Systems and methods to overlay behaviors on foundation fieldbus alerts

• US 8,937,555 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Karaffa, John Michael, Downor, Johnny Stephen, Smith, Steven William
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US13/149,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20120310380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 702/184, 702/188
• US Class Current: 340/691.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0425 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4186 by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25224 Fieldbus messages services fms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31121 Fielddevice, field controller, interface connected to fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An industrial control system is provided that includes a field device configured to receive only a first plurality of behaviors for the alert and a controller of an industrial control system, wherein the controller is configured to receive the alert and overlay a second plurality of behaviors on the alert, and the controller is configured to process one or more of the second plurality of behaviors differently than the first plurality of behaviors.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a field device configured to provide an alert, wherein the field device is configured to receive only a first plurality of behaviors for the alert, wherein the first plurality of behaviors adhere to a first industrial communications protocol alert behavior; and

a controller of an industrial control system, wherein the controller is configured to receive the alert and overlay a second plurality of behaviors on the alert, wherein the second plurality of behaviors are not included in the first industrial communications protocol, and the controller is configured to process one or more of the second plurality of behaviors differently than the first plurality of behaviors, and wherein at least one of the second plurality of behaviors comprises an alert Lock behavior.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of behaviors are visually displayed via a client communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to enable a user to select one of the first or the second plurality of behaviors in response to the alert.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first industrial communications protocol comprises a Foundation Fieldbus protocol and the field device comprises a Foundation Fieldbus device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first industrial communications protocol comprises a Foundation Fieldbus protocol, the alert comprises a Foundation Fieldbus alert and the first plurality of behaviors comprises a first Acknowledge behavior and a first Unacknowledge behavior.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to write directly to the field device when the behavior is selected by a user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with an alarm server communicatively coupled to the controller and to update the alarm server when any one of the second plurality of behaviors is selected by the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the second plurality of behaviors comprises an Unlock behavior, an Override behavior, a Remove Override behavior, a Silence behavior, an Unsilence behavior, a Silence Alarm Horn behavior, or a combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising an alarm server, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the alert to the alarm server, and wherein the alarm server is configured to determine if the alert is associated with the first plurality of behaviors or with the second plurality of behaviors, and if associated with the first plurality of behaviors to execute a Foundation Fieldbus process, and if associated with the second plurality of behaviors, to store an alert state via an alarm data manager.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising a graphical user interface configured to provide the second plurality of behaviors for selection by a user.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a controller of an industrial control system, a user behavior for an alert of a field device;

determining, by a processor of the controller, if the user behavior comprises one of a first plurality of behaviors or one of a second plurality of behaviors; and

processing, by a processor of the controller, the user behavior based on the determination, wherein the first plurality of behaviors adhere to a first industrial communications protocol alert behavior and the second plurality of behaviors are not included in the first industrial communications protocol, and wherein at least one of the second plurality of behaviors comprises an alert Lock behavior.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the user behavior comprises transmitting the behavior directly to the field device if the user behavior comprises one of the first plurality of behaviors.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the user behavior comprises changing a state of the alert via an alarm server if the user behavior comprises one of the second plurality of behaviors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the state of the alert comprises updating an alarm data manager included in the alarm server and storing the state of the alert.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first industrial communications protocol comprises a Foundation Fieldbus protocol, the field device comprises a Foundation Fieldbus device, and the alert comprises a Foundation Fieldbus alert.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first plurality of behaviors comprises an Acknowledge behavior and an Unacknowledge behavior.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second plurality of behaviors comprises an Unlock behavior, an Override behavior, a Remove Override behavior, a Silence behavior, an Unsilence behavior, a Silence Alarm Horn behavior, or a combination thereof.

17. A non-transitory tangible machine-readable media having executable code stored thereon, the executable code comprising instructions for:

receiving, at a controller of an industrial control system, a user behavior for an alert of a field device;

determining, by a processor of the controller, if the user behavior comprises one of a first plurality of behaviors or one of a second plurality of behaviors; and

processing, by a processor of the controller, the user behavior based on the determination, wherein the first plurality of behaviors adhere to a first industrial communications protocol alert behavior and the second plurality of behaviors are not included in the first industrial communications protocol, and wherein at least one of the second plurality of behaviors comprises an alert Lock behavior.

18. The non-transitory tangible machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions for processing the user behavior comprise instructions for directly transmitting the user behavior to the field device if the user behavior comprises one of the first plurality of behaviors.

19. The non-transitory tangible machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the instructions for processing the user behavior comprise instructions for changing a state of the alert via an alarm server if the user behavior comprises one of the second plurality of behaviors.

20. The non-transitory tangible machine-readable media of claim 17, wherein the first industrial communications protocol comprises a Foundation Fieldbus protocol, the field device comprises a Foundation Fieldbus device, and the alert comprises a Foundation Fieldbus alert.