Fisher-rosemount Systems, Inc

Ken D Krivoshein

Dan Dean Christensen

Mark J Nixon

Gary Keith Law

Kent Allan Burr

John R Shepard

Duncan Schleiss

Rusty Shepard

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.

Process control system including automatic sensing and automatic configuration of devices

A versatile controller that can be used as either a stand-alone controller in a relatively small process plant or as one of numerous controllers in a distributed process control system depending on the needs of the process plant includes a processor adapted to be programmed to execute one or more programming routines and a memory, such as a non-volatile memory, coupled to the processor and adapted to store the one or more programming routines to be executed on the processor. The versatile controller also includes a plurality of field device input/output ports communicatively connected to the processor, a configuration communication port connected to the processor and to the memory to enable the controller to be configured with the programming routines and a second communication port which enables a user interface to be intermittently connected to the controller to view information stored within the controller memory. When used in a distributed process control system, the controller platform may be used as a remote input/output device and the ports of this remote input/output device may be logically mapped to controllers within the distributed process control system in a manner that is different than the physical connection between such controllers and the remote input/output device.

Highly versatile process control system controller

A digital control system automatically senses when a new controller is attached to a network and determines the number and types of I/O Ports that are attached to the new controller. The digital control system formats and displays the I/O Port information upon request by a user. The digital control system program also includes an automatic configuration program that responds to sensing of a new controller by automatically configuring the input/output (I/O) subsystem. The user adds a new controller without setting any physical switches or nodes. A user optionally supplies configuration information for a device into a database, prior to connection of a device. Upon connection of the device, the device is automatically sensed and configured using the database configuration information, without setting of physical switches or node address information on the devices.

Process control system including a method and apparatus for

Process control system including automatic sensing and automatic

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Elgin, TX, United States of America

Ken D Krivoshein