Adapter device for coupling an industrial field instrument to an industrial wireless network and related system and method

• US 9,065,813 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kolavennu, Soumitri, Chernoguzov, Alexander, Powell, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jangbahadur, Lakeram
• Application Number:
  US13/331,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25198 Brouter: transfers data from wireless to wired networks, router: wired to wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A method includes coupling an adapter device to a field instrument in an industrial control system to provide a wireless communication capability to the field instrument. The method also includes converting, by the adapter device, information from a first protocol native to the field instrument into a second protocol native to a wireless network. The method further includes transmitting the information to at least one other device over the wireless network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

coupling an adapter device to a field instrument in an industrial control system to provide a wireless communication capability to the field instrument;

receiving information from the field instrument in a HART-based protocol native to the field instrument;

translating, by the adapter device, the information from the HART-based protocol into an International Society of Automation (ISA) 100.11a protocol native to an industrial wireless network;

transmitting the information in the ISA 100.11a protocol to at least one other device over the industrial wireless network;

sending a unique identifier for the field instrument to the at least one other device; and

negotiating a scheduled communication with the at least one other device over the industrial wireless network;

wherein the adapter device and the field instrument are configured and provisioned onto the industrial wireless network in order to communicate with at least one of a field router and a backbone router in the industrial wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicatively coupling a user device to the adapter device in order to configure and provision the adapter device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

configuring the adapter device to communicate with the field instrument using the HART-based protocol.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

configuring the adapter device to communicate with the wireless network using the ISA 100.11a protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the information regarding the HART-based protocol to the at least one other device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information in the scheduled communication is in a short-hand format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is transmitted via an interface object of the HART-based protocol that is contained within a user application process of the ISA 100.11a protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a wireless network identifier and wireless security credentials for the industrial wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the field instrument, an invocation of a specific function of the field instrument.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate with a field instrument in an industrial control system;

a second interface configured to communicate with at least one other device over an industrial wireless network; and

a controller configured to;

receive, via the first interface, information from the field instrument in a HART-based protocol native to the field instrument;

translate the information from the HART-based protocol into an International Society of Automation (ISA) 100.11a protocol native to the industrial wireless network;

transmit, via the second interface, the information to the at least one other device in the ISA 100.11a protocol over the industrial wireless network;

send a unique identifier for the field instrument to the at least one other device; and

negotiate a scheduled communication with the at least one other device over the industrial wireless network;

wherein the apparatus is operable to be configured and provisioned onto the industrial wireless network in order to communicate with at least one of a field router and a backbone router in the industrial wireless network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to receive, via the second interface, at least one of configuration and provisioning data from a user device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the configuration data comprises information to configure the controller to communicate with the field instrument using the HART-based protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the provisioning data comprises information to configure the controller to communicate with the industrial wireless network using the ISA 100.11a protocol.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to send the information regarding the HART-based protocol to the at least one other device.

15. A system comprising:

a field instrument in an industrial control system; and

an adapter device coupled to the field instrument, the adapter device configured to provide a wireless communication capability to the field instrument, the adapter device comprising;

a first interface configured to communicate with the field instrument;

a second interface configured to communicate with at least one other device over an industrial wireless network; and

a controller configured to;

receive, via the first interface, information from the field instrument in a HART-based protocol native to the field instrument;

translate the information from the HART-based protocol into an International Society of Automation (ISA) 100.11a protocol native to the industrial wireless network;

transmit, via the second interface, the information to the at least one other device in the (ISA) 100.11a protocol over the industrial wireless network;

send a unique identifier for the field instrument to the at least one other device; and

negotiate a scheduled communication with the at least one other device over the industrial wireless network;

wherein the adapter device and the field instrument are operable to be configured and provisioned onto the industrial wireless network in order to communicate with at least one of a field router and a backbone router in the industrial wireless network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to receive, via the second interface, at least one of configuration and provisioning data from a user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the configuration data comprises information to configure the controller to communicate with the field instrument using the HART-based protocol; and

the provisioning data comprises information to configure the controller to communicate with the industrial wireless network using the ISA 100.11a protocol.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to send the information regarding the HART-based protocol to the at least one other device.