Appendable system and devices for data acquisition, analysis and control

• US 7,848,906 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Blevins, Terrence L., Nixon, Mark J., Ramachandran, Ram, Keyes, Marion A. IV, Eddie, Ron, Schleiss, Trevor Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnes-Bullock; Crystal J
• Application Number:
  US12/264,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20090062931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3.1, 340/3.7, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.41, 340/445, 340/447, 340/500, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/539.22, 340/635, 340/693.5, 340/693.9, 34087001-87003, 340/870.11, 340/901, 340/902, 340/904, 340/988, 700/11, 700/17, 700/19, 700/65, 702/182, 702/183, 702/188
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

An appendable system includes a plurality of appendable devices that are adapted to interoperate with each other and/or a workstation via a communication network to monitor and/or control a process. Each of the appendable devices can communicate with one or more sensors and/or control outputs and includes a housing that facilitates mounting of the appendable device to a surface.

Claims

1. An appendable system for controlling a closed loop process, comprising:

a plurality of appendable devices, each of which includes an antenna, a transceiver, a processor, a memory, an input/output interface adapted to enable the processor to communicate with one of a sensor and a control output, and a housing adapted to facilitate surface mounting of the appendable device to an entity in a process control system; and

a computer system adapted to communicate with one or more of the plurality of appendable devices so that a first one of the plurality of appendable devices senses a first parameter of the process and a second one of the plurality of appendable devices controls a second parameter of the process based on the first sensed parameter as a result of the first parameter used in the closed loop process.

2. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of appendable devices is adapted to generate information associated with one of an alarm condition of the process and a condition of the appendable device.

3. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further adapted to configure the plurality of appendable devices based on configuration information stored in one of a central database and the plurality of appendable devices.

4. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further adapted to perform a security function that prevents unauthorized access to the appendable system.

5. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further adapted to interface with a wireless handheld device.

6. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of appendable devices includes an internal power source that provides power using one of a capacitor, a battery, vibrations, light and a magnetic field.

7. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein the housing is adapted to be mounted to a surface using one of an adhesive, a screw, a clamp, a magnet and a tie-wrap.

8. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein the antenna is one of a wire whip, a coil integrally attached to the housing, conductive traces on a printed circuit assembly and a discrete wire coil.

9. The appendable system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is one of a controller and a workstation.