Handheld field maintenance tool with improved functionality

• US 9,684,296 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Russell, III, Alden Chester, Citrano, III, Joseph, Toepke, Todd Mitchell, Dewey, Alan Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): GARCIA, GABRIEL I
• Application Number:
  US12/780,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20100290084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,594 Days
• Field of Search: 358 11, 358 19, 358 114, 358 115, 358 118, 700 1, 700 60, 702 59, 702183, 702184, 370230, 370224
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23406 Programmer device, portable, handheld detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda

Abstract

A handheld field maintenance tool with improved functionality is provided. The handheld field maintenance tool includes a keypad, a display, a short-range wireless transceiver and a processor. The processor is coupled to the keypad, the display and the short-range wireless transceiver. The processor is also coupled to memory having a plurality of instructions stored therein, which instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform at least one of remote wireless display; remote wireless keypress injection; and wireless printing.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a field device located in a relatively inaccessible location using an intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool, the method comprising:

physically coupling the intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool to the field device via a field device interface that comprises a plurality of wired process communication modules;

providing an operating system having an I/O module, wherein the intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool has a local display that is driven, at least in part, by the I/O module;

providing wireless communication information from the intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool to a remote device, the wireless communication information being indicative, at least, of alphanumeric display information;

receiving the wireless communication information at the remote device and rendering at least an alphanumeric display by the remote device based on the wireless communication information;

wherein the intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool is physically coupled to the field device; and

receiving the wireless communication information from the remote device and causing the I/O module to inject at least one keystroke based on the received wireless communication information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication information is in accordance with a Bluetooth specification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool is located in a hazardous location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the display rendered by the remote device is larger than the local display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the local display of the handheld field maintenance tool is mirrored to the display rendered by the remote device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mirroring is done in real-time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein individual keystrokes on the intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool are rendered on the display of the remote device.