Device detection in process control system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to device detection in a process control system. A controller (102) for a process control system (100) is provided. The controller, in use, is configured to: detect an adapter type of at least one adapter (104) communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the at least one adapter is used to couple at least one field device (202) of the automation system to the process control system; selecting a communication protocol according to the detected adapter type, wherein the communication protocol is used for communicating with at least one field device; and communicating with the at least one field device using the selected communication protocol to control the industrial process performed by the automation system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to equipment detection in process control systems. Background Art

[0002] In the field of industrial automation, process control systems are used to control production processes performed by production plants, for example in the process industry or the automotive industry. During the design and commissioning of the plant, the process control system is provided with engineering data (using engineering tools) that define the relevant plant topology and the configuration of each of its fieldbus communication interfaces. The controller then configures the fieldbus communication interface based on the engineering data to enable subsequent communication with the relevant field devices. Without such engineering data, the process control application will remain idle and communication with the field devices will not occur. The method of configuring the fieldbus communication interface using engineering tools in this way is inflexible, complex, time-consuming and prone to errors. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to better solve one or more of these problems, in a first aspect of the present invention, a controller for a process control system is provided, wherein the controller is configured in use to:

[0004] detecting an adapter type of at least one adapter communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the at least one adapter is used to couple at least one field device of the automation system to the process control system;

[0005] selecting a communication protocol based on the detected adapter type, wherein the communication protocol is used to communicate with at least one field device; and

[0006] Communicating with at least one field device using the selected communication protocol to control an industrial process performed by the automation system.

[0007] Automatic device detection performed on the adapter in this manner enables the controller to begin communicating with the field device before any engineering data is received from the engineering tool, thereby reducing one or more of complexity, time consumption, and error proneness in automation system design and commissioning.

[0008] The controller may also include a universal communication interface configured to function as a communication interface in communications between the controller and at least one field device, wherein the universal communication interface is configured to implement a plurality of communication protocols, and wherein the controller configures the universal communication interface to operate using a communication protocol selected based on the detected adapter type. The term "universal" may be used to indicate that the communication interface is a protocol-independent or multi-protocol communication interface. The universal communication interface may be implemented as a universal communication processor.

[0009] Thus, the controller can be configured to select a communication protocol, and / or configure the generic communication interface accordingly, without any configuration from the engineering tool, i.e., independently of any such configuration or before any such configuration is received. In this way, the design and commissioning of the automation system can be further simplified, accelerated, and robust.

[0010] The controller is configured to detect the adapter type by obtaining an identifier of the coupled adapter. The identifier identifies at least the type or class of the adapter. The identifier may include a serial number of the adapter. The identifier is associated with at least one communication protocol so that the controller can determine at least one communication protocol used by the adapter based solely on the identifier. In one example, the controller obtains the identifier directly from the adapter, such as by reading the identifier from a memory located in the adapter and / or its inlay. In another example, detecting the adapter type may include detecting the type of inlay, wherein the inlay type uniquely identifies the communication protocol to be used by the associated adapter type. In other examples, both the detector type and the inlay type may be used to determine the communication protocol. In other examples, a trial and error method using at least one standard read transaction may be used to determine the adapter type. By detecting the adapter type in any manner described herein, the controller is able to determine the communication protocol to be used without the help of any external source (e.g., an engineering tool), so that the controller exhibits a self-learning capability for confirming the communication protocol to be used.

[0011] The controller can be configured to detect the coupling of the adapter to the process control system, and select a communication protocol in response to the detection of the coupling of the adapter. More specifically, the controller can be configured to detect the coupling of the adapter to the process control system, and in response to the detection of the coupling of the adapter, configure the universal communication interface to operate using the communication protocol. The coupling of the adapter to the process control system can be performed during the commissioning of the automation system, or later during factory operation if the existing adapter needs to be replaced. In one example, the controller is configured to detect the coupling of the adapter in the following manner: polling can find at least one predetermined address of the adapter here, and confirm the coupling in response to a response to the polling from the adapter. In this case, the controller and the adapter can be configured to communicate via a standardized interface, such as an I2C interface in which the controller is the master.

[0012] The controller may also be configured to detect at least one field device communicatively coupled to the process control system via an adapter. Detecting at least one field device may include using at least one protocol-specific device configuration protocol so that the field device can be found without knowing its IP or MAC address. In one example, the protocol includes the controller sending a ping signal to a predetermined address where the field device can potentially be found, and generating a real-time list based on the device response, which list indicates which devices are to be found at which address, such as in the case of PROFIBUS. The controller may be configured to obtain field device information from at least one field device. The field device information obtained from at least one field device may include information identifying at least one field device and / or indicating the type or class of at least one field device. The field device information may include the serial number of at least one field device. The field device information may indicate the hardware, firmware and / or software available at the field device.

[0013] The controller may be configured to determine a topology of at least a portion of the automation system based on the acquired field device information. The controller may be configured to verify the determined topology against an expected topology. The expected topology may be acquired from an engineering tool communicatively coupled to the process control system. Data about the determined topology and / or detected devices may be transmitted to, or available for use by, an engineering tool and / or a local diagnostic tool.

[0014] In any arrangement disclosed herein, the communication protocol selected by the controller may include a fieldbus protocol, such as PROFIBUS, CAN, MODBUS. "Protocol" refers to a set of rules or pre-agreed format for communication.

[0015] In any of the arrangements disclosed herein, the controller may be configured to perform a pre-check before using the adapter to confirm that the adapter is not in use by another controller.

[0016] In any of the arrangements disclosed herein, the controller may be configured to listen to the fieldbus prior to actively communicating on the bus to avoid interference with other devices (such as active controllers).

[0017] In any of the arrangements disclosed herein, all interfaces between the controller (or more specifically, its CPU) and the adapter may be media-independent, wherein the interface between the adapter and at least one field device may be media-dependent (in the arrangements disclosed herein, the adapter implements layer 1 conversion). "Media-independent" means that different types of PHY devices (physical layer or layer 1 devices) for connecting to different network signal transmission media (e.g., twisted pair, optical fiber, etc.) may be used without redesigning or replacing MAC hardware. In other words, any MAC may be used with any PHY, regardless of the network signal transmission medium.

[0018] In a second aspect, there is provided a process control method performed by a controller of a process control system, the method comprising:

[0019] detecting an adapter type of at least one adapter communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the at least one adapter is used to couple at least one field device of the automation system to the process control system;

[0020] selecting a communication protocol based on the detected adapter type, wherein the communication protocol is used to communicate with at least one field device; and

[0021] Communicating with at least one field device using the selected communication protocol to control an industrial process performed by the automation system.

[0022] Any optional features or sub-aspects of the first aspect may apply mutatis mutandis to the second aspect.

[0023] The method of the second aspect may be implemented by a computer.

[0024] According to a third aspect, there is provided a computing system configured to execute the method of the second aspect.

[0025] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program (product) comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system, enable or cause the computing system to perform the method of the second aspect.

[0026] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable (storage) medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system, enable or cause the computing system to perform the method of the second aspect. The computer readable medium may be transient or non-transient, volatile or non-volatile.

[0027] The present invention may include one or more aspects, examples or features, either alone or in combination, whether disclosed in this combination or alone.Any optional feature or sub-aspect of one of the above aspects is appropriately applicable to any other aspect.

[0028] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

[0029] A “(process) automation system” is an industrial plant or production plant which comprises one or more assembly lines, production lines and / or assembly lines for converting one or more educts into products and / or for assembling one or more components into a final product.

[0030] As used herein, the term "acquire" may include, for example, receiving from another system, device, or process; receiving via interaction with a user; loading or retrieving from storage or memory; measuring or capturing using a sensor or other data acquisition device.

[0031] The term "determining" as used herein includes a wide variety of actions, and may include, for example, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or other data structure), confirming, etc. Furthermore, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. Furthermore, "determining" may include solving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0032] The indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, "a" and "an" as used herein should generally be construed as meaning "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be in the singular.

[0033] Unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, the phrases "one or more of A, B, and C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "A, C, and / or B" as used herein are intended to refer to all possible permutations of one or more of the listed items. That is, the phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B), and the phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0034] The term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps. In addition, the terms "comprising", "including", "having" and the like can be used interchangeably in this document. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] A detailed description will now be given, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Figure 1 The process control system is illustrated;

[0037] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the scene Figure 1 Components of process control systems;

[0038] Figure 3 Pictured Figure 1 Automatic configuration method for a process control system; and

[0039] Figure 4Illustrated is a computing system that may be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Figure 1 Illustrated is a process control system 100 for controlling an industrial process performed by an automation system (not shown). The process control system 100 includes several different hardware units 102-108 physically and communicatively coupled to each other via a mounting terminal unit (MTU) 110, commonly referred to as a backplane. Figure 1 The unit shown includes an independent controller 102, an independent fieldbus adapter of the first type 104, an independent fieldbus adapter of the second type 106, and a controller 108 including an integrated fieldbus adapter. Each controller 102, 108 communicates with other components of the automation system (such as the engineering tool 200 described herein) through a control network. To this end, each controller 102 and 108 is equipped with a network interface, such as shown in 114, for communicating via at least one Ethernet-based fieldbus. Whenever the controller is required to communicate with a non-Ethernet fieldbus (such as PROFIBUS), a fieldbus adapter is required. The fieldbus adapter can be integrated into the controller unit, such as in the case of controller 108, in which case, the configuration performed by the engineering tool is not required, but the flexibility of adding or changing the fieldbus is not provided. Alternatively, the controller and the adapter can be implemented as separate units, such as in the case of units 102, 104, which provides flexibility in deployment but requires the controller 102 to obtain configuration data.

[0041] The mounting terminal unit (MTU) 110 includes a plurality of slots for accommodating the units 102-108. Each slot is provided with an inlay 112 corresponding to the type of unit to be accommodated in the slot. Each unit 102-108 can be detachably connected to the mounting terminal unit 110 via a corresponding inlay 112. The mounting terminal unit 110 may also include circuitry (not shown) for powering the unit and / or for accommodating a power module.

[0042] Each controller 102, 108 is configured to control a corresponding process performed by an automation system (not shown). The process control system 100 can be applied to any industrial field that requires process automation, such as energy, oil and gas, chemical industry, petrochemical industry, etc. The controller 102, 108 handles process control and monitoring of the automation system in the following manner: receiving input signals from sensors and instruments, and outputting control signals to control factory equipment such as pumps, valves, conveyors, mixers and heaters. Any such sensor, instrument or factory equipment can form a part of one or more field devices 202 described herein. The controller 102, 108 is configured to execute a process control application to generate a control signal based on an input signal. The control application may include control logic that indicates how the controller 102, 108 responds to all input signals with appropriate control signals to keep the process running normally. In a non-limiting example, the control application complies with the international standard IEC 61131.

[0043] Figure 2 A process control system 100 is schematically illustrated in the field, that is, it communicates with an engineering tool 200 and one or more field devices 202, which in the non-limiting example depicted in the figure include a field device 202-A and a field device 202-B. For convenience, Figure 2 Only the controller 102 and the adapter 104 are shown in FIG.

[0044] The engineering tool 200 , typically implemented as a software package, is used to create configuration data for the process control system 100 , which may be downloaded to the controller 102 .

[0045] The controller 102 includes a logic circuit system 204 configured to execute a control application. The logic circuit system 204 may include a CPU, an MCU, a SoC, an FPGA, a DSP, and / or an AI engine, and any memory for signal processing. The logic circuit system 204 may also be configured to perform any one or more of the other operations described herein.

[0046] Controller 102 also includes a communication interface 206 for handling communications between logic circuitry 204 and field bus adapter 104 .

[0047] The controller 102 also includes power down circuitry 208 for handling a power down sequence in the event of a power outage.

[0048] The fieldbus adapter 104 includes a fieldbus communication interface (FCI) 210 for interfacing with the field device 202 via a fieldbus-style communication network. The fieldbus communication interface 210 includes a fieldbus-specific transceiver and / or hardware driver for the fieldbus protocol implemented by the adapter 104. The adapter 104 may also be connectable to at least one input / output (I / O) module to input signals from and / or output signals to the field device 202.

[0049] The adapter 104 also includes a non-volatile storage device 212 that stores data including an identifier of the adapter 104 .

[0050] One known workflow for configuring the process control system 100 involves creating configuration data for the controller 102 using an engineering tool 200 based on a known topology of the plant, and downloading the configuration data to the controller 102, after which the controller 102 is enabled to communicate with the field devices 202 via the fieldbus adapter 104 when the control application is executed. One problem with this known approach is that installation failures may only become apparent after the control application is executed, which precludes early verification of the hardware installation. In other words, before any verification of the installed hardware is performed, provision must be made for testing of the control application, which can complicate or hinder the plant engineering workflow.

[0051] Accordingly, the present disclosure contemplates novel apparatus and methods directed toward simplifying or streamlining process control hardware and / or plant engineering workflows.

[0052] Reference again Figure 2 , the communication interface 206 of the controller 102 of the present disclosure includes a universal communication interface 206 configured to communicate using multiple fieldbus protocols (e.g., PROFIBUS, CAN, MODBUS). More specifically, the universal communication interface serves as a fieldbus communication interface for each type of fieldbus protocol used by the field device because it handles fieldbus-specific communications in layers 2 to 7 of each relevant fieldbus communication protocol. In a non-limiting example, the universal communication interface 206 includes a programmable logic circuit system, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), optionally located within a system on a chip (SoC). The FPGA is divided to support multiple fieldbus protocols. After detection of the adapter type, the programmable logic circuit system can be reconfigured, such as by loading the appropriate configuration into the FPGA (without interfering with other channels) so that the correct protocol handler is loaded into the FPGA.

[0053] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the field bus adapter 104 takes the form of a field bus physical layer adapter 104, wherein the communication interface 210 includes a physical signal conversion unit 210, which is used to process (preferably only process) communications in the physical layer (Layer 1) of a specific field bus protocol in order to achieve physical layer conversion.

[0054] Fieldbus physical layer adapter 104 is configured to provide access to its hardware ID from non-volatile storage device 212, for example, when queried, whereby logic circuit system 204 can identify adapter 104 to determine which fieldbus protocol it uses. Logic circuit system 204 can also configure universal communication interface 206 to operate according to the fieldbus protocol used by fieldbus adapter 104.

[0055] As described herein, adapter 104 is of a first type, ie, adapter 104 implements a physical layer of a first fieldbus protocol, and adapter 106 is of a second type, ie, adapter 106 implements a physical layer of a second fieldbus protocol.

[0056] Thus, when a fieldbus physical layer adapter 104 of a first type (e.g., PROFIBUS) is installed to the MTU 106, the universal communication interface 206 communicates using the first fieldbus protocol, and when a fieldbus physical layer adapter 106 of a second type (e.g., CAN) is installed, the universal communication interface 206 communicates using the second fieldbus protocol. In this way, the logic circuit system 204 is automatically configured to identify or recognize the fieldbus physical layer adapter (type) and configure the universal communication interface 206 accordingly without user intervention. At the same time, since the communication in the higher protocol layer is handled by the universal communication interface 206, the adapters 104, 106 only need to include a physical layer conversion unit 210, and can therefore be simplified by omitting the circuit system for processing the higher layers of the protocol stack. Therefore, the method disclosed herein provides the possibility of performing bottom-up engineering on fieldbus adapters and / or fieldbus devices. By accessing information (such as installed hardware, serial number, hardware / firmware version, etc.) from fieldbus adapters and fieldbus devices, the engineering process is simplified and fault detection of the actual installed hardware is accelerated.

[0057] After automatic configuration of the universal communication interface 206, the logic circuit system 204 can continue to detect available field devices 202-A, 202-B via the appropriately configured universal communication interface 106 and the fieldbus physical layer adapter 104. The information so collected can be used to verify the hardware installation. The information collected from the fieldbus devices 202 can be used to determine the topology of the automation system. The collected information can be used for other purposes, such as:

[0058] Presenting the actual hardware layout to the user to facilitate an overview of the health of the installed hardware;

[0059] Importing the actual hardware layout into the engineering tool 200, e.g. to speed up debugging;

[0060] • Consistency checking, which involves comparing the detected topology with the expected topology obtained from the engineering tool 200 .

[0061] In other cases, logic circuitry 204 may refrain from accessing Fieldbus device 202, for example, to avoid interfering with the operation of other controllers or adapters.

[0062] Although logic circuit system 204 and general communication interface 206 are Figure 2 Although illustrated as two separate units, it should be understood that they can be implemented by the same unit or in a more distributed manner.

[0063] Figure 3 An automatic configuration method 300 for a process control system 100 is illustrated. The method may be performed by the controller 102, and more specifically, may be performed by the logic circuit system 204. The method begins at step 302, where the logic circuit system 204 reads an ID from the non-volatile storage device 212 of the installed adapter 104 to identify it. At step 304, the adapter 104 returns its ID, which corresponds to a specific fieldbus adapter type. At step 306, the logic circuit system 204 configures the universal communication interface 206 according to the detected fieldbus physical layer adapter type. At step 308, the logic circuit system 204 optionally configures the physical signal conversion unit 210 of the adapter 104 (e.g., configures a multiplexer or switch to communicate with a fieldbus device), if necessary. At step 310, the logic circuit system 204 detects the fieldbus device 202 connected to the adapter 104, and thereby obtains fieldbus device information at step 312. Once the fieldbus device information is acquired, the logic circuit system 204 may respond to a topology read request received from the engineering tool 200 (which may be received at the beginning of the operation sequence) by returning the topology and information characterizing the adapter 104 and the field device 202 at step 316. Figure 3In response to the request received from the engineering tool (200) at step 318, the logic circuit system 204 may perform a consistency check at step 320 to compare the information obtained from the engineering tool 200 with the information obtained earlier in the automatic configuration process, and then return a positive or negative confirmation at step 322. The automatic configuration method may form part of a process control method that includes the further step of the controller 102 communicating with the field device 202 using the detected fieldbus protocol to control an industrial process performed by the automation system.

[0064] Any unit, module, circuit system or method described herein can be implemented using hardware, software and / or firmware configured to perform any operation described herein. Hardware may include one or more processor cores, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc. Software may be embodied as software packages, codes, instructions, instruction sets and / or data recorded on at least one transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium. Firmware may be embodied as codes, instructions or instruction sets and / or data hard-coded in a memory device (e.g., a non-volatile memory device).

[0065] If implemented in software, these functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted by a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media can include flash storage media, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, disks and optical disks include optical disks (CDs), laser optical disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks and blue optical disks (BDs), wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks usually reproduce data optically with lasers. In addition, the signal of propagation can be included in the scope of computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media also include communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. For example, a connection can be a communication medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies (such as infrared, radio and microwave), then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies (such as infrared, wireless and microwave) are also included in the definition of communication media. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0066] Figure 4 An exemplary computing system 800 that can be used in accordance with the systems and methods disclosed herein is illustrated. The computing system 800 can include or form a portion of any desktop, laptop, server, or cloud-based computing system. The computing system 800 includes at least one processor 802 that executes instructions stored in a memory 804. For example, the instructions can be instructions for implementing the functions performed by one or more components described herein, or instructions for implementing one or more of the methods described herein. The processor 802 can access the memory 804 via a system bus 806. In addition to storing executable instructions, the memory 804 can also store session inputs, scores assigned to session inputs, and the like.

[0067] The computing system 800 additionally includes a data storage 808 accessible by the processor 802 via the system bus 806. The data storage 808 may include executable instructions, log data, etc. The computing system 800 also includes an input interface 810 that allows external devices to communicate with the computing system 800. For example, the input interface 810 may be used to receive instructions from an external computer device, a user, etc. The computing system 800 also includes an output interface 812 that interfaces the computing system 800 with one or more external devices. For example, the computing system 800 may display text, images, etc. through the output interface 812.

[0068] It is contemplated that external devices communicating with the computing system 800 via input interface 810 and output interface 812 may be included in an environment providing substantially any type of user interface with which a user may interact. Examples of user interface types include graphical user interfaces, natural user interfaces, and the like. For example, a graphical user interface may accept input from a user using (multiple) input devices (such as keyboards, mice, remote controllers, etc.), and provide output on output devices such as displays. In addition, a natural user interface may enable a user to interact with the computing system 800 in a manner that is not constrained by input devices such as keyboards, mice, remote controllers, etc. On the contrary, a natural user interface may rely on speech recognition, touch and stylus recognition, gesture recognition on and near the screen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, speech and sound, vision, touch, gestures, machine intelligence, and the like.

[0069] Furthermore, although shown as a single system, it should be understood that the computing system 800 may be a distributed system. Thus, for example, several devices may communicate via a network connection and may jointly perform the tasks described as being performed by the computing system 800.

[0070] Applicants hereby disclose separately each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, as long as such feature or combination can be implemented according to the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art based on the specification as a whole, regardless of whether such feature or combination of features solves any problem disclosed herein, and is not limited to the scope of the claims. Applicants indicate that various aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features.

[0071] It must be noted that embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to different categories. In particular, some examples are described with reference to methods, while other examples are described with reference to devices. However, a person skilled in the art will understand from the description that, unless otherwise notified, any combination of features belonging to one category, in addition to any combination of features, any combination between features associated with different categories is also considered to be disclosed by the present application. However, all features can be combined to provide synergistic effects, rather than just a simple addition of features.

[0072] Although the present invention has been shown and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration and description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art through study of the drawings, the present disclosure, and the appended claims.

[0073] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0074] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A controller (102) for a process control system (100), wherein the controller is configured in use to: detecting an adapter type of at least one adapter (104) communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the at least one adapter is used to couple at least one field device (202) of an automation system to the process control system; automatically selecting a communication protocol based on the detected adapter type, wherein the communication protocol is used to communicate with the at least one field device; as well as Communicating with the at least one field device using the selected communication protocol to control an industrial process performed by the automation system.

2. The controller according to claim 1 further includes a universal communication interface (206) configured to be used as a communication interface in communications between the controller (102) and the at least one field device (202), wherein the universal communication interface is configured to implement multiple communication protocols, and wherein the controller configures the universal communication interface to operate using the communication protocol selected based on the detected adapter type.

3. The controller according to claim 1 or 2, further configured to detect the adapter type by obtaining an identifier (210) of a coupled adapter (104) or an identifier of an inlay (112) of the coupled adapter.

4. The controller according to any of the preceding claims, further configured to detect coupling of the adapter (104) to the process control system (100), and to select the communication protocol in response to the detection of the coupling of the adapter.

5. The controller of any one of the preceding claims, further configured to detect the at least one field device (202) communicatively coupled to the process control system (100) via the adapter (104).

6. The controller according to any of the preceding claims, further configured to obtain field device information from the at least one field device (202). 7 . The controller of claim 6 , further configured to determine a topology of at least a portion of the automation system based on the acquired field device information.

8. The controller of claim 7, further configured to validate the determined topology against an expected topology.

9. The controller of claim 8, wherein the expected topology is obtained from an engineering tool (200) communicatively coupled to the process control system (100).

10. A controller according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the selection of the communication protocol based on the detected adapter type occurs before the controller (102) receives any configuration or topology information from an engineering tool (200), or occurs independently of any such configuration or topology data received prior to the selection.

11. The controller of any of the preceding claims, further comprising logic circuitry (204) configured to execute a control application for controlling the industrial process performed by the automation system.

12. The controller according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller (102) is configured to be communicatively coupled to the at least one adapter (104) via an installation terminal unit (106) of the process control system (100).

13. A process control system (100) comprising a controller (102) according to any one of the preceding claims.

14. A process control method executed by a controller (102) of a process control system (100), the method comprising: detecting (302, 304) an adapter type of at least one adapter (104) communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the at least one adapter is used to couple at least one field device (202) of an automation system to the process control system; selecting (306) a communication protocol based on the detected adapter type, wherein the communication protocol is used to communicate with the at least one field device; as well as Communicating with the at least one field device using the selected communication protocol to control an industrial process performed by the automation system.

15. A computer readable medium (804) comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing system (800), cause the computing system to perform the method of claim 14.

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