Wireless architecture and support for process control systems

• US 7,436,797 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Shepard, John R., Nelson, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US11/156,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20050276233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/401, 455/414.1, 455/414
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21079 Allocate at start up also to each controlled device a code for the master
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25061 Configuration stored in central database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25101 Detect connected module, load corresponding parameters, variables into module
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31121 Fielddevice, field controller, interface connected to fieldbus
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31123 Multi mode network controller, monitor, control, configuration, maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31151 Lan local area network
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• 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 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A wireless communication system for use in a process environment uses mesh and possibly a combination of mesh and point-to-point communications to produce a wireless communication network that can be easily set up, configured, changed and monitored, thereby making a wireless communication network that is less expensive, and more robust and reliable. The wireless communication system allows virtual communication paths to be established and used within the process control system in a manner that is independent of the manner in which the wireless signals are sent between different wireless transmitting and receiving devices within the process plant, to thereby operate in a manner that is independent of the specific messages or virtual communication paths within the process plant. Still further, communication analysis tools are provided to enable a user or operator to view the operation of the wireless communication network to thereby analyze the ongoing operation of the wireless communications within the wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A process control wireless communication network comprising:

a plurality of nodes, including a base node, a field node, and an environmental node; and

a host,

the base node communicatively coupled to the host,

the base node, the field node and the environmental node each including a wireless transceiver,

the wireless transceivers of the base node, the field node and the environmental node effecting wireless communications amongst the base node, the field node and the environmental node,

the field node including at least one field device providing process control data, the environmental node comprising at least one sensor device providing environmental data regarding one or more environmental factors that may affect operation of the wireless communication network, and

wherein the host includes a system to determine one or more communication network performance factors associated with the current operation of the wireless communication network that may be effected by the one or more environmental factors.

2. The network of claim 1 further comprising a repeater node including a further wireless transceiver, the repeater node effecting wireless communications between two or more of the base node, the field node and the environmental node.

3. The network of claim 1 wherein the environmental node includes one or more sensor devices, each of the one or more sensor devices providing data related to at least one of a temperature, a barometric pressure, a humidity, a rainfall or a radio frequency ambient noise.

4. The network of claim 1 wherein each field device of the field node is a HART protocol device.

5. The network of claim 1 wherein each field device of the field node is a Fieldbus™

protocol device.

6. The network of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of environmental nodes located within a process area for communicating environmental data associated with different locations within the process area.

7. The network of claim 1 wherein the base node, the environmental node and the field node form a mesh wireless communications network.

8. The network of claim 1 wherein the base node, the environmental node and the field node form a point-to-point wireless communications network.

9. The network of claim 1 further comprising a switch device to convert the base node, the environmental node and the field node from a mesh wireless communications network to a point-to-point wireless communications network or vice versa.

10. The network of claim 1 wherein the system of the host includes a monitor and a processor, the processor being programmed to provide a topology screen display on the monitor illustrating information about one or more wireless communications between the base node, the field node, and the environmental node of the network.

11. The network of claim 10 wherein the topology screen display also illustrates structural features of a process area in which the base node, the field node and the environmental node are disposed.

12. The network of claim 1 wherein the host includes a monitor and a processor, the processor being programmed to provide a screen display on the monitor listing a hop count between two or more of the field node and the environmental node and the base node of the network.

13. The network of claim 1 wherein at least one of the field devices communicates device data using the HART communication protocol and the device data communicated is converted from the HART communication protocol to a different protocol by one of the host or the base node.

14. The network of claim 1 wherein the environmental node and the field node are integrated in a common physical node.

15. The network of claim 1, wherein the system to determine the one or more communication network performance factors associated with the current operation of the wireless communication network includes a display monitor and a display program that operates to display the one or more communication network performance factors on the display monitor.

16. The network of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication network performance factors includes a hop count between two different ones of the plurality of nodes.

17. The network of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication performance factors includes an indication of a signal strength of a signal between two different ones of the plurality of nodes.

18. The network of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication performance factors includes an indication of one or more wireless communication paths being used between various ones of the plurality of nodes.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein the system to determine the one or more communication performance factors displays the one or more wireless communication paths being used between various ones of the plurality of nodes in conjunction with indications of physical structural elements within the process plant in which the one or more wireless communication paths are being used.

20. The network of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication performance factors includes an indication of a frequency used to establish a communication path between two or more of the plurality of nodes.

21. The network of claim 15, wherein the system to determine the one or more communication performance factors displays the one or more communication performance factors versus time.

22. The network of claim 21, wherein the system to determine the one or more communication performance factors displays the one or more communication performance factors versus time in conjunction with indications of the environmental data over a common period of time.

23. The network of claim 22, wherein the one or more environmental factors includes at least one of a temperature, a barometric pressure, a humidity, a rainfall or a radio frequency ambient noise.

24. A process control wireless communication network comprising:

a base node, a field node, an environmental node and a host,

the base node communicatively coupled to the host,

the base node, the field node and environmental node each including a wireless transceiver,

the wireless transceivers of the base node, the field node and the environmental node effecting both mesh and point-to-point wireless communications amongst the base node, the field node and the environmental node,

the network further comprising a switch to convert the base node, the environmental node and the field node from a mesh wireless communications network to a point-to-point wireless communications network and vice versa.

25. The network of claim 24 wherein the field node includes at least one field device providing process control data, and the environmental node includes at least one sensor device that produces data regarding one or more environmental factors that may affect the wireless communications of the network.

26. The network of claim 24 further comprising a repeater node including a wireless transceiver, the repeater node effecting wireless communications between two or more of the base node, the field node and the environmental node.

27. The network of claim 24 wherein the host comprises a monitor and a processor, the processor being programmed to provide a topology screen display on the monitor illustrating wireless communications between two or more of the base node the field node, and the environmental node of the network.

28. The network of claim 27 wherein the topology screen display also illustrates structural features of a process area in which the base node, the field node and the environmental node are disposed.

29. The network of claim 28 wherein the processor is also programmed to provide a screen display on the monitor indicating a hop count between two or more of the field node and the environmental node and the base node of the network.

30. A process control wireless communication network comprising:

a base node, a field node, an environmental node and a host,

the base node communicatively coupled to the host, the base node, the field node and the environmental node each including a wireless transceiver,

the wireless transceivers of the base node, the field node and the environmental node effecting wireless communications amongst the base node, the field node and the environmental node,

the field node comprising at least one field device providing process control data,

the environmental node comprising at least one sensor device providing data regarding one or more environmental factors that may affect the wireless communications of the network,

wherein at least one of the field device or the sensor device communicates using the HART communication protocol and at least some of the data communicated by the at least one of the field device or the sensor device is converted from the HART communication protocol to a different protocol by a conversion node to produce converted data,

the converted data being communicated to a routing node for determining an object device intended to receive the converted data and for sending the converted data to the object device.

31. The network of claim 30 wherein the conversion node is part of the base node.

32. The network of claim 30 wherein the conversion node is part of the host.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the environmental data is data selected from the group consisting of a temperature, a barometric pressure, a humidity, a rainfall and a radio frequency ambient noise.

33. A method for monitoring a wireless process control network comprising:

receiving environmental data from one or more environmental field devices of an environmental node disposed within the process control network,

wirelessly transmitting the environmental data to a base node disposed within the process control network,

transmitting the environmental data to a host,

interpreting the environmental data at the host,

sending a command from the host to the base node to adjust at least one operating parameter of the wireless process control network based on the environmental data,

transmitting the command from the base node to at least one field node having at least one field device thereby affecting the manner in which data is communicated through the wireless communication network.

35. A wireless communication network disposed in a process plant, comprising:

a host device including a display monitor and a processor and a memory;

a plurality of communication nodes, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication nodes is communicatively coupled to the host device, and wherein each of the plurality of communication nodes includes a wireless transceiver so that the wireless transccivcrs of the plurality of communication nodes implement wireless communications amongst the plurality of communication nodes;

one or more field devices that each performs a process control action within the process plant, each of the one or more field devices being communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of communication nodes; and

a program stored in the memory of the host device which, when executed on the processor of the host device, collects data related to the operation of wireless communications between the plurality of communication nodes and displays information on the display monitor related to the operation of the wireless communications between the plurality of communication nodes.

36. The wireless communication network of claim 35, wherein the program operates to display one or more wireless communication network performance factors on the display monitor.

37. The wireless communication network of claim 36, wherein the one or more communication network performance factors includes a hop count between two different ones of the plurality of communication nodes.

38. The wireless communication network of claim 36, wherein the one or more communication performance factors includes an indication of a signal strength of a signal between two different ones of the plurality of communication nodes.

39. The wireless communication network of claim 36, wherein the one or more communication performance factors includes an indication of one or more wireless communication paths being used between various ones of the plurality of communication nodes.

40. The wireless communication network of claim 39, wherein the program displays the one or more wireless communication paths being used between various ones of the plurality of communication nodes in conjunction with indications of physical structural elements within the process plant in which the one or more wireless communication paths are being used.

41. The wireless communication network of claim 36, wherein the one or more communication performance factors includes an indication of a frequency used to establish a communication path between two or more of the plurality of communication nodes.

42. The wireless communication network of claim 36, wherein the program displays the one or more communication performance factors versus time.

43. The wireless communication network of claim 36, wherein the program displays the one or more communication performance factors versus time in conjunction with indications of one or more measured environmental factors over the same time.

44. The wireless communication network of claim 43, wherein the one or more measured environmental factors includes at least one of a temperature, a barometric pressure, a humidity, a rainfall or a radio frequency ambient noise.

45. The wireless communication network of claim 35, further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of communication nodes to receive data from one or more of the field devices and to generate a control signal to be used to control at least one of the one or more field devices.