Intelligent field input/output (I/O) terminal for industrial control and related system and method

A system comprising:

• a controller configured to control at least part of one or more industrial processes;
• at least one field device;
• and
• a first enclosure comprising:
• a first field installable module configured as a primary communication gateway that is configured to communicate with the controller over a network;
• and
• a second field installable module configured as a secondary communication gateway to communicate with the first field installable module and to control the at least one field device;
• wherein each field installable module comprises multiple communication interfaces, multiple input/output (I/O) channels, a universal input/output (UIO) channel driver, an intrinsic safety barrier, and at least one processing device disposed within a second enclosure that is suitable for outdoor use, and wherein the intrinsic safety barrier electrically separates the communication interfaces from the UIO channel driver and the I/O channels, and
• wherein the at least one field device is configurable to function as the primary or secondary communication gateway in order to support redundant communication over at least one communication path, the primary and secondary communication gateways are communicatively coupled to each other via a private communication path for the redundant communication.

A method comprising:

• communicating with multiple field devices associated with an industrial control system using multiple input/output (I/O) channels of a first field installable module as a primary communication gateway;
• communicating with a supervisory process controller or a human-machine interface using a first communication interface of the first field installable module;
• communicating with a second field installable module as a secondary communication gateway, using at least one of the first communication interface and a second communication interface of the first field installable module;
• controlling at least one of the field devices based on data received over at least one of the communication interfaces;
• controlling operation of the I/O channels using a universal input/output (UIO) channel driver;
• and
• electrically separating the first and second communication interfaces from the UIO channel driver and the I/O channels using an intrinsic safety barrier, and
• configuring the at least one of the field devices to function as the primary or secondary communication gateway in order to support redundant communication over at least one of the communication paths, the primary and secondary communication gateways are communicatively coupled to each other via a private communication path for the redundant communication,
• wherein the first and second communication interfaces, the I/O channels, the UIO channel driver, and the intrinsic safety barrier are disposed within an enclosure of the first field installable module, wherein the enclosure is suitable for outdoor use.