Systems and methods for facilitating communication with foundation fieldbus linking devices

• US 8,868,732 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Smith, Steven William, Pettigrew, William Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US13/159,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40221 Profibus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating communication with Foundation Fieldbus linking devices are described. A first Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a first Ethernet network and a second Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a second Ethernet network may be identified by a gateway device that includes one or more computers. At least one virtual address representative of the first linking device and the second linking device may be determined by the gateway device. Communications between the first and second linking devices and an external system may be facilitated by the gateway device, and the at least one virtual address may be utilized to represent the linking devices to the external system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a gateway device comprising one or more computer processors, a first Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a first Ethernet network and a second Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a second Ethernet network, wherein the first linking device is communicatively coupled to a first set of Foundation Fieldbus devices and the second linking device is communicatively coupled to a second set of Foundation Fieldbus devices;

associating, by the gateway device, one or more virtual addresses with the first linking device and the second linking device;

receiving, by the gateway device from a system external to the gateway device, a first message to be communicated to an intended recipient, wherein the first message comprises an indication of a virtual address, and wherein the intended recipient is one of the first linking device, the second linking device, a Foundation Fieldbus device in the first set, or a Foundation Fieldbus device in the second set;

determining, by the gateway device, whether the first message can be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address;

responsive to determining that the first message can be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address;

evaluating, by the gateway device, the received virtual address to identify an intermediary device or network associated with the intended recipient, and

directing, by the gateway device, communication of the first message to the intermediary device or network, or

responsive to determining that the first message cannot be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address;

determining, by the gateway device and based at least in part on the received virtual address, a physical address associated with the intended recipient, and

directing, by the gateway device and based at least in part upon the determined physical address, communication of the first message to the intended recipient,

the method further comprising;

receiving, by the gateway device, a second message output by one of the first linking device or the second linking device;

modifying, by the gateway device, the second message in order to associate a particular virtual address of the one or more virtual addresses with the second message; and

providing, by the gateway device, the modified second message to the system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a first linking device and a second linking device comprises receiving respective status information for the first linking and second linking devices from respective controllers that manage respective operations of the first and second linking devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received virtual address is associated with the first linking device and the second linking device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a second message comprises receiving one of (i) a message associated with operation of the one of the first linking device or the second linking device or (ii) a message associated with a Foundation Fieldbus device of the first set of Foundation Fieldbus devices or the second set of Foundation Fieldbus devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein it is determined that the first message cannot be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address, further comprising:

determining, by the gateway device and based at least in part upon an analysis of the received first message, an identity of the intended recipient,

wherein determining the physical address comprises determining the physical address based at least in part upon the determined identity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining an identity of the intended recipient comprises:

identifying, based at least in part upon the analysis of the received first message, a Foundation Fieldbus device of the first set or a Foundation Fieldbus device of the second set as the intended recipient of the received first message; and

identifying the one of the first linking device or the second linking device as a linking device to which the Foundation Fieldbus device is connected.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device or network is a controller or an Ethernet network associated with the received virtual address, and wherein the Ethernet network is one of the first Ethernet network or the second Ethernet network.

7. A system, comprising:

at least one memory operable to store computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to;

identify a first Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a first Ethernet network and a second Foundation Fieldbus linking device associated with a second Ethernet network, wherein the first linking device is communicatively coupled to a first set of Foundation Fieldbus devices and the second linking device is communicatively coupled to a second set of Foundation Fieldbus devices;

associate one or more virtual addresses with the first linking device and the second linking device;

receive, from an external system, a first message to be communicated to an intended recipient, wherein the first message comprises an indication of a virtual address, and wherein the intended recipient is one of the first linking device, the second linking device, a Foundation Fieldbus device in the first set, or a Foundation Fieldbus device in the second set;

determine whether the first message can be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address;

responsive to a determination that the first message can be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address;

evaluate the received virtual address to identify an intermediary device or network associated with the intended recipient, and

direct communication of the first message to the intermediary device or network, or

responsive to a determination that the first message cannot be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address;

determine, based at least in part on the received virtual address, a physical address associated with the intended recipient,

direct, based at least in part upon the determined physical address, communication of the first message to the intended recipient,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive a second message output by one of the first linking device or the second linking device;

modify the second message in order to associate a particular virtual address of the one or more virtual addresses with the second message; and

provide the modified second message to the external system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the first linking device and the second linking device based at least in part upon evaluating respective status information received from respective controllers that manage respective operations of the first and second linking devices.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the received virtual address is associated with the first linking device and the second linking device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the second message comprises one of (i) a message associated with operation of the one of the first linking device or the second linking device or (ii) a message associated with a Foundation Fieldbus device of the first set of Foundation Fieldbus devices or the second set of Foundation Fieldbus devices.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein it is determined that the first message cannot be communicated to the intended recipient based at least in part on the received virtual address, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

determine, based at least in part upon an analysis of the received first message, an identity of the intended recipient; and

determine the physical address based at least in part upon the determined identity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the identity of the intended recipient by executing the computer-executable instructions to:

identify, based at least in part upon the analysis of the received first message, a Foundation Fieldbus device of the first set or a Foundation Fieldbus device of the second set as the intended recipient of the received first message; and

identify the one of the first linking device or the second linking device as a linking device to which the Foundation Fieldbus device is connected.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the intermediary device or network is a controller or an Ethernet network associated with the received virtual address, and wherein the Ethernet network is one of the first Ethernet network or the second Ethernet network.