Systems and methods for configuring field devices using a configuration device

A method for configuring a plurality of mobile field devices to perform non-identical operations in a coordinated manner according to a control program, each field device including a non-transitory computer readable memory storing the control program, a wireless transceiver and a processor that is configured by executing the control program, comprising:

• arranging, in an operational environment, a plurality of field devices to occupy respective starting positions in an application-dependent formation, wherein the field devices are programmed with the same control program and are arranged without regard to which particular field device occupies which starting position in the formation, and wherein the control program on each field device is configured to use a field-assigned respective device identifier (ID) to coordinate non-identical operation by a respective field device and coordinate application-dependent, formation-based operations by the plurality of field devices;
• prompting, with an HMI using an associated display, the operator to sequentially configure the plurality of field devices according to a prescribed formation-dependent order beginning with a first starting position in the formation, wherein the HMI is a portable computing device including a computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions stored therein, one or more position sensors, the display, a wireless transceiver and a processor that is configured by executing the instructions;
• and
• configuring each of the plurality of field devices, wherein, for each of the plurality of field devices, configuring comprises:
• positioning a human-machine interface (HMI) and a particular field device in proximity,
• establishing, by the HMI using the transceiver, wireless communication between the HMI and the particular field device,
• determining, by the HMI, the respective starting position occupied by the particular field device in the formation, wherein the respective starting position is a relative position within the formation, and wherein the HMI determines the respective starting position occupied by the particular field device as a function of the prescribed formation-dependent order and a record of any previous configurations of one or more field devices among the plurality of field devices, and, wherein the device ID is incremented by the HMI as each field device is configured
• automatically defining, by the HMI, configuration settings for the particular field device including at least a respective device identifier (ID), wherein the device IDs are defined incrementally and as a function of the respective starting position within the formation, and
• transferring, by the HMI using the wireless transceiver, the configuration settings to the particular robot to configure the particular robot;
• and
• initiating coordinated operation of the plurality of field devices according to the control program and the respective configuration settings.