System and Method for Monitoring and Controlling a Target Operating Device of a Process Control System

A method of monitoring and controlling a target operating device of a process control system, the method comprising:

• detecting activation of one or more parts of the target operating device with a sensor of a wireless latching unit;
• latching a switch of the wireless latching unit from an inactive state to an active state upon detecting the activation of the one or more parts;
• transmitting one or more active signals from the wireless latching unit to a base station upon latching the switch to the active state;
• detecting deactivation of the one or more parts of the target operating device with the sensor of the wireless latching unit;
• and
• continuing to transmit the one or more active signals from the wireless latching unit to the base station until receiving a termination signal from a second source.

A wireless monitoring and control system comprising:

• a base station comprising a base processor and a base memory;
• a target operating device comprising one or more parts;
• a wireless latching unit communicatively coupled to the target operating device and the base station, the wireless latching unit having a latch processor, a latch memory, an interface for transmitting data associated with the wireless latching unit to the base station, a sensor for detecting activation and deactivation of one or more parts of the target operating device, and a switch adapted to be latched to an active state upon activation of the one or more parts of the target operating device;
• a module stored in the latch memory of the wireless latching unit and executable by the latch processor to:
• (1) detect activation of the one or more parts of the target operating device;
• (2) latch the switch to the active state when activation of the one or more parts is detected;
• (3) instruct the interface to transmit one or more active signals from the wireless latching unit to the base station;
• and (4) ignore deactivation of the one or more parts of the target operating device until receiving a termination signal from a second source that the wireless latching unit has been reset to an inactive state.

A system comprising a processor, a computer readable storage medium, and computer-executable instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium and executable by the processor to:

• detect activation of one or more parts of the target operating device with a sensor of a wireless latching unit;
• latch a switch of the wireless latching unit from an inactive state to an active state upon detecting the activation of the one or more parts;
• transmit one or more active signals from the wireless latching unit to a base station upon the switch being latched to the active state;
• detect deactivation of the one or more parts of the target operating device with the sensor of the wireless latching unit;
• ignore the detected deactivation at the wireless latching unit;
• and
• continue to transmit the one or more active signals from the wireless latching unit to the base station until receiving a termination signal from a second source.