Fisher Controls International LLC

Stephen George Seberger

Jimmie Lee Snowbarger

George Wayne Gassman

Bruce Frederick Grumstrup

Perry Keith Carter

Adam Joseph Wittkop

Davin Scott Nicholas

Clyde Thomas Eisenbeis

Matthew J Kemp

Richard Jay Winkler

Riyaz M Ali

Marwan Brama

Curt Galbreath

LeDoyle Pingel

Ronald L Uhlenberg

Zachary M Bryant

Scott E Losing

Davin Nicholas

Gregory R Bulleit

Chris Arnold

Ledoyle Pingel

Scott Edward Losing

Zachary Mathew Bryant

Process control instruments having local intrinsic safety barriers and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. An example field instrument for a process control assembly includes a non-protection compartment, intrinsically safe circuitry positioned in the non-protection compartment, a protection compartment, non-intrinsically safe circuitry positioned in the protection compartment, and local barrier circuitry positioned in the protection compartment to operatively couple the non-intrinsically safe circuitry to the intrinsically safe circuitry, the local barrier circuitry to prevent the intrinsically safe circuitry from receiving an electrical energy that is greater than an electrical energy threshold from the non-intrinsically safe circuitry.

Process control instruments having local intrinsic safety barriers and methods of manufacturing the same

A system and method are provided for operating, in a process control system, a circuit coupled to an input power supply and a supercapacitor susceptible to damage at high temperatures. A controller causes the circuit to supply electric charge from the input power supply to the supercapacitor. The controller also causes the circuit to supply electric power from the supercapacitor to a field device, such as an actuator. The controller selects a voltage to which the supercapacitor is to be charged based at least in part on a detected temperature associated with the supercapacitor, and causes the circuit to supply electric charge from the input power supply to the supercapacitor based on the selected voltage.

Systems and methods for situation-dependent supercapacitor voltage control

Methods and apparatus for enhancing reserve power units are described. An example apparatus includes a power source to operate a process control component and a power conditioner to provide power during a disruption of power from the power source to prevent a false trigger of a shutdown function of the process control component.

Methods and apparatus to prevent a false trigger of a shutdown function of a process control component

A system and method using a valve controller to control a valve. The valve controller including a position controller for moving the valve and a transmitter for providing information about the position of the valve. A calibration table and/or chart based on calibration data of the position controller is generated to provide a transmitter output value, wherein the transmitter need not be separately calibrated. The calibration table and/or chart may be stored in the position controller and provided to the transmitter upon completion of the calibration of the position controller. Dual power supply circuitry may be configured wherein a first power source supplies power to both the position controller and the transmitter to facilitate automatic calibration of the transmitter even when only the position controller is powered.

Automatic calibration of position transmitter

Embodiments of the invention provide an electrical terminal that provides wire termination at an edge of a printed circuit board. The electrical terminal includes a terminal body having a first corner, a cage clamp in the terminal body and defining a wire insert axis and a screw insert axis, and a base supporting the terminal body on the printed circuit board. The base is angled so that the first corner is aligned along a front plane defined along the edge of the printed circuit board.

Electrical terminal having a cage clamp for wire termination

A diagnostic system and method for a field device implemented in a safety instrumented system includes detecting an occurrence of a safety event associated with the field device, overriding normal control of the field device to cause the field device to enter a safe state in response to the detected occurrence of the safety event, verifying the override of normal control of the field device, and transmitting a control signal to cause the field device to enter the safe state.

System and method for shutting down a field device

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to calibrate valve-mounted instruments, such as a position controllers and/or a position transmitter, are described. An example tangible computer-readable medium comprises instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to receive a first value representative of a current position of a valve, receive a second value representative of a sensitivity of a position sensor, compute a first estimated value corresponding to an expected fully-open position of the valve based on the received first and second values, compute a second estimated value corresponding to an expected fully-closed position of the valve based on the received first and second values, receive a control signal representative of a desired position of the valve, and in response to the received control signal, position the valve at substantially the desired position based on the first and second estimated values.

Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture to calibrate valve-mounted instruments

Electrical terminals and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. An example method of making an electrical terminal is disclosed that includes forming a base portion of a housing for the electrical terminal, forming a top portion of the housing, the top portion having an opening defining an entry point for a wire to be terminated, extending a connector pin out through a bottom surface of the base portion of the housing to enable electrical connection with a printed circuit board, and sealingly mating the top portion to the base portion to enclose a first wire clamp within the housing, the first wire clamp to secure the wire in electrical contact with the connector pin when the wire is extending into the housing through the opening, the base portion and the top portion being immovably affixed, wherein the first wire clamp is actuated by a screw.

Method of making an electrical terminal

An intrinsically safe voltage clamping device includes a regulated rail, a ground rail, and a shunt regulator assembly. The shunt regulator assembly is coupled to both the regulated rail and the ground rail and includes one or more regulating components. The shunt regulator assembly is configured to clamp a voltage applied across the regulated rail and the ground rail to a safety clamp voltage value. The intrinsically safe voltage clamping device also includes a power-sensing component configured to cause one or more limiting components to reduce a power dissipated in the respective regulating components without raising the clamp voltage.

Intrinsically safe voltage clamping device

An intrinsically safe redundant regulator circuit includes a plurality of voltage limiting regulators between a regulated rail and a ground rail. Each of the plurality of voltage limiting regulators includes: (i) a shunt regulator component configured to clamp a voltage across the regulated rail and the ground rail to a safety clamp voltage value; and (ii) one or more components, where a property of each of the one or more components is selected to configure the safety clamp voltage value.

Intrinsically safe voltage limiting shunt regulator circuit

A control signal protection device protects a current-receiving field device from an undesirable interruption in a control signal provided to the field device. The control signal protection device includes a first terminal to connect the signal protection device to a control system and a second terminal that connects the control signal protection device to a field device. The control signal device further includes a power storing element for temporary accumulation of electric energy and a switching circuit for controlling operational mode of the signal protection device. Electric energy is stored in the power storing element in a first operational mode. Electric energy stored in the power storing element is supplied to a positive terminal in the second terminal pair in a second operational mode.

Control signal protection device

A control signal protection device having a first operational mode and a second operational mode includes a first terminal pair that connects the signal protection device to a control system and a second terminal pair that connects the converter to a field device. The control system provided a control signal to the control system protection device. The control signal device further includes a power storing element for temporary accumulation of electric energy and a switching circuit for controlling operational mode of the signal protection device. Electric energy is stored in the power storing element in the first operational mode. Electric energy stored in the power storing element is supplied to a positive terminal in the second terminal pair in the second operational mode.

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to calibrate valve-mounted instruments, such as a position controllers and/or a position transmitter, are described. An example method disclosed herein includes securing a position of a flow control member of a control valve assembly to prevent movement of the flow control member and installing a controller to the control valve assembly. The method includes activating a user interface of the controller after the controller is coupled to the control valve assembly, entering a position sensor sensitivity value and a single-point position value, the single-point position value being representative of the secured position of the flow control member, applying a single-point calibration value, placing the controller in a control mode, and releasing the position of the flow control member, the controller to self-calibrate during operation of the control valve assembly based on the position sensor sensitivity value and the single-point position value while the control valve assembly is in operation.

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Marshalltown, IA, United States of America

Stephen George Seberger