Endress+hauserse+co. Kg

Simon Gerwig

Christian Strittmatter

Harald Schäuble

Tobias Paul

Bernd Strütt

Patrick Geib

Mike Frank

Wolfgang Brutschin

Ralph Stib

Max Bauer

Florian Asal

Michael Dötsch

Wolfgang Trunzer

Raphael Schonhardt

Roberto Lugli

Martin Link

Ralf Leisinger

Andreas Fuz

Markus Bothur

Eric Schmitt

Dirk Rapp

Thorsten Siedler

Torsten Weinstein

An intrinsically safe field device of automation technology comprises connection terminals via which a current can be supplied; a sensor element and/or actuator element; field device electronics with a current path between the connection terminals and a voltage regulator incorporated into the current path; and an explosion protection unit comprising at least two controllable switching elements, incorporated into the current path in series, and two threshold value circuits designed such that a first threshold value circuit controls a first switching element as a function of a first threshold value, and a second threshold value circuit controls a second switching element as a function of a second threshold value, such that, upon the first and/or second threshold value being reached, the current is limited to the first and/or second threshold value, and the threshold value circuits are connected in parallel to the voltage regulator.

Intrinsically safe automation field device

An automation field device comprises a first, a second, and a third connection pin; and a field device electronics designed to be operated either in a two-conductor mode or in a three-conductor mode. The field device electronics have an energy supply unit designed to provide internal energy supply exclusively by means of the fed current in the two-conductor mode. In the three-conductor mode, an additional auxiliary current is to be fed to the field device electronics via an additional single-wire line connected to the third connection pin, and the energy supply unit is also designed to provide the internal energy supply via the fed current and the fed additional auxiliary current. Furthermore, the field device electronics are designed to use the additionally fed auxiliary current for internal energy supply only if the current fed by means of the two-wire line is not sufficient for the internal energy supply.

Automation field device with auxiliary current input

An automation field device comprises at least four connection pins for connecting the field device; a field device electronics adapted, in a first operating state, to provide a 4-20 mA signal via a first and second connection pin, in a second operating state, to be supplied with a supply voltage via the first and a third connection pin and via a fourth connection pin to enable an IO-Link communication or to provide a first switch output and supplementally to provide a second switch output on the second connection pin, and, in a third operating state, to be supplied with the supply voltage via the first and third connection pins and via the fourth connection pin to enable the IO-Link communication or to provide the first switch output and supplementally to provide a 4-20 mA current output on the second connection pin.

Automation field device

The invention relates to a level converter for adjusting a first reference potential and/or a first communication voltage of a first component to a second reference potential and/or a second communication voltage of a second component, wherein the level converter is arranged between the first component and the second component, wherein the level converter has a first transistor with a downstream first resistor, wherein the level converter is configured in such a way that the second reference potential drops at the first resistor in a blocked state of the first transistor and that the second communication voltage drops at the first resistor in an open state of the first transistor.

Level converter

A method for operating an automation field device comprises connecting a two-conductor line with an input terminal of the field device; setting a minimum electrical current value at the input terminal of the field device in an initializing phase; measuring a maximum voltage value at the input terminal in the initializing phase; ascertaining a minimum supplemental power supplied to the field device at the input terminal and which is available to the field device for performing at least one supplemental functionality; and activating/switching on a supplemental module by the processing unit when the ascertained minimum supplemental power is greater than or equal to an operating power needed for operating the supplemental module, wherein by the activating/switching on of the supplemental module a corresponding supplemental functionality is performed by the field device in measurement operation.

Method for operating an automation field device

A method for operating a wireless field-device network, comprising: wirelessly transmitting a process variable and an expected remaining running time from each field device to the other field devices within a field-device network so that in each field device the process variable and the expected remaining running time of the other field devices of the field-device network are stored; activating a second radio module of that field device which has the highest expected remaining running time, and deactivating the second radio modules of the other field devices within the field-device network; wirelessly transmitting the process variables of all field devices of the field-device network stored in the active field device, or at least a subset of the stored process variables, to the superordinate unit, which is not part of the field-device network, by means of the second radio module of the active field device.

Method for operating a wireless field-device network

A method for operating at least one optoelectronic button or operating element arranged behind an optically transparent control panel of a field device of automation technology for detecting an actuation of the optoelectronic button or operating element by an operator of the field device includes detecting whether the field device of automation technology is located in an interior area or in an exterior area; defining an evaluation condition which is used to detect the actuation of the optical button or control element; and detecting or evaluating whether an actuation of the optoelectronic button or control element is present based on the defined evaluation condition.

Method for operating an optoelectronic touch and/or operating element

Disclosed is a field device comprising: a connection terminal; field device electronics; an internal interface for connecting an electronic module; the electronic module having at least one electronic component for realizing an additional functionality; a capacitor, which is designed to provide an additional first auxiliary energy amount to the component if the component of the electronic module has an energy demand exceeding the main power; a battery, which is designed to provide a second auxiliary energy amount to the at least one component if the at least one component of the electronic module has an energy demand exceeding the main power and the first auxiliary energy amount, wherein the battery provides the second auxiliary energy amount to the component only if the main power and the first auxiliary energy amount are not sufficient for the energy supply of the component.

An automation field device comprises a housing that surrounds an inner space; a sensor- and/or actuator element arranged at the housing; an electronic circuit arranged in the housing and having a round, outer contour and a plurality of spring contacts in an edge region. The inner contour of the housing and the edge contour of the first circuit board are adapted to one another so that the first circuit board is introducible into the housing with a main plane orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the housing. The spring contacts are so arranged on the first circuit board and embodied to hold the first circuit board in the inner space and to produce an electrical connection between the first circuit board and the housing to drain away disturbance currents from the first circuit board.

A method for detecting errors or malfunctions in electrical or electronic components of circuits, wherein each of the circuits is located on a circuit board and wherein a plurality of circuit boards border one another on a circuit board panel, includes populating each of the circuit boards of the circuit board panel with electrical or electronic components corresponding to the circuits; for each of the analog, electrical or electronic components used for the construction of the circuits, placing a corresponding test component in an edge region of the circuit board panel; providing the analog, electrical or electronic test components placed in the edge region of the circuit board panel with test points; and checking for the correct function value and/or the correct poling of the analog, electrical or electronic test components provided with test points and located in the edge region of the circuit board panel.

Method for detecting errors or malfunctions in electrical or electronic components of a circuit arrangement

A field device for automation, comprising: a housing; arranged within the housing, a field device electronics, to which a maximum power is made available via a two-wire line; a memory element for storing of data, wherein the memory element, for exchange of data and/or for energy supply, is electrically connected with the field device electronics and, at least in the case of storing the data, requires a power, which at least at times is higher than the maximum power available via the two-wire line; a first, NFC antenna, which is adapted wirelessly to receive an auxiliary energy and to provide the auxiliary energy to the field device electronics; a second antenna, which is adapted to communicate the data wirelessly and to exchange such with the field device electronics; wherein the field device electronics is adapted to supply the memory element with the auxiliary energy.

A field device of automation technology includes a field device housing and a field device electronics arranged in the field device housing. The field device also includes a first rechargeable battery arranged in the field device housing for energy supply of the field device electronics and a receiving unit with a receiving coil for receiving wirelessly inductively transmitted energy. The receiving unit is connected with the rechargeable battery so that the received, wirelessly inductively transmitted energy is storable, and is stored, in the rechargeable battery. The field device electronics is adapted in such a manner that energy supply occurs exclusively or at least partially from the first rechargeable battery and wherein the receiving unit and the receiving coil are adapted to receive wirelessly inductively transmitted energy as defined in a Qi standard 1.2.4 or a standard derived therefrom and to store such in the first rechargeable battery.

Field device of automation technology

Configuration switch-for setting a specific configuration from a plurality of settable configurations, wherein the configuration switch-has at least one plurality of selectable, mutually differing RC combinations, wherein each RC combination has at least one specific, characteristic variable, which is associated with a settable configuration and wherein to set the specific configuration a specific RC combination is selected/selectable, so that via an output signal-on an output-of the configuration switch, which output signal-comprises the specific, characteristic variable of the selected RC combination, the specific configuration to be set is established based on the specific, characteristic variable.

Configuration switch and bus participant comprising such a configuration switch

The invention relates to a method for mechanical connecting especially of a potting frame to a printed circuit board of an electrical/electronic module. The potting frame includes a metal contact area. The printed circuit board includes a surface area structured metallically corresponding to the contact area. The method includes positioning the mechanical component with the contact area facing the corresponding surface area, and soldering the mechanical component to the printed circuit board via the contact area and the surface area. The method the advantage that a material saving encapsulation can be provided for electrical/electronic modules in explosion endangered regions. An additional process step for mechanical connecting of the encapsulation to the printed circuit board can be omitted, since the mechanical connecting of the potting frame can be performed in one process step together with the soldering of the additional electrical/electronic components to the printed circuit board.

Method for mechanical contacting of a potting frame on a printed circuit board

The present disclosure relates to an explosion resistant electronic module having a high-speed interface and a method for electronic contacting of such electronic module via such interface. The electronic module includes an electronic component, an electrical contact area for electrical contacting the electronic component and an encapsulation, which encapsulates at least the electrical contact area. The encapsulation is embodied such that the contact area is contactable through the encapsulation by an electrical contact pin, wherein the encapsulation is filled at least in a portion with a self-healing gelatinous potting compound, which enables the encapsulation to be re-sealed after removal of the contact pin.

Growing community of inventors

Schopfheim, Germany

Simon Gerwig