Hart Communication Foundation

Abb Research Ltd.

Abb Schweiz Ag

Dust Networks, Inc.

Abb Ag

Tomas Lennvall

Mark J Nixon

Eric Darrell Rotvold

Wallace A Pratt, Jr

Robin S Pramanik

Terrence L Blevins

Yuri Zats

Mikael Gidlund

Jonas Neander

Frederick R Enns

Thomas L Phinney

Tiberiu Seceleanu

Johan Åkerberg

Krister Landernäs

Gargi Bag

Ewa Hansen

Pal Orten

Lennart Balgård

Stefan Svensson

Niclas Ericsson

Judith Rossebø

Larisa Rizvanovic

Pia Stoll

A method of scheduling field devices in a wireless network of an industrial process system is provided. The method is performed in a scheduling device and includes scheduling one or more field devices on uplink resources and on downlink resources, such that, for at least one of the field devices, a periodicity of uplink resources is different than a periodicity of downlink resources.

Method of scheduling field devices in a wireless network of an industrial process system

A method for communication between a wireless device node in a wireless sensor network and control apparatus or control processes of an industrial control system. The wireless network includes a plurality of device nodes and at least one gateway. The method includes receiving at a gateway an aggregated data packet or a final address in the ICS. The gateway processes the data packet, detects that it is an aggregated data packet and reconstructs the original data packets contained therein. The gateway then sends each of the original data packets as standard data packets to the intended final address in the ICS. In other aspects of the invention a method, system and a computer program for carrying out the method are described.

Energy efficient method for communication between a wireless sensor network and an industrial control system

A wireless communication device providing a node in the network includes a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a transmission buffer, and a packet prioritizing unit configured to obtain data relating to packets to be transmitted in the network, obtain indications of the remaining lifetime of the packets, where the indications are based on the time needed for reaching a destination node, prioritize the packets according to the remaining life time indications, where the prioritization is made in ascending order from an indication of a low remaining life time to a high remaining lifetime, and place the packets in the transmission buffer for transmission according to the prioritization.

Packet prioritizing in an industrial wireless network

A method for communication in a wireless sensor network of an industrial control system. The network includes a plurality of device nodes and at least one gateway. The method includes aggregating in at least one wireless device data originating from at least two data packets. The method includes receiving at a first node at least one first data packet for a first destination address and aggregating data from the at least one data packet with data from at least one second data packet, intended for the same first destination address, forming an aggregated data packet and sending the aggregated data packet to another node or to said gateway. In other aspects of the invention a method, system and a computer program for carrying out the method are described.

Energy efficient method for communication in a wireless sensor network of an industrial control system

A method for reducing interference between wireless networks for industrial devices. The method includes the steps of: obtaining a first resource schedule of a first wireless network manager; obtaining a second resource schedule of a second wireless network manager; determining whether there are resource conflicts between the first resource schedule and the second resource schedule; and providing, when at least one resource conflict is determined, a new wireless resource schedule for the first wireless network manager to avoid at least part of the determined resource conflicts. A corresponding multi-network manager, system and computer program product are also presented.

Multi-network manager, method and system

An industrial process control system including a process control device, a first wireless communication network, a second wireless communication network and a first group of wireless field devices interfacing the industrial process and being associated with the first network. The network supervisor device investigates if the field devices of the first group are able to communicate with the process control device via the first network while meeting a communication restriction requirement, and redirects, in case the requirement is not met, communication between some of the field devices in the first group and the process control device to the second network so that the requirement is met for a first part of the field devices using the first wireless communication network and for a second part of the field devices using the second wireless communication network.

Meeting a communication restriction requirement in a process

A method of efficiently operating a wireless communication network in a process control environment, such that the wireless communication network includes a plurality of field devices, includes defining a communication protocol for supporting wireless communications between pairs of the plurality of field devices, including providing a set of protocol commands, transferring process control data from at least some of the plurality of field devices using a first subset of the set of protocol commands of the communication protocol, and transferring network management data to at least some of the plurality of field devices using a second subset of the set of protocol commands of the communication protocol.

Support for network management and device communications in a wireless network

A method of routing a data packet between a first node and a second node on a communication network includes defining a first graph through the first node and the second node and zero or more intermediate nodes, associating several nodes which belong to the communication network with the first graph, associating a first unique graph identifier with the first graph and providing at least partial definitions of the first graph and the first unique identifier to at least some of the nodes associated with the first graph. The method then sends data packet with the graph identifier from the first node, and directs the data packet to the second node via the zero or more intermediate nodes using the graph identifier. This method may include forwarding the packet to a neighbor node of an intermediate node if the intermediate node and the neighbor node are nodes associated with the first graph and if the intermediate node and the neighbor node are connected by at least one direct communication connection.

Routing packets on a network using directed graphs

A mesh communication network for use in, for example, process control plants includes a plurality of network devices transmitting and receiving data according to a network schedule defined as a set of concurrent overlapping superframes, and along a set of graphs defining communication paths between pairs of network devices. A network manager residing in or outside the communication network develops a routing scheme for the network by analyzing the topology of the network and defining a set of graphs for use in routing or transmitting data between various nodes of the network, each graph including one or more communication paths between pairs of network devices. Concurrently or consequently, the network manager defines the network schedule in view of at least transmission requirements, power availability, and signal quality at each network device. If desired, the network manager may begin to define the network schedule upon completing the definition of the graphs of the communication network, so that the network manager may define the network schedule in view both the defined graphs and the transmission, power, etc. parameters associated with each network device.

Increasing reliability and reducing latency in a wireless network

A method of providing a wireless extension to a plant automation network connected to a plurality of wired devices, each wired device performing a process control function, includes connecting a plurality of wireless devices to the plant automation network, each of the plurality of wireless devices adapted to communicate with at least another one of the plurality of wireless devices via at least one respective wireless connection; and providing access to each of the plurality of wireless devices from a host disposed in the plant automation network, such that the host accesses the plurality of wired devices and the plurality of wireless devices using a common communication scheme.

Combined wired and wireless communications with field devices in a process control environment

A method of enhancing security in a wireless mesh communication network operating in a process control environment and including a plurality of wireless network devices includes processing a join request from a wireless device wishing to join the wireless mesh communication network, providing a limited network functionality to the wireless device if the join request is granted, requesting a complete approval of the wireless device; and granting a full network functionality to the wireless device if the complete approval of the wireless device is received.

Enhancing security in a wireless network

A method for synchronizing communications in wireless mesh network operating in a process control environment and including a plurality of network devices includes defining a communication timeslot of a predetermined duration, wherein each of the plurality of network devices transmits or receives data only within the communication timeslot generating a network schedule including at least one superframe having repeating superframe cycles each having a number of communication timeslots sequentially numbered relative to a beginning of each cycle, the number of communication timeslots defining a length of the at least one superframe, maintaining an absolute slot number indicative of a number of communication timeslots scheduled since a start time of the wireless network, synchronizing each of the plurality of network devices with respect to a timing of an individual communication timeslot, and synchronizing each of the plurality of network devices with the network schedule based on the absolute slot number.

Synchronizing timeslots in a wireless communication protocol

A method of providing a wireless extension to a wired protocol for transferring data to and from a field device operating in a process control environment via a wired connection, wherein the wired protocol and the wireless extension to the wired protocol have at least one protocol layer in common includes associating a unique address consistent with an addressing scheme of the wired protocol with each of a plurality of wireless devices operating in the process control environment and forming a wireless network, such that a data packet is routed between two of the plurality of wireless devices based on the unique address; associating a network identifier with the plurality of wireless devices; forming, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a global address including the respective unique address and the network identifier in accordance with a second addressing scheme; and providing access to an external host operating outside the wireless network to each of the plurality of wireless devices based on the global address associated with the wireless device specified at the external host.

Efficient addressing in wireless hart protocol

A wireless gateway for use in a process control environment includes a wireless interface for communicating with a first wireless network using a first wireless communication protocol, such that the wireless network includes a plurality of field devices operating in the process control environment. The wireless gateway further includes a host interface for communicating with an external host disposed outside the wireless network using a second communication protocol and a protocol translator to enable an exchange of data between the first interface and the second interface.

Growing community of inventors

Vasteras, Sweden

Tomas Lennvall