Wireless gateway in a process control environment supporting a wireless communication protocol
First Claim
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1. A wireless gateway for use in a process control environment, the wireless gateway comprising:
- a wireless interface for communicating with a first wireless network using a first communication protocol,wherein;
the first communication protocol is a wireless protocol having a first addressing scheme that is backwards compatible with a second addressing scheme of a second communication protocol,the first addressing scheme and the second addressing scheme share at least one address field, andthe first addressing scheme includes an additional address field excluded from the second addressing scheme, andwherein the wireless network includes a plurality of field devices operating in the process control environment, wherein each field device of the plurality of field devices corresponds to a physical function of a process controlled by the process control environment, and wherein the each field device generates process data corresponding to the physical function at a respective update rate stored at the each field device and transmits the generated process data using the first communication protocol;
a host interface for communicating with an external host disposed outside the wireless network using the second communication protocol, the second communication protocol being a wired communication protocol; and
a protocol translator to enable an exchange of data between the wireless interface and the host interface,wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol include a common application layer and distinct physical layers,wherein the common application layer is layered over the respective physical layers of each of the first communication protocol having the first addressing scheme including the at least one address field and the second communication protocol having the second addressing scheme including the at least one address field and excluding the additional address field, andwherein the common application layer defines a common set of commands and device types used in each of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol to communicate the process data generated by the each field device.
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Abstract
A wireless gateway for use in a process control environment includes a wireless interface for communicating with a first wireless network using a first wireless communication protocol, such that the wireless network includes a plurality of field devices operating in the process control environment. The wireless gateway further includes a host interface for communicating with an external host disposed outside the wireless network using a second communication protocol and a protocol translator to enable an exchange of data between the first interface and the second interface.
162 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A wireless gateway for use in a process control environment, the wireless gateway comprising:
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a wireless interface for communicating with a first wireless network using a first communication protocol, wherein; the first communication protocol is a wireless protocol having a first addressing scheme that is backwards compatible with a second addressing scheme of a second communication protocol, the first addressing scheme and the second addressing scheme share at least one address field, and the first addressing scheme includes an additional address field excluded from the second addressing scheme, and wherein the wireless network includes a plurality of field devices operating in the process control environment, wherein each field device of the plurality of field devices corresponds to a physical function of a process controlled by the process control environment, and wherein the each field device generates process data corresponding to the physical function at a respective update rate stored at the each field device and transmits the generated process data using the first communication protocol; a host interface for communicating with an external host disposed outside the wireless network using the second communication protocol, the second communication protocol being a wired communication protocol; and a protocol translator to enable an exchange of data between the wireless interface and the host interface, wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol include a common application layer and distinct physical layers, wherein the common application layer is layered over the respective physical layers of each of the first communication protocol having the first addressing scheme including the at least one address field and the second communication protocol having the second addressing scheme including the at least one address field and excluding the additional address field, and wherein the common application layer defines a common set of commands and device types used in each of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol to communicate the process data generated by the each field device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A combined communication network operating in a process control environment, the network comprising:
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a first plurality of wireless field devices defining a first multi-node mesh communication network, wherein each of the first plurality of wireless field devices communicates with at least another one of first plurality of wireless field devices using a first wireless communication protocol, wherein each wireless field device of the first plurality of wireless field devices corresponds to a physical function of a process controlled by the process control environment, and wherein the each wireless field device generates process data, via the first wireless communication protocol, corresponding to the physical function at a respective update rate stored at the each wireless field device; a second plurality of devices defining a second communication network using a second wired communication protocol; and a first wireless gateway associated with the first communication network and providing protocol and address translation to at least the first plurality of wireless field devices to operatively connect the first multi-node mesh communication network to the second communication network; wherein; a first addressing scheme of the first wireless communication protocol is backwards compatible with a second addressing scheme of the second wired communication protocol, the first addressing scheme and the second addressing scheme sharing at least one address field, and the first addressing scheme including an additional address field excluded from the second addressing scheme, the first wireless communication protocol and the second wired communication protocol include a common application layer and distinct physical layers, wherein the common application layer is layered over the respective physical layers of each of the first wireless communication protocol including the first addressing scheme including the at least one address field and the second wired communication protocol including the second addressing scheme including the at least one address field and excluding the additional address field, and the common application layer defines a common set of command and device types used in each of the first wireless communication protocol and the second wired communication protocol to communicate the process data generated by the each wireless field device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A wireless gateway for use in a process control environment having a plurality of wireless field devices defining a wireless mesh network, the wireless gateway comprising:
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a plurality of network access points each including; a wireless interface to communicate with at least one of the plurality of wireless field devices, wherein each wireless field device of the plurality of wireless field devices corresponds to a physical function of a process controlled by the process control environment, and wherein the each wireless field device generates process data corresponding to the physical function at a respective update rate stored at the each wireless field device; and a host interface to communicate with an external host disposed outside the wireless mesh network; and a virtual gateway communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of network access points in a wired manner, the virtual gateway including a protocol translator for translating between a first wired protocol corresponding to the external host and a second wireless protocol corresponding to at least some of the plurality of wireless field devices, the second wireless protocol having a second addressing scheme that is backwards compatible with a first addressing scheme of the first wired protocol, wherein the first addressing scheme and the second addressing scheme share at least one common address field, and the second addressing scheme includes an additional address field excluded from the first addressing scheme, the first wired protocol and the second wireless protocol sharing a common application layer including a common set of commands and device types for communicating the process data generated by the each wireless field device, and the translating between the first wired protocol and the second wireless protocol including translating between layers of the first wired protocol and layers of the second wireless protocol other than the common application layer. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of communicating with a wireless mesh network including a plurality of field devices and operating in a process control environment, the method comprising:
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communicatively coupling the plurality of field devices to a wireless gateway, having a first wireless interface, a second interface, and a memory cache, via the first wireless interface, wherein each field device of the plurality of field devices corresponds to a physical function of a process controlled by the process control environment, and wherein the each field device generates process data to the wireless gateway using a periodic update; connecting an external host to the second interface of the wireless gateway; receiving process data at the wireless gateway from one of the plurality of field devices, the process data received in a periodic update from the one of the plurality of field devices via a first wireless protocol; storing the process data received from the one of the plurality of field devices in the memory cache of the wireless gateway; and reporting, via a second wired protocol, the process data received from the one of the plurality of field devices to the external host in response to detecting a report condition, wherein; a first addressing scheme of the first wireless protocol and a second addressing scheme of the second wired protocol share at least one common address field and the first addressing scheme includes an additional address field excluded from the second addressing scheme, and the first wireless protocol and the second wired protocol share a common application layer including a common set of commands and device types for communicating the process data generated by the plurality of field devices. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification