AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY FIELD DEVICE FOR USE IN AN EXPLOSIVE AREA

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a field device in automation technology for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere.

[0002] In automation technology, particularly in process automation technology, field devices are often used to record and / or influence process variables. Sensors such as level gauges, flow meters, pressure and temperature gauges, pH-redox potential meters, conductivity meters, etc., are used to record process variables and measure the corresponding process variables: level, flow, pressure, temperature, pH value, or conductivity. Actuators such as valves or pumps, which can be used to change the flow of a liquid in a pipe section or the fill level in a container, are used to influence process variables. In principle, field devices are all devices that are used close to the process and that provide or process process-relevant information.In the context of the invention, field devices are understood to include, in particular, remote I / Os, radio adapters or, in general, devices that are arranged at the field level.

[0003] A large number of such field devices are manufactured and distributed by Endress + Hauser.

[0004] Many field devices are available as so-called 2-wire versions. In this case, the power supply to the field device is provided via the same cable pair (two-wire) as the communication cable.

[0005] Particularly in the process industry, but also in automation technology, physical or technical quantities must often be measured or determined by field devices in areas where there is a potential risk of explosion, so-called potentially explosive atmospheres. By implementing appropriate measures in the field devices and evaluation systems (such as voltage and current limitation), the electrical energy in the transmitted signal can be limited so that this signal cannot trigger an explosion under any circumstances (short circuits, interruptions, thermal effects, etc.). Appropriate protection principles for this purpose have been defined in IEC EN DIN 60079-ff.

[0006] According to this standard, design and circuitry measures for field devices for use in potentially explosive atmospheres are defined based on the applicable types of protection. One of these types of protection is the "intrinsic safety" type of protection (Ex-i marking, IEC EN DIN 60079-11, published June 2012).

[0007] The "intrinsic safety" type of protection is based on the principle of current and voltage limitation in an electrical circuit. The energy in the circuit that could potentially ignite an explosive atmosphere is limited in such a way that neither sparks nor excessive heating of the electrical components can ignite the surrounding explosive atmosphere.

[0008] A critical area in which a possible ignition of the surrounding explosive atmosphere can occur is the connection terminals of a field device to which the two-wire cable is connected.

[0009] Therefore, a short-circuit current that may occur at the connection terminals is usually limited using an explosion-proof unit. State-of-the-art explosion-proof units usually comprise at least two, but usually three, series-connected diodes, which serve to decouple large capacitances (C > 100 nF). However, this has the disadvantage that the diodes generate a voltage drop even at low currents, which in turn results in a lower voltage and thus less power being available to the internal field device electronics.

[0010] This can be illustrated with a simple example. Assuming a 4-20mA field device that has a current of ≤ 3.6mA available in a fault state and is still to be operated with a supply voltage of 10.6V, the energy at the connection terminals is 38.16mW. If you now have three diodes in series and assume a relatively low forward voltage of 150mV across the diodes, you still have a loss of 0.54mW at each diode. For three diodes connected in series, this corresponds to a power loss of 1.62mW. This means that 4.25% (= 1.62mW / (3.6mA*10.6V) = 1.62mW / 38.16mW) of the available energy would be lost at the diodes.

[0011] The invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a field device with an explosion protection unit which has a lower power loss.

[0012] From DE 10 2008 060359 A1, a field device in automation technology for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere is known, which proposes a cascading of three switching cells, each having a transistor and a base resistor, as a solution to a similar task.

[0013] It is known from GB 2 578 931 A that the forward voltage of a reference voltage source can be adjusted by combining a diode with a resistor.

[0014] The object is achieved according to the invention by the field device of automation technology according to patent claim 1.

[0015] The field device of automation technology according to the invention for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere comprises: two connection terminals for connecting a two-wire line via which current can be supplied; a sensor and / or actuator element for detecting and / or setting a process variable; field device electronics connected to the connection terminals, to which the current that can be supplied via the two-wire line is supplied and which is configured to provide a power supply for the field device based on the supplied current and further to transmit or receive the process variable detected via the sensor element and / or a process variable to be set by the actuator element via the two-wire line; an explosion-proof unit as part of the field device electronics, which is introduced into a current path between the two connection terminals in order to limit a possible short-circuit current and has at least two diodes in series and at least one resistor connected in parallel to the at least two diodes.

[0016] An advantageous embodiment of the field device according to the invention provides that the at least two diodes and the at least one resistor are matched to one another in such a way that below a turning point of an output voltage (Uout) provided after the explosion protection unit, a power loss is essentially determined by the at least one resistor and above the turning point the power loss is essentially determined by the at least two diodes, wherein the turning point is in particular in the range of 0.1-6 volts, preferably in the range of 0.2-4 volts, particularly preferably in the range of 0.3-2.5 volts.

[0017] An advantageous embodiment of the field device according to the invention provides , that the at least two diodes and the at least one resistor are further matched to one another in such a way that a power loss below the turning point is lower than a power loss above the turning point.

[0018] An advantageous embodiment of the field device according to the invention provides that the at least one resistor has a resistance value in the range of 10-100 ohms, preferably 15-60 ohms, particularly preferably 30-35 ohms, most particularly preferably approximately 33 ohms.

[0019] An advantageous embodiment of the field device according to the invention provides that the at least two diodes each have a forward voltage of 0.3 V.

[0020] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following drawings. It shows: Fig. 1 : a schematic representation of a field device which is connected to a higher-level unit via a two-wire cable for signal and energy transmission, Fig. 2 : the explosion protection unit in detail, and Fig. 3a - 3c : Circuit simulations of the explosion protection unit.

[0021] Figur 1 shows a schematic representation of a field device 10, which is connected to a higher-level unit 12 via a two-wire cable 14 for signal and power transmission. In the example shown, the field device 10 is a measuring point in which a measured value or process variable (e.g., temperature, pressure, humidity, fill level, flow) is recorded using a sensor 16. However, the field device could just as easily be an actuator point in which a process variable is set using an actuator.

[0022] The field device 10 does not contain its own power source, but draws the supply current required for its operation via the two-wire line 14. This can be provided, for example, by a voltage source 18 contained in the higher-level unit 12. A measured value signal representing the currently measured value is transmitted from the field device 10 to the higher-level unit 12 via the same two-wire line 14. According to a conventional technique, the measured value signal is a signal current IS flowing via the two-wire line 14, which can change between two predetermined values (usually the current values 4 mA and 20 mA). The voltage source 18 supplies a direct voltage Uv, and the measuring current Is is a direct current.

[0023] For the acquisition of measured values, the field device 10 contains the already mentioned sensor 16 and a measuring transducer circuit 20 connected to it, which outputs signals representing the acquired measured value at an output 22.

[0024] The higher-level unit 12 contains an evaluation circuit 26, which extracts the measured value information from the signal current Is transmitted via the two-wire line 14. For this purpose, a measuring resistor 28 is inserted into the two-wire line, across which a voltage UM is generated that is proportional to the signal current Is transmitted via the two-wire line and is fed to the evaluation circuit 26.

[0025] The signal current Is is set in the field device 10 by a controllable current controller or current sink 32, to which the signal output by the transducer circuit 20 at output 24 is fed as a control signal for the signal current Is to be determined. Depending on the measured value acquired in each case, the signal current Is flowing in the two-wire line is thus set by a corresponding control of the current controller or current sink 32. The current controller or current sink can, for example, comprise a transistor that is controlled by the control signal from the transducer circuit 20.

[0026] As from Fig. 1 As can be seen, the field device 10 further includes a voltage source 34 and a voltage regulator 36, for example in the form of a switching or linear regulator, whose task is to generate the most constant operating voltage possible for the transducer circuit 20 and the sensor 16. The input voltage for the voltage regulator 36 is supplied by the voltage source 34. The voltage source 34 can be a capacitor, for example. The use of the voltage regulator 36 in conjunction with the voltage source 34 makes it possible to always provide the highest possible performance to the transducer circuit 20 and the sensor 16.The voltage regulator 36 ensures that, despite an increase in its input voltage Ue, the operating voltage of the measuring transducer circuit 20 and the sensor 16 is kept at a constant value, so that by increasing the input voltage Ue at the voltage regulator 36, a higher input power is available, which thus also enables a higher output power.

[0027] If a measured value acquired by sensor 16 is at the lower end of the measured value range, the signal current Is also assumes the lower value of the signal current range. With the standard 4-20 mA technology, this would be 4 mA. Similarly, if a measured value acquired by sensor 16 is at the upper end of the measured value range, the signal current Is assumes the upper value of the signal current range. With the standard 4-20 mA technology, this would be 20 mA.

[0028] Furthermore, the field device 10 comprises an explosion-proof unit 38, which is arranged between the controllable power source and one of the connection terminals 30 in the current path of Is. In Fig. 1 The explosion-proof unit 38 is arranged between the upper connection terminal 30 and the controllable current regulator or current sink 32. However, the explosion-proof unit 38 can also be arranged in the field device behind the lower connection terminal.

[0029] The explosion protection unit 38 allows the field device 10 to be used in the potentially explosive areas mentioned above, since the short-circuit current is reduced to a non-critical value by the explosion protection unit.

[0030] Fig. 2 shows an explosion protection unit 38 designed according to the invention. This comprises three diodes 40 connected in series with one another and a resistor 42 which is arranged or connected in parallel to the series connection of the diodes. By combining the series connection of the diodes 40 and the resistor 42 connected in parallel, the power loss can be reduced. This will be explained using the following example. For example, it is assumed that the resistor has a value of 33 ohms. In this case, if one stays with the example mentioned at the beginning (Is = 3.6 mA and Uk = 10.6 V), one would have a voltage drop across the resistor of 118.8 mV and thus a power loss of 0.427 mW. This would mean that the power loss would have been reduced by 74%. In order to avoid a disproportionate increase in the power loss due to the current dependence of the resistor, ieTo prevent this, the three diodes 40 are connected in parallel with resistor 42. Without the parallel-connected diodes 40, a maximum current Is of 22 mA and a resistance of 33 ohms would result in a power dissipation of 15.972 mW. To avoid these losses, the series connection of the three diodes 40 remains in the circuit. In this state, this would result in a power dissipation of 9.9 mW.

[0031] For clarification, the Fig. 3a - 3c A circuit simulation for the explosion-proof unit 38 is shown. The voltage, current, and power loss across the explosion-proof unit were simulated over time. The explosion-proof unit 38 was simulated once with a resistor alone (i.e., without the parallel-connected diodes), once with the three series-connected diodes alone (i.e., without the parallel-connected resistor), and once with the inventive combination of the three series-connected diodes 40 and the parallel-connected resistor 42 as a limiting measure. Fig. 3a shows only the current Is versus the time with which the corresponding circuit was simulated.

[0032] The circuit simulation turns Fig. 3b It can be seen that with the limiting measure by the series-connected diodes alone, a voltage drop across the explosion-proof unit up to a turning point at approx. 0.85V is greater than with a limiting measure by the resistor alone.

[0033] After the inflection point at approximately 0.85 V, the behavior changes and the voltage drop across the explosion protection unit, which consists only of the resistor, becomes greater than that across the explosion protection unit, which consists of the diodes. The same behavior is also evident for the power loss of the explosion protection unit and is Fig. 3c This results in the power available at the output of the explosion protection unit changing accordingly, ie with an explosion protection unit consisting only of diodes, less power is available at the output of the explosion protection unit up to the turning point and more power is available after the turning point compared to an explosion protection unit consisting purely of the resistor.

[0034] In the Fig. 3a - 3c The result of the circuit simulation for an explosion protection unit designed according to the invention, consisting of a resistor and three diodes connected in parallel, is also shown. Fig. 3c The circuit simulation shown shows that the combination of both limiting methods (resistor and diodes connected in parallel) provides the maximum output power over a very wide range of 0 - 40mA. List of reference symbols

[0035] 10Field device 12Higher-level unit, e.g., programmable controller (PLC) 14Two-wire cable 16Sensor 20Measuring transformer circuit 24Output of the measuring transformer circuit 30Connecting terminals 32Controllable current regulation or current sink 34Energy storage element 36Voltage regulator, e.g., switching regulator or linear regulator 38Ex-protection unit 40Diodes of the Ex-protection unit 42Resistance of the Ex-protection unit UeVoltage at the output of the storage element IsMeasuring current UkTerminal voltage WPTurning point

Claims

1. An automation technology field device (10) for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere, having: - Two connection terminals (30) for connecting a two-wire cable (14) via which current can be supplied; - A sensor and / or actuator element (16) for detecting and / or supplying a process variable; - Field device electronics (32, 34, 36, 38) connected to the connection terminals (30) to which the current (Is) which can be supplied via the two-wire cable (14) is supplied and which are configured to provide a power supply for the field device using the supplied current (Is) and further to transmit and / or receive the process variable detected by the sensor element (16) and / or a process variable to be provided by the actuator element (16) via the two-wire cable (14); - An Ex protection unit (38) as part of the field device electronics, which is integrated in a current path (50) between the two connection terminals (14), in order to limit a possible short-circuit current and which has at least two diodes (40) in series and at least one resistor (42) connected in parallel to the at least two diodes (40).

2. The automation technology field device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two diodes (40) and the at least on resistor (42) are adapted to each other in such a way that a dissipated power below an inflection point of an output voltage (Uout) provided downstream of the Ex protection unit is mainly determined by the at least one resistor and that the dissipated power above the inflection point is mainly determined by the at least two diodes (40), wherein the inflection point is in particular in the range from 0.1-6 volts, preferably in the range from 0.2-4 volts, particularly preferably in the range from 0.3-2.1 volts.

3. The automation technology field device as claimed in the preceding claim, wherein the at least two diodes (40) and the at least one resistor (42) are further adapted to each other in such a way that a dissipated power below the inflection point is less than a dissipated power above the inflection point.

4. The automation technology field device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one resistor (42) has a resistance value in the range from 10-100 ohm, preferably 15-60 ohm, particularly preferably 30-35 ohm, most particularly preferably approx. 33 ohm.

5. The automation technology field device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two diodes (40) each have a forward voltage of 0.3 V.