Siemens Industry, Inc.

Michel J Baillargeon

Glen Eugene Schmidt

Ray Dean Shepherd

Gregory J Golden

Bob Farmer

Robert Farmer

Thomas Burghardt

The present invention is a novel device, system, and method for data transport and bus architecture. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the bus architecture may comprise of a continuous serial bus that may be incorporated into a process control sample system to provide an intrinsically safe and efficient system. An alternative exemplary embodiment, in an intrinsically safe control sampling system, a data transport device may be used to couple sampling controls and analyzers. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may contain an access controller providing a protocol bridge for an intrinsically safe control sampling system to couple sampling controls and analyzers.

Data transport architecture

A system and method for providing a serial communication bus is disclosed. A serial communication bus connects multiple footprint devices, such as electronic sensors in a process control sample system. The footprint devices can utilize various footprint device specific communication protocols. Multiple tophat devices act as general I/O ports for connecting with the footprint devices. Each tophat device identifies the footprint device specific communication protocol of a connected footprint device, converts outputs signals transmitted from the connected footprint device from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to a standard bus communication protocol, and converts input signals directed to the connected footprint device from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device. The serial communication bus connects the tophat devices and transmits input and output signals using the standard bus communication protocol.

Method and apparatus for serial bus communication

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Bartlesville, OK, United States of America

Michel J Baillargeon