Wireless Plant Access Point Bridging Industrial Protocols
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Solution Overview
Problem
In process plant environments, traditional wired connections for firmware updates, software updates, calibration, and configuration of field devices are cumbersome, exposing devices to harsh conditions, limiting data access, and requiring complex, costly field communicators with restricted network authentication capabilities, especially during the provisioning of new devices.
Innovation Solution
A plant wireless access point (PWAP) facilitates wireless communications between field communicators and plant automation networks, enabling firmware updates, software updates, calibration, and diagnostics using common communication protocols like Wi-Fi or BLUETOOTH, while bridging communications between field devices and the plant automation network using industrial protocols like WirelessHART or ISA 100.11a, allowing access to broader network data and simplifying device provisioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wired connections are used for firmware updates and device management, then reliable communication is achieved, but device accessibility is reduced and operational safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wireless gateway as an intermediary device that bridges wired field devices and wireless communication networks. The gateway converts wireless communications into wired protocol communications, allowing remote device management without direct physical connection to field devices. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable communication through the gateway intermediary while enabling wireless accessibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If field communicators use specialized industrial automation protocols, then protocol compatibility is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless gateway acts as a protocol translation intermediary, converting between industrial automation protocols (HART, Fieldbus, 4-20mA) and standard wireless protocols (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth). This allows standard wireless communicators to interact with industrial devices without requiring specialized protocol hardware, reducing complexity while maintaining protocol compatibility through software-based translation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway provides universal protocol support by implementing multiple industrial protocols and wireless protocols in a single device. This multi-functionality allows a single gateway to serve various communication needs, reducing the requirement for multiple specialized communicators and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Reliability
If wired connections are required for device provisioning, then secure authentication is achieved, but provisioning time and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless gateway serves as a secure intermediary for authentication, allowing wireless provisioning requests to be translated into secure wired authentication sequences. The gateway can implement authentication protocols (such as HART authentication or Fieldbus security) over wireless connections, maintaining security requirements while enabling remote provisioning without physical device access.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary authentication and device pairing actions wirelessly through the gateway before actual device provisioning. This allows security credentials to be exchanged and validated in advance, reducing the time required during actual provisioning operations and minimizing operational disruption.
Data Source
AI summary
A plant wireless access point (PWAP) is disclosed that bridges communications between a field communicator and a plant automation network. The PWAP may facilitate provisioning of new plant devices into a plant automation wireless network using the field communicator, and may also facilitate the field communicator performing various functions regarding one or more plant devices connected to the plant automation network. The PWAP may allow a field communicator to access information from the plant automation network and/or from other sources via the plant automation network such as the Internet. In addition, the PWAP may determine a location of one or more field communicators relative to the PWAP and/or other devices connected to the plant automation network.