard bus communication protocol, and converts input signals directed to the connected footprint device from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device. The serial communication bus connects the tophat devices and transmits input and output signals using the standard bus communication protocol.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing serial bus communication to a plurality of footprint devices having footprint device specific communication protocols, comprising:

a plurality of tophat devices each connectable to any one of a plurality of footprint devices having different footprint device specific communication protocols, each tophat device comprising a data transport device configured to identify a footprint device specific communication protocol of a footprint device connected to that tophat device, convert output signals received from the footprint device connected to that tophat device from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the connected footprint device to a standard bus communication protocol, and convert input signals directed to the footprint device connected to that tophat device from said standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the connected footprint device; and

a serial communication bus connecting said plurality of tophat devices, said serial communication bus configured to transmit the input signals to the plurality of tophat devices and the output signals from the plurality of tophat devices using said standard bus communication protocol.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transport device of each tophat device comprises a programmable integrated circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said serial communication bus comprises a modified Inter-Integrated Circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transport device of each tophat device is configured to retrieve information stored on an external EEPROM of the footprint device connected to that tophat device and identify the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device based on the information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transport device of each tophat device is configured to retrieve electrical signals from the footprint device connected to that tophat device and to interpret the electronic signals based on the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of footprint devices is an electronic sensor in a process control sample system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input signals directed to a footprint device comprise control signals and the output signals received from a footprint device comprise measurement data and diagnostic information regarding the connected footprint device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of tophat devices is configured to provide power to the footprint device connected to that tophat device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of tophat devices and said serial communication bus is intrinsically safe.

10. A system comprising:

a plurality of footprint devices each having a footprint device specific communication protocol and configured to generate output signals using the footprint device specific communication protocol;

a controller configured to generate input signals, for controlling the footprint devices, using a standard bus communication protocol; and

a plurality of tophat devices, each connected to a respective one of the plurality of footprint devices, each tophat device comprising a data transport device configured to identify the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device connected to that tophat device, convert output signals generated by the footprint device connected to that tophat device from the footprint device specific communication protocol to the standard bus communication protocol, and convert input signals directed to the footprint device connected to that tophat device from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol, and

a serial communication bus connecting the plurality of tophat devices to the controller, said serial communication bus configured to transmit the input signals from the controller to the plurality of tophat devices and the output signals from the plurality of tophat devices to the controller using said standard bus communication protocol.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an intrinsically safe (IS) barrier connecting the controller and the serial communication bus.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said IS barrier comprises:

a non-galvanically isolated IS barrier connected to the controller, and

a galvanic isolator connected between the non-galvanically isolated IS barrier and the serial communication bus.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller and the IS barrier are implemented in the same device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said each of said plurality of footprint devices is an electronic sensor, said output signals comprise measurement data and diagnostic information, and the controller comprises a process analyzer configured to analyze the measurement data and diagnostic information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein each of said plurality of footprint devices comprises:

an external EEPROM configured to store identification information; and

a microprocessor configured to control configuration and operating characteristics of a connected tophat device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data transport device of each of said plurality of tophat devices is configured to identify the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device connected to that tophat device based on the identification information stored in the external EEPROM of the footprint device.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of tophat devices is connected to the respective one of the plurality of footprint devices via a printed circuit board to printed circuit board connection.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein said serial communication bus comprises a modified Inter-Integrated Circuit.

19. A method of providing serial bus communication to a plurality of footprint devices having various footprint device specific communication protocols, comprising:

identifying a footprint device specific communication protocol of a footprint device;

receiving input signals transmitted via a serial communication bus using a standard bus communication protocol and output signals transmitted from the footprint device using the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;

converting the input signals from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;

converting the output signals from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to the standard bus communication protocol;

transmitting the input signals to the footprint device using the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device; and

transmitting the output signals via the serial communication bus using the standard bus communication protocol.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the standard bus communication protocol comprises one of CAN, Profibus, Fieldbus, and a footprint device specific protocol for a modified Inter-Integrated Circuit.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of receiving input signals transmitted via a serial communication bus using a standard bus communication protocol comprises receiving input signals transmitted from a controller via the serial communication bus, and said step of transmitting the output signals via the serial communication bus using the standard bus communication protocol comprises transmitting the output signals to the controller via the serial communication bus.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the input signals transmitted from the controller and the output signals transmitted to the controller are transmitted through an intrinsically safe barrier.

23. An apparatus for providing serial bus communication to a plurality of footprint devices having various footprint device specific communication protocols, comprising:

means for identifying a footprint device specific communication protocol of a footprint device;

means for receiving input signals transmitted via a serial communication bus using a standard bus communication protocol and output signals transmitted from the footprint device using the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;

means for converting the input signals from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;

means for converting the output signals from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to the standard bus communication protocol;

means for transmitting the input signals to the footprint device using the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device; and

means for transmitting the output signals via the serial communication bus using the standard bus communication protocol.