Detecting and Locating Process Control Communication Line Faults from a Handheld Maintenance Tool
AssigneeFisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
InventorMehul Rajeshbhai Dalal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handheld maintenance tool operates to detect the existence of a fault in a communication line or bus, including detecting short circuit or other low impedance faults, open circuit or other high impedance faults, etc. Additionally, the handheld maintenance tool may operate to detect an approximate location of a fault within the communication line with respect to the handheld device, to thereby enable an operator or maintenance person to more easily find and repair a detected fault.
Claims46
A method of detecting a fault in a process control communication network having a communication line and one or more devices connected to the communication line, comprising:
- providing a first electronic signal on the communication line from a handheld device,
- measuring at the handheld device a second electronic signal on the communication line in response to the first electronic signal on the communication line;
- analyzing at a computer processor within the handheld device the measured second electronic signal to determine a high impedance fault in the communication line;
- and
- indicating the existence of a detected high impedance fault to a user via a user display on the handheld device.
A handheld maintenance tool for use in detecting a fault in a communication line of process control system, comprising:
- an input/output interface configured to electronically connect to the communication line;
- a power source for placing power and communication signals on the communication line;
- one or more electronic signal sensors;
- a user interface;
- a processor;
- and
- a computer readable memory that stores a program to be implemented on the processor to measure an electronic signal on the communication line in response to a power signal being placed on the communication line, to analyze the measured electronic signal to determine a high impedance fault in the communication line, and to indicate the existence of a detected high impedance fault to a user via the user interface.
A method of detecting the location of a fault in a process control network communication bus having a set of communication lines and one or more devices connected to the set of communication lines, comprising:
- generating a pulse signal on the communication lines via a handheld device connected to the communication lines at a first time;
- detecting an echo pulse signal on the communication lines at the handheld device at a second time, the echo pulse signal being a reflection of the pulse signal at the fault;
- and
- determining, via a computer processor in the handheld device, the location of the fault on the communication lines based on the detected echo pulse signal.
A handheld maintenance tool for use detecting faults in a set of communication lines of a process control system, comprising:
- an input/output interface configured to connect to the communication lines;
- a pulse signal generator configured to generate a pulse signal to be placed on the communication lines;
- one or more electronic signal sensors;
- a user interface;
- a processor;
- and
- a computer readable memory that stores a program to be implemented on the processor to measure an electronic signal on the communication lines in response to the pulse signal on the communication lines, to analyze the measured electronic signal to determine a location of a fault in the communication lines and to indicate the existence of the determined location of the fault to a user via the user interface.
A method of detecting a fault in a process control network having a communication line and one or more devices connected to the communication line, comprising:
- providing a first power signal on the communication line at a first amplitude level from a handheld device connected to the communication line;
- measuring a current on the communication line in response to the first power signal on the communication line at the handheld device;
- analyzing the measured current signal via a processor within the handheld device to determine the existence of a low impedance fault in the communication line in response to the first power signal;
- if a low impedance fault condition is not determined in response to the first power signal on the communication line,
- (1) providing a second power signal on the communication line at a second amplitude level higher than the first amplitude level;
- (2) measuring a further current signal on the communication line in response to the second power signal on the communication line;
- and
- (3) analyzing the measured further current signal to determine the existence of a low impedance fault in the communication line;
- and
- if a low impedance fault is determined for either of the first power signal or the second power signal, indicating the existence of a detected fault to a user via a user interface on the handheld device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.