Method and arrangement for monitoring a transmission medium
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorKurt Polzer
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Abstract
Field devices are commonly used in unprotected environments, which means that these field devices and the conductor pairs connecting the field devices to the input modules/output modules of an automation installation are exposed to significant climatic and environmental factors. These factors have a detrimental effect on the transmission quality of the signals to be transferred between field devices and modules, which may result in erroneous measurements and dangerous operating states during control of a technical process. Measures to simplify monitoring of the transmission medium are proposed.
Claims12
-6. (canceled)
A method for monitoring a transmission medium, via which a first device can be connected to a second device, comprising:
- transferring a current signal representing a value over the transmission medium, the value transferred from the first device to the second device;
- transferring a digital communications signal representing the value over the transmission medium, the value transferred from the first device to the second device;
- and
- comparing the values,
- wherein the digital communications signal is superimposed on the current signal
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fault is reported depending on the comparison result.
An transmission medium monitoring system, comprising:
- a first device;
- a second device connected to the first device via the transmission mediu;
- and
- a current signal and a digital communications signal superimposed on the current signal transferred via the transmission medium,
- wherein in order to monitor the transmission medium the first device transfers to the second device a value via the current signal and the value via the digital communications signal,
- wherein the second device determines the values from the current signal and the communications signal, and
- wherein the values are compared.
A first device for monitoring a transmission medium, the first device connected to second device via the transmission medium, the first device comprising:
- a current signal and a digital communications signal superimposed on the current signal transferred to the first device via the transmission medium;
- a value transferred via the current signal and the value transferred via the digital communications signal;
- and
- a comparator that compares the values;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.