Method for monitoring a transmitter and corresponding transmitter

• US 9,689,722 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Pichot, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Betsch, Regis
• Application Number:
  US13/630,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20130178176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/00 Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/14114 Integrity, error detector, switch off controller, fail safe
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0291 Switching into safety or degraded mode, e.g. protection and supervision after failure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/07 Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/17 Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations H04B17/18 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for monitoring a transmitter (1) with a measurement (2) and a transmission unit (3), with which a measurement (2) signal is generated that is dependent on a measurement quantity, and with the transmission unit (3) receiving the measurement signal, and based on the measurement signal, an output signal is transferred to a signal transmission element (4). To makes it possible to recognize an error, an input signal is taken from the signal transmission element (4) and is transferred to the measurement unit (2) as a comparison signal which corresponds to the input is compared with a stored signal and based upon the outcome of the comparison, either the measurement signal is transferred from the measurement unit (2) to the transmission unit (3) or the transmission unit (3) is shifted into a definable state and an error signal is transferred to it.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a transmitter having a measurement unit, a transmission unit, a connecting line, and a signal transmission element that is part of a field bus, the measurement unit and the transmission unit being interconnected at least for transmission of signals and being connected by the connecting line for supplying power from the transmission unit to the measurement unit,

comprising the steps of:

using the measurement unit to determine a measurement quantity and to produce a measurement signal which is dependent on the determined measurement quantity,

using the transmission unit to receive the measurement signal from the measurement unit and to transfer an output signal in converted form to the signal transmission element based on the measurement signal,

tapping signal from the signal transmission element and supplying the signal that has been tapped back to the transmission unit for transmission back to the measurement unit as a comparison signal,

inducing from the transmission unit, a determination of the measurement quantity by the measurement unit,

transferring the comparison signal, which corresponds to the signal tapped from the transmission element and input to the transmission unit from the transmission element, to the measurement unit,

comparing the comparison signal with a stored signal and producing a comparison result, and

depending on the comparison result, either the measurement signal which has been generated following the determination of the measurement quantity is transferred from the measurement unit to the transmission unit if a positive comparison result is produced or an error signal is transferred from the measurement unit to the transmission unit by acting on the connecting line if a negative comparison result is produced.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in an additional error monitoring, the transmission unit transfers an error signal to the signal transmission element when the instant of determining the measurement quantity lies outside a defined time window.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the charging state of the transmission unit is influenced via the connecting line such that monitoring of the charging state of the transmission unit detects a charging state error.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the positive comparison result is produced in the case when the comparison signal and the stored signal agree with one another within a defined tolerance range, and wherein, when the positive comparison result is produced, the measurement signal which has been generated following the determination of the measurement quantity is stored as the stored signal.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transfers an error signal to the signal transmission element when an instant of transfer of the measurement signal from the measurement unit to the transmission unit lies outside a defined time window.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein in the case of the negative comparison result, the error signal is transferred by acting on the connecting line via discharging a capacitor of the transmission unit with a time constant different from a time constant occurring in a normal case.

4. A transmitter, comprising:

a signal transmission element that is part of a field bus,

a measurement unit for determining a measurement quantity and producing a measurement signal which is dependent on the measurement quantity determined,

a transmission unit that is interconnected with the measurement unit at least for transmission of signals, and being adapted for receiving the measurement signal from the measurement unit and transferring an electrical output signal to the signal transmission element based on the measurement signal,

a connecting line for transmitting energy between the measurement unit and the transmission unit, and

a storage unit,

wherein the transmission unit is adapted for inputting an electrical signal taken from the signal transmission element and to transfer a comparison signal, which is dependent on the signal input from the signal transmission element, to the measurement unit,

wherein the transmission unit and the measurement unit are constructed and matched to one another such that the transmission unit is able to induce a determination of the measurement quantity by the measurement unit,

wherein the measurement unit is made to transmit the measurement signal to the transmission unit and to receive the comparison signal from the transmission unit,

wherein the measurement unit has at least one comparison unit,

wherein the comparison unit is adapted to compare the comparison signal to a signal stored in the storage unit, and to produce a comparison result based thereon, and

wherein the measurement unit depending on the comparison result transfers either the measurement signal to the transmission unit or transfers an error signal to the transmission unit by acting on the connecting line so as to set an energy demand outside of a given normal range.