Process control system including automatic sensing and automatic configuration of devices

Abstract

A digital control system with a predetermined configuration automatically senses the connection to a network of a digital device that is not included in the predetermined configuration. The digital device is assigned temporary address information and placed in a temporary state, called a standby state, in which the digital device supplies information to the digital control system allowing a user to access the digital device including access of device information and configuration parameters. Using the device information and configuration parameters, a user selectively commissions the digital device by assigning a physical device tag, a device address, and a device identification, and installing a control strategy to the digital device, thereby placing the digital device in an operational state in communication with the digital control system. In the standby state, a user interrogates to determine the type of device that is attached, determines the role of the device in the context of the digital control system, assigns a physical device tag that assigns the determined role to the device, and verifies connection of the device to the network. Also in the standby state, the user initiates other applications applied to the device, including calibration of the device and configuring the device within the overall control scheme of the digital control system.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is related to of copending application by Nixon et al., entitled “Process Control System Including Automatic Sensing and Automatic Configuration of Devices”, filed on Apr. 12, 1996, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 631,519, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto.[0002]This application is related to copending application by Nixon et al., entitled “A Process Control System Using Standard Protocol Control of Standard Devices and Non-standard Devices”, filed on Apr. 12, 1996, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 631,862, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto.[0003]This application is related to copending application by Nixon et al., entitled “A Process Control System for Versatile Control of Multiple Process Devices of Various Device Types”, filed on Apr. 12, 1996, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0028]Many advantages are achieved by the described system and method. One advantage is that configuration of a control system is greatly facilitated. The physical connection of a device to the network automatically initiates inclusion of the connected device into the control system. The described system and method advantageously facilitates conformity between the configuration of a network and the physical interconnections of the network that serves as the basis for the configuration. The described system and method assist programming of field devices from a remote location so that individual field setting of the devices, using a local setting device, is not necessary. The system and method support central programmability is highly useful to reduce system management costs and for reducing downtime of a process control system. A further advantage is that configuration of the entire system, rather setting of individual devices, leads to a system in which individual system settings are highly compatible.

Problems solved by technology

Individual programming of the field devices is time consuming and inefficient and often leads to incompatibilities between the device configuration and the configuration of other devices and controllers in the process control system since a global view of the system is more difficult to sustain when individual devices are programmed independently.

Usage of individual programming devices is inconvenient since multiple different programming devices typically must be used to program respective different field devices.

Furthermore, local device failures, including temporary failures or local power disruptions, interrupt operations of the entire control system, sometimes causing extended downtime since each failing device must be reconfigured locally.

However, the control protocols for communicating with the field devices may be insufficient to convey parameters that are sufficient to configure the system.

The three defined states are sufficient to describe the behavior of a device from the perspective of the system management, but are not adequate for describing a device from the perspective of either the fieldbus interface or software engineering tools for analyzing, controlling, or displaying the status of a device.

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