Fisher-rosemount Systems, Inc

Doyle Eugene Broom

Mark J Nixon

Gary Keith Law

Kent Allan Burr

Deborah R Colclazier

Klaus Erni

Wade C Stewart

David M Hyde

A disclosed example apparatus includes a termination panel, a shared bus on the termination panel, and a plurality of bases on the termination panel along the shared bus. Each of the bases is to removably receive modules that are to communicate with field devices. Each of the bases includes first and second physical interfaces. The first physical interface is to be communicatively coupled to different types of the field devices and to exchange communications with one or more of the field devices via a plurality of different communication protocols. The second physical interface is to communicatively couple the removably receivable modules to the shared bus to communicate with a controller via the shared bus.

Apparatus and methods to communicatively couple field devices to controllers in a process control system system

A disclosed example apparatus includes a first interface to be communicatively coupled to one of a first field device or a second field device. The first interface communicates using a first fieldbus communication protocol when coupled to the first field device and communicates using a second fieldbus communication protocol when coupled to the second field device. The example apparatus includes a communication processor to encode first information received from the one of the first field device or the second field device for communication via a bus using a third communication protocol. The example apparatus includes a second interface communicatively coupled to the communication processor and the bus to communicate the first information to a controller in the process control system. The bus is to use the third communication protocol to communicate second information received from the other one of the first field device or the second field device.

Apparatus and methods to communicatively couple field devices to controllers in a process control system

A disclosed example system includes a termination panel, and a shared bus on the termination panel. The shared bus is to removably receive a plurality of bases that removably receive modules to communicate with field devices, and communicatively couple the modules to an input/output card to exchange communications between the modules and a controller that is in communication with the input/output card via a second bus.

A system for managing an inventory of process control devices in a process plant includes a computer workstation, a database storing instrument specification data for one or more process control devices used for controlling a process performed in the process plant environment, a wireless gateway adapted to wirelessly communicate with wireless enabled process control devices in the process plant environment, a communication bus interconnecting the wireless gateway, the computer workstation, and the database, an inventory control application executed by the computer workstation. The inventory control application is adapted to interrogate a received process control device via the wireless gateway to receive device data from the received process control device identifying and describing the received process control device. The inventory control application is further adapted to access the database to retrieve instrument specification data for the received process control device and compare the received device data to the retrieved instrument specification data. The inventory control application ensures that the received process control device corresponds to the instrument specification data.

Automatic receiving, inspection, inventory management and reporting using wireless communications

Example apparatus and methods to communicatively couple field devices to controllers in a process control system are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a first interface configured to receive first information from a field device using a first communication protocol. The example apparatus also includes a communication processor communicatively coupled to the first interface and configured to encode the first information for communication via a bus using a second communication protocol. In addition, the example apparatus includes a second interface communicatively coupled to the communication processor and the bus and configured to communicate the first information via the bus using the second communication protocol. The bus is configured to use the second communication protocol to communicate second information associated with another field device.

The present invention is directed to an analysis tool for aiding in the design of a process control system which conforms to a standard protocol. Such a tool advantageously allows the efficient design of a process control system while ensuring that the physical characteristics of the system conform to the standard.

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Georgetown, TX, United States of America

Doyle Eugene Broom